The intensity of the rain was making it hard for Houssam to see out of his windshield, and after avoiding another accident, he finally pulled up to Kalthoum’s house. After leaving Hana in the backyard, he had dashed past his sister, ignoring her inquiries, and had torn away from the house, only one thing on his mind.
He had to break up with Kalthoum.
Whether he had fully realized his feelings for Hana or not was beside the point. He couldn’t continue to allow her to think they were going to be something, when in reality, he was beginning to despise the very sight of her.
As he now climbed the steps to her front porch and rang the bell, he couldn’t help but thinking how fitting it was that it was raining at a time like this. It seemed to make the whole mood more somber.
His head snapped up from his reflections as the sound of the door opening caught his attention, and as Kalthoum came into view, her eyes widened in surprise. “Houssam?” she asked, and he could hear the hint of uncertainty in her tone. “What are you doing here?”
Houssam swallowed deeply, and stepped closer, the rain pouring down his face. “I don’t know your favorite color. I don’t know your favorite book or your favorite movie.”
Kalthoum’s nose crinkled in confusion. “What are you talking about? Do you want to come in?”
He shook his head.
“This won’t take long. I don’t know what you wanted to be when you were little, I don’t know what classes you took in college, I don’t know why you chose your major. I don’t know what your favorite food is, how many kids you want, what dreams you have for the future. Kalthoum we have been talking for months, and these are all things we should have already discussed! But all you seem to want to talk about is the things I own!”
Her lips pursed tightly together, and she glared at him. “Did Hana tell you to say that?”
“This isn’t about Hana!” he exclaimed, running a hand through his damp hair, “this is about me and you. And how we are not compatible in the slightest. We were both blinded and driven by things that shouldn’t matter in Islam. We went after things like wealth and beauty, instead of Deen and kindness. Love and compassion and mercy. That’s why we will never work out.”
Her eyes widened in a panic.
“What!? Are you dumping me!?” she demanded, and he sighed.
“Technically we were never engaged. So no, I am not dumping you. But I am going to say that it’s not working out for me.” Even as the words left his mouth, he had to suppress a smile for he felt as if he had had a weight lifted off of him that had been crushing him.
“Doesn’t matter which way you say it, you are dumping me! No Houssam. You don’t get to dump me! I dump you!” she exclaimed hotly, and he shrugged.
“Whatever helps you through this. I am sorry to have taken up so much of your time.”
He turned his back, intent on getting in his car, and going back to Hana as fast as possible, but Kalthoum’s voice stopped him.
“You’re really leaving me? Just like that?”
He turned back around.
“If you can tell me, right this second what my favorite food is, I’ll stay.”
It was quiet as she just stared at him, and he could tell the moment she became resigned, for her shoulders slumped, and she gave a long sigh.
“Fine. Go. But do you think she is right for you? She is too quiet and demure. She can’t stand up for herself. How will she handle your fame? She already was a mess by what the tabloids printed about the two of you when your relationship was only speculation. She won’t be able to handle it when they are after her all the time.”
The force of her words hit him squarely in the face, and he almost stumbled off of the front porch.
“That is none of your business.”
She smirked slightly.
“It may not be my business, but you know as well as I do that the press? They make it their business to know your business.”
***
“Are you sure you don’t want to spend the night? I don’t like you driving in this rain.” Hisham said worriedly, glancing outside where the rain was coming down in sheets.
Hana smiled. “I’ll be fine Hisham. It’s not the far, plus I have an interview in the morning so I’d rather be at home with my things.”
“You have an interview?!” Hisham asked in a pleased tone. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”
Hana shrugged.
“I’ve been shot down so many times, I didn’t want to get everyone’s hopes up. It’s with The Meadow Wood News. I don’t have high hopes, but it is an interview!”
Hisham smiled, and pulled her into a hug.
“Well I think that is wonderful, and I am so proud of you. InshaAllah you will do amazingly!”
“Thank you Hisham. I hope so!”
“So tell me, what are we doing for your birthday next week?”
Hana groaned.
“Ugh don’t remind me. I feel so old!”
“Habibti, you will be twenty four. I’m thirty three. Who is the old one?!”
Hana laughed.
“Seriously you know I don’t celebrate birthdays.”
“Okay, we won’t celebrate. Just a dinner with Yusra and Amir and Houssam?”
Hana made a face at that. She had waited for a few more minutes in the backyard before going inside, and waiting for Houssam to return. And waiting.
And waiting.
But he never came back.
Hisham gave her a scolding look. “We can’t not include Houssam.”
“Whatever.” She mumbled. “Look I should go before the storm starts.”
“Okay. Call me when you get home so I know you’re safe?”
Hana smiled, and returned her brother’s embrace. “I will InshaAllah.”
“Salaam habibti!”
“Walaikumasalaam!”
As Hana got into her car and waited for the heater to warm up the inside, her mind went back to Houssam. He had begged of her to open up to him and when she had, he had left her without a single word.
That did not do well for her self esteem. Now she was feeling ten times worse than she had been at the beginning of the night.
She flipped up her turn signal, and pulled onto the street, peering anxiously through the downpour. She had almost made it to the Masjid when she remembered she had forgotten her jacket in the library, and as they hadn’t prayed Isha yet, she pulled into the parking lot, grabbing her coat, and making her way to the women’s Musalla. Once they had finished prayer, she went back downstairs, ducking her head as she recognized the swarm of paparazzi that were lingering around the edge of the Masjid, no doubt looking for glimpses of Houssam.
