Chapter Twenty-One
I was a little too shocked to react and allowed Eijaz to drag me out of the café and through the park, passing his car along the way. His own emotions prevented him from checking if I could keep up as I stumbled and tripped behind him, his hand on my wrist being the only thing keeping me upright.
"Eijaz, stop, you're hurting me!" I eventually mentioned.
He loosened his grip but wouldn't let go nor did he slow down.
"I'm not going to stop until we confront her. I'm not leaving any chance of you running away. You want Mum to admit what she's done, I'll get her to admit it." He replied without looking back at me.
"You sound angry, please stop. You can do this later in a calm manner when you've had time to think," I reasoned. Surely he won't speak to his mother in this state?
"Hafeezah, I am angry. She should have thought about it before doing any of this if she isn't willing to face me like this."
The rest of the journey, which wasn't long anyway, was in silence as I was trying to think of something else to deter him from this confrontation. When I told him I would only go home when he got Mum to admit everything, in every scenario I had imagined, I was not in any of them. I was not expecting to be present when he confronted her about her behaviour. Before I could think of anything to say, he stopped and as I was deep in thought, bumped into his back. He didn't even flinch as he took out his keys and unlocked the front door with one hand, all the while still grabbing my wrist. He pulled me in and closed the door behind me and only then did he let me go just so he could take off his shoes. I stood stiff by the door, making no movement so Eijaz nodded towards my shoes, signalling to take them off.
My heart was beating heavily in my chest, scared and anxious about the scene that was about to unfold. Obediently, I took my shoes off as quietly as possible.
"Eijaz, Beta, is that you?" Mum called from the living room.
"Assalamu alaikum, yes, Mum," he replied, surprisingly calm.
"I'm in the living room," she called out.
We both already knew that from the sound of the TV coming from the living room.
Once I stood up again after taking my shoes off, he held my wrist again. He nodded at me, signalling that it was time. I shook my head and tried to pull my arm away but his grip was too strong for me. Before I knew it, we were in the living room and Mum turned around hearing my footsteps. Her face dropped as soon as she saw me but just for a split second before she composed herself.
She got up from her seat and approached us, about to pull me into a hug, "I'm so glad you're okay. I cried to Allah day and night, I was so worried. Alhamdulillah."
So the drama begins...
Before she could embrace me though, Eijaz pulled me away, slightly behind him.
Mum looked at Eijaz incredulously, questioning his actions.
"You have some explaining to do," Eijaz demanded, not even offering for everyone to sit down first.
"What are you talking about?" He had never spoken to his mother like that before so she was taken aback.
"Why are you trying to get me remarried?"
"What lies has she been telling you?" Mum sneered at me, her tone changing in an instant to disgust.
"Mum, stop this! I know what you've been doing, just admit it," Eijaz commanded.
"Nonsense, I haven't done anything. Don't let this one brainwash you! I am your mother, I carried you in my stomach. How can you listen to someone you've known for a minute over me?" She snapped, her voice ending with a screech.
"Sit down and watch this, then." He handed his phone once he pulled up the video Khadra sent him and she played it without sitting down.
I watched closely as her face changed from annoyance to surprise to anger.
"What is this?" she insisted, throwing the phone back at Eijaz.
"Wow, Mum, you really aren't going to admit it even though you've been caught red-handed?" I could tell Eijaz was beginning to lose his patience although he was trying his hardest not to.
"No, Eijaz, please listen to me, Beta." She grabbed his hand in both of hers, changing up her tactic and softening her voice.
Eijaz snatched his hand away. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he attempted to calm himself down. He did this two more times before opening his eyes again.
"Look Mum, I've seen everything. Everything for myself. I don't want to argue. Just admit it and tell me why you're doing all this?" His voice was softer this time.
"Have you not seen the way she treats me? Like I'm some sort of servant in my own son's house." She continued with her lies.
She feigned exhaustion, placing a hand on her forehead and going over to the sofa to sit down.
"Mum, I've been watching you while Hafeezah hasn't been here, you haven't really done much, which I honestly don't mind but you've spent so much time complaining about her and causing her distress. If you don't want to clean and cook, that's fine, I would have just hired a maid but I thought she was going out of her way to cause trouble for you. That isn't true, is it?" He, too, settled on the sofa next to him.
