Things Nadir N̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ Said | [MUSLIM]

XII

XII

Nadir

After work, I visited a jewellery t shop a few blocks away. It wasn't the first time I had had to come here.

When shopping for women's things is when a man really gets to know why women take so long buying the smallest things. What a bewildering variety was everything available in!

As I walked through the different sections of the shop, I was surrounded by hundreds of similar-but-not-really-the-same kinds of earrings, necklaces, bracelets. I saw some shiny little things that I had no clue went to what part of the body.

I made my way, looking around. 

Married life is not the same after you're blessed with children. Even if your children are the most beautiful thing and you wouldn't have it any other way, it didn't negate that one truth: that everything just changes irrevocably. That that passion and magic in your relationship had just no way to survive in the presence of another little creature.

But that, of course, had no effect on affection itself - because if it did, I wouldn't be here right now.

And wouldn't be paying such an appalling sum for a piece of jewellery that weighed less than my wedding ring.

My love for her weighs just enough, I said myself on the way home.

When I reached home, somehow just as excited as I was nervous, I found all of them napping in the kids' room. Zaeb and Mustafa were huddled together on his bed, and Mishal on hers. She must have been tired, from doing the laundry perhaps.

I spotted a covered tray on the nightstand, which was probably my lunch. I started to walk towards it, but then changed my mind, and climbed in with Mishal, grinning - completing the puzzle that was my family.

I slept for long, and woke to the sound of Mishal's laughter.

"Your feet don't fit, papa," she giggled.

I nodded. "Thanks for letting me sleep here, princess."

"But you have to go now," she pouted. "Arij is coming."

I shook my head.

"Please, papa," she cried. "She won't come in here if you stay."

I shook my head again.

Her lips quivered, and she ran out, rubbing her eyes.

She probably went and complained to her mum about me, because in less than half a minuted Zaeb was there, hands on her hips, wrinkles on her forehead.

"You didn't eat."

I shrugged.

"If I don't baby you one day, you won't eat?"

"Maybe I just wasn't h-hungry," I offered.

"Maybe you just want to add to my troubles!"

That made me laugh. "I promise there was no reason in particular. I just didn't want to eat."

She frowned. "I already have two fussy kids to deal with, Nadir. Don't give me another."

"Understood," I laughed. "Can I give you something else, though?"

She walked closer, and her eyes followed when I dug  into my pocket to find the little bracelet I had gotten her. She stood there quietly as I fastened it on her wrist, right beside Mishal's, both of us smiling the whole time.

I then held her arm as we admired it, until she suddenly grabbed my hands. She rubbed my hands within hers, thanking me without words.

We stood there for a few more minutes, or forever.

With Arij spending time with the children for several hours in a week, Zaeb and I got some for our own selves. And this time we usually spent having tea on our balcony, or working in collaboration to get a chore done, or huddling and reading a book together.

It was a true treat.

Today was another one of these sweet evenings, and the two of us were in the living room, dusting the cabinets by the telly.

We were almost done soon enough, and I rose from the rug we were sitting on.

"Tea?" I asked her.

She seemed to have begun pondering over it, which was so odd I started laughing.

"How about we go for a little walk down the road?" She said finally. "We could have tea at Callie's."

Callie's was a cafe about three blocks away. It was an unusual suggestion; especially at seven pm.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," she admitted, and now it made more sense.

I shot a look towards the kids' room door, where we could hear the three of them annoying Shawarma. Then I glanced at her again, hinting without speaking.

"I trust her," she established quietly. "And I don't imagine we'd be gone any longer than, maybe a half hour."

I agreed. Trusting Arij wasn't really very hard for me.

It was late September, but the wind had picked pace, and there was a chill to it. It was still a rather pleasant short walk. Halfway through the way to Callie's, I turned to Zaeb, barely able to contain the nerves.

"Nadir, I..." she faltered, and now I knew it was nothing small that she wanted to discuss.

"Come," I encouraged, and led her a few more steps, until we were inside the cafe.

Surrounded by warmth and the comforting smell of a coffeeshop, she eased a little, and by the time I ordered our teas, she had gathered much of her thoughts.

"I hope this doesn't anger you," she started. "It's actually just that...You know,Nadir, I'm just so..." She paused again.

I looked on as she sighed.

"It's Sami, Nadir."