Life with Love✓

Chapter 21

Haya's POV

The last few weeks after my husband's death were filled with tears, curses and pain, but I overcame them all gradually.
I knew Allah would have mercy upon his dear soul and grant him Janatul Fridaus, so I just prayed and stopped the cries. I knew it was going to be a really tough journey without my husband, but I had strong faith in my creator that he would help me through.

It was Safiya's graduation day, so we were getting ready.
My oldest child, Amir had gone to his work place, he was so serious with his job that he would decline any event we were to attend.
I was proud of him and at the same time sad, he didn't spend much time at home and that bothered me so much.
"Umma let's go now,"Safiya ran down the stairs in her gown she had begged me to buy so bad. "I don't want to miss it."
We both walked to the car, I turned on the ignition and we drove to the event venue.

I was seated in the chairs where the parents were to sit and watched as my darling daughter delivered her speech, it was so heart melting, her  eyes, behaviour and intelligence were just a reciprocal of her dad's.
When we would both have argument and he would just keep quiet looking at me as if saying 'young woman are you done?' and i would get angry and ignore him but he will still try to talk to me and we come back together afterwards.

When we had Safiya for the first time in our arms, this were his words "This is my daughter, she will look exactly like me that when you see her you immediately think of me, she is my Safiya, Safiya Inuwa." He held her and kissed her hair.

"Ma," I felt a tap on my shoulder,  the lady had been tapping me for quite a while. "Your food ma'am."She handed me a nylon.
I hadn't noticed I was crying until the tears ran to my chin, and i wiped it immediately.
"Thank you."I collected the nylon and she just smiled.

Safiya's graduation was a success, my definition of success was to see her happy.
We took loads of pictures with her friends, classmates, teachers and others.
She was really happy that she didn't remember her father's death.
The Mc called the names of parents who's kids were given prizes.
"Mr Mahmoud Inuwa." The Mc's voice echoed in the hall.
As those words left his lips, I saw Safiya's beaming face fall into a really sad one.
"Mr Mahmoud Inuwa, could you please come to the stage? "he repeatedly called his name.
Safiya's eye began to water.
Her dad had never missed any of her school events, even if he had work, he would attend to her events before work.

I gently stood up, gathered my courage and walked up to the stage.
"He couldn't make it."I whispered to the Mc as I collected the present with a fake smile on.
As I stood on the stage, I saw my daughter run out of the hall.
I quickly rounded up and followed after her.
"Why did baba have to die now?"she cried as she sat on the grass in a corner.
"I know how you feel darling, just pray for him, don't cry, if he was alive he would be so proud of you, and i'm sure he wouldn't want to see you cry on your graduation day." I wiped her tears.
"Please Allah,"she raised her hands to the sky. "Let me wake up from this nightmare, Oh Allah making all this a bad dream, let me just wake up and see baba in his rocking chair reading his daily newspaper and sipping from the morning hot steamy tea Umma prepares for him each morning, Oh God please."then she started to cry again.
"Do you want us to go somewhere else?"I cupped her face in my hand.
She just shook her head in negativity as more tears dripped and started to smudge her mascara and kohl.
"I just want baba, baba please come back."she sniffed as she laid down in a curl.
"Safiya let's go and get something or shop, don't cry my darling."I pulled her and hugged her tight as her head rested on my breast and she hugged me back.

Yaseer and Hauwa arrived at the graduation venue after we had left, I told them where to meet us, so they came.

Safiya didn't still seem to be cheered up, it was the third time that afternoon she ran to hug someone thinking it was her dad.
I didn't want my daughter to be traumatized.
"Saffy."Yaseer held her head up. "Saffy just breath, don't stress yourself."Yaseer placed a large pack of chocolate in Safiya's hand.
Safiya immediately grabbed Yaseer and hugged him.
"Yaseer, he's gone, he's gone, how will I breath when half of my life is gone?"she held her tears back.