Hawwa's Paradise

Chapter-8 #Rewritten

"Assalam Walaikum Aunty." Qibriyah greeted after Khadija answered the call, an evening after a few days. He was in the officer's mess, a finished tea cup and plate in front of him on the table.

"Have you drank tea?" Khadija answered after returning the salam.

"Yes. Aunty I will be visiting you tomorrow."

"Finally you have come to your senses." Khadija teased.

Four nights later, Hawwa came out of the room to take a break.

"Did they like her?" Hawwa heard Khadija speaking to someone eagerly on the phone in the drawing room. Was she speaking to the matchmaker?

Khadija was sitting on the double sofa. In front of her on the floor, Shaima was sitting watching the television. Picking up her tablet Hawwa was walking towards the balcony between the drawing and dining room when she heard Khadija add, "Why?" Looking behind Hawwa noticed Khadija's face tensed.

"What happened?" Hawwa asked. Khadija ignored her.

"Please don't give up looking for a proposal for her. I will give you as much as money needed." Khadija begged. "We will talk later." Khadija tilted her head sideways.

"What happened?" Hawwa repeated getting impatient as Khadija put her phone down.

"A mother of a man rejected you because you," Khadija's voice lowered. "...have no parents." Pain flashed through her face. Hawwa's jaw widened. She never heard someone being rejected for such a reason. "She wants her son to have parents-in-law and his future children to have maternal grandparents. What kind of reason is it?"

"It is not a bad reason." Hawwa said. "But I wouldn't reject someone for that. It would be hypocritical of me" She shrugged. Khadija brought her hands together.

"Allah please don't let Hawwa get rejected for this reason again. Let me see her with a husband soon." She whispered before running her hands down her face.

Some days later, during break time Hawwa was sitting at a table with her friends in the university canteen. She was drinking from a 250 ml coke bottle.

"You like coke a lot." Lubaba, a dark skinned girl with her head wrapped in a headscarf asked with her lips curved in an amused smile. She was sitting across Hawwa. Gulping down the black liquid which left a sweet and acidic taste on her tongue, Hawwa nodded.

"It will be a problem after you give birth." Namira, who had fair skin and bob cut hair commented, sitting beside Hawwa. Hawwa's mobile started ringing. Taking her fingers off from the bottle, Hawwa reached for her purse which was on the table. Taking out her mobile from it she saw Khadija calling her. What could it be for?

"Hello." Hawwa greeted answering the phone.

"Hawwa, the matchmaker sent me a biodata of marine engineer. I rejected him. From what I have heard of men working in the merchant navy as they are at the sea half a year, they have a higher chance of having affairs." Khadija sounded unhappy.

"Good. I don't want a husband who is absent for six months from home anyway." Hawwa smiled. Her companions were starting at her in amazement.

"Is your family fixing your marriage ?" Tasfia asked. Hawwa nodded.

"I am not okay." Khadija sighed.

"We will speak more after I return."

"It's so soon." Shazia added.

"It's alright with me." Hawwa shrugged smirking as she took another sip of coke.

***

"Let's watch a ghibli film." Hawwa suggested to Ayesha and Asma on Friday. She was visiting a website containing a list of ghibli films according to ranking in her mobile. The trio were in Ayesha and Asma's room, lying on the double bed.

"Which one?" Ayesha asked turning to Hawwa from the tablet in her hand. Ayesha was lying in the middle.

"Princess Mononoke." Hawwa answered glancing at Ayesha.

"What is it about?" Asma asked.

"Historical fantasy set in Japan." Hawwa replied looking back at her mobile.

"Let's watch it." Asma sat up followed by Hawwa and Ayesha. She got up from the bed to pick up the laptop from Ayesha's study table. She placed it on the corner of the bed across where the three of them were sitting.

"Hawwa, come here." After some moments had passed, Khadija called Hawwa by appearing at the door of the room.

"I am coming." Taking a glance at Khadija, Hawwa returned her eyes to the laptop.

"Quick! The matchmaker has sent me the BioData of a man who is interested in you." Khadija insisted not leaving from her position.

"Don't continue watching without me." Hawwa tapped on the touchpad of the laptop to pause the movie. Then she climbed down from the bed.