Living In Fear

Chapter 3

Imad's P.O.V ---

"Immy, what did you say to Hasna before she left?" 

"Nothing, Ommy. Can you just leave please? I just wanna think about a few things." 

"Immy-" 

"Ommy! She's only a girl that I helped out. She isn't important in this family." My mum sat beside me on the bed and closed my laptop. When I started to protest she spoke again. 

"No. Let me talk. What you did for Hasna today was a wonderful thing. You helped her out in a time of need. I spoke to her and she told what you were like the first time she met you. Always were nervous around pretty women." 

"Ommy! Anyways, I shouldn't be looking at her like that." 

"I'm not encouraging anything. I'm just saying that having feelings is natural. Allah made us feel. He just wants to know what you're going to do with that. I just want to know if you said anything to her before you marched up the stairs." 

"It doesn't matter. She's not coming back." 

"Whether she is nor not, it doesn't mean you have to treat her badly. She has the courage to go to UNI everyday knowing that she gets bullied every time." 

"How come you never get threatened about wearing a scarf?" 

"I never said I didn't. Imad, I know how to deal with it because it's been eleven years. She's younger and only started to wear the hijab recently. Is it her fault that people are so cruel?" 

"Ommy, I'm sorry." 

"It's not me you should be apologizing to." 

She left the room after that. I stared up at my ceiling and just looked at the little stars. I've had them since I was a child. I prayed Isha salaah and then sat down to read the Qur'an. After reading a couple of pages, I then put it away and lay back down on my bed. My dad wanted me to get married but I wasn't ready for it. How am I meant to take of a woman when I can't even take care of myself. I would be responsible for her and she would trust me with her life. What happens if I let her down?