Twice Upon Them

Chapter 11 | Kayla | Hurt

"I'm fine," I assure her. "I don't have any desire to talk to him. I've come to my senses about Harun, so there's no need trying to console me about him."

She closes her eyes for a while before opening them again, now looking at me intently. "Please," she pleads. "I know you want to talk to him. It's none of my business, but I think you have a few words to say to him since...our marriage."

I hate to admit that I find some truth in her words. There has been a lot that I wanted to say to Harun, but I can't now that he's married to Maymunah. I would have accused him for leading me on to like him. I would have demanded him why he pitied me enough to allow me to stay with his family. But that's all in the past now. As I look at Maymunah and reluctantly nod my head, I wonder what I'll say to Harun once I see him.

"The other day when I was spending some time with my in-laws, Hafsa saw something that I didn't expect her to see. She took it the wrong way. She found a stack of divorce papers and assumed that I was crazy for hiding them in my room. She also wondered why I had them when I just married Harun." A swarm of bees could have entered my mouth due to the fact that my jaw has dropped to the floor. "No, I'm not getting divorced with him. I had them since I needed to review a court case. You know, I am studying to become a lawyer." She lifts a glass of water from the table and drinks some of it after muttering "Bismillah." She sets it back down on the table and looks at me with somewhat of an amused expression. "I feel like everyone around me assumes that I'm doubting marrying him because of you. They think that it's just me exaggerating everything."

I stare at her for a silent minute before I finally shut my mouth close. I choose my next words carefully. "I almost thought - Wow."

"Those were Hafsa's exact words. Of course Harun knows since she told him once he came back from his outing with Luqman." She pauses for a moment, letting that sink in. "As I read the court case, I couldn't help but feel awful for the people involved in the divorce. It led me to think what it would be like if Harun and I wouldn't work out after all." After she glances at my blank expression, she smiles apologetically. "I'm sorry. This must be awkward for you to hear."

"What did I tell you about moving on?" I say almost indignantly. "Go on."

Maymunah simply nods as a waiter approaches our table. We order quickly before she continues speaking. "Harun seems really happy to be finally married with me, but I can't help but feel a little distant from him. No, I don't intend to file a divorce as I mentioned before, but there is a possibility I won't be married to him within the next year. Divorces are common among Muslims; there's a chance that we may be included in that. But I know I'm just thinking way too ahead."

"I get it. My parents got divorced around five or six years ago, and the impact it made on them was too great. They never really mended their relationship to the point that they're comfortable seeing each other, but they're making progress." I don't usually open up to people about my parents, but when I do, I talk to the people who I trust the most. Maymunah, although I've just met her recently, seems to be trustworthy enough to hear about my input.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear about that," she says hesitantly. I can tell that she is wondering if she said the right words, since people like me don't usually like empty apologies.

However, I just smile faintly before I sink back into my chair. "Don't worry; things will be all right. I can't fathom anything going wrong between the two of you."

She smiles back at me as our food finally arrives to our table. Maymunah actually ordered the Oreo milkshake, along with fries and a salad. She dips a fry into her milkshake before eating it with content. She looks up at me briefly as she shrugs. "I do it all the time."