The difference she made!

A step closer...

           

When Fajr joined Huda in the kitchen, she immediately noticed how absent-minded Huda looked as if there was something stuck in her mind and bothering her.
A large salad bowl was already half filled with cutting vegetables in front of her. Fajr took the knife and the cutting board, saying; let me finish this.

As she seated herself on a chair at a short distance from Huda. Huda asked her; what did he want from you?

Fajr started cutting up the tomatoes and put the pieces into the bowl; Who?

"Majed!"

Fajr shrugged as she was repeating the same action with cucumber that was laying on the cutting board; he just came to say hi.

After a pause, she added; you know what...he also offered me his phone number!

Huda asked in a shock; and you took the number?

Fajr denied that with a gesture of her head; "of course not, I am not of those girls who talk on phone with non-mehrams...I have my limits."

Khalid heard her speaking thus, he cleared his throat to make his presence known and get the girls' attention as he addressed his sister; ahm... Majed is having lunch with us, lay the table at the area attached to the Majlis."

Huda nodded; Ok.

The moment Khalid left, his mother entered and complained, looking at the seated girls; oh God! You are not done yet... you both go and prepare the table, I'll finish this myself.

After their conversation was interrupted, Fajr resumed it when she was aiding Huda on setting the table in the appointed place. She suddenly leaned towards Huda who was putting glasses on the table and whispered; "you have a crush on him?"

She took Huda by surprise, that she immediately stopped mid- action; "what did you say? Are you crazy?"

Very casually Fajr responded; What? I just asked because I felt that you like him...

Huda held the glass she was carrying firmly; "Ya Allah! Lower your voice, anyone could hear you!"

Fajr smiled and said in a lower whisper; it means that I am right.

Huda felt uncomfortable at the fact that her secret was discovered, she hissed; "Shsh! How could you say something like this?"

Fajr winked at her; "I am not that stupid. The way you talk about him, and the sparkle in your eyes when you mention his name, it says it all."

Before Huda denied that , Fajr already told her with a genuine smile; "don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

<><><><>

New thoughts were occupying Khalid's brain since Majed talked during lunch time about his desire to get married soon, he felt alarmed as a sudden thought dominated his mind; "what if Majed was considering Fajr? why would he throw such hints then?" He already didn't like the way Majed was talking with her. Now, if he was trying to find a way out of this matter, he should have felt relieved because Majed could solve it, but on the contrary, instead of feeling relieved, he felt bothered at that thought. Just then, he realized that it was decided.

<><><><><><><>

A week later, Muhsen arrived to Jeddah. Fajr couldn't believe her ears when Huda told her that her father was waiting for her downstairs.

Once she caught sight of him from above, she descended the stairs running. When she reached the bottom, she looked ahead at the man who was staring at her with a broad smile. She couldn't contain her excitement anymore throwing herself in his open arms as he stood up to embrace her.

"Oh God, I miss you so much!" she exclaimed, not aware of the pair of dark brown eyes that had been following her every movement.

Stroking her covered hair, he said with a chuckle; " don't exaggerate. it's been only a few weeks."

She pressed herself even tighter into her father's embrace; "Ah it might be a short time for you, but not for me."

He raised his both hands; "ok easy, easy...you will get both of us fallen on the floor."

She chuckled showing her both dimples and brought his hand to her lips to place a soft kiss on the top of it; "I miss you!"

Then she checked him up; "see how much weight you lost because your daughter hasn't been taking care of you... what happened? You stopped eating?"

The note Fajr gave was correct, Muhsen had been losing weight due to his sickness, cancer was eating him with no mercy at all. He placed his hand at her back, smiling; "come on let's sit first and talk."

He took his daughter's hand gently and guided her to the nearby sofa at the sitting area, telling her how much he missed her and her talks. Fajr was too excited to tell him all the details, she wanted him to hear everything happened since she arrived. That's when she noticed the other figure sitting on the opposite armchair. For her bad luck, it was Khalid who brought her father from the airport. All of a sudden, she froze and hushed at once.

Soon after they sat down, Khalid told his uncle; "Dad is in his way, please make yourself comfortable, I won't say as if this were your home, because of course it's." His polite tone reflected in his eyes.

Muhsen looked at his nephew admiring his hospitable manners and responded; "thank you Khalid. It's really as if I'm looking at Hassan himself. I wanted to save you the trouble of coming the long way to bring me from the airport, but you know things have changed a lot that I didn't even recognize the way to this house."

"Nothing remains the same, everything change; we, the people and even the places." There was something new in Khalid's tone, something infinitely persuasive. It made Fajr avert her eyes from her father's to him. He gave her a look as she immediately looked away.

"you are right." Smiled Muhsen.

Khalid stood up; "Now if you will excuse me, I have something to attend to." He smiled one of those glib smiles that didn't make it to his deep brown eyes.

As soon as Khalid left them alone, Muhsen turned to his daughter and asked her; "so how do you find it?"

"wonderful place and nice people..." then she gradually narrated everything to him, all that had happened since she arrived except those awkward moments between her and Khalid.
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