The Scars They Hide

Chapter Thirty-Nine - Meeting the Abdullahs

She heard Jaafar shout and retched again, her stomach heaving as it forced out its contents.

Jaafar quickly untied her hijab, the material constricting and choking her neck; or feeling like it anyway. He grabbed a hand towel and soaked in water while she spat out the remaining bile in her mouth. She almost sobbed when she felt the cool cloth on her forehead, sighing when Jaafar wiped her face and mouth.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

Surprisingly, she was. Her stomach was settled and she felt amazingly better, her headache subsiding just enough for her to nod without feeling like her head was about to fall off. "I think something in the plane food disagreed with me and combined with this exhaustion and my stress of meeting everyone tomorrow, I got a migraine."

He nodded and helped her to her feet. "If you can manage, eat something. Maybe drink the milkshake? Then you can take some painkillers and sleep."

May was hovering outside the door, her quarter burger lying abandoned on the counter, waiting to be eaten. Lutfiyah lifted a shaky hand to May's face. "I'm okay, baby. Why don't you eat your burger and I'll come and join you now okay?"

Her little girl nodded happily, trusting her mother's words and raced off to reunite with her food. Jaafar cast a worried glance at her. "Come on, let's get some food in you then you can shower and sleep huh?"

He waited for her to gargle her mouth thoroughly, running to grab her toothbrush when she shook her head in exasperation. She hated being sick.

The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully after the morning's excitement and they took the time to relax and nap, May all too happy to watch the kid's shows playing on the TV. Lutfiyah couldn't find it in her to complain when she still felt like a bus had run over her and knew that May sitting quietly was a blessing she would just have to take for the moment.

The thing was, Lutfiyah was petrified of meeting Jaafar's parents. They sounded strict and they obviously loved Jaafar tremendously. They had also loved Ayesha beyond words and if they had even an inkling of Aaliyah's worries, she didn't know what she'd do. This was Jaafar's parents. She wanted them to love her and she wanted to love them in return. She hoped, for Allah's sake, that no one would say anything about May because that would not stand.

* * *

The next day came faster than she anticipated. She was still jet lagged though Jaafar and May seemed to have recovered wonderfully. May was bouncing off the walls, her excitement at meeting a new set of grandparents unfortunately not contagious. Jaafar seemed to sense that she was worried but knowing that there was nothing he could really say that hadn't already been said, he let her be.

Lutfiyah was more grateful than she could even say. This was something that she had to work through on her own and she knew that most of it would only be solved once she actually met with his parents.

The drive to their home was excruciating. May was vibrating in her seat, asking a thousand questions and pointing out everything that was different about the new country she was in. Jaafar held her hand in her lap throughout the entire ride, only letting it go when he needed to lean out to ring the bell in the driveway.

The driveway they'd rode up to was long and beautiful and the gates opened up to show immaculate gardens and a gorgeous home. Nothing intimidating or anything.

Jaafar gave her a reassuring smile and drove in, waving to the guard by the gate as he drove by. May had quietened down as though she'd realised that the moment of truth had come; the only sound the rolling of the tires on the road underneath.

After what felt like a year but had only been a minute, they reached the house, Jaafar pulling into a garage that had opened for them just as they'd reach. He sighed heavily after he'd switched off the car and turned to her.

She gave a tremulous smile and he chuckled. "Oh Lutfi, you are the bravest and most amazing woman I know. Just be yourself and everything is going to be fine, okay?"

He cupped her chin as she nodded and pulled her into a soft kiss, looking into her eyes before kissing her again, his rough lips skating over hers and sending unnecessary shivers down her spine. Then he rubbed his nose against hers quickly before pulling back. "Ready?"

She smiled again, this time with a little more confidence. "Ready."

* * *

Lutfiyah had expected a lot of things but the twins screaming, "Surprise!" and running to scoop May; Aqeelah, and her; Ruqayyah, into tight hugs was not one of them. The massive wave of relief that overcame her had her almost falling to her knees but instead she gripped Ruqayyah back just as tightly, breathing her familiar scent in and mumbling greetings into her shoulder.

Jaafar was grinning from ear to ear. He walked forward and pecked each sister on their cheeks before pulling Lutfiyah to his side. She would never say but the fact that he always seemed to want her by him, holding her hand or waist, was something that made her love him all the more.

"What are you two rascals doing here?"

Aqeelah grinned. "Well, when we heard that you were coming to see Ummie and Abba, we just knew we had to be here. We haven't seen them in ages and Abba has been begging us to come home. So he bought us the tickets and here we are."

"Family reunion!" Ruqayyah cried, blowing kisses into May's neck who giggled breathlessly, clutching onto Aqeelah's shoulder, her legs around Aqeelah's waist.

The sounds died down as a throat cleared, the twins stepping aside to let the newcomers through.

Lutfiyah smiled shyly as two people who could only be Jaafar's parents stepped towards them. Jaafar immediately went to his mother, a tall and robust woman with striking blue eyes and loosely tied hijab, and hugged her tight, dropping a kiss to her forehead when she eventually let him go. He then turned to his father and hugged him just as tightly, whispering words into his father's ear who in return patted his cheek and smiled.

Then Jaafar stepped back and pulled Lutfiyah forward, taking May from Aqeelah who had stepped towards him when he'd gestured. "Ummie, Abba, this is my wife Lutfiyah and my daughter Maysurah. Lutfiyah, this my Ummie and my Abba. Babygirl, this is your Teta and Jidu."

The terms were new but Jaafar had already been teaching May to say them over video call, May thinking that had been their names for the longest time.

May pointed to herself. "Teta, Jidu, my name is May and this is my Mama and this is my Abba."

Her innocent little introduction had all the adults in guffaws and the tension shattered like sugared glass, Jaafar's father pulling Lutfiyah into a quick hug and dropping a kiss onto her forehead. His mother in turn, hugged her tight, whispering welcoming prayers into her ear before squeezing her hand and waving to her home.

"Please, take this as your home while you are here. Here, you are our daughter. Ahlan wa sahlan wa marhabah."

This time when a tear slipped down Lutfiyah's face, Jaafar wiped it away with a smile that was brightly matching hers.

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Please take a moment to appreciate the beautiful cover (image on this chapter) that @shadow_cat_7 made for me. Fun Fact: One of my characters is named after her. <3