Dawud.

Chapter 16: Meet Parihan

  بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful 

  I looked up at her immediately with shocked eyes. Dawud had on the same expression. What would her answer be...

Jannah's P.O.V

My mother grabbed her purse and looked at the two of us with a smile. "Jannah, he's won me over." She said sheepishly.

I embraced her, squeezing her tightly. She told me to let go but I refused. My mother meant so much to me and I know how hard this was for her. Praise be to Allah, for everything. My father shook Dawud's hand and stood up. "Dhuhr is in five minutes." He told him quietly.

Dawud smiled. "We can all pray here. I've got a prayer room down the hall." He told my father with a grin.

After we prayed Dhuhr, my mother was the first one to head down to the car. As my father slipped on his boots, I waited for him in the doorway. Dawud studied me. "How did I do?" He asked confidently.

I shook my head. "You were alright." We laughed and looked at my father who was struggling to tie his shoe laces. Dawud knelt down and removed my father's meaty hands from the shoes, tying the laces himself. My father thanked him.

Dawud asked us to wait before rushing into his kitchen. He returned with a box in hand. "Jannah, I was out with Abdallah and Mariam the other day and they mentioned your love for museums." Dawud said sheepishly. He handed me the small black box and I gushed.

"Dawud, you're too kind. I didn't even get you anything!" I told him, pushing it towards him. He shook his head and insisted that I open it.

I lifted the cover. In the box were four tickets to the Museum of Nature and a mini carton of my favorite cereal. I gasped. "Are these open passes? Like, we can go anywhere we want in the museum? Even the IMAX Theatre?" I pressed. He nodded shyly. "Dawud, this is so nice! You even added a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch." I babbled. He was so sweet.

"My dad's going to tag along too." He told me.

"Great! I get to show you guys the amazing marine plant exhibition! Oh, they've extended their mineral display too!" I said excitedly. My father and Dawud laughed. "Our second semester starts in a week so anytime before that would be great." I said.

"How about Thursday?" Dawud suggested. We both looked at my father who gave us a thumbs up. "Thursday it is."

I grinned and fiddled with my fingers. It was a habit of mine when shyness took over. He was justamazing. "Assalamu'Alaykum, Dawud."

He bit his lip and scratched the back of his neck bashfully. "Wa Alaykum Salam, Jannah."

My father groaned and threw his hands in the air. "You two are always forgetting me!" He joked. He then laced his arm around mind and walked out of the apartment.

Dawud waved at us from the door. I already missed him to bits.

*

I finally opened up my henna business again. I was on break for the month of December due to exams but Alhamdullilah, I was up again.

My business was very simple. I managed customers and received appointment bookings off of my social media; Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. I chose this as a means of easy communication and publicity. I put up a post earlier this morning on my social media saying that I was back in business and my inbox was overflowing with dozens of messages by the time I got back from Dawud's apartment with my parents.

I messaged all of them back, sending them a link to my calendar and asking them to choose a date and time. It was a first-come-first-serve service unless there was a special occasion. In that case, I was available 24/7 and could be contacted through my phone.

After a few minutes, I looked at my online calendar to see all of January and most of February booked. I looked at today's schedule which was booked by a woman named Parihan. From her address, I could tell that she lived near my mother's house so I packed my henna equipment and took the train.

I knocked on the woman's door and waited in the cold for about five minutes. All of a sudden, the door swung open and a woman pulled me in for a hug, sobbing hysterically. I stood there, frozen and confused. The woman pulled away, looking at me with her deep blue eyes. She looked around my age. Her dark hair was all over the place but her beautiful features caught my eye. "Thank you for coming, Jannah!" She cried. Her voice was hoarse and loud.

I blinked a few times. "Y-you're welcome. I'm here to do your henna." I told her. She nodded and led me into her kitchen. We sat down at her empty dining table.

"I have to look my best and that's why I've asked you to do my henna." She whimpered. I set up my equipment and gestured for her to sit down next to me. "I've got to... Win a man back." Parihan told me, determined.

I smiled and pulled out my design collection. She pointed to the easiest one. I usually did that design for children. "Did you guys break up?" I asked her, placing her hand on the table. I squeezed the henna from the pipe, working my way up, commencing at her wrists and ending at her knuckles. Each hand took me about five minutes.

She shook her head. "No. He approached me for marriage and when I got to know him, I rejected him. But here I am, crying over him!" She told me with a shaky voice.

I frowned. "How long did you get to know him?"

"A month. He met my family and everything." Parihan said. She looked at me with desperate eyes. "He's unique, Jannah. His voice is so deep and he's so handsome."

"Yeah." I empathized quietly.

"You know why I changed my mind about him?" She questioned. I shook my head. "It's because he wanted me to start practicing Islam. I mean, I love Allah in my heart, don't get me wrong, it's just that I don't have the time to pray five times a day." She moaned.

I felt something in my chest and it wasn't pleasant. "But Parihan, praying is obligatory for every Muslim." I told her softly. I knew this was a sensitive subject to talk about for her. She looked up at me surprised.

"Is it?" She asked me. I pressed my lips in a firm line and nodded. She stayed quiet for a moment. "Maybe Dawud was right."

I gripped the table.

"If he sees a change in me, he'll beg me to marry him!" She cheered.

I started to put my equipment back into the bag. Her henna was drying and I had to get out of here. I had to breathe.

"Are you alright? Here's your cash." She said warily. I took the money and rushed out the door, wheezing for air. I jogged to the train station, shocked at what I had just heard.

Chapter Seventeen ->