TEN

October 1998

The early morning was almost numbingly chilly. Hâroon’s hands weren’t as nearly cold and numb as his heart while he watched the movers load the furniture he’d painstakingly chosen before his and Lila’s nikkâh into the truck. The day of the move had arrived, and he still didn’t feel ready for it.

But ready or not, the day of his departure from his childhood home had arrived and there was nothing he could do about it except accept the inevitable and try to be content with the uncertain future that now stretched before him. He brought up Lila’s sparkling eyes and dazzling smile to encourage him. She was happy, so he could be happy.

It’s just a place, he tried to convince himself. Places don’t matter. But even in his mind, the argument was weak. Elm Creek wasn’t just a place; it represented years of history, the legacy of his great grandfather who had founded the Muslim community around them. He was unlikely to find anything close to it anywhere else.

But it was too late to change his mind, to take back the choices he’d made. He’d signed a contract for a new job, signed a rental agreement for a house, and made all the arrangements. He could only hope he wouldn’t be as miserable as he felt in this moment.

Surrounding him and observing as the furniture was loaded into the truck were his father, brother, uncles, and male cousins, all present to say their final goodbyes. Most everyone wore polite smiles to hide their reservations about the choice Hâroon had made—everyone except Ya’qoob and Arqam, his mother’s eldest brother. While Ya’qoob looked as if he would gladly strangle Hâroon, which was very uncharacteristic of his playful younger brother, Arqam stared at him with penetrating eyes that made him feel as he could see right through Hâroon’s feigned smile to his misery.

“I always thought you were a smart kid,” Arqam rumbled in his deep, gravelly voice, which suited his broad, muscular physique.

That was not a compliment, Hâroon knew. The rest of what Arqam wanted to say remained unspoken but understood. But I was wrong.

Hâroon tried not to wince. Next to his parents, Arqam was the one whose good opinion mattered most to him. He’d been an irreplaceable figure of Hâroon’s upbringing. He’d helped Yahyâ and ’Alîyâ, who had both been rather young when he was born, raise him, he’d taught Hâroon the true meaning of strength and what it was to be a man, he had disciplined him, and he’d trained him. He was practically a second father to him and it hurt Arqam was disappointed in him.

“A woman who needs her man to change his very nature will never be satisfied,” Arqam said quietly. “You will regret this, boy. Count on it.”

Hâroon set his shoulders and forced a smile. “It’s not like that. You don’t know her, Uncle Arqam.”

“Don’t need to know her to recognize the type,” Arqam grumbled.

“That’s what I kept telling him,” Ya’qoob jumped in. “He wouldn’t listen.”

Hâroon tamped down the burst of temper he suddenly felt. He couldn’t fight with his brother in front of the whole family, especially when he was leaving. Both his uncle and brother cared about him, he knew, so he had to be understanding. They were wrong, but they were only expressing their concern out of love for him.

“You’re wrong,” he managed to say in an even tone. “I know what I’m doing. Stop worrying about me. It’s my job to make my wife happy and this is my decision.”

Before either of the two could say a word more, the movers closed up the truck, signifying it was time to be on the way. “It’s time to go,” he said.

For the next few minutes, Hâroon exchanged his goodbyes with his uncles and cousins with hugs and salâm.

“You’ll see what I mean,” Arqam said in a low voice. “Come back soon.”

Hâroon’s throat tightened with emotion. He didn’t think he could, but he accepted the words with a jerky nod.

After an emotional farewell with both his father and brother, he entered his mother’s house where Lila waited with the children. He found her, ’Alîyâ, and the twins in the den.

“It’s time to go,” he said as he stood at the entryway of the room.

Pain and resignation flickered in his mother’s eyes as she stood up. His heart twisted with guilt for being the cause of it, but he was sure he’d made the right choice.

She enveloped him in a warm hug and he squeezed her lightly in response. “Are you sure about this?” she asked quietly.

“Yes,” he said firmly.

She smiled sadly and nodded. “Then I won’t try to change your mind. Come back and visit.”

“Of course,” he replied.

“And don’t forget to keep in touch,” she continued.

