Eternal Desires(On Hold)

24

"ummi."her mum call but ummi seems lost in her own thoughts.

"Ummi!"she call and ummi quickly look to the door.

"Mummy."she say with a weak smile as her mum sit on the edge o f the bed.

It's been 3weeks since her discharge from the hospital and yet ummi refused to this back to her husband neither did she state the reason.

"Mama-nah what is it?
Fu'ad is here to see you."farhana say and ummi sigh.

"Ummi why won't you go back to your husband house?"her mum ask and ummi sigh.

"Mu.......ummi pause with a sigh.

"Mummy fu'ad have divorce me."ummi say and her mum give her a confuse look.

"Fu'ad divorce you?"she ask and ummi nod with a sigh.

She narrate everything to her mum and by the time she's done telling her everything she's crying.

"It's okay ummi."her mum say slightly hugging her as she brush her shoulder.

"Ummi are you sure about this?
I understand that you two have misunderstanding but are you sure you are not saying this to upset fu'ad, you know we women."her mum say and ummi shake her head.

"He did mum,
I don't want to do something i will regret." Ummi say and her mum nod.

"I will have to tell your dad about this,
So he will go and meet fu'ad parents to confirm this,
Just relax kinji."farhana say and ummi nod with a sniff as she lay on the bed.

She feel so relief, she want to be with fu'ad but at thesame time she's a insecure about everything, above all there's this feeling deep beneath her she's burying, sometimes she wonder where jalal is now that she need him more than ever.

***********
Fu'ad pov

I do be lieing to Myself if i say I'm not scared, earlier this morning i went to visit my wife but her mum told me she was sleeping, so i left and this evening i received this unexpected call from my dad for me to come home as soon as i can, I called my sister if i can get any detail of what's going on but she told me that she doesn't know but there are some men that came from my wife family,
  Which make me nervous the more,
I saunter to the guest parlour and take the stairs to the magnificent lobby that lead to the parlour before taking a deep calming breathe.

"Sallamu'alaikum."I say and the voices answer, I quietly walk inside and greet each of them before sitting on the carpeted floor next to the couch my uncle is sitting.

There's an intense quietness before my dad clear his throat and look down at me Making me to nervously coil my foot.

"Magaji."he call and i look up at him.

"Na,am Abba."I answer and looking down.

"Few months ago you divorce your wife and she came to this house, we resolve and mend the issue, didn't we?"he ask and i nod.

"Yes."I say gulping down the bitter saliva down my throat.

"Then what happened again,
Your father in-law is here because ummi told them you divorce her,
Sa ki biyu."he say and i swear it's like my heart stop for a while.

"Abbbah we just had a misunderstanding but i didn't divorce ummi."I lie, I know it is wrong if me but i need my wife to be with me.

"Magaji,
You know very well what a divorce mean, you know the law Islamically,
If you lie a.......

"Abbbah I'm not lieing,
Daddy."I can turning to my father in-law.

"Yes I did divorce ummi once which i take full responsibility of but I didn't divorce ummi, we had an argument and i left home, she got into labor and jalal brough her to the hospital and that is what she's been upset because of, I didn't divorce my wife."I lie once again and there's an intense quietness in the parlour.

"It's okay Alhaji,
I will talk to my daughter."my father in-law say with a pause as the elders continue talking about women and there irrational behavior whenever they get upset, deep beneath me i know it is wrong and the truth they say cannot be hide forever, I know and believe soon enough a storm will come brewing and unleashing the truth, tearing everyone apart and breaking every trust we've once shared.

********************
Ummi's pov

"Ummah why will i lie about such sensitive thing,
I'm not.........

"Ummi,
We've all been married here and we know what we women can do,
Fu'ad offended you but that isn't a reason for you to lie about something like this,
What were you thinking?
Toh banason haka,
You will go back to your husband house,your dad has already spoke with his parent and fu'ad admitted he once divorced you which was months ago, why are bringing that up now,
What benefit will you get by doing this."my mum say and i just wipe my tears.

I cannot even believe everyone will believe the lies fu'ad cooked up,
I just feel every feelings we've Once shared fading away,
I listen to whatever my mum and her bestfriend say to me as i cry feeling really upset.

Obviously the lady is always wrong,
Nobody will believe me, once my mum leave the bedroom i lock the door and cry myself to sleep.

********************
Jalal pov

"The children grow soo fast,
They where like very tiny when they gave birth to them."I say looking at the pictures firdaus forwarded to me on whatsapp.

"I thought you say you will be going back soon?"my mum ask and i humm in response.

"On a business trip,
Maybe i will go and check on ummi."I say and my mum glance at me but didn't comment.

Sure i have discussed with my mum once in a while about ummi, she barely say much whenever we are talking mostly she just remind me the fact that ummi is married.

"Jalal."she call and i look up from my phone screen.

"Do you love this girl?"she ask the question which caught me unexpectedly making me to look up.

"No....ofcrse no,
Ummi is married to my cousin mum,
She's just like a sister."I say and my mum nod.

"It should stay that way please."she say and i nod with a sigh coming down from the stool.

"I will go to my bedroom."I say suddenly feeling uninterested in the company I'm keeping for her.

I exit the kitchen and head to my bedroom which is downstairs,
I enter the bedroom and throw the phone on the bed with a sigh, I massage my forehead with a sigh and facepalm at once.

Did i love ummi?I ask myself this question countless time,
I want to believe I don't,
even do my mind wander back to her every single day, sometimes i wonder what sketch fu'ad was talking about,
I push all the negative thoughts and grab my backpack to head to the gym, it's the only place i can find peace for now, the white envelope fall of the back and i grab it from the floor with a Furrow brow, my mind wander back to two months ago at the airport and i open it.
  I remove the white paper and flip it open , reading it with an alert interest as my brow furrow in confusion.