The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: "Whoever sits in a place where he does not remember Allah, he will suffer loss and incur displeasure of Allah; and whoever lies down (to sleep) in a place where he does not remember Allah, he will suffer sorrow and incur displeasure of Allah."
Abu Dawud 4856
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It had been few days since she started working in S&M Agency of Elegance, and work had been a lot busy for her.
She thought when Khaleel said that he's going to give her ten times work of her first day he was joking, little did she know he's telling the truth. Though he didn't give her ten times of the work, but he still give her because throughout the next day she stayed in his office working.
He had given her loads of works to do, like looking for a file, replying emails and scheduling him a meeting, the silly work he had given her is making him coffee after every twenty minutes.
To cut the story short, working in the company had been busy for her and Khaleel was not making work easy for her.
Who give his wife hefty works to do if not for Khaleel? Instead of him to lessen her works, he's worsening them.
She thanks Aamna for always helping her and sticking to her. If not for her, she knew she would've messed up real bad.
***
Today being the weekend, she lazily reclined on the couch in her room pressing her phone.
Just then her phone ring making her to felt embarrassed because of the person calling her.
It was Manali, her neighbor. They've exchanged numbers since when she came to Fadimatuu's house.
"Assalamu alaikum" Fadimatuu sheepishly uttered when she received the call.
"Waalaikumussalam, how are you?" Manali enthusiastically replied.
"I'm fine and you?" Fadimatuu muttered.
"I'm fine too. I've been expecting your visit since forever." Manali complained.
"It's not like that, I've been wanting to visit you but I didn't get the time" Fadimatuu replied. She had completely forgot about promising to visit her soon.
"Okay I'll believe you if you visit me today" Manali said.
"No problem, I'll visit you in the evening" Fadimatuu agreed.
"See you soon" Manali chirpily said.
"Okay bye" Fadimatuu replied as she hung up the phone.
Fadimatuu scold herself for agreeing to visit Manali today, she don't know if Khaleel will let her visit her since he don't like Manali.
As she remembered what happened when Manali came, but she hoped he'll allow her.
Thinking of him, she didn't saw him since when they heard their breakfast at 9:00am and now it's already twelve noon.
"Let me go and prepare lunch for us" She mumbled leaving the couch.
***
They had their lunch at 2:00pm and now Fadimatuu entered the living room upstairs because Khaleel was sitting there watching football.
She want to tell him that she want to visit Manali today.
"Assalamu alaikum" She said entering the living room.
"Waalaikumussalam" He replied his attention on the television.
She find a seat and sit across from him. She stared at him, he was dressed in sweatpants with a polo shirt.
She cleared her throat so that she would gain his attention, he glanced towards her raising his eyebrow.
"Do you have anything to say to me?" He asked.
"Yes, I was thinking of visiting the neighbor's house in the evening please" She uttered unsured.
"Okay" He replied.
"Does that mean you agreed I should visit her?" She asked cheekily.
"Yes, do you expect me to not agreed?" He asked back.
"No, I know you'll let me visit her, thank you" She smiled standing up.
"But don't stay long" He warned.
"I won't" She replied leaving the living room because the thing that brought her there had been fulfilled.
She was happy that he had allowed her to visit Manali.
For some reason Khaleel felt happy when he saw the happiness in her eyes when he allowed her to go, and the smile she had flashed him.
***
It was after Asr prayer that she decided to go to Manali's house. She got dressed on a fitted Ankara gown, she tied her head tie and wrapped a veil.
She carried her purse and went out of her room.
When she walked out of the front door, she saw Khaleel who is about to enter.
"Where are you going?" He asked her.
"I told you I'm going to my neighbor's house" She answered.
"You're not going anyway" He spoked.
"But you've already agreed" She said unbelievably.
"Now I have disagreed" He said trying to keep a straight face, he was just teasing her. He's going to let her go, he's not that cruel.
"Please let me go" She begged like she would cry, she don't want to break the promise she made to Manali about coming to her house today.
"Fine, but I gave you thirty minutes to come back" He told her.
"Okay thanks" She said as she quickly left where he's standing so that he won't change his mind.
He shake his head as he entered the house.
***
She walked for a few minutes to Manali's house since her house is beside hers.
She gently knocked on the gate, the gate man opened the door for her.
