Bound ✅

Date Night

Please, prepare to be adequately tensioned.

"Mummy."

Jamal breathed out as he sunk into the seat opposite his mother in her office. "I want to ask Halima to marry me."

His mother stopped writing, she dropped the pen and clasped her shaking hands. Her nearly three year old dream was coming true. Instead she calmly asked him.

"Do you think she's ready?" Jamal exhaled loudly and sat back into the chair.

"I don't know. Especially knowing." He gestured at his mother and she nodded. Understanding immediately. " I don't want to be a trigger to anything. In trying to be a source of happiness, I don't want to make her unhappy."

His mother nodded and exhaled too, leaning back in her black leather chair. "I'm meeting her mother on the twentieth." She flipped the calendar on her table to the month of March. "It falls on a Thursday. I'll do my findings, I'll subtly ask her." Jamal nodded and sighed.

"Are you really up for this?" Jamal cleared his throat and ran his left hand through his hair.

"I've never been surer about anything in my entire life. I want her for the rest of my life." His mother smiled in reply and picked up her pen. Then she dropped it again.

"How about Zeeya?" Jamal rolled his eyes. "Malu, you know your father. Have you talked to him?" Jamal sat back and hooked his toned left shoulder around the second chair.

"Father and I had a very important discussion. That's why I came to you. I told him point blank, he arranged my marriage-" His mother cut in. "I arranged it Malu." He arched a full brow at his mother.

"Alright, your father influenced it." Jamal nodded and continued talking. "I cannot marry someone I don't like, that my children don't even like. Jariyah is very sensitive, I cannot be exposing her to different shades of bad people." His mother's mouth dropped open and she threw her stress ball at his chest.

"Be nice! What bad person? She's just not a good fit for you." Jamal rolled his eyes and muttered. " More like a bad fit for everyone."

"And Zeeya is a child. I don't do children half my age." He uttered as he got up from the chair. His mother screamed at him instead.

"Jamal Abubakar!"

Jamal walked out of the room laughing, taking his phone out of his pocket as he moved. After two taps, the phone began to ring.

"Hi Halima." A smile lifted his cheeks when he heard her voice. "Walaikum Salam." He replied to her greeting.

"I wanted to ask you to go with me to a dinner. There i can tell you all about Jariyah. She has outgrown her teachers again. Yes. Okay. Today at six? Tulip Bistro? No. Cactus place  is fine. I'll drop you off at home afterwards, no need to get Uber. Alright." He cut the call and looked around before pumping his fist in the air in excitement.

His plans were set in motion.

******

Halima stopped out of the cab a few blocks away from the high-rise building that housed The Cactus Place. She had never been there but from what she had heard, it was a beautiful place.

She adjusted her abaya as she paid the impatient driver, stepped away from the curb and walked to a closed shop with a mirrored door. She stretched out her feet and adjusted the black heeled sandals she was wearing. Summayah had bought he a brand name as a gift and she Intended to wear it well.

Then she began to walk to the building. At the door, the doorman, tipped his cap at her as he greeted her.

"Welcome Ma." She sent him a smile as she said her thanks, widening her red lipstick lined lips.