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

6

6

Basheer sat at his desk but couldn't concentrate on the figures in front of him. His mind was running wild with the different thoughts and confused replays that played out when he closed his eyes.
   Samiha's look of fury and disbelief, his mother's disappointed look, and finally, Nazmira's concerned and understanding one.
   Tapping the keyboard and logging on to his WhatsApp, he found Nazmira's number and noticed that she was online.
   He quickly typed a 'Thank you' message and sent it without thinking twice.
   Her reply came in an instant... 'Sorry, I only see a number, who is this?'
   Basheer messaged to tell her who it was and she replied back.
   'It's all good. Now get back to work. Salaams.'
Basheer stared at the screen and found that he liked talking to her because she was easy to get along with.
   'Getting rid of me already?' He sent the message as an afterthought.
   'No, just didn't want to cause you more headache.' She sent a smiley with it.
   'What headache? You somehow de-stress me.'
And their conversation continued for the rest of the day during intervals until it was time to pick her up.
   'See you in a bit.' He found himself smiling when he sent the message.
   'Sure.' She replied to the message with a frown... she didn't like where this was heading and she voiced it out on their way home.
   "Basheer, I know you're stressed and whatever, but you messaging me ain't going to solve anything. So please stop... and hopefully I will get another lift club by the end of the month. I don't want to be the cause of your wife's anger towards you..."
   Basheer watched her from the rear view mirror and saw that she was serious.
   "Believe me, you are the least of the causes and anyway you should know that my life started looking brighter ever since you and I started travelling together..."
   Nazmira wanted to run and hide, the last thing she wanted was a married man, a father, to start having feelings for her. She didn't want to be the cause of breaking up a home.
   As soon as Basheer parked in front of her house she pushed open her door and would've run if he didn't block her way.
   "You're scared that I'm playing you because I'm having trouble at home, aren't you?"
   Her lost kitten look made him do something that left them both speechless in the aftermath...
   He asked her to marry him.
When Nazmira finally found her voice, she asked him if he was insane to even think about it.
   "No, I know what I'm doing...I don't want to have feelings for you the haraam way so I want to make this halaal. Is that so wrong?" Basheer asked softly.
   "My answer is no! Final! I hope you get that nice and clear. And don't bother coming to pick me up tomorrow, I'll find my way." She turned around and ran towards the front door of her house.
   Basheer stood staring after her, wondering how things could've gone so wrong in a few days.
   When he went home, the kids were already in bed and his mother and wife were ignoring him and he couldn't take it.
   "I've asked Nazmira to marry me! I'm hoping the two of you would stand by my decision...it's what I want..." he just completed his sentence when he was slapped hard across the cheek.
   His mother's furious gaze had him staggering backwards.
   "You asked her to marry you? Just like that? Did you think of your wife and your kids before making such a stupid decision?!" His mother slapped him across his cheek a second time.
   "In all these years, today is the first day that I am disgraced by your behaviour. I was against your marriage to this girl..." she pointed at Samiha who was crying and out of breath.
   "This same girl you brought into this home as a bride. You loved her, and now, just because of a few ups and downs, you run to another woman?! Disgusting! If your father were alive, he'd wish he was dead!" His mother shook her head...
   "If you want to marry the other woman, you get out of this house. Me and my daughter-in-law will live here with my grandkids! Do you understand me?" She glared at him.
   Basheer held his cheek which was red from the slaps his mother had given him.
  "Samiha..." he turned to his wife with a pleading look, but she was a wreck, her tears were still flowing and her breathing ragged.
  "I'm ashamed to call you my son. And I feel ashamed to think that I didn't want a gem of a daughter for you. Today I know that you were lucky to get her and not the other way around." She huffed in anger and walked away.
  After his mother left the lounge, he dared to go near his wife. The woman that had given her all to be with him, the woman that had given him his two beautiful children...Istihaaq and Farzana.
  "Samiha..." he begged her to look at him, but she refused.
  "I don't want to talk about this today or any day...so please..." she stood to leave, but he caught her hand.
  "I don't know how I fell in love with her in such a short time, but I did.  I love you too, very much, and I don't want to lose you, but I need you to accept her..." he tried pleading with her, but she pulled her hand from his.
   "Right now I hate you, I hate you so much that I'd tell you to go and do whatever you want. Just remember one thing, even through the hate, my love for you will always remain. So please don't even think of divorcing me..." she fell to the floor as her chest constricted and her tears flowed.
   "I'd never divorce you. I wouldn't even think of it. I just need you to accept Nazmira as my wife...please...I really want to marry her..." he trailed off when her dead eyes lifted to his.
   "You really want her? Why? Am I not enough for you? Did I not fulfill your every wish? Your every desire? Our kids? Are they not enough to make you change your mind?" She sobbed uncontrollably.
  Basheer stared at his wife, so fragile and broken just because of his one decision.
  He had no idea how to make her understand that she was enough, but he somehow fell in love with the caring nature of Nazmira.
   "Samiha, you're more than enough, our kids are my life, but..."
   "But you love her too?" She completed with her heart shattering for the hundredth time that evening.
   "I should've listened to Salma, she was right. She predicted something like this would come to be and alas it has... I honestly have no words to say to you right now so please leave me alone...
   And he did...he knew she needed space to think and accept things.... What he didn't know was that he had destroyed her will to live.

Ayesha Ally