She pulled her hood over her face, in case one of them recognized her, and she hurriedly got into her car. A few seconds later though, she heard shouts of ‘there she is!’ and before she realized what had happened, they were heading towards her and she hurriedly got into her car, driving as fast as she could out of the parking lot, before she even had put her seatbelt on.
To her dismay, they all had cars and began to follow her. The streets were practically empty as the rain was really heavy, which on one hand was a bad thing as she couldn’t lose them in traffic, but at the same time it gave her leave to go faster.
As they started to gain on her she pushed the gas harder, staring anxiously out of the window, when she stood have been watching out of the windshield as suddenly a car appeared out of nowhere exiting the freeway. She hit the brake as hard as she could, coming within an inch of hitting the car, but unfortunately the people behind her didn’t brake in time, and in the blink of an eye they had smashed into her car, and were pushing her off the road.
***
Are all of you Shaykhs this stubborn!?” Amir exclaimed shifting Kareem onto his other hip. Houssam put out his arms for his nephew, and the baby squealed in delight as his uncle blew on his cheek.
“What do you mean?” Houssam asked settling Kareem onto his lap.
“I mean,” Amir said with an impatient sigh, “this is just like when Yusra decided that she couldn’t be with me because she didn’t want me to have to deal with her illness! She didn’t even give me a chance to tell her that I was fine with it! Now you are saying automatically that Hana wouldn’t want to deal with the fame you have. Let her be the one to decide!”
“Part of me knows I am being unreasonable, but Kalthoum really got under my skin here! She got me all freaked out!”
Kalthoum? Seriously?” Amir scoffed. “You just rejected her for someone else. Of course she is going to say anything she can to make sure Hana doesn’t get to be with you!”
Houssam stared at the wall, trying to process what his brother had said. He was right of course. Hana hadn’t seemed too upset when they had written all those headlines about her. In fact she had been trying to reassure him. But that was just for a few days before it all blew over. This would be the rest of her life. Even if Houssam’s career were to end tomorrow, he still would be a celebrity figure.
“Moo Sam!”
“What?” Houssam asked turning to look at his nephew with a smile, and Kareem smiled widely before extending his toy truck for his Uncle to see.
“Look it!” he cried, and Houssam smiled.
“It’s very nice Kareem!” he exclaimed and the little boy shrieked before grabbing a fistful of Houssam’s hair and planting big wet slobbery kisses on his Uncle’s face. “I dunno man. I mean this would be a big step for both of us.” Houssam mumbled, prying Kareem’s little hands out of his hair.
“Don’t blow things Houssam just because you let Kalthoum get to you! Take it from me bro, you NEVER know what a woman is thinking.”
“I hope you aren’t saying that from experience.”
The two men looked up as Yusra came into the room, and Amir’s face lit up with a large smile.
“Hello love.” He bent to kiss his wife, and to the amusement of everyone in the room, Kareem covered his eyes.
“Ew!” he exclaimed and Yusra laughed loudly before scooping up her son and kissing his face.
“Ew? Mama and Baba are ew?!” she asked and Kareem nodded before letting out a screech and burying his face in her neck. She glanced up at her brother and husband and smiled.
“So what are we talking about?”
The room was silent as Amir looked at Houssam, gaging how much he should say, but when Houssam’s face took on a panicked expression he decided to let his brother handle it.
“You know. Just guy stuff.” Houssam mumbled, his ears turning red.
Yusra’s eyebrow raised slightly, but one glance at her husband let her know not to push the issue and she shifted the baby onto her other shoulder.
“Don’t forget we are going to Mama and Baba’s for breakfast tomorrow. Mama said we should be there at exactly nine so we have to leave no later than eight forty five.”
“Yes Ma’am!” Amir exclaimed mockingly, and she shot him a glare.
“Behave!” she exclaimed and he grinned before bending to kiss her again. This time Kareem shoved his father’s face away.
“No!” he exclaimed and Amir laughed.
“I can’t kiss Mama?” he asked, and the baby shook his head furiously.
“No no no!” he screeched and Yusra laughed.
“I think someone is just cranky. It’s way past his bedtime. Let me go put him down and then I will fix us some dessert since Houssam missed it!” She reached over to tousle her brother’s hair, and he gave her a sheepish smile. After he had left Kalthoum, he had wandered around the park, thinking over everything that had happened, and everything he had to do.
“I’m sorry Yusra.” He said apologetically, and she grinned.
“Hey, I get double desserts, I’m not complaining!” she exclaimed, before heading down the hall towards Kareem’s nursery. Once he had heard the door shut behind her, Amir turned towards his brother, arching an eyebrow questioningly.
“Since when do we keep secrets from Yusra?”
“We don’t,” Houssam said with a shrug, “I am just not even sure what will happen now, I wouldn’t want to get her hopes up.”
“For heaven’s sake Houssam, stop being so dense! You already know the poor girl likes you! You like her! Just go for it!”
“Houssam hesitated for half a second before nodding.
“Okay.”
Just then Yusra came into the room, her eyes wide and tears streaming down her face.
“Love? Yusra what’s wrong?” Amir asked in concern, and she leaned heavily against him.
“It’s Hana.”
Houssam slowly rose from his chair, his whole body trembling.
“What? What happened to Hana?”
“She was in an accident,” she paused to put a hand to her face, “she’s in the hospital.”