... it's been a decade but it feels fresh to her, she's tardily crumbling.
*
"Salam alaykum, may I come in?" Muslim said and stood by the door of his mother's room. For the past week, he dared not to set a toe in her house or let her see him, he had caused a lot and want to mend things but he wasn't ready to face her, yet, he went.
Hearing his voice, Fatima ignored him.
"Salamu alaykum." He said again but got no response. He knocked but none of them paid heed to his knockings and tasleems. He heard Abdulqaadir from the inside saying, "Hajiya it's big bros."
"And so what? Don't you dare open the door for him, if he gets tired of knocking he'll leave on his own." He heard Fatima replied.
"I'm sorry, please open the door and listen to me." He was on the verge of tears and he could no longer hold it. He can withstand whatsoever pain from whosoever but not from his number one person, his mother. "Please let me explain myself, permit me inside." He said in a shaky voice, the door wasn't locked but he wouldn't just push and barge in without her permission especially now that she's upset with him.
"For the sake of Allah, let me in." His voice was shaking like an old grinding machine. "Please mama." He added, he was losing it. "Hear me out please, you're my last hope." He voiced but went in vain.
Aisha, who felt sympathetic towards her brother lipped a please to Fatima but gave a bitter response. "You either be with me or follow him outside." Okay, this was getting tighter.
"What would I do if I don't get your support? I implore you, please, let me in." He beseeched while standing by the door.
"Leave my house." Fatima ordered.
"Hajiya at least, hear what he has to say, maybe she's the liar in this." Aisha voiced.
"Are you selfish right now, Aisha?" Fatima narrowed her eyes at her daughter.
"No I'm just saying what is probably right, don't get me wrong. You know your son more than anyone else, he has lived his thirty-three years of life with you, you know what he can do and what he can't. Ask yourself, why are you even mad at him? Because he didn't come to you for the past week, he did that because he's scared of your anger, now he wants you to hear him out, listen to him." Fatima swallowed a lump, she was indeed touched by Aisha's words.
"He admitted he's guilty. So now what?"
"If he goes astray, should we leave him like that, shouldn't we guide him?" Aisha said, trying to be polite.
"What's happening? I don't understand." The youngest of them asked, they totally forgot he was with them
"Leave us sweety, adult issues." Aisha forced a smile at Abdulqaadir who guffawed at her speech.
"I'm eighteen madam, thank God I turned eighteen yesterday. Tell me Hajiya." He said, directing his last part to Fatima.
"You're too young to hear this, please leave us, keep big bros company." Aisha tried harder to convince Abdulqaadir.
"Okay." His hands went up in surrender and he calmly walked outside.
"You said if our relationship with people is ruined, we should try and fix it instead of cutting ties with them, remember?" Aisha quoted. "I'm totally against separating them, how would it make your Muslim turn to? He still has the impression that he killed Ummulkhayr even though not directly, your Muslim wasn't like this, that particular incident changed him. He needs us." Surprisingly, Aisha was saying something meaningful.
