..."What did they say in the hospital? Any improvement?"
*
Dressed in a sage green floral gown with touches of dark green was Jasmine. She styled her hunter green plain Malaysian Georgette veil into a hijab and she held her dark green handbag as she approached Muslim's car. Her feet sheathed in snow white sandals, she made herself comfortable in the front seat.
Muslim started the car and turned on the headlights. He felt so strained.
"Would you like to get anything?" Muslim wanted to start up a conversation as the drive was eerily silent.
"No. Thanks." Jasmine nonchalantly replied.
"The kids are asleep already." He stated the obvious.
"What do you expect? It's past nine." She rolled her eyes. Muslim wasn't taken aback that her mood changed in such a short time, she was all lovey dovey with him minutes earlier before they came out.
"They're going to sleep throughout the flight." He talked again and Jasmine ignored him.
"Here's to a dose of positivity." Jasmine raised a toast with the bottle of water in her hold then gulped down a little. Maybe it wasn't necessary.
After about twenty five minutes drive, they arrived at the airport.
"See you, hubby." Jasmine waved at him, feigning nonchalance as she attempted to open the door.
"No. Come here." Muslim pulled her into a hug. "I'm not toxic baby. I'm going to miss you." He said into her neck.
"Oh no you shouldn't. You have a replacement at home." She told him to irk him but he only chuckled.
"My back, it's hurting." She said and pulled away. The last thing she wanted was to be emotional.
Muslim pulled her in for kiss and she didn't protest. "I don't want you to go but if that's what you want, then so be it." He smiled, cupping the side if her face.
"Please take care of yourself for me. Have fun baby, enjoy yourself." A few seconds of eye contact, Jasmine gently removed Muslim's hand from her face. She wanted to hug him, tell him how bad she was going to miss him and how she was having second thoughts right then, maybe she shouldn't leave but she wasn't going to show him any of that.
"It's getting late." She said coldly and got off the car. Muslim did that also and brought out their luggage from the trunk while Jasmine woke Humayd up.
"You can go back from here." Jasmine told him and he smiled, understanding that she didn't want to cry in front of him but she made it look like she was disgusted by his presence. He knew her too well, for years, he had studied her.
So much that she wouldn't believe he did.
"It's okay. Hit me up as soon as you land." He walked after her as she dragged her trolley.
"Bye bye daddy." Humayd said in his sleepy voice.
"Bye son. Take care of your little brother."
"I'm strong I'll take care of maama too." He smiled making Jasmine look back at Muslim.
"That's my boy. High five!" They high-fived each other.
"Bye. I love you maama." Muslim kissed Jasmine's cheek earning him a glare.
"I love you too." She smiled and walked away like she didn't want to. Muslim watched her struggling to keep everything in hold as she retreated away from his sight
He waited in his car for them to take off before he left.
His heart aching, that the monster in him made the woman that gave him peace walked away from him. It felt like she walked out of his life completely albeit it was just for a while. He felt his heart break, his mind stressed and his body weak, he felt utterly useless and guilty, fierce guilty. He was more than willing to start giving her the best of treatments the second she comes back to him.
