A tale of love, loss, and new beginnings.
Hareem wants to start over, Momin is stuck in the past. Can a newly wedded couple learn to love and accept one another while also dealing with an uncertain future and a haunting past?
Trigger warning: ptsd...
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Chapter Forty-Two
Hareem didn't utter a single word as they drove home.
When Momin had asked her if she wanted to go to the Japanese restaurant like he had promised, she had simply shook her head.
"Do you want to go home then?" He asked, maneuvering the car out of the marketplace. She nodded, staring ahead at the road. He wasn't sure what to make of her silence.
When she had left the psychologist's office the receptionist told him that Hareem had agreed to come again in two weeks. They informed him of the first available appointment, and then sent them off with an appointment card.
"I have to go to the campus tomorrow morning, I can pick you up at eight?" He offered, breaking the silence.
"No." Hareem announced, her denial ringing in the air as she finally spoke after what felt like hours. "I don't want you to think you're my personal driver. And Baba pays for the bus every month."
Momin let out a chuckle, after which he said, "I don't mind being your driver, don't worry."
"I'm okay," she whispered, looking out of the window. "I have been depending on you far too much."
He pursed his lips, thinking of an appropriate response as he made a U-turn at a roundabout.
"I think that's my duty? You know, like a spouse." His statement came out more like a question. He shook his head, correcting his words, "What I mean is that it brings me joy when you choose to lean on me, makes me feel like I'm doing something right."
She looked at him, her face devoid of any expression.
What happened inside the psychologist's room, he silently wondered. What had the psychologist addressed which made Hareem act unlike herself.
"What's going on, Hareem?" he finally asked softly. "What did you two talk about?"
She sighed deeply before confessing, "She asked me general questions about our hometown, my childhood..and you." She lowered her head, the folds of her hijab rushing to cover her face. "It was during her questions that I realized how I'm always depending on others, as if I'm nothing on my own."
"That's not true!" He exclaimed louder than he expected. "It's you who has allowed me to depend on you. I cared about no one other than myself before I married you, and now I have a family and friends who I genuinely care about. You let me lean on you to become a better person"- he stopped at a traffic signal -"you told me that I'm good enough as Momin. You are everything, Hareem."
"What does that mean, everything?" She wondered, her cheeks quickly reddening.
Momin let out a laugh, saying, "I don't always have the right words, okay?"
