A Page Left Blank

Chapter 32: An Answered Prayer

7th April 2021

We've reached the end, this is the last chapter. I will be writing the epilogue as a bonus, but this is the (un)official end to the book. APLB was always meant to be shorter than my other works, 25 chapters were my ideal length, 32 was a little unplanned, but I realized in the end, it was worth it, alhamdulilah. While there were a lot of side plots, A Page left Blank was always meant to be the journey of Ahmed and Rufaida and how their paths cross. Now that the purpose is achieved, and Allah helped me convey the lessons I hoped to, I think it's my cue to wrap a story that, among all my other books, will forever stay closest to my heart.

On a side note, we're going to be entering the most blessed month of Ramadan, and I sincerely pray Allah guides us to make the best use of it. It's been a tough year for most of us, for various reasons, and it's the perfect chance to translate our worries into duas. May we live to see this blessed month and may we leave it in a better state than we enter it. May this be the time Allah aids us to turn our lives around for the best, may He erase the obstacles in our path and open the door to our blessings. May Allah grant you the duas that are good for you and choose you to be among those whom He loves <3

"And We created you in pairs"

[Surah An-Naba]

Chapter 32:

An answered prayer

Rufaida looked on as her mother revealed the contents of the gift basket that Ahmed's family had dropped at their place a while back, the image before her creating a storm of emotions in her mind.

"Beautiful," Nani praised, as she lightly ran her finger across the intricate stonework on the dupatta which was paired with a white sharara. The nikah was supposed to occur in the Masjid, and Rufaida was asked to wear this as she signed the marriage contract. It wasn't very heavy, since this was supposed to be a small ceremony, yet it happened to be one of the finest dresses she had laid her eyes on. They had sent some beautiful pieces of jewelry to compliment it, and as her mother and Nani excitedly marveled at them, Rufaida chose to slowly exit the room, excusing herself as she quietly walked to the kitchen, taking in a deep shaky breath.

With only a couple of days left for the nikah, the intensity of the situation was settling in, and all that remained of Rufaida was a bundle of nerves. She knew she was being unreasonable with her thoughts, and after coming this far, at this stage in life, having these fears were pointless. But even as she admitted to it, while washing the dishes and scrubbing the counter clean, her mind refused to pause from rattling its list of qualms.

"What's the matter, Rufi?"

Rufaida jumped up at her mother's voice, so focussed in her thoughts as she went about finishing chores, she was startled by the interruption.

"Nothing, Ammi," she dismissed, unwilling to ruin her mother's peace.

Gauging her reaction, Asma pressed further, "Is something bothering you, Rufi?"

She tried to seal her lips but realized she needed to get this off her chest.

"I'm scared," she answered.

As if she had expected the response, Asma nodded encouragingly, and her mother's expression eased some of her anxiety.

"What's worrying you?" Asma asked, and Rufaida was grateful she wasn't dismissing her fears.

"What if after getting married to me, Ahmed regrets his decision?" She questioned truthfully. "What if he realizes going with his mother's choice would have been a better option, what if he thinks I wasn't worth the fight he put up?"