Rabt

23

Qasim

He watched as Rukhsar and Inaya ate the butter chicken he had made.

He had watched as Rukhsar made a morsel for Inaya and fed her .

His daughter had nodded with approval, smiling.

He felt his heart tug at their ease.

Inaya was slowly becoming her old self , no longer crying over the smallest things.

She was eating happily, and talking.

Were there times where she would be sad and cry, ofcourse .

But the times when she would laugh or giggle seemed to be more than the sadder periods.

His eyes wandered to the woman sitting beside his daughter, she was smiling as she ate and talked .

He was just as surprised as her when he had made her dinner .

He had also been nervous, it had been a while since he had felt this nervous.

He had seen how her eyes had brightened at the idea of eating butterchicken and he had just found himself googling the recipe.
And then the next thing he knew he was cooking butter chicken.

And the nervousness that had come with it all was an even bigger surprise.

He wasn't trying to impress her .

He wasn't!

Its for the baby.

She's going to be the mother of my child very soon.
She barely tolerates me.
Its for the baby.

Thats what he had told himself.

"Papa?" He looked at his daughter who stared at him expectantly,
"I'm sorry can you repeat that." He asked ,
"Why aren't you eating?" She asked , he shook his head ,

"I'm not hungry sweetheart" he said to her ,
She nodded and went back to her plate .
"When will find out if its girl or a boy." This was the only question she seemed to be obsessed with these days.

"On friday InshAllah" he said to her ,

"Can I come!" She asked ,

He smiled at her apologetically ,
"Children aren't allowed sweetheart." He told her ,

She pouted .

"Thatsh no fair" she said , and he pressed a kiss on top of her head.

"Are you ready for bed ?" He asked she shook her head,
"Can I shweep with Rukhshar auntie pwease" she asked

He paused ,
"Why not me hunny" he asked a little hurt.

"She has the baby" his 4 year old shrugged .

Oh wow.
His heart warmed and hurt a little at the same time.

He was used to Inaya sleeping with him, for the past 4 months .

He frowned ,

His heart wasn't heavy but it didn't feel exactly light either, it was a bitter sweet feeling that his daughter was so obsessed with her future sibling at the same time he wasn't ready let her sleep anywhere but with him.

He smiled sadly,
"Whatever makes you happy baby" he said and he looked up his eyes meeting Rukhsars , she gave him a comforting smile like she understood what he was feeling.

_________________________

Friday came by so much sooner than expected .

He had dropped Inaya to school , and she had let him go for the first time since her school started , she was too excited to know what the baby was .