What Not To Do When You're In Love

18 | Wariness

18 | Wariness

"You decide. I'm gonna need a bite of that or we aren't entering any other shop."

We were at a local market buying gifts for everyone. Some steps behind me Hasan carried our purchases, grumbling and complaining. Honestly, I was starting to get a little dubious about those biceps now.

"Are you blackmailing me into giving you my sandwich?!" I asked, not letting myself linger on the fact that seeing the way he had dragged me from the beach, he could actually drag me out of here just the same. And I'd powerlessly comply with his decision again.

"Most certainly! I mean holding this thing alone feels like I'm carrying Hafsa, forget the weight of the rest of the bags. Bringing you here has proven to be, among other things, a warning straight from Allah," he huffed as he carried a vase the size of his torso as if it were so heavy. "You seem to be under the delusion that I possess some sort of extraordinary physical capability. Which is incorrect. I'm sure not even the wives of the real superman ever made him carry things like this."

"Hey, to remind you, he never disappointed any of his wives. Like ever. Not even accidentally."

"I know; definitely superhuman. What a great man!"

"Indeed. And you, sir, ought to have realised sometime before we were a half hour's walk from that coffee shop that you want something to eat, too. Oh, wait, I forgot that you were too busy trying to be a selfish miser to have thought of that sooner!"

"Hey, I'm not being a miser! And, are you, by any chance, forgetting you didn't marry a multimillionaire?"

"Oh, my bad," I said. "I guess I'm gonna have to fix that now. This husband complains too much, anyway."

"Adinah!" He exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"Sorry, I'm not sorry. If my replies upset you, try avoiding them by not saying silly things."

"You're the one who's spending my hard-earned money on useless things, how am I being silly?!"

"I didn't buy anything for myself now, did I? Don't you know the value of giving presents to your friends and family in Islam?"

"Yeah, that is all okay, but couldn't we get a little more modest gifts? Stuff like sweets or clothes or hairbrushes or something? I mean, because Hafsa doesn't need another juicer-blender, she already has a whole collection of these things. And my mamma most certainly doesn't need this fifteen kg vase!"

"Let's go and get those things too, then!" I said enthusiastically.

He leaned down, sighed, and patted his butt.

"Sabr, habibi."

"Did you- did you just tell your butt to have Sabr?!" I started laughing so hard that people passing us by gave me stares.

"My wallet."

That only made me laugh harder.

"You gotta do what you gotta. She needs emotional support at this challenging, hard time."

"Of course," I took a deep breath to stop letting myself from looking like a nutcase in the middle of a market. "I hope she's warned and ready, because look!" I said, motioning towards some more shops lined in front of us, "It's time to get sweets to take home!"

"Where?" Hasan asked.

But before I could turn to ask him if the burden of the bags and vase had blinded him, he dipped and took a monstrous bite of my sandwich.