This Is It!

Abu's back!

Haytham

I stood at her door wishing I didn't have to. I had promised myself that I would stay away from her for those two weeks that I would be around.

"What do you want?" She said but not harshly.

"Waalykum salaam, Aaliyah." I forced a smile on my face. "It's nice of you to greet me."

She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Assalam Alykum." She said still not letting me in.

"Can I come in?" I asked. She shrugged her shoulders and showed me in.

Her apartment was small and warm. It was simple and far from girly.

"A nice place you got right here." I said as I made myself comfortable on her little sofa.

"Why are you here?" She stood with her arms crossed and her eyebrows up. I could easily tell she was trying to be mean but her eyes seemed to glitter.

"I am here because I have to introduce you to someone special. Someone you would love to see." I said in one breath and waited to watch her reaction.

"Who?"

"Guess!"

"I am not in the mood for your nonsense, Haytham."

"Nonsense?" I said and sighed. " well then I guess I have wasted my time by coming here. To think that he was excited to finally see you after almost a whole year of being separated? He will be disappointed."

I said and stood up, pretending to leave. I knew that would make her curious. I walked towards the door when she held my arm and forced me to stop.

"Haytham please, who wants to meet me? If it's Ahsad then you better leave and tell him never to stand in front of me ever again."

I looked at her little frail hand on my arm and then to her cute face ( it wasn't cute at that moment; it was an angry face)

"First of all," i said as I took her hand off me. "It isn't Ahsad. Secondly I need you to understand that he didn't abandon you. He got arrested. He would -"

"Who? Who are you talking about?"

"He would have come back you immediately after he was released but he couldn't." I continued ignoring her question. "You need to take it easy on him. He has just found out about what had happened to your family today."

She looked at impatiently but her eyes were less cutting. She stared at me as I went to the door and opened it.

"Are you ready, Aaliyah?" She simply sat back on the sofa and crossed her arms on her chest. "Come on in Sir." I said to  the gentleman standing at the door. I watched Aaliyah reaction as he walked in. Her pupil dilated and her mouth went all O.

"Aaliyah!" The man gasped. Aaliyah stood up and ran the few steps between them. I watched as father and daughter reunited. I couldn't help it as a tear dropped from my eyes, then another one and another one.

Jem would have a fit if he saw me now. I thought to myself. He always complains that I judge him because he is an emotional fool.

"Abu." I heard her say amidst sobs.

I think the crying and hugging continued for about an hour. Aaliyah couldn't believe she got her Abu back. She kept asking him if he was real.

"Haytham," she called my name and I quickly wiped my tears away before I looked at her. "My father's back. Abu is back."

I swear she sounded like a little kid. Ooh and her eyes! Her crystal green eyes looked so...I don't even know what to compare it with.

I know this is a crazy thought but if i was Tamim, I would bring tears to her eyes only to see her eyes look the way they did then.

I sat down and listened to his story for the second time. I would have left but I had promised Aaliyah's dad that I would stick around.