He smiled. “I will.”

As he stepped back, Lila came up to him leading each child by a hand. She said her goodbyes, and ’Alîyâ hugged and kissed both Ibrâhîm and Yusrâ. Then ’Alîyâ walked them to the door and they stepped outside where the movers and the rest of the family still stood around waiting.

With a few last words to everyone, Hâroon escorted his wife and children to the car. As he buckled Ibrâhîm in one of the car seats, Lila got Yusrâ into the other. Then she got into the front of the car.

Hâroon turned to face his family one last time. He looked from his father’s supportive smile to his uncle’s disapproving frown and his brother’s resentful glare. “I’ll be in touch,” he finally said.

“Allâh be with you,” his father said simply, gripping his hand in a firm handshake before pulling him in for a hard hug. “You’ll be missed.”

“I’ll miss you, too.”

“Sometimes you’re stupidly stubborn,” Ya’qoob said bluntly. “But I’ll still miss you.”

Hâroon smiled. Ya’qoob was undoubtedly still angry with him, but one day he would understand.

“I’ll be expecting to hear from you,” Arqam stated. “Don’t forget you have family here just because you’re running off to the city.” The last word came out sounding almost like an insult, his disgust obvious.

Hâroon held back his amusement. If not for his wife, he would have shared Arqam’s opinion about the city, but this sacrifice was necessary. “I won’t forget,” he said simply.

With nothing left to say, he gave a final nod and then got into the car with his wife. His sparkling eyes and bright smile wiped away his melancholy and reminded him why he was leaving.

This is the right decision, he consoled himself as he started to drive away, the moving truck following. It will be worth it if it makes Lila happy.

🌾

The long drive from Pear Orchards to their new home in Oak Village, was a ten-hour drive. Except for stops for bathroom and prayer breaks and to eat, they kept going. The drive was hard and miserable with Ibrâhîm’s constant screeching and screaming, which instigated Yusrâ’s crying. It was past six when Hâroon finally pulled up in front of the house with relief and parked.

Moments later, the moving truck pulled up beside him. As the movers got down and started opening up the truck, Hâroon retrieved the house keys from the glove compartment and emerged from his car.

“Get the kids out,” he advised Lila over Ibrâhîm’s screaming. “I think they’ll settle down once they can move around.”

Without waiting for a reply, he closed the door and then hurried up the steps to the front door to open up the house for the movers. As they started carrying boxes and pieces of furniture inside, he followed to direct them.

When he stepped back outside several minutes later, Lila had exited the car, but to his dismay, both children were still buckled in their car seats, Ibrâhîm screaming his protests loudly. Yusrâ had her hands clapped over her ears and looked miserable.

“Why haven’t you taken them out?” Hâroon asked, trying not to feel irritated. “They’ve been cooped up for hours.”

“I don’t have the energy to watch them or keep Ibrâhîm from running off,” his wife replied. “We both know he will.”

Before Hâroon could reply, they were interrupted by the approach of a friendly-looking couple. They both wore welcoming smiles as they reached Hâroon’s property. They were younger than his own parents but at least two decades older than he and his wife.

“Welcome to the neighborhood,” the man said, holding out a hand. “I’m Moses Williams.”

Hâroon could see the signs that this was a man who had worked hard most of his life. He was tall and muscularly built, reminding him of his maternal uncles. When he shook his hand, the older man’s grip was strong and firm, his hands callused from years of hard work. Without yet knowing him well, Hâroon felt certain this man was like Arqam.

“Hâroon Scott,” he introduced himself. He momentarily turned away to get the children out of the car. He set Yusrâ on her feet while he settled Ibrâhîm on his hip to keep him from dashing off into danger. Thankfully, once both were out of the car, they seemed to settle. Yusrâ shyly hid herself behind his thawb, while Ibrâhîm lay his head on his shoulder, humming to himself.

Moses smiled as he looked between the children. “Twins?”

Hâroon nodded.

“That must be a handful,” he said with a laugh.

“It can be,” Hâroon acknowledged. Especially lately.

