Three's Company

18. Heads or Tails?

Genuine laughter and joy had been the two things that filled her safe haven for the last few days.

It was wonderful having home personified in the two people she missed terribly so.

The times she was able to spend with the two woman were some of her most cherished memories. Elif lived in England with her husband and three kids, it was a mission to get her alone. And don't even get her started on Noor, the smart woman was in the tech field and had her hands full.

She lived in Qatar with her husband and their four year old. She was also related to her through her mother's side, she was Auntie Farah's daughter.

Speaking of whom, she gave the very girl who was busy showing them a photo of her son's new haircut a slight nudge. "Noori, you didn't tell me Khalah had gotten moved to Dubai. I had to find out through social media that she was there when I saw her post about how amazing it is."

"Oh yeah, I saw that. I could've sworn Muhammed was certain he would never live there the last time I saw your parents." Elif added in.

Noor snorted, giving her a eye roll and placing her phone down on the side table.

The three women were cuddling on the couch, watching a Turkish drama and drinking chai.

"Baba likes to think he wears the pants in the relationship but you know what my Mama's like. She's been feeling extra lonely now that all of us kids are married and too busy with life."

A sarcastic sounding reply came from the woman in the middle. "Ah yes, and so he takes her to Dubai to feed her loneliness. Ya allah, what did I do wrong in life to deserve such a tragic life."

Obviously, the funny brunette couldn't help herself, laughing before she could even get the words out. "We told you not to go for the white man, did we not?"

She heard Noor cackle at that too, shaking her head in amusement and batting her hands against the brunette's side.

"I know you're not talking when your husband is a man called John Junior," she cleared her throat, mocking his prim accent. "Sorry, it's The Johnathan Jr but please, sir, call me Johnny boy. I love my Mummy and Daddy!"

"Shut it. He's Habibi John now, the man is more Arab then my brothers are."

Damn. Although it sounded like an insult to her brothers, she could not be more right.

Habibi John. She started to laugh harder, the tears forming in her eyes.

That unfortunate nickname was the result of Noor and her's teasing. For context, when Elif had first met John, an English yoga instructor who came from a proper middle class family, all the two girls could do was laugh for hours on end.

Elif, the same girl who was hellbent on never talking to a white man in the fears of her heart being 'colonised' as she called it, had fallen in love with him.

Letting out a sigh of relief, curly light brown locks came into her view. "I'm so glad I married my Saudi hubby, I don't think I'd be able to cope with having to explain what a shataf is."

"True. I actually think Heath was turned on the first time he saw me using one, it was a peak moment of cultural shock to say the least."

Her smile got bigger as the two girls snickered.

"That is disgusting and yet, I don't think I expected anything less from him."

She went quiet after that, finding the conversation to be going where she didn't want it to go again. After telling them about the entire affair and divorce, it was a hard night to digest and she wasn't sure if she could stomach another intense therapy session.