It was a cold night and the girls had prayed Isha jama'ah prayer with their mother,had dinner and sat in the little hallway infront of the kitchen to sew. The windows in the sitting room had been left open, so the chilly wind blew all the way inside, making the lacy white curtains flutter around the pillars in the little hallway, carrying the faint scent of the jasmine incense sticks Seeren had burnt during Maghrib since it was friday night.
The family had a habit of making sure the place smelled nice and looked clean all the time. But none of them were like Labeebah who exaggerated in doing it as she kept rinsing powder wrapped up in a shopping bag inside her cupboard,some incense sticks in all her drawers, an Itr tube inside her school bag and of course a little cologne bottle to perfume the curtain in her room every month!
They were engrossed in their own little world, cutting,threading and sewing the garments with the throbbing of the machines sounding loud in the background.
"Aunt Khadijah said she will be coming today but there was no call from her"said Seeren, leaning infront to change the thread from the needle.
"Did you try calling her?" Habeebah asked, flipping the dress to the other side.
"Yes,but there was no answer" Seeren replied.
"Oh, I hope she's alright. The last time she came, she said her pressure level had increased" Habeebah said with a look of genuine worry on her face.
"Yes, she told me as well.But when i tried taking her to the doctor, she refused flatly,vsaying that she was perfectly fine as a mother hen" seeren smiled looking at her daughter's worried expression.
"Ma, even mother hens need to be tended to, with care and love" Habeebah said, her worry lines creasing into a slight frown.
"Relax Bi,she probably forgot about the call or something" said Labeebah,struggling to put a thread inside the needle and failing for the fourth time which made her patience wear off.
She called her sister 'Bi' in short for 'Habi'. She had always called her 'Bidi' when she was younger, because she was too lazy to say 'Habeebah Didi' but now she saved it for occasions where she used flattery to brainwash her sister.
"Besides,you're starting to worry about everything around you" she added carelessly, now pushing the crooked thread in vain into the tiny hole of the needle.
"Sisters these days,"she grumbled almost loudly "so touchy-OW!!!"
The ow had nothing to do with Habeebah's glare but the fresh blood oozing from Labeebah's finger was proof that she hadn't been paying attention to her sewing.
Habeebah sighed." I told you-"
"Dont say 'I told you so'!! I know!!" snapped Labeebah, fumbling inside the drawer for a tissue to wipe the blood dripping endlessly.
"No I was saying I told you to keep your fingers as far as possible from the needles when doing it.And you need to spread them apart while-"
"Okay, all right!! Fine, I was careless!!
Ow,ow,ow...." she muttered nursing her tissue-wrapped finger.
"Go wash off the blood and apply some turmeric powder on it" Seeren advised, her expression almost bored like this was an everyday occurance.
"What???" asked Labeebah, her eyes as round as saucers. "Not the turmeric powder please!!!" She begged.
"Labeebah,you know it's good for fast recovery" Habeebah said patiently.
"Fine!!!" She huffed. "But you people are not the least bothered...that I have a cut in my precious finger-
"Like the twelfth time this year" put in Habeebah.
YOU ARE READING
In His Mansion
Spiritual"Well??" she snapped "Where am I supposed to stay??" He raised an eyebrow. "I won't tolerate this kind of an attitude as long as you're under my custody, do you understand?" "What kind of an attitude?" "This impertinent attitude" "Well, my mother al...