“They remind me of a little scamp I used to teach baseball to,” Moses said with a fond, reminiscent smile. “They look rather like he did when he was young, too, especially your boy.” He glanced over at Hâroon. “So do you as a matter of fact.”

Uncertain of what to reply to that, Hâroon smiled.

“They’re adorable,” the woman said.

“Thank you.”

Moses gestured to his companion. “Oh, yes, my wife, Serenity.” Moses gestured to his companion.

Hâroon hoped holding Ibrâhîm would discourage the woman from offering a handshake. Unfortunately, it didn’t. The woman still held out her hand, a friendly smile on her face that made it difficult to pretend he hadn’t seen or brush her off.

Hâroon looked to Lila for rescue. In these situations, his mother or sister had always stepped forward to distract the female and then walked her off to explain gently why their menfolk didn’t shake hands with women. It soon became clear he couldn’t expect the same from Lila. She was too busy eying the couple with an expression of what he could best describe as disgust, though he couldn’t understand why, to notice his need for assistance.

When he finally caught her eye with a discreet cough, she stared back at him uncomprehendingly. Finally acknowledging he was on his own, he turned back to the couple. Keeping a friendly smile on his face, he faced Serenity. “I’m sorry,” he said in the most polite tone he could muster, hoping he didn’t permanently offend his new neighbors. “In my religion, men don’t shake hands with women unrelated to them.”

To his relief, neither looked upset. Serenity looked surprised, while Moses appeared intrigued.

Serenity pulled her hand back with an awkward smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.”

“You’re Muslim, right?” Moses asked.

Hâroon felt suddenly uneasy. Outside of the small Muslim community he’d grown up in, he didn’t feel as safe and the fact that he was responsible for his wife’s and children’s safety as well made him uncomfortable. Despite his reservations, he nodded. He couldn’t lie and his dress code certainly gave it away.

The man smiled. “Good. I have questions about Islâm and there isn’t anyone I know to ask. I think it’s a twist of fate that you happened to move in. You wouldn’t mind answering questions about your religion, would you?”

“Within my ability,” Hâroon said honestly. “I’m no scholar so I probably can’t answer everything.”

Moses shrugged. “Good enough for me.”

“Better watch out for that one,” his wife joined in. “He likes to argue and debate. He and the pastor are on bad terms because he never stops arguing.”

“I don’t have the skill or knowledge to debate with you,” Hâroon said apologetically. “I can only tell you what we believe.”

“I’m not looking for a debate partner,” Moses assured him. “I just want information.”

“That I can give you,” Hâroon said. “I have books I can loan you, too, after I’ve unpacked.”

“Wonderful.”

Lila had already lost interest in their neighbors and walked away. He was left with the neighbors and the two children. He held back a sigh of frustration. She could have at least taken Yusrâ with her.

“How old are they?” Serenity asked, aquamarine-blue eyes fixed on Yusrâ, whose eyes peeked out at the couple from behind him.

“I’m two!” Yusrâ burst out before he could reply, holding out two fingers proudly. She added, “Ibby’s two, too.”

“What a big girl you are already,” Serenity complimented.

Yusrâ beamed.

“And what’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Yusrâ.” She pointed to her brother. “That’s Ibrâhîm. I call him Ibby. I have to tell you for him ’cause he can’t talk.”

Curiosity crossed both of their faces, but Serenity and Moses didn’t voice any questions.

“I’m sure he’ll learn how eventually,” Serenity said.

Yusrâ nodded. “I’m teaching him.”

“I’m sure you’re doing a great job.”

Yusrâ smiled.

“If you’d like, I could watch your kids for you while you finish up with your move,” Serenity said, turning her attention back to Hâroon.

He hesitated. Though tempted by the offer, the kind woman had no idea what she was signing up for with Ibrâhîm. But if he had someone to watch Yusrâ for a while, it would be helpful. “It’s better if I don’t send my son. He’s unpredictable, but I’d appreciate if you could keep an eye on my daughter for a little while.”

“It’s settled then,” Serenity said. She turned her attention back on Yusrâ. “Would you like to play at the park, sweetheart?”

