Mask Unveiled

4| The missing puzzle piece.

Author's POV.

" Allah doesn't burden a soul beyond what it can bear. All we need is patience. They need our prayers more than the way they need our tears. There are different situations and Tests at a point in life. We pray, wait and trust. For the power of hope, is strong. Nadrah will be back to us safe and sound in sha Allah. We stay strong. And in shaa Allah, she will be home in no time". Abbah concluded With so much emotions held within. He needed to be strong for his children and to be there for them. They needed him more than anytime before.

It was two days after he lost his Darling wife to the cold hands of death, the incident happened. Despite the fact he knew she was battling with that sickness, he was touched beyond the description of words about her demise.

The Doctor had told them earlier she still had a chance of more than a year to live. That kept them going literally for the past months. He wouldn't deny the fact that, the few past months had been a roller coaster for them. But they were ever ready to fight and stand together as one. But destiny had something in store for them.

He loved the woman she was. He had loved her ever since he set his eyes on her. Well, if given the opportunity to stand on a podium with the whole world as his audience, he wouldn't hesitate to tell the whole world how he cherish the woman she was to him. And not only in this lifetime, he would choose her over and over again for the next lifetimes.

She's in a better place. In sha Allah.

A day, on his way back home after they had a meeting with the chief of Army Staff, he had been on his feet since then, after attending Nadrah's Graduation ceremony he went there for the meeting. On his way to the airport, he received her call a short while.

"I'm not feeling too good dear. Be home soon" she said sounding sickly.

"I'm Just some miles away. Stay safe for the meantime. We are going to see the Doctor immediately I'm home in sha Allah." He had told her. And that was the last reasonable conversation the duo had before the start of, 'I know I will not make it', and the 'you'll make it out dear'. How she was hopeless and the words of assurance he kept consoling her with. 

She had been showing a lot of symptoms, been the Maryam she was, she acted strong and that worsened the situation.She wasn't able to attend her Daughter's big day and begged them not to tell her about her not so good condition. That was it, No official farewell between her and the daughter she adored so much. It's always been said a parent surely have a favorite among offspring, if that's true, then hers would be Nadrah, certainly.

Abbah reached home after Maghrib, he went straight to her room and found her lying unconsciously on her praying mat. Just the sight of her tossing and rolling on the mat broke his heart. Why didn't she called Ahmad if it was this worse. He had asked himself severally.

They reached the hospital, she got admitted and was attended to by a team of oncologists.

" Are you her husband? " Doctor Fatimah Nassarawa, a fair, middle-aged lady asked Abbah her attention partially on the papers she was writing on, and partially on Abbah.

"Yesss." He answered with a qauvering voice.

"I'm sorry, your wife has reached the stage three. Chances of survival are very low. The chemotherapy she'd been undergoing isn't just sufficient as the amount of white blood cells keep increasing with each passing second and she's Anaemic. You sign these papers please. We need to carry a stem cell transplant on her urgently."

Abbah signed the papers and handed it back to her.

Abbah and Ya Ahmad had been on Tenterhooks awaiting the Doctors outside the operation theatre.
The door was opened.
Doctor Fatimah asked Abbah to meet her in her office.

"I'm so sorry. We tried all our possible best but We couldn't save your wife". She announced the unexpected.

That was it. His wife was gone.

He was still in the state of grief over her death when another Tragedy befell on his Family.

Nabeelah, that was sitting beside Ya Ahmad uttered, grief laced in her tone,

"It's been days since corporal Salamanu's corpse was found Abbah, But there's no any news of Addah Nadrah?" She asked the question to which the answer is known to them all.

" As I said earlier, I'm trying my very best Nabeelah. Keep calm and continue praying. She'll soon be back home in sha Allah."

"Yes Abbah. In shaa Allah." She answered with so much hope to see her dear Sister again. Their relationship could be term as that perfect sister to sister relationship. With the little up and downs they encounter, they are always good to go. They are each other's best friend, confidants, and ride or die.

She never taught life will be so cruel to her Family. All at once, without the solid pillar they've always leaned on. Ummi's no more and here's Addah Nadrah, no where to be found in this horrible world of today.

Isn't that enough for her to go insane?

But then, Life has different dimensions which it will keep on rolling unto. All that matters is how people react to it.

"Anything Ahmad?" Abbah asked Ya Ahmad who shook his head, negating what Abah had asked.

Talking about Ahmad Baba Ahmad, he's slowly loosing it completely. It's been days he had said a word. Of the twenty six years of his life, He had never imagined something as such happening to his Family. He knows the Fact that Allah do test his servants to know the strongest among them all, but he thought this was too way difficult for them to handle. He's just so lost about everything.

The two women he held so dear to, are no more with him. He remembered the way he Saw Ummi on a life supporting Machine right before the Transplant Surgery. He had remember how hopeless he felt. Ummi was his everything.

As if it that was not enough, he had in store the way Nadrah had asked him to come and pick her up. They way she'd begged him seeming the loving sister she already was to him.He was surely going to pick her up if not for the huge lost that fell on their Family. She's his Darling Sis after all.

All things would have been in place if he had went to pick her up. He thought.

" When we all settle down with Nadrah home with us, we are going to meet Salmanu's Family in sha Allah ". Abbah Said dismissing them from the meeting.

They all stood up to leave.

Nabeelah walked slyly towards their room. She glanced at the door of Ummi's room. For that moment, the water works started all over again.

Isn't she too young to bear all these alone?

They just lost their Mother and as if if that wasn't enough, her other half has disappeared as if she some sort of a small creature, no where to be found.
And for little Jawad, that's just five, he'd been asking about Ummi for each passing second.

She reached the room she shared with Nadrah whenever she's home for a holiday, looked at her bed, for that, her soul felt empty.

When will the missing puzzle piece of their home be ?

Ypppp, i know this chapter is short. Let's manage it for the time being. Long ones on their way in shaa Allah.

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Jazakumullahu khairan as you do so.

Love,
Hibbah♥.