ON HOLD The perks of being a Hafizah

Rigidos!

بسم الله .....
Amatullah's POV

"What did she say" Zahra spoke as we all sat into the car; Zahra, Yahya, Ummi and I.

I glanced down at the phone and deciphered the message from my moms awful typing:

'In a week sweety'

"She said she will be a week" I said to Zahra as she took a seat next to me in the car.

"I wanted you to stay longer" she shook my arm.

"My mother is worried about your family, that I might be a burden especially at this moment in time" each word got quieter and quieter.

If it was for me, I would have left a very long time ago. Since Yahya had returned from hospital, I felt as though I shouldn't be there especially at this time of suffering. Yet despite all this, they welcomed me even more, never was I treated as a guest but rather more as part of the family.

"Habibti, tell your mom to take her time, you are always always welcome here habibti!" She turned around from the driver seat and smiled at me warmly.

She began reversing out of the drive and it seemed that the journey went in a flash...smiles and laughs, jokes and memories all passengers in the car along with our ache to hide our emotions and struggles.

"Which one is it?" Zahra leaned forward in excitement.

"It's called Rigida I think" Her mother parked up on the side roads as she checked her phone of the address.

"Yep that's where aunty went a while ago to eat. She said it was a good restaurant" he said passively.

"Well of course it is dummy, we won't be coming here if it wasn't." Zahra shouted.

YA Allah, there closeness did make me smile, the very privilege of observing it was enough for me to become highly confused; was it banter or sheer hatred?

"Okay okay let's go" Ummi glared at them both as we all escaped the car.

At our feet stood a tall building banded with a red strip where "Rigida" was engraved solidly into what looked like a ceramic board.

"What's with the name though" i said passively.

"No one has invented words, it's made up" Zahra said as she hooked her arm into mine.

"Words are supposed to help us express ourselves in the best way possible. It may be that they find that word best describes their restaurant" Yahya spoke as he dug his hands into the pockets of his thowb.

"Wear your coat you dimwit" Zahra reached back into the car and passed him his coat.

"Okayer" he said amiling

And as we walked into the mouth of the restaurant, a spicy aurora sat contained into little lanterns that were sewn across the exciting material; a picturesque of dazzling stars, some shining brighter and louder than the other.
And as the orange tinted light embraced us, a waiter, tall and dark in complexion greeted us with a warming smile.

"Good afternoon, how many?" She smiled at everyone of us.

"5" Zahra shouted at the waiter.

"What its four?" Yahya looked at Zahra disappointed.

"Ooooh yes!" She said embarrassed looking in the opposite direction.

"4? Oh okay, that's fine, great" the waiter led us along the rows along the groups of families and couples, shuffling waiters scampering from one direction to another.