Yusrâ lit up. “Yes!” She latched onto the woman’s hand. “Let’s go!”

“What do you say, Yusrâ?” Hâroon reminded her.

She looked at him with wide, begging eyes. “Please?”

He smiled. “You can go.”

“Yay!”

“The park is nearby,” Serenity told him. “I used to take my daughter when she was young. My husband will show you the way when you’re done if we’re not back by then.”

Hâroon nodded and watched Serenity and Yusrâ walk off hand in hand, his daughter chattering.

“I’ll stay and help out,” Moses offered.

Hâroon smiled. “That would appreciated.”

As he moved back toward the house, Ibrâhîm in his arms, to see what had been done so far and ensure everything had been put in the correct rooms, Moses followed.

After the truck was completely unloaded and the movers were paid, they left. Lila retired to her bedroom, and Hâroon and Moses unpacked boxes of books in the den as Ibrâhîm raced around the room, shrieking and screaming.

“He’s got a good pair of lungs on him,” Moses remarked.

Hâroon laughed. “He certainly does.”

Serenity returned with Yusrâ before sunset. By then, Hâroon and Moses had finished the den and were nearly done the kitchen. Ibrâhîm had been placed in a high chair with toys to play with—which he alternately chewed on or threw—to keep him away from any dangerous kitchen items since Lila wasn’t in the mood to watch him. Serenity joined in the unpacking, while Yusrâ pulled a doll to play with out of the diaper bag that had been packed for her and her brother.

Occasionally, Hâroon noticed, the couple would throw curious glances at Ibrâhîm. He shrieked, screamed, threw things, and chewed on them. He never said a word or reacted to Yusrâ’s overtures. Still, they didn’t say a word.

“There’s something wrong with him,” Hâroon finally said to Moses. He didn’t see the need to keep Ibrâhîm’s condition from his new friend.

Moses regarded him curiously.

“He was different before,” Hâroon told him. “He was talking and reaching his milestones. But things changed. He stopped talking and his behavior is difficult, sometimes uncontrollable.”

“Do you know what’s wrong?” Moses asked.

Hâroon shook his head. “No. No one can explain it.”

“I’ll pray for you,” Moses finally said.

“I appreciate the thought,” he replied. He could think of nothing better to say.

Once the kitchen was unpacked, the Williams couple left with the promise to stop by the next day to continue helping. Lila still hadn’t shown herself since she’d locked herself in her bedroom. When they were gone, Hâroon knocked on her door to let her know she was free to come out without being in hijâb, but she still didn’t appear.

Alone, he made oatmeal to share between himself and the twins. Then he bathed and changed them, and put them to bed. Yusrâ, exhausted from her day, fell asleep instantly. Ibrâhîm, on the other hand, seemed nowhere close to falling asleep. It was hours later when he finally drifted off.

With the children finally asleep, Hâroon left the bedroom quietly and went into the den. Sitting in an armchair, he reached for the telephone to make a call to his parents. They were probably wondering if how he was doing and worrying that he hadn’t gotten in touch with them yet.

His call was answered on the second ring, his father’s deep voice coming over the line. “Scott residence.”

“Assalâmu ’alaykum, Dad.”

“Roon,” his father said, joy in his voice. “Wa’alaykumus salâm. How is everything?”

“The kids are settled in,” he replied. “I managed to do some unpacking.”

“Great. Your mother wants to talk to you.”

“Sure,” Hâroon replied. “Put her on.”

Moments later, his mother’s voice came over the line. “Assalâmu ’alaykum, hon.”

“Wa’alaykumus salâm,” he replied.

“Is everything going okay?” she asked. “How was the move?”

“Tiring,” he admitted honestly. “I met some nice neighbors and they helped with the unpacking.”

“That’s great,” she said. “How are the kids?”

“Yusrâ adapted quickly. It took forever to get Ibrâhîm asleep though.”

“Hopefully he’ll settle in quick enough.”

“Inn shâ Allâh,” he replied.

