THE NARCISSIST'S WIFE

Chapter Two: Cliché

Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah all! So, today is Friday and here's our Chapter Two! 😍😅🥰 It's a bit longer than the previous one. I hope you enjoy it. 🙌

Both Zahra and Pendo Dija had woken up much earlier than usual. Her aunt's golden rule was that no house help cooked her food or cleaned her house. She would let Larai do any other house chores but these two.

It was a Monday so, both of them were on fast. Regardless, Zahra had assisted her in cleaning the house and cooking breakfast for her husband; Bappa Khalid and her daughter Aysha since the rest of the kids were in boarding school.

"Zahra, where are you?" Shouted her aunt from the parking lot which was adjacent to the room where Zahra had been staying and then a honk followed.

"I don't know what is wrong with me but I keep peeing today even though I only took one glass of water for Sahur." She said in an effort to explaining her lateness while Aysha, from the owner's seat burst into a mean laughter, then her aunt couldn't help but join in. Zahra shook her head vigorously.

"We all know what is up with you, don't worry, it will go well, Insha Allah." Pendo Dija said as she zoomed out of the house.

By 7:30am they were already at Aysha's school to drop her off. Thank God she wasn't late because of her, Zahra thought.

"Allah hokku saa'a Adda Zay." Aysha said while waiving at them.

As Zahra watched the young teenage girl stride into the midnight blue gate of her school with the iron lines on her uniform clearly visible, she fought the feeling of nostalgia.

***

Zahra tried to concentrate on her immediate environment, taking in her surroundings for the first time. Earlier that day, while they had prepared for work, her phone had beeped, notifying her of a message. Picking it up, she had read a text from Baba Haruna, their driver, notifying her of the return of Irfan. Hope had lit up in her face as she read about the arrival of her only reason to smile; her son, Irfan. He was to spend the holiday with her!

She felt the weight of a huge burden lift from her heart, and kept looking at the clock in anticipation all day. Why did the time move with the pace of a turtle? She sighed; a week was too long a time!

He was the coolness of her eyes, the beats of her heart, the pulses in her vein, the nafs of her body and he knew it.

She never knew how much love her heart could give until he came into her life... Until someone called her "mummy" ...

Perhaps... Just perhaps Irfan's presence would help her get the family back to its default position; not that it was perfect anyways, but it was much better than they were at that moment. It didn't matter that they would live like strangers again. It didn't matter that he would not speak with her or even acknowledge her presence in the least. At least with Irfan in their lives, they lived together. To her, Irfan was the light of hope in her marriage. He was the tiny but strong string that held the family together. She made sure she kept fighting because of him and that was why she hadn't given up, even then.

She heaved a sigh.

The office building was quite big. It looked even bigger than the day she had gone for her interview. After their arrival earlier that day, Pendo Dija had shown her around before taking her to her office.

The interior of her office was small and cold. It was decorated with white and sea green and enclosed in four cubicles. Hers was the left cubicle on the back row. She loved it because it was closest to the windows, so that if she leaned backwards from the chair and craned her neck just a little bit, she would enjoy the beautiful view of the sky. She liked the interior decor but she felt that she could have done something better with the space.

She loved everything, Alhamdulillah! She had the much breathing space she had been yearning for, even though it did little in removing her pains and worries. The damage was too deep.

"The boss has settled in, Zahra. Hurry, come and say salaam before he gets busy." Her aunt urged excitedly, jolting her out of her reverie.

"Okay..." She dropped the pen in her hand at once and stood.

"Good morning sir." Her aunt said after the boss granted them entry.

"Good morning, Hajiya Hadiza." He responded, looking up from his apple laptop. "Please have a seat." The elderly man offered with a cheerful countenance as he took off his photo lenses and placed it on the mahogany desk in front of him.

After exchanging pleasantries, she told him Zahra was the niece he gave the job. Zahra understood why this was necessary; her employment was quite peculiar. Besides, it was not every day that people got such favors. She didn't know her fate, where she would be or for how long.

He responded to Zahra's greetings and prayed for her success. He reminded her further to attend the workshop for new employees.

As they walked away, Zahra couldn't contain her excitement. "OMG, he is such a nice old man, interesting, jovial and... good looking too!"

"You say Masha Allah, Zahra." Pendo Dija corrected with a stern face.

"Oops. Okay. Masha Allah. But WAllah, I have never seen a man this old and yet so cute."

"Shhh." She shushed Zahra as her eyes scanned the busy corridor to ensure that nobody could hear them. Nevertheless, Zahra continued but in a rather hushed tune.

"But it is the fact. How did his white hair fit him so well? I mean he doesn't have any wrinkles on his face!"

"Zahra, do I need to remind you that you are a married woman and you are not supposed to talk about some man like that?" She said, smacking her on the shoulder. "And, well, you just chose not to see the wrinkles."

"What boss reminds his new employee to attend a workshop?"

Pendo Dija waited for them to take the lift before she gave her a more severe smack.

"Okay. That man is old enough to be my granddad, I don't like him in that way ma'am." She was not going to let anything spoil her well-going day. "And well, it is not like Sharif will care anyways." Zahra uttered unexpectedly as her hand flew to her mouth.

Her aunt frowned, "I understand."

Zahra didn't like the gloomy ambiance that had settled around them, so she quickly asked, "Did I tell you that Irfan is coming?"

"Yes, you did at supper, and you don't have to change the topic, okay?" Her aunt chided as the lift opened for their exit. She squeezed Zahra's hand before she walked to her office, leaving her to head towards the venue for the beginners' workshop.

🥺 And this the end of Chapter Two. Please let's hear your thought in the comment section💕.
Don't forget to observe the Sunnah of Friday 💚💚💚.
Thank you and see your next week insha Allah! 🤗