I was still frozen on the spot he had left me. I didn't want to be there, anywhere but there was good with me. I never wanted to cause any problems with him and his mother.
"I've been unwell," she defended herself.
"What about the days you claimed to be completely fine?"
"How have I been causing trouble for her?" she then turned to me and sneered, "see what you have done? Turned my own son against me!"
I was taken aback, unsure of how I had managed that. "I...uh ––"
"Mum, she hasn't done anything. What were you trying to do?"
She sighed, "You aren't going to let this go, are you?
"Not until you tell me the truth."
"Fine."
My head was going from left to right and back again, following the voices as each of them spoke.
"Go on then..." He prompted.
"Fine, I'll tell you! She's not good enough for you, that's why I was setting you up with Taaibah," Mum confessed.
"I'm aware of this part but why? Why is Hafeezah not good enough for me?" He questioned.
"I had a perfectly nice girl picked out for you that the whole family will like. She is from a respectable family who has always been very respectful towards me and does as I tell her to. You undermined my decision by getting married to someone else. And what do I get by allowing you to marry her? She convinced you to move away from me!" Her tone of voice held so much anger.
"Hafeezah was happy to live with you. It was my decision to move out, Mum. I thought it would be better for everyone," he explained.
"Even so! Just because you married her, you moved out. You wouldn't have otherwise. She took you away from me. And when I came to stay here, I saw how bad it was! She should be taking care of you and doing everything you need. Instead, I ask her how you're treating her and she told me you help cook and clean and all that rubbish. That is not your job. As your mother, I wanted to save you. You see, this was all with good intentions," she elaborated.
Eijaz turned to me. "Hafeezah, come here," he demanded.
I wasn't sure what to do. I looked from him to Mum. His hand was stretched towards me and her face glared at me.
"Come, please," he prompted.
Hesitantly, I made my way towards them and he took a hold of my hand and sat me down next to him.
"Look Mum, none of this is Hafeezah's fault! She didn't make me move out, she didn't make me clean or cook. I've watched you my entire life and saw how everything was draining. I saw how it affected you, having little help with the household chores. Every time I tried to help, you'd usher me away, saying it's a girls' job but I didn't want that for my wife. No matter who my wife was going to be, I promised myself that I would help around the house. But even then, knowing how you were, I asked Hafeezah to do all that stuff while you were here to avoid causing any problems and she did it for you and me without a fuss. I shouldn't have asked that of her because problems were caused whether she listened to us or not."
He rubbed his thumb over the palm of my hand he was holding as he spoke to Mum.
"These days' girls are something else! I had to do all this while raising three children while your father was always going abroad sorting something out and she can't even take care of one person? If I could do all that for years, why can't she?" Mum retorted back.
"Mum, you suffered but it doesn't mean everyone should."
"And why not?" She snorted.
"Can't we just start afresh, please? Hafeezah has done nothing wrong. Can't we all just get along? She's done everything she possibly could for you, even quit her job. Can't you just do one thing and let her be? Hafeezah isn't going anywhere but I want you around too," He begged.
"No, I don't like her and never will even if she chopped off her hands for me. She shouldn't have had a job anyway." This time she looked directly at me as she uttered those words.
My insides shook so much so that a tear rolled down my cheeks but no one could see it as my face was still covered with my niqab. With all the hassle going on, I forgot to take it off.
"Hafeezah," Eijaz turned to me. "She's my mother, can you, at least, forgive her and let this go? Mum is set in her ways but I did what you said. Can you come back now? She's admitted everything."
I snatched my hand away. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay here while she's here. How can you even dare ask me that when you know things will only get worse if she stays?"
I got up and left the room, sliding my feet into my shoes without putting them on properly and ran out of the house but not before I heard what Eijaz said to Mum.
"I'm sorry, Mum, but you have to go home. I'm going to call dad and tell him it's an emergency and he has to come back immediately. When he gets back, he can come and take you home."
"I will never forgive her for this!" I heard as I shut the door behind me.