Book I: My Muslim Man | COMPLETED

Chapter 33: Shattered

Afaaf's POV

Zaid bhai was surrounded. With Mariam's constant chattering and Aunty Sabeeha filling his mouth with one thing or the other. Imran and Fahad bhai were clearing up Mariam's old room downstairs for him while Amna and I were sharing a giggle at the funny sight before us.

"Mum, this is the last one, please!", he pleaded before Aunty Sabeeha put another slice of apple in his mouth.

Imran and Fahad bhai came back and sat amongst us.

"Mum, he spent hours driving. Give him food and let him take rest", Fahad bhai requested.

"Yeah, let's have lunch now", Imran said.

Aunty Sabeeha got up to serve lunch and we tagged along to help. Mariam came after us, which was actually surprising since Mariam and the kitchen are just polar opposites.

"Quiet surprising to see you volunteering around here", I remarked at Mariam who was busy moving around the kitchen following her mother's instructions.

"I'm doing it for Zaid bhai, else all of you know very well that I'm allergic to kitchen work", she scrunched her nose at the mention of kitchen.

She was nothing like her mother but she was definitely much like Imran. She even had his beautiful brown eyes however her's were a shade lighter. We could hear the men gather around the dinning table and their roars of laughter made us laugh our heads off too.

When the table was set, we settled in our chairs and began enjoying the luxurious dishes. Uncle Khan was absent at the table. Aunty said she had served him in his room. I felt like she was being divided. I didn't know exactly how frustrating it could feel, trying to reach both ends at the same time but the worry lines on her forehead surely indicated her struggle. But suddenly those lines would disappear when she smiled at Zaid bhai, her son, as if they were never there.

While lunch, I learned more about Zaid bhai's personality. He loved the women in his life; his mother, his sister, a lot. And the way he bonded with baby Areej was so adoring. Although he was hesitant at first and baby Areej was not ready to be held by a newly discovered uncle, soon she got used to him. I wondered who that lucky lady would be, the one who'd become my other sister in law. Imran had told me that earlier that Zaid bhai had dropped the idea of marriage a long time ago and another factor was his age. Imran told me that he was 30 or above but by the looks he looked exactly of Imran's age. And when the trio brothers sat side by side on the dinning table, it was a picture perfect. The resemblance was so obvious. Someone who wouldn't know them could easily mistake them for triplets.

When Zaid bhai decided that he'd go to sleep, Mariam skipped after him saying that she'd help him arrange his wardrobe. That girl was going under some major transformations. Basically because she shared a bond with Zaid bhai that no one else did. A bond of love and respect.

Uncle Khan only showed up when a few of his guests came. All men who were community activists and his close friends. All day we were busy in the kitchen preparing this or that for the guests who arrived one after the other. As soon as they began to disappear, I started to bug Imran to take me to mum's.

When Zaid bhai got up for Maghreb Imran went to pray with him and then we were finally going to meet mum. I had called my mum earlier today when I was getting ready and promised her to visit her tonight. She was again advising me to take care of my responsibilities as Imran's wife first and this time I finally lended her an ear.

Ali welcomed us at the door. He was wearing cute little Shalwar and Kurta looking handsome and adorable at the same time. I took him in my arms and he hugged me back with all the life in his tiny arms. He had missed me as much as I had missed him. He wasn't just my nephew but my little bestie, my partner in crime.