After a nice refreshing afternoon nap, Fatima walks to her bathroom and performs ablution as it's almost time for Asr prayer. She spreads the prayer mat and picks out a grape floor length hijab and wears. She prays a voluntary two raka'at prayer as istikhara. She asks for Allah's guidance on the new rehabilitation center she's planning on going to.

She checks her phone and sees numerous chats from whatsapp, Instagram and Snapchat from various people and groups. She searches for Sheikh Akhmad's message and finds it.

Location: Dubai Healthcare center
Phone number: +2349056741234 {Nigeria} and +9714536178 {UAE}
Name: Aqsam Muhammad
Business name: Ibn Muhammad rehabilitation Madrasah.

After saving the numbers she hears the Adhaan for Asr being called. She drops the phone on the bed and prays her Asr then walks downstairs to the kitchen after saying her evening Adhkaar.

"Assalamu Alaikum." She says to her mother as she enters the kitchen.

"Wa alaikis salam. Fatima you're already awake?" Innayo replies chopping some carrots and green beans.

"Eeh Ammi I'm awake. Let me help you with that." Fatima collects the knife and chopping board from Innayo.

"Ammi?" Fatima calls out to Innayo and the latter hums in response as she flips the pancake and stirs the fillings in two different pots.

"I want to go back to Dubai." Innayo stops stirring the fillings and looks at Fatima.

"What happened? Is the business failing ne or what?" She asks, perplexed.

"No, Ammi. It has nothing to do with the business. It's about this problem. Sheikh Akhmad provided me with another rehabilitation center and I have a good feeling about it." Fatima replies pouring the now chopped carrots and green beans into the fillings Innayo was stirring.

"Fatima why are you behaving like this? Sai kace bah musulma bah? Don't you believe in Qadr? Have you forgotten the ayaah in the Quran that says inna ma'al usri yusra? Amma... Talk to your father about it. Allah ya zaba mana mafi alkhairi." Innayo goes back to stirring the fillings, a thousand and one thoughts going through her mind.

Fatima nods and mutters an Ameen before pouring another cup of the pancake mixture into the frying pan and covering it. They finish the iftar for Abba as he's fasting the sunnah Monday and Thursday fast. The iftar was prepared in comfortable silence with the two identical women in their own thoughts.

Fatima sets the dining table as the Adhaan for Maghrib prayer is being called. She rushes over to her bathroom and performs ablution for Maghrib prayer. After praying she performs another Istikhara, elongating her Sujood to ask for Allah's guidance on the new rehabilitation center she's planning on going to.

She folds the green prayer mat and tangerine ankle length hijab and ambles down stairs to find her mother and father cuddled up on the coffee colored three-seater in the parlor. She chuckles lightly and clears her throat. They turn to her direction, startled and akwardly move away from each other. She chuckles again, shaking her head lightly and sits on the cream colored pompom carpet.

"Abba when did you come back? I didn't hear the time your car parked." Fatima says thinking of how she'd approach the rehab matter without making her father feel bad.

"Nana!" Abba says loudly jerking Fatima out of her mini trance.

"yadai?" Abba looks worriedly at his favorite daughter.

"Uhm... Dama.... I.... I... Want... I wanted to.... Ask you... Uhm..." Fatima stutters fidgeting with her fingers and looking at the one wool that appears to be longer than the others on the rug as if it's the most interesting thing ever.

"Nana just talk, I'm your father. You can tell me anything." Fatima inhales deeply.

"Actually, I've found a new rehabilitation center and Alhamdulillah I've performed Istikhara and I'm having a good feeling about it." Fatima looks at her father in the eye. He sighs. He has talked with wife about it and he is going to let her go on a condition.

"Nana, your Ammi has told me about it and I've decided to let you go on one condition." Abba says intertwining his fingers and scooting closer to Fatima.

"I pray I'll be able to meet your condition." Fatima mumbles but both her parents hear her.

"The condition is that once you are back, whether cured or not, you have to bring a suitor within three moths or I get you married to whomever I please." Abba's statement makes Fatima snap her head up to look at him, hurting her already pained neck in the process but that is the least of her problems right now.

Marriage?!

"Haba Abba. You know more than anyone that marriage is not in my schedule, has never been and will never be. Then why?" She is flabbergasted to say the least. Abba promised to let her marry when she's ready. She's just twenty four years old for crying out loud! She hasn't achieved anything yet in her opinion despite having opened her own business in the UAE. She just wants to stand firm on her own before talking about marriage.

Men are unpredictable beings so she doesn't want to be one of those wives have to ask their husbands for the littlest of things that they can easily provide for themselves. She looks at her father with glassy eyes and gulps. She looks at her mother and she shrugs signaling that she has no say in it.

"But Abba you promised to let me get married only when I am ready. You said that you'd let the issue drop." Abba looks unfazed and not bothered at all by his daughter's disturbing demeanor.

"Fatima marriage is the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad Sallalahu Alaihi Wa Sallam. You're not getting any younger and no one knows when you'll die. Marriage completes half of your Deen. Do you want to die without completing your Deen?".

"But Abba..."

"Nana Fatima Abba Sulayman enough!" He thunders making both mother and daughter flinch. He angrily stands up and leaves the parlor. Not only the parlor, the entire house. 

Innayo looks at Fatima and motions for her to sit on the plush sofa beside her. Fatima does just that and her mother drags her to her bossom and Fatima lets all the tears out. The anguish, pain and anger towards Amir. Yes, she still loves Amir but he is the reason for her present predicament. If only he didn't ask her to wear that gown.

But, it's her fault. Yes, it's all her fault. If she had told him no from the start everything would've turned out differently. But, she plans Allah plans. It has been destined for a Jinn to be a part of her life and she shouldn't question it but she needs to blame someone for her predicament to keep herself sane.

Innayo raises Fatima's head and cups her cheek.

"Nana, your father wants the best for you. Yes, I know marriage is not in your life schedule right now but deep down you know he's right." Innayo is right. Abba said nothing but the truth and he only wants what's best for his daughter.

"If you know the type of tantrums i threw I was asked to marry your father. I only met him once in a wedding and he was rude because he thought I was a theif. He saw me collect a huge nylon filled with meat and hide it somewhere so he thought I was a theif." Fatima adjusts her sitting position such that she's looking at her mother. She has never heard her parents' love story. Innayo chuckles and continues her story.

"The meat was actually meant for the bride's sisters but he misunderstood me. We bumped into each other outside the bride's house and he started raining insults on me. Three months later, my mother died and her will said she wanted me to marry your father but no one ever told me. All hell broke loose when i came back from Islamiyya to hear that my lefe had been brought.

"I refused to eat for seven days straight. I was angry that my father had even accepted my marriage without letting me know. It became worse when I found out it was him. I refused to get married to him and that was when Baba showed me the will. I cried myself to sleep that day. The next day I agreed to the wedding in obedience to my parents and not because I loved him.

"But now when I look back I sit down and think, what if Baba had not gotten me married to your father? That means I wouldn't have had my beautiful heartthrobs, my babies. So please, obey your father. You don't know if that is the best for you. Your father loves you and would never hurt you. Please, obey him." Fatima nods.

It's going to be hard but for him she'll do it.