MARJAAN- COMPLETE HALF OF MY DEEN (#YourStoryIndia) (#ProjectWomenUp)

Chapter 18- house visits

رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا

[Rabbana hab lana min azwajina wathurriyyatina qurrata aAAyunin waijAAalna lilmuttaqeena imaman]

"Our Lord! Grant unto us spouses and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous.

Marjaan P.O.V

Yesterday wasn't as difficult as today since I had left the venue before my family had left, but, today, as I saw my parents walk back to my home after blessing me once again, I felt my heart tighten a bit. I reminded myself that I had promised not to cry. My husband was really supportive and he held my hand all the time. I felt really comforted by that simple gesture.

Rabiya informed me that Afreen had fallen and sprained her ankle. I wanted to check on Afreen, to see what exactly had happened with her, but, since I am 'the' bride today I had to stay rooted on the stage. I was introduced to a lot of people whose names and relations I'm sure to forget by the end of the day.

Finally we got into his friends' car and left for home. Ju sat next to me. His friend had agreed to be our chauffeur for the ride home.

"Assalamualaikum bhabhi. I am Faizal, Amjad's friend."

"Walaikumassalam" I replied.

"What was that commotion outside?" Ju asked Faizal

"Oh, that was nothing." Faizal replied sheepishly, "I accidentally bumped into a girl and she fell and sprained her ankle."

I gaped ... So that is how Afreen sprained her ankle. I was always good at putting two and two together. As far as I knew, Afreen was the only girl who had sprained her ankle in the past few hours. This guy, Faizal must have bumped into Afreen causing her to fall.

Poor Afreen. She must be in a lot of pain. And that's when a thought struck me. I had wanted Afreen to marry one of Ju's friends. Faizal looked like the best guy to fill the role of a prospective groom for my Afreen. I made a mental note to talk to Ju about it later.

"Don't look at me like that bhabhi. I did apologize to her." Faizal was saying remorsefully.

I came into my senses. I had been so busy matchmaking in my head that I forgot I was gaping at Faizal unknowingly. He does seem like a good guy for Afreen. I turned and smiled at Ju. My eyes couldn't help but linger longer on my husband. He held my hand and gave it a small squeeze. It was obvious he wanted to talk to me, but just not in front of his friend.

I prayed I wouldn't fall asleep like yesterday and embarrass myself. Anyway, he was bound to find out that I have a habit of falling asleep while travelling. We reached home. There still remained few guests so I engaged in small talk with them while Ju went upstairs to change. After making sure I spoke to everybody present, I made my way to my room. I opened the door and my jaw dropped. Standing before me was my husband. Shirtless. He had finished taking his shower and was standing there with just a towel wrapped around his lower body.

I blinked my eyes a few times to make sure I wasn't looking at some celebrity. He looked perfect as if a sculptor had chiselled him out of marble. He saw me entering and put on a t-shirt.

"Shall I go outside? You can change here"

"No, its okay. I'll change in the bathroom."

"Please don't feel uncomfortable on my behalf."