Chapter 1: A new beginning

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And take recourse in patience and prayer, and it is indeed hard except for the humble. (2:45)

Chapter  1:
A new beginning  

It was very unusual for Hassan's family to receive guests at that time of the day. Amira, his wife, had never dreamt of seeing suitors come for their daughter, Rima, who was a divorcee and was left with a six month old baby. The family was quite renowned since Hassan had a lot of companies and his richness was all loud everywhere.

The family was quite reputable but not after their daughter's divorce for they faced a lot of humiliation and it was impossible for them to live in the city so Hassan had to shift to Pakistan all the way from Syria to escape all the taunts and miseries they faced. After all, the Arab family was concerned about their reputation as far as such mattes arose.

Leave it for the Arabs to start talking ill of each other and belittling one another. Arabs had their own way of making their evenings and nights lively and enjoyable and that was backbiting and slandering other people's reputation.

The sixty year old man, Hassan, wasn't able to 'safeguard' his daughter's reputation hence he found it easier to run away from the problem than face it with his family. It was quite a shock for him to hear his name all over the business world being maligned and therefore, all he could do was sell his property and shift to another land! An unknown land where he believed he'd spend the  rest of his life peacefully. If only he knew what was going to unfold.

The happiness was quite visible on Hassan and his wife. Finally there was someone who came to marry his daughter. Second marriages were a hard thing especially when one had a child from the past marriage.

Amira pinned her hijab well and opened the door for the visitors. She was a petite woman, yet old age never touched her skin at all. She was beautiful.

                            ****

Two years earlier, a proposal was sent by Asad, a family friend to Hassan's family. The two families were very close since Hassan and Asad were childhood buddies and took an oath to change their friendship to a family by getting their kids marry each other.

Rima was unaware of her father's oath but she was quite an obeying child since she loved her father and never wanted to lose him even it had to make her lose her life. Rima had graduated from the university and she had her degree in engineering. She was a beautiful soul and that added beauty to her appearance.

Rima was Hassan's only child since his wife could not conceive after a tragic accident that happened many years ago. The accident was so tragic that Amira had to give up her womb because she had internal injuries thus it was impossible for her to conceive again

That evening was a very crucial evening to Rima. She looked at her baby and caressed his cheeks. She looked weak and tired. It seemed that she was tired of fighting with herself and surrendered to the Mighty one in the heavens.

The dark circles under her eyes were a sign to the nights she spent over thinking and stressing about her future. She wasn't ready to witness another storm sweep the little remaining  pieces of her shattered heart away.

"Shhh, sleep my love," she cajoled the little one rocking him in her arms. She looked at the little nose of her baby, touched its cheeks gently, as if trying to remember something and suddenly tears dropped from her eyes.

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