My New Home

Chapter Four

The days went by smoothly and I repeated the same routine of saying my Salat in Jamat with the rest of the family at the mosque attached to our flat, greeting everyone in both flats after our morning devotion and steering clear of the Medusa also known Kareem a in the other flat, while the men in the house go to nearby mosque for their prayers. I get my breakfast, lunch and dinner served in my room and I do chat with sister Ameera, Qoriah and Faria whenever we’ve free time on our hands.

Things have been running smoothly till day five, when water stopped running from the tap in the bathroom adjoined to my room, so, I had to perform my ablution in the other room that belongs to my mother in law, Iya ewe. It was only her room’s tap that was still running.

I was busy performing ablution when she exclaimed, “Subhanallah!

Fateemah, what’s this you’re doing?”
I looked around to check for the source of the Problem.

“Is that how to perform ablution?" She continued when she realized that I didn't get her point." Are you a toddler that couldn’t do the simple act of performing her ablution correctly? Even a baby can do that without making a single mistake”

During her rant, all the inhabitant of the house crowded towards the bathroom but only one person asked what the problem was

“Can you imagine that Fateemah cannot perform her ablution correctly?”

Before the lady that posed the question could even think of replying, I cut in. “You should have just corrected me and tell me the right thing to do rather than chewing me out for public amusement”.

I’ve always been known to speak before thinking and I definitely do not have a filter, coupled with my embarrassment, I wasn’t surprised I said that.

Everywhere was quiet immediately after my outburst before Iya ewe returned from her frozen state and dissed me for several minutes about how disrespectful I am and how I better start learning how to put an end to it as no one is willing to tolerate a rude personality.

She finished her ablution and left the bathroom without correcting me still and after she left, I realized that I’ve just made an enemy, or maybe more than one since it seemed the rest of the family are also mad at me.

It’s really unfair how it took me kneeling up and down and smiling so wide my lips almost tore apart before I could make friends but made several enemies with a single attempt.

We all departed and went for Morning Prayer in the attached mosque, we chanted our Adhkaar and thereafter I proceeded for my daily routine of greeting all elders and relatives in the house.

I started with Iya ewe because I believe I owe her an apology and I should do that before the matter escalated.

I knelt before her and greeted. “Asalam alaykum ma”. I said.

“Wa alaykum salam”. She answered.

“I wanted to apologize for my outburst, I didn’t know what came over me and I hope you can forgive me”. I concluded.

“Why won’t I forgive you, it’s not as if you were rude to me or spoke out of tune. She taunted. Moreover, I’m not your mother, so you can treat me like the gum beneath your shoe. Listen, if you really plan to apologize to me. Then have the decency to do that in the presence of all the people that witnessed the bad moment”.

This is serious. I thought. I quietly stood and was about to leave when she spoke again.

“I guess I’m not worth your apology since you decided to walk out on me right?”