Dawud.

Chapter 42: My Romantic Husband

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

Jannah's P.O.V

Dawud and I went to get some breakfast outside of the house for a change. This was great because I could never ingest what I put in my body nowadays. It came right back out. I blamed it on the constant cereal-eating I was doing. I have a plan for the day, he said. You'll fall in love with me over and over again today, watch. I wore my favorite loose dress. I'd been gaining a little weight around the edges and this dress made me feel beautiful. He wore his favorite pair of jeans with the dark green sweater I bought for him. The ride to the restaurant was filled with excitement, contrasting against the tension from the night before. Dawud and I rarely ever went on dates. For a newly wedded couple, we fell short on cute trips to the park and picnics on the beach. We really needed some fresh air. We needed to get out more and that's what we did.

Dawud parked the car and looked at me mischievously. "Oh, my Jannah," he sighed dramatically, "My life, my soul, my very breath." He groaned, rubbing his forehead in despair. "What am I to do if you leave me?" He asked, unbuckling his seat belt and leaning forward to kiss me. I giggled as he slid his hand over my lap to unbuckle my seat belt. I decided against asking him why he was so affectionate today. I really liked his demeanor in all honesty. It made me feel special, wanted. "Say something, please?" He pleaded. "Your silence is hurting me, but the way you're looking today is killing me."

I blushed, covering my face with my hands. Words could never be able to describe my love for this man. "You're so cute." I said, kissing his cheek. Dawud slightly shivered the second I pulled away. I laughed and teased him about it.

"Well, what can I do? You give me the chills." He replied.

"Oh, you're so corny!" I groaned.

Dawud chuckled, biting his lip. I melted.

Earlier in the morning, after we prayed Fajr, Dawud asked me to cut his hair. I told him that I had no experience trimming hair except for my own and he replied by saying that it was okay. And so I cut around three inches. He didn't look like a baby Tarzan anymore. He looked like he did the first day I saw him, with hair curling just below his ears.

"I don't want to lose you. Not now, not twenty years down the line, not ever." He admitted, looking down at his fingers.

I felt the strings of my heart snap. He was scared of losing me like Muhammad was in the midst of losing Qamara. "Never. I pray that Allah keeps us together for eternity." I replied firmly. I took hold of his hand and brought it to my lips. I kissed it once. And then twice. And then for a third time. "You're everything, Dawud. I love you so much it scares me." I told him.

He watched me intensely with those bright, beautiful green eyes. He looked with such concentration as if I would disappear in a flash. We stayed like this for a while. "Do you think we're in the honeymoon phase?" He then asked, breaking the romantic aura. I burst out laughing, erupting with giggles. Dawud looked away from me, embarrassed. "I'll take that as a yes."

After we had breakfast, Dawud brought me back to the car but told me that we weren't going home. I sat in the passenger's seat, wearing a confused look on my face. He handed me a short scarf and told me to wrap it around my eyes. "It's a surprise." He said, grinning beautifully

Dawud led me out of the car and told me to stand in the parking lot and wait. He took me to the museum. The second I took the blindfold off, I squealed in excitement. "Dawdie! You remembered!"

Dawud shrugged, turning red. I jumped on him, throwing my arms over his shoulders. I rested my head in the crook of his neck and stayed there for a while.

No one has ever done anything like this for me. No one has ever carefully paid attention to what it was that I liked and disliked. No one except Dawud.

As the cool spring wind flowed through my hijab, I felt my happiness increase, bubbling and bursting out of me. I pulled away from him and admired my husband. The sun shun above us, making Dawud's beautiful skin glow and his eyes squint. "Give each other gifts, so that you may love one another." He said, filling the air with his deep and raspy voice. It sent shivers up my spine.

In the museum, my tongue grew dry from all the talking I had done. Dawud no longer flinched when I'd tug at his wrist or drag him by the sleeve to show him something. He no longer looked at me with surprise each time I'd gasp and jump up and down at a new exhibition. He just smiled, studying me silently. He only spoke when it was necessary by saying genuine things like: Really? No way! But how? You know all of this?

The museum was nearly empty today, save for a few university students and volunteers, dragging themselves around. Dawud and I entered the aquarium. The room was vacant but large with three very tall walls made of dark stone with the fourth being made of thick glass. Behind the glass were species upon species of fish. Schools of fish, whizzing by, busying themselves with God knows what. I rushed over to the center of the room and plopped down, admiring the scene in front of me. Dawud watched me from the doorway. "Jannah." He called

"Yes?" I replied, keeping my eyes on a particular fish. It was small, beige and had miniature eyes. I heard Dawud's footsteps approach me. "What is it, Dawdie?" I inquired, stripping my eyes away from the funny looking fish.

Dawud held a hand outwards. "Dance with me." He whispered. He must've seen the look of confusion on my face, because he smirked.

"We don't have any music." I replied, purposely teasing him.

"We don't listen to music." He answered. It was a slick answer indeed.

And so I stood up, put a hand over his shoulder and laced the other with his. We swayed left and right, losing ourselves in the sound of our laughter. Dawud stepped away and raised his arm. With a quick flick of his wrist, I spun around, erupting with laughter. He then put a hand behind my back and lowered me, like they do in the movies. I studied his expression carefully as he pulled me back up, back onto my feet. His lips were quivering, something they did when he was on the verge of crying. "Dawud." I whispered, stroking his cheek. That did the trick. As soon as my fingers made contact with his skin, tears upon tears fell from his eyes. My stomach dropped as he wailed, pulling me close, squeezing me tightly. There wasn't a millimeter of space between us. I decided against speaking. Instead, I used my free arms to caress his back.

"My parents are getting a divorce, Jannah." He said after a few minutes. "After so many years, they're getting a divorce. A divorce on a matter so petty, so easily preventable." He spoke through clenched teeth. "What can I do? I've left them in that house for so long that my father doesn't even want my mother anymore!"

I pulled away from him, with difficulty. "Hey," I whispered softly, moving a fallen strand of hair from his face. "This is not your fault. None of this is your fault." He looked at me with tired and droopy eyes. "My father made so many mistakes after I was born." I admitted, blinking back tears. "But would you blame my mother for them?" I pressed. Dawud shook his head. "Why not?"

"It was his conscious decision and it was out of your mother's power." He stuttered with great difficulty.

I stroked his sharp jaw and sighed. "Would you blame Qamara for Muhammad's decision?" I asked him softly.

Dawud caved in on himself, sobbing uncontrollably. He fell to his knees and I fell to mine as well. Seeing him like this made me want to break down and sob but I had to be strong for him. I allowed a few tears to fall from my eyes. Nothing more. "No." He said after a long while.

"Then how on earth could it be yours?" I finally said, pulling his locks away from his face. I cradled him in my arms, wiping the tears from his face and rocking back and forth. The long piece of fabric from my hijab draped over the floor and so I grabbed it and put it over Dawud instead. "It's Allah's will, Dawud. There is not one hardship that befalls you without expiating your sins, okay, sweetheart?"

Dawud pulled me closer, tightening his grasp as if he feared I would disappear into thin air.