After a few more exchanges of pleasantries and promising to keep in touch, Hâroon hung up. Then he crossed to the window and looked outside, the outdoor lights illuminating the street and the houses around him. For the first time in his life, he was in a house that didn’t look out to green pastures and animal corrals. The songs of birds and chirps of crickets were replaced by the honking of passing cars; the cries of animals he went to sleep to every night was gone, the sound of vehicles driving by in its place.

Hâroon’s heart squeezed and twisted. He absolutely hated it.

🌾

The next morning, Hâroon divided his time between watching and entertaining the children and unpacking the room he had chosen. Ever since his and Lila’s estrangement when he’d forced her to carry her pregnancy to term, they had been in different rooms. Even now, removed from their roots and starting a new life together, she had still opted for separate bedrooms and he had respected her wishes. But it made him more uncertain if he’d made the right choice. He had given up his future for her, yet he saw no signs of the nature of their relationship changing anytime soon.

He’d barely seen a glimpse of his wife since she’d retired to her bedroom yesterday. She’d appeared at the breakfast table to join him and the twins in their meal but had then disappeared back into her room. She hadn’t answered any calls for assistance with watching the children, and he didn’t dare barge into her room just because she was ignoring him.

Left with the responsibility of both, he found their toys and then sat them down in his room while he unpacked. It wasn’t a perfect solution. Occasionally, he would have to intervene between them when Ibrâhîm grabbed something Yusrâ was playing with, started throwing things, got into things he shouldn’t, or put items in his mouth. By the time he was finished unpacking his room, the children had exhausted him.

“Daddy, park!” Yusrâ said as he started to move the emptied boxes into the hallway. “I wanna play!”

It wasn’t a bad idea, Hâroon decided. Maybe he’d even find a swing he could put Ibrâhîm on. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s see if your mommy wants to come with us.”

He hoped so. Lila had spent barely any time with him and the children since they’d arrived. It was time for her to come out of her room and interact with her family.

He led the two children to Lila’s door and knocked firmly. “Lila?”

“Mommy, park!” Yusrâ called.

Ibrâhîm joined in with a shriek.

The door opened and Lila stared at them with familiar cold eyes that almost made him step back. In those icy eyes he saw the Lila he’d thought was gone; the one who had been cold, hurtful, and mocking. “What’s with all the racket?” she asked frostily.

Not seeming to catch on to her mother’s icy demeanor, Yusrâ answered, “Let’s go to the park!”

“I’m taking them to the park,” he said. “Why don’t you come with us?”

“And spend hours chasing Ibrâhîm and trying to make him behave?” she asked. “No, thank you.” She shut the door before he could reply.

“No Mommy?” Yusrâ asked.

“It’s okay,” Hâroon said calmly, hiding how taken aback he was by Lila’s behavior. “We’ll go by ourselves.”

Trying to convince himself that Lila was just in a bad mood, that the old Lila hadn’t made her comeback as soon as, he’d given her what she wanted, he prayed Dhuhr, got the children dressed, packed some snacks and toys in a diaper bag, and then left the house with them.

Uncertain where the park was and not wanting to wander around on foot with a child as unpredictable as Ibrâhîm, Hâroon loaded the twins into the car, buckled them into their car seats, and then drove off. Thankfully, the local park wasn’t hard to find. Minutes after driving away from their new home, he came to the park’s open gates and glimpsed groups of children playing under the supervision of mothers or babysitters.

He parked the car, got Ibrâhîm and Yusrâ out, and slung the diaper bag over his shoulder. Holding each child by the hand, he led them through the open gates and toward the playground. He couldn’t help noticing he was the only adult male present among the groups of young children. It was an uncomfortable realization that he could have endured better if he’d been accompanied by his wife, but it was too late to change his mind when he’d already promised Yusrâ to bring her. So he tried to ignore his discomfort by turning his complete attention on his children and ignoring the others around them.

“Where would you like to go first?” he asked Yusrâ.

She pointed. “Swings.”

Hâroon followed her finger. To his relief, several of the swings were equipped for toddlers. “Let’s go,” he said, leading the twins toward them.

