Loving You

chapter one

dedicated to @loveallalways for being so sweet and such a supportive reader <3

1 year later

Yusuf woke up to the sound of a child screeching and wailing. He turned to his side to find Hamsa moving about and crying. He wrinkled his nose at the stench. Nappy change. Yusuf groaned. Such a great way to start off the weekend.

 "Salam Hamsa." He tickled her chin. She didn't notice and kept crying. "Okay, baby. Hush. Don't cry. Baba'll fix you right up."

He picked her up gently over his shoulder and took her to the bathroom where there was a nappy changing station installed.

"Here you go." He spoke softly as he handed her a mini maraca to divert her attention to no avail. She never played with all these toys that Rania and he had bought for her to play with. She couldn't hear the maracas properly.

"Rania!" Yusuf laughed as he pushed the shopping cart around. "What is Hamsa going to do with all of these toys?"

"Eat them." Rania grinned. "Eat them?!" Yusuf asked, confused out of his mind. "No, silly!" She smacked his arm playfully. "My baby deserves the best of the best." She patted her full stomach. Just one more month.  Yusuf brought his arm around Rania as he gently put his hand on her stomach. "Aw, baby. Can you hear your Baba?"

"Yusi." Rania wrinkled her nose. "What?" 

"Baba, really?"

Yusuf chuckled, "Yes, Baba."

"But seriously, Rani, darling. This is a little too much." Yusuf gestured at the 10 maracas, 4 cars playsets, 2 doll houses, at least 15 dolls, and tons more.

"Hm? Yusi come on. Pretty please. Hamsa is going to love them! I want her to love her parents!" Rania pouted.

"Rania."

"Yusuf."

"Rania."

"Yusuf." Rania sniveled as she pecked him on the cheek, to which Yusuf grumbled all the while a huge smile gracing his face as he gave in. "Jeez, fine. What man can resist that?"

Who knew that in not even 2 years, this is how it would be like? He remembered wistfully as he finished changing Hamsa's nappy. 

"Rania, I'm telling you right now. I'll do anything but the nappy change." Yusuf said firmly.

"Yusuf, sweetheart, what will poor Hamsa say when I tell her years from now, that her father didn't change her nappy even once!" Rania teased as she gestured at the few days old baby in her arms.

"But Rani." Yusuf whined. "I'll do everything else, I promise."

"Yusuf, get your butt over here." Rania shouted from the bathroom. "We'll do it together." She smiled.

I miss her. He thought. It scared him, terrified him to his core that even if she came here right now and asked him to forgive her, he'd do it without even a moment's hesitation and welcome her with open arms. He hated how helpless he was without her.

Yusuf threw a glance at Hamsa who finally stopped crying as she moved around. How could she leave him? Leave their beautiful child? And them?

***

Yusuf smiled at Hamsa, "Hamsa, come to Baba."  He gestured to Hamsa to come closer to him. He was trying to get her to crawl and come to him. But, it looked like her Down Syndrome was proving to be a barrier. It had just been a few months since she'd learned to sit.