"Good evening" The gate man greeted her.
"Good evening" Fadimatuu greeted back.
"Are you here to see the Madam?" He asked her and she nod. The gate man ushered her in to the house.
She walked inside the house and stopped at the front door, she gently knocked on the door.
A maid opened the door for her greeting her. "Good evening"
"Evening" Fadimatuu smiled walking inside.
The maid ushered her to the living room and when Fadimatuu sat down, she went to call Manali for her.
Manali's house is beautiful. Fadimatuu thoughts.
"Assalamualaikum" Manali walked inside the living room smiling widely at Fadimatuu.
"Waalaikumussalam" Fadimatuu answered smiling back.
Manali went and engulfed Fadimatuu in a hug. "I'm so happy that you came."
Fadimatuu smiled at her.
They broke out of the hug. "How have you being?" Manali asked her sitting beside Fadimatuu.
"I'm fine Alhamdulillah" Fadimatuu replied.
"Where is your handsome husband?" Manali uttered jokingly making Fadimatuu to blushed.
"He's at home" Fadimatuu smiled.
"You know he's really handsome, even though I'm married, I can't help but gushed at him" Manali said dreamingly.
"You're very funny" Fadimatuu chuckled.
"I'm serious, if he's my husband I think I'll just be staring at him all day without getting tired" Manali said again.
"You're not serious" Fadimatuu said shaking her head.
"I think that's what you've been doing too, that's the reason you didn't get the time to visit me" Manali winked at her making Fadimatuu's eyes wide.
"No" Fadimatuu quickly shook her head.
"Haha, let me go and bring refreshments for you" Manali told her standing up.
She come back after some minutes with a maid bringing the refreshments.
"Please eat" Manali smiled sitting down.
"Okay thanks" Fadimatuu replied.
"I've been wanting to ask you something?" Manali uttered.
"What's that?" Fadimatuu answered.
"Are you really from Nigeria, I meant you don't look like one" Manali said making Fadimatuu to start laughing.
"I'm from Nigeria, both my parents are from Nigeria" Fadimatuu told her in between laughs.
"Oh, Masha Allah you are really beautiful" Manali said.
"Thank you, you are beautiful too" Fadimatuu muttered, Manali is also a beautiful girl, she's not fair and she's not dark, she's in between and Manali is taller than her.
"Thanks but not as you, look at you, you've a great body and you always looked gorgeous, you're definition of perfect" Manali praised Fadimatuu.
What Manali said is true of Fadimatuu having a great body, Fadimatuu is slim in figure but not that slim, she's not that tall also.
"Thank you but I'm not perfect" Fadimatuu smiled.
They continued chatting happily with each other that Fadimatuu didn't realized that time has gone.
***
"I think I'm going now since it's already Maghrib" Fadimatuu informed standing up, she can't believe that she didn't realize that time has gone while they were chatting.
And when she remembered what Khaleel told her about coming back in thirty minutes make her stomach lunched.
She's so foolish that she didn't realize time has gone, she hopes he won't create a scene.
"So soon" Manali said standing up too.
"Yes" Fadimatuu nod.
"Let me walk you to the gate" Manali said as she carried her veil to escort Fadimatuu out.
"Thank you for today" Manali thanked her when they reached the gate.
"My pleasure" Fadimatuu smiled walking out of the house.
"Bye" Manali waved at her and she waved back.
Fadimatuu walked fastly to her house because it's already dark and she's really scared.
She scolds herself for coming back late.
When she reach her house, she sighed in relief, the security men greeted her when she walk in, she nods at them as she quickly went inside the house.
She was about to knock on the front door when the door opened and who she saw made her shocked.
She thought he's at the mosque but luck was not on her side today.
"Why are you just coming back now" He asked looking at her, he has been expecting her to come back since.
"I'm sorry, we were gisting and I didn't realized it's already late" She answered him feeling scared.
He saw her behaving scared.
Is she scared of me? He asked himself.
Ofcourse. His subconscious replied.
He don't want her to be scared of him.
"Okay" He replied leaving for the mosque as he was just going when he saw her.
She was surprised that he didn't even yelled at her or scold her for coming back late.
She erased the words she said before that luck was not on her side, because luck was definitely on her side today, as he left her visit Manali and when she come back late he didn't even yelled at her.
