A/N:
This chappy is lovingly dedicated to @hijabiprincess for her enthusiasm, le regular reads, votes and comments!! Keep em coming Jan jazakallah so ever much *hug* <3<3 Enjoy!!!!!
Sarss
xoxo
xxx
Previously on 'He is the one for me'
We were guided into a land cruiser, I looked at the number plate. This is the vehicle that belonged to dad and has been left to me. I see they won't have me sitting in any of their cars, how childish. I don't have control over my things, but starting this year things will change. The lawyer informed me that they can no longer rule over my inheritance unless I am to provide a written permission, signed and stamped in the presence of three witnesses of my own choice.
Read On :D
I touched the leather seats of the darling land cruiser, I wept despite my promise to Arfa that I'd stay strong. I couldn't help it, too many memories flooded my already shaken mind. I rested my head against my usual seat and began to shed silent tears. Your father is your strength, his loss is indeed irreplaceable, I felt my pains that came with loosing him afresh.
I had always hoped that I'd have a husband who would give me the kind of protection my baba had given me, but my only dream is going to shatter soon. I have this heavy feeling or a kind of feeling that something bad is going to happen soon.
It feels as if some kind of danger is lurking close by, as if it is a ferocious beast that is lying in wait behind one of the many bushes we have passed, waiting patiently for the perfect moment to lunge onto me. I looked at the various bushes as we travelled, memories of various horror movies and the dimming daylight created the perfect horror movie setting and I felt extremely scared.
I almost jumped out of my own skin as I felt a hand on my shoulder, I looked ahead of me; too scared to look back.
"Hadii baji it's me, why are you so jumpy?"
"Oh my Allah! Jan you scared me girl."
"I'm sorry apa! You're sweating real bad."
Arfa handed me a tissue, I took it and began to wipe my forehead.
"Baji did you recite Ayat-al-kursi thrice when we started?"
"No Jan I totally forgot!"
I began to recite the exquisite 255th verse of the second Surah of the Noble Quran.
Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 255:
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ
Allah is He besides Whom there is no god, the Everliving, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist; slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep; whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His; who is he that can intercede with Him but by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot comprehend anything out of His knowledge except what He pleases, His knowledge extends over the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of them both tires Him not, and He is the Most High, the Great.
(English - Shakir)
via iQuran
I felt relief wash over me.
"Alhamdulillah!" I murmured.
~More than just a few hours of travelling later~
~Le third person perspective ~
She stepped onto the ground, taking in a deep breath she felt the pure village air flood her lungs. She breathed out through her mouth sending a trail of white fog out of it. Winter marked its presence through that trail of fog. Not that it had started exactly as they travelled, but it is now that the reader's attention shall be drawn to it.
A shawl was spread around her shaking form, just as she began to hug herself so as to ward off the cold.
"Jaz-zakallah!" She exclaimed through chattering teeth, displaying her pearly whites in a heart felt smile.
"Waiyakum baita(child)" Replied her helper, it was her aunt. Whom she, in her tired state and the dim light had been unable to recognise. Her voice however revealed who it was and the next second the dear lady felt her two darling nieces throw their arms around her.
"Take them in Fauzia." Hamid Aziz's voice boomed, making the two girls shake.
"No need to shout Hamid. I know what is to be done."
Fauzia glared at her younger brother, he must learn to control himself. He only helped scare the darlings, such an irrational man. She knew them since they were babies, in fact she was the one who taught them self-defense, her prized pupils. She guided them through the wide expanse of a garden, which seemed extremely superfluous to their tired feet. Only the next day would they be able to appreciate exactly how exquisite and necessary the garden was.
The tall doors of the mansion were pulled open by the two female gatekeepers standing behind them, the female gate keepers marked the Harem part of the house, the men had a separate entrance. They were guided to their room, they freshened up and made their way to the dining table. The ladies dined together, Hadiyah spotted Dilawar's mother. Having last seen her only four years ago, she had little difficulty in spotting her.
Having lived almost all her life in the city she hardly knew all her relatives. For her safety her father kept her away from them, Hadiyah smiled at the cruelty of the day, she stood in the house of the exact man her father had strived to keep her at a distance from.
Abida Bakhtawar headed the women self-defense centre of the village, at forty-four years of age she seemed to be thirty. Presently she sat beside Hadiyah's Daddi-ma(grandma). After greeting all the ladies the girls took their seats.
Abida shared her husband's dislike for the 'foreign contamination' (as she called it) in her family. She was eloquent about her dislike and had Hadiyah sit as far away from herself as the long-dining table allowed. Arfa had hastened to follow her cousin and pointedly sat beside her, feigning to be oblivious of what her aunt had in mind.
Abida gave Safia (Arfa's mom) an agitated look. Safia ignored her bhabbi (sister-in-law) and kept her attention fixed on her mother-in-law. The matter at hand was too vital, she longed to have her view on it and fast.
"Bakhtawar has related his so-called decision to me." Jahan-ara said.(GM or grandma's name is Jahan-ara) (A/N: a big jazakallah to my ummi for the name suggestions :D)
She paused and looked at Hadiyah in particular, causing her to look down.
"I will not support his decision unless Hadiyah says yes. I will arrange a proper sit down with Dilawar and-"
"Amma I will not have this girl refusing to MY son, who is she to-"
"Abida how dare you refer to my Omar's daughter like that, don't-" Jahan-ara stopped as she felt someone's arms around her.
"GM did you miss me?"
Fahad planted a kiss on her cheek and got his hair ruffled. The ruffling did little damage to the appearance of the already-messy brownish-blond hair.
"Do you ever comb this nest of yours? You naughty boy!!"
"GM common I'm not a boy anymore and this(he pointed to his hair) is the 'in' thing aajj kal(now a days)"
He spoke in Urdu ruining the perfect words with his dialect. Hadiyah laughed, remembering how he used to snap at her for pronouncing Arabic wrong.
"Hi this isn't Arabic lady so no need to make fun of me."
Hadiyah smiled, of course he remembers he was twelve years old at the time after all.
"Okay sorry!"
"Hi what's the joke people why do I feel lost?" Arfa said fake-glaring at her brother and Hadiyah.
"Tell you later." Hadiyah whispered as she saw her daddi-ma getting serious again.
"Fahad jazakallah for the call, not that I didn't know what Bakhtawar had in mind. All of you have travelled a lot, its time that you went to your rooms to rest. I will let no forceful marriage happen, I hope I have made myself clear." She looked at Abida pointedly.
She got up and left for her room, leaving the room eerily silent. Her personal maid was left with Hadiyah, a clear indication that no one was to mess around with her granddaughter.
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