Two Tribes

14: Up A Creek Without A Paddle

Unedited. First draft. Kindly point out errors. Don't forget to vote and comment ❤️

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Najah had just finished having dinner and was standing in the kitchen, beside the sink, washing the plates when she heard a knock on the door.

Her brows furrowed. "Jameel?" She shook her head. It couldn't be him. He had told her he'd spend a day at his mother's and return the next day.

"Hold on," she yelled from the kitchen. "I'm coming!"

Najah rinsed the plates under the running water and dried her hands before rushing out of the kitchen to get the door.

At the sight of Ilham, Najah's eyes bulged. Asim's wife was the last person she expected to see at her doorstep at that time of the day. It made her worry. "Ilham? Is everything okay? Please come in."

Without replying, Ilham walked into the house.

"I hope everything is alright. Does your husband know you're here? It's," Najah took a second to glance at the huge clock hanging on the wall. "a few minutes to nine."

Although ilham didn't seem distressed in any way, Najah thought she perhaps had a misunderstanding with her husband and decided to sojourn at her place since Jameel was away.

"Will you calm down and allow me speak?" Ilham sniggered. "Nothing happened, and yes, Asim knows I'm here. He was the one that even drove me here."

Puzzled, Najah looked on, waiting for a more comprehensible explanation. Why would Asim drop his wife off at their house?

"We didn't have a misunderstanding whatsoever if that's what you're thinking," ilham clarified. "Your husband called Asim. He asked if he  could bring me here to spend the night with you because he doesn't feel comfortable leaving you all by yourself."

Ilham's words rendered Najah speechless—in a phenomenal manner. Even though he was there to sort out his relationship with Afrah, he still thought of her and was actually worried about her safety. Due to the unexpected, but impressive gesture, Najah's heart began to beat a tad faster than normal in her chest. To an extent, it ensured her that Jameel would keep his word of being equitable. She smiled. "Really? He said that?"

"Yeah," Ilham affirmed. "Didn't he tell you?"

Najah shook her head. She hadn't spoken to Jameel since he left. She called him once but he didn't respond and he didn't return the call. She didn't get offended because she figured he had been busy catching up with his mother and stuff like that.

"He really cares for you." Ilham pointed out.

Dismissively, Najah smiled. She didn't want to talk about it and open up old wounds. She had learned to live with the fact that Jameel cared about her only as a friend, and not as a wife.

"You know that, don't you?" Ilham continued.

Najah nodded.

"That's why I don't get why he is getting married to someone else. I talked to Asim about this and he told me he isn't in support of the decision and that he has tried to discourage him from marrying her but it didn't work. He also told me he's disappointed in you for not trying to stop him. Truth be told, I also am."

Najah didn't know how to feel about Ilham's words. Was she supposed to feel happy because she had people on her side or feel stupid for making Afrah accept Jameel? As much as she felt she had done a good deed for Jameel's happiness, she couldn't help but feel like she had made a huge mistake that would soon backfire. She had a lot of people making her feel like the stupidest person on the surface of the earth. At first, it didn't really bother her but it was starting to get to her now.