She went inside the house to her room, to perform ablution and prayed Maghrib Prayer.
***
It was after Ishaa Prayer that she received a call that she hoped she didn't answer it.
"Assalamu alaikum Ammi" Fadimatuu said when she answered the call.
"Waalaikumussalam. Since you got married you've completely forget about me, like I'm piece of trash that you finished using and dumped right?" Ammi bellowed on the other end of the call.
"Ammi I called you many times and you didn't receive my call" Fadimatuu depended herself. It's true she had called Ammi many times but she isn't receiving her call. She even called her yesterday but she didn't answered the call.
"So you mean I'm lying?" Ammi asked angrily.
"No, I'm sorry Ammi" Fadimatuu apologized even though she's not in the wrong.
"Hold your sorry to yourself, I don't need it" Ammi shouts.
"Ammi please why are you behaving this way?" Fadimatuu asked tears already rolling down her face.
"You're even asking me why I'm behaving like this? You girl got no shame, you don't respect me at all. I think it's my fault for going easy on you but not anymore" Ammi venomously said.
"I'm sorry Ammi I didn't mean to disrespect you" Fadimatuu muttered.
"What do meant to do?" Ammi asked and Fadimatuu kept silent.
"Am I that useless to you that I asked you a question and you refused to answer?" Ammi yelled through the phone.
"No Ammi" Fadimatuu said in between tears, Ammi's words always pierced through her heart. In these weeks that passed that she didn't communicate with Ammi she's really happy because her mood is not ruined.
"You ungrateful child, if it's your own mother I know you wouldn't have behaved that way with her" Ammi uttered angrily.
"And if it's my own mother, she would've never said these hurtful words to me" Fadimatuu retorted back as she didn't wait for Ammi's reply and hung up the phone.
Ammi called her again but she didn't picked the call for her mental health because Ammi is really affecting it.
Since when she was a child Ammi had always treated her badly, saying hurtful words to her and even hitting her.
But she always tolerate her and repaired her with kindness.
What does she done wrong in life? Is it because she grew up without a mother?
She wished her mother was here with her, because if she's here she would have never experienced this, talkless of allowing her to shed a tear. No one would've ever get the right to treat her badly like how Ammi was treating her now.
She knew her mother would've loved and cared for her. She would've been her best friend and she would always shared her worries with her.
She prayed for her mother every day, May Allah forgive her, have mercy on her and make Jannatul Firdaus her final abode.
She's crying when she felt a hand on her shoulder, she quickly look up and her eyes met with Khaleel's worried ones.
He sat down beside her on the bed, he was going to his room when he had sniffling coming from her room, as she left the door of her room open. So he walked in and found her crying.
"Why are you crying?" He asked her worriedly.
She didn't replied him as she hugged him crying profusely on his arms.
Khaleel hugged her back patting her back slightly, he don't know why but he don't like her shedding tears.
She cried for what seems like forever before she realized that she just hugged Khaleel.
"I'm sorry" She said as she left his arms making him felt empty.
"No problem, tell me what made you cry?" He asked her.
"I just remembered my mother" She half tell him the truth. She just can't tell him what her step mother was doing to her.
She would tell him but not now as they're not that closed.
"I'm sorry, keep praying for her, in Sha Allah she's in a better place" Khaleel muttered because he can remember her mother even though he was a child then, but he still remember her as a good woman unlike his own mother.
Remembering his own mother made his heart clenched in pain.
"Ameen thank you" Fadimatuu mumbled and Khaleel slightly smiled at her.
When she's okay Khaleel left her room, leaving for his room.
She was really happy that Khaleel was there for her when she needed a hug and someone to comfort her.
Though he didn't said much to her but she's still grateful to him. She had noticed that these days Khaleel had become more soft towards her which she is happy about.
She hoped this is the beginning of their relationship, because she don't like them always fighting and arguing.
She would try and control herself even if he had started a fight, and not argue with him instead.
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Hello guys, how are you? I hope all of you are in good health.
So how was the chapter?
I hate Ammi for making Fadimatuu cry😔
I don't know Fadimatuu's pain but I know growing up without a mother is painful.
I'm happy that Khaleel was there for her😁
Don't forget to vote, comment, share and follow.
Till later.
Love Zahra😍