Belong Together

Consequences

© All copyrights belong to StarsAndMoon1447 on Wattpad

*

EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO

Jasmina

Iman, who was one, had just fallen asleep in her cot, snuggled up in her favourite warm blanket, and Hania, three, went to bed two hours ago. I sat on my bed, finally relaxing and enjoying the few moments to myself before the father of my children got back home.

It was a cold day, and I wore a thick pair of trousers and a long-sleeved shirt of Fawad's, as I pulled the duvet over myself. Reading a novel that had been recommended by Elena, I enjoyed the blissful silence. My daughters were my life, and I loved them beyond words, but Iman was a chatterbox, even if she only spoke in her baby language right now, and Hania was a little ball of energy, running around the house, giggling and talking to her stuffed toys. I had to constantly run after her, especially when she headed near the stairs. She was not allowed near the staircase alone, after falling down a couple of steps the last time, while trying to jump over the last one.

I heard his footsteps, and a few seconds later, Fawad entered our bedroom. "Assalam Alaikum, jaan."

"Walaikum Assalam." He replied, looking exhausted. This had been a long shift and the last time I'd seen him was the night before.

"You want me to heat up dinner or make you coffee while you freshen up?"

"No, Mina, I just want to sleep now." With a yawn, he headed into the bathroom. As per routine, he took off his clothes in the bathroom and left them in the laundry basket there, to avoid bringing any stray hospital germs. I'd already left his towel on the towel rack inside, along with his pair of casual night trousers and a warm shirt. This was all a part of our daily routine, even though he himself never asked me to do it.

When he came out of the shower, towel drying his hair, he grabbed his wallet from the bedside table, where he had dropped it off before heading in for a shower. Pulling out a thick wad of cash, he sat down beside me. "Here you go."

"What is this?"

"This is your Mina Allowance." He grinned.

"My what?" I wrinkled my nose in confusion. "Fawad, you already give me enough money." 

"And I know how you spend it all on the girls and me, and stuff for the home." He took my hand and placed the money onto my palm. "This is only for you, hence the name 'Mina Allowance'. I only want you to spend this on yourself."

"Fawad..." I felt bad. He was the sole breadwinner of the family, and I hated putting so much burden on him.

"Meri kamai pay pehla haq tumhara hai. And you should benefit from it as much as our daughters." He kissed my forehead.

*"You have the first right over my earnings."

"What do I do with it?" I wandered out loud. "I don't even need to go shopping right now." I bit my lip as an idea occurred to me. "You know what? I'm going to keep this in the safe, for emergency use."

"You're going to end up spending it on the family, aren't you?" He shook his head, an amused smile on his face. He knew me too well.

"Well, it is called a Mina Allowance, so I get to decide." I leaned forward to kiss him, and he tangled his hand through my hair. "Thank you, Fawad. You give me more than enough anyway, but this is so thoughtful of you."