Her Accepting Heart by Ayesha Ally ( A.M.I )

4

4

   "What the Jahannam were you thinking?!" Salma shouted at the top of her voice, not worried that the passersby were staring at her as though she had grown horns.
   "Maybe you should've sent a Moulana with the marriage registry also! My Allah, I can't believe you're my sister right now." Salma turned away from Samiha.
   Samiha opened her mouth to speak, but Salma turned around glaring at her.
   "Where did your paranoia fly off to when it should've been with you?" Salma shook her head in dismay.
   "You're in for a rude awakening my girl. I would've rather accepted the mother-in-law living in my home than send my husband with another woman every day to work!"
   Samiha was feeling embarrassed when a few people stopped to watch her sister in a frenzy.
   "Listen, let's go home and we can speak about this. I had no idea you were going to react the way you are." Samiha spoke calmly.
   "I have a mind to tell Basher what I think about this whole set up..." Salma followed her sister to the car, still shocked and outraged at her sisters calm and collected stance.
   When they were in the car, Samiha knew she had to speak in her defense...
   "Look Sal, I trust my husband and it is just to and from work, no big deal."
   Salma held her hand up for her to stop speaking and then only spoke herself.
   "Trust?! Sam, we don't trust ourselves at the best of times. And I know that Basher would never look at another woman the way he looks at you, but you need to know about the devil's whisperings...Shaytaan is always the third person when two people of the opposite gender are alone, don't you remember we learned that in the classes we attended?" Salma pinched the bridge of her nose.
   "Listen to me, you need to put a stop to this before you regret it. It's been a month and you're letting it be, like it's normal. Had I known about this earlier, I wouldn't have let it be at all."
   Samiha stared ahead as she drove, her sister's words ringing in her ears.
   Salma could be dramatic, but with her outburst today, she had outdone herself.
   "Sal, relax...I will ask him tonight how much longer he needs to be chauffeur. And I will ask him to stop..."
   "Ask? You will ask him to stop?!" Salma sounded incredulous.
   "You will TELL him to stop, no questions. Do you hear me?" Salma glared at her.
   "Okay, I will tell him..." Samiha corrected herself.
When she reached home later that afternoon, her mother-in-law was busy in the kitchen.
   "As-salaamu-alaikum Ma...What are you making?" Samiha gave the ingredients a once over.
   "I'm trying the recipe from Jameela Sayed's recipe book." She held up the 'cooking and baking creations' book up for her to see.
   "Oh then it would definitely be something devine, I'm sure of it." Samiha smiled, before her sister's taunts came back to her.
   With a frown etched between her brow, Samiha sat on the stool and watched her mother-in-law move about in the kitchen.
   "Ma, may I ask a question?" She asked after five minutes.
   "Jee, what is it?" Her mother-in-law asked without looking at her.
   "Ma, any idea how long, um, Nazmira would need a lift to and from work?"
   Her mother-in-law suddenly looked at her, giving her full attention.
   "I don't know, why? Does Basheer not want to do it?" She asked worriedly.
   "No Ma, it's nothing like that. I just don't feel it's right that another woman should be accompanying Basheer...I know she is your therapist's daughter, but that doesn't make me feel any better." Samiha covered her face with both her hands.
   "Oh Samiha, why didn't you say so from the beginning? I would've never offered..." her mother-in-law was at her side in an instant and Samiha was both wary and pleasantly surprised by her next words.
   "Don't worry, I will tell Zohra tell her daughter to find another way to get to work. I didn't think that you would mind..." she fell silent and Samiha smiled.
   "Jazak-Allah Ma, I really appreciate it."
Her mother-in-law looked thoughtful as she completed her baking.
   Samiha couldn't wait for Basheer to get home that evening...but she was rather worried when he didn't arrive at his usual 5.30pm.
   Picking up her cell-phone to call him, she decided against it because he would be driving, but her paranoia came in a rush and she thought of the worst scenarios.
   She dialled his number and it rang a couple of times before it was picked up...
   "Hello?" The sweet voice of a woman answered and Samiha's fingers numbed on her phone.
   "Hello? Can I speak to Bash...Basheer please?" Samiha tried to control her panicky voice.
   "Samiha? Right? Basheer just went to the bathroom, I will tell him you called. This is Nazmira...he just came home to drop me off but Mummy invited him in for a few minutes. I hope you don't mind..." Nazmira asked softly.
   Samiha knew she had to answer, but she couldn't bring herself to open her mouth, but then she heard his voice in the background...
   "As-salaamu-alaikum love..." was all he managed to say before she cut the call on him.

Ayesha Ally