Life Of Afreen

Chapter XVI

"Do not hate one another, do not envy one another, do not turn away from one another. Be, O slaves of Allah, Brothers. It is not permissible for a Muslim to forsake his brother for more than three days."

                                                 ~Al-Hadith.
                                                                           

                                
                     Chapter 16

Afreen sat on her bed, her feet touching the floor, while she blankly stared ahead. She thought about everything that had happened to her, from the good to the bad. 

Funny how life could be, she thought.

How a single thing could change one's life, she wondered. Ever since she found out she was pregnant, things have been falling into place Alhamdulillah. She was happy. Though there were times when she would wake up and wished her life didn't turn out this way, but as she was reminded of the blessing she had, she felt ecstatic.

She still hated the fact that she was on thin line with her father, and that she's cut-off all contact with her relatives. She was going to resolve everything, that was what she kept telling herself. She was just waiting for the right time.

She looked down to her six month old belly and whispered, "you're going to grow up with your family beside you Insha Allah".

An unexpected knock on her door pierced through the silence of her room, forcing her back to real time events.

Afreen's eyes instinctively focused on the person by the threshold, seeking silent permission to enter, as if it were even in her control to refuse, no matter how much she wanted to.

Her gaze locked with his, and her mind subconsciously alerted her how this man in front of her could wreck havoc. Afreen waited for her heart to change it's pace. She felt so much emotions, the deepening of old wounds, and the only noise, being the widening of existing cracks.

She was the first to break eye contact, her expression blank, while she turned to gaze towards the only window in her room.

Abdoul invited himself inside, and occupied the seat beside the bed, sitting adjacent to his wife. Unlike Afreen, Abdoul focused his eyes on her like a man in the desert who had just found a stream to relieve him of his distress. Whether his discovery would quench his thirst, or it was but a mirage, was a question he had no answer to.

Finally attempting to clear the tense atmosphere, he greeted "Assalamu Alaykum"

"What are you doing here!" Was her stern reply.

"I'm home baby" he whispered softly.

After minutes of silence, he observed her closely, and it was clear that she wasn't going to initiate anything from her side. He had been expecting that, but what left him astounded was that in spite of the long speech he had prepared, and the paragraphs he had memorized, seeing her in front of him, he had gone absolutely numb.

This felt like the only chance he had, and in fear of ruining it, he didn't know what to say. It didn't help that Afreen was concealing every emotion, and was sitting there so calmly, like nothing ever happened.

"How have you been, Afreen?" He inquired formally, hating to carry on with this small talk with the woman he was suppose to have deep conversations.

She shrugged slightly at his question, as if telling him that however she was, he could see it with his own eyes.

He sighed, then started, "I'm sorry for everything that happened. I know I haven't been fair to you, I've done alot of stupid things which I solely regret. I haven't treated you like I should. I'm not here to ask you to get over it, or tell you to forget everything that happened, and instead I'm here to let you know that I take the blame for this disaster in both our lives"