Life Of Afreen

Chapter XXIV

"Do not kill yourself. Allah is Merciful unto you."            
            (Surah An-Nisaa'; 4:29)

               Chapter 24

Arhmad woke up with a headache, he hadn't slept much the previous night. Luckily for him, it was the weekend, which meant no work and he could relax some more. He turned to his other side, in hopes that he could continue his slumber, but the empty space beside him cleared any trace of sleep from his eyes. What was meant to be a wife sleeping beside him was a space occupied by no one.

It wasn't like he loved living in an empty house.
A home! That was all he wanted.

He wanted to move on and he was ready to move on, but he hadn't found the right person to move on with. Moving on didn't meant happiness for himself only, but he also had to consider his daughter's happiness. He had to find the right person who would take care of his daughter, who would love her like she was hers. He had to find the perfect mother figure for Ayrah.

Realizing he wasn't going back to sleep, he got up, pulled the thick grey drapes, revealing the sheer curtains, letting the beautiful morning embrace his room.

Showered, he dressed in a dark grey Kaftan. His eyes scanned the drawer that housed his Hula(cap). He went with the black hula which had a hint of grey on it. He finished off with his perfume.

He didn't bother with his bed, coming from his room, he headed straight to his car, driving off to his parents.

Upon arriving to the house, he walked straight through the back doors that let him to the massive transitional-style kitchen, his mother's domain. The perfect place to satisfy his grumbling stomach, seeing that he hadn't had breakfast.

The aroma of lemon grass and mint leaves filled his nostrils when he came in. The brew of which his mother, sitting under the bright morning sun that steamed through the large windowpanes of the kitchen, sipped from. She sat there fair, wise, glowing with kind eyes and slightly aged.

"You're early today," Haj. Fatima looked up from her book.

"I couldn't sleep, and...well, I missed my mother."

"More like you miss your food."

"Ohkay, and that too." They both smiled.

He greeted her and found a spot beside her.

"Is this how you plan on living for the rest of your life, Arhmad?"

Oh Mamee! Let's not get started with that...please.

"Your daughter needs you by her side, coming here to see her everyday isn't enough. The fact that we are watching your every move and keeping quiet doesn't mean we don't know what we're doing. Ba akanka aka fara rasa mata ba kuma ba akanka za'a daina ba. Not in any circumstance did your show your interest towards marriage since after Bilqees. Kana so mutane su fara zargin kana neman mata a waje?"

Subhanallah!

Arhmad knew that he wasn't that kind of person, he would never be in a relationship out of wedlock. But Mamee was right! People say things they don't know, they could easily judge him wrongly.

"You are quiet," Mamee interrupted his thoughts.

"I'm really sorry Mamee and I don't wish to give out the bad impression. I just wanted time to find the right person, who I know will take care of my child also."

"And you've had all the time in the world to do that. Arhmad, it may look like I'm forcing you into marriage but that's not the case. I just want you to think about Ayrah, think about her future. Having her here is not a problem. She's growing up and she needs a figure who she would grow with and look up to as a mother..."