He put Yusrâ in one and Ibrâhîm in another—thankfully, two were free for use—and then pushed them. Yusrâ laughed, while Ibrâhîm screeched. He smiled.

At some point, Hâroon noticed the other occupants in the park were giving him a wide berth, and many of them were staring at him. Accustomed to receiving negative attention for his appearance and attire since middle school, he was easily able to ignore it. It worked to his advantage anyway. If they were avoiding him, he didn’t have to worry about interacting with some ghayr mahram woman.

He was able to keep the children entertained for a few hours at the park. After the swing, he took them to the merry-go-round, and then the see-saw. Yusrâ was mostly independent with a few instructions, so Hâroon kept most of his attention on her brother, making sure he held on when he was supposed to.

In between rides, Hâroon fed them from the snacks he’d brought along. When the afternoon stretched toward early evening and he became conscious of needed diaper changes and that it was almost time to pray, he collected the children to return home.

Ibrâhîm screeched and screamed the entire way to the car. Yusrâ was similarly upset to leave the park, but she soon settled when Hâroon promised to bring her back soon. It was not so with her brother. Nothing Hâroon said could get through to him, and to make it worse, several passersby stopped and stared as he struggled to get the thrashing child into the car and buckle him in. If not for how strongly he and his children resembled each other, he wouldn’t be surprised if they suspected an abduction with the way Ibrâhîm was behaving.

When Hâroon reached home, Ibrâhîm was still screaming. He got Yusrâ out first and then unbuckled Ibrâhîm.

“Oh, my, what’s wrong?” a familiar feminine voice spoke from behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder. Both Moses and Serenity Williams stood there, reminding him they’d promised to come over after work to continue helping with the unpacking. He smiled in welcome. “Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon,” the couple replied.

Hâroon lifted the still screaming and thrashing child out of the car, while his sister—and the visitors—looked on.

Serenity extended her arms. “Let me take him.”

Hâroon hesitated. Ibrâhîm could be violent and aggressive in his current mood. “He’s not easy to handle when he’s like this.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “I handled a good number of tantrums in my day.”

Ibrâhîm’s screaming was a lot more than a tantrum, Hâroon believed, but when she put her hands beneath Ibrâhîm’s arms and gently tugged, he relinquished his hold. He regretted it almost immediately when a flying fist hit her cheek, but she barely reacted.

“Let’s go in,” Serenity said cheerfully over Ibrâhîm’s screaming, catching his fist when it went toward her face a second time. “I can keep the children occupied while you and Moses do some unpacking.”

Hâroon led the way to the front door. He paused on the doorstep. He couldn’t let the couple into the house before checking where Lila was and making sure she was decently dressed. “Could you wait here for a moment? I need to see where my wife is.”

Moses nodded. “Sure. We’ll be right here.”

Hâroon ushered Yusrâ inside and then took Ibrâhîm from Serenity, setting him down as soon as he’d closed the door. He watched helplessly as Ibrâhîm threw himself on the floor and continued his screaming and thrashing.

Uncomfortable with leaving him alone in such a state, he picked him up again and carried him around the house as he checked the rooms for Lila’s presence. There was evidence of Lila cooking for herself in the kitchen but no sign of lunch for him or the children. He went to her bedroom last, knocking on the door and hoping she heard him over Ibrâhîm’s rage.

The door flew open and Lila stared at him with icy eyes. “I’m not taking him when he’s like this if that’s what you’ve come for.”

He was taken aback by her words, but he pushed down the shock. “That’s not what I came to talk about,” he said instead. “The neighbors are here, so I wanted to tell you not to come out of your room without hijâb.”

Lila’s nose wrinkled. “Why on earth would you invite them over? You can tell they’re blue-collar from a mile away.”

Shock and anger pulsed through him. Blue-collar? Blue-collar?!  I’m blue-collar, too! My whole family is! He didn’t say any of the angry words running through his mind. “I don’t know where you learned to think you’re better because you don’t work a blue-collar job, but it stops now,” he said firmly. “We are not judging people by the type of job they have. The Williams have been very helpful and welcoming, and I expect you to show the respect due to them.”

With an angry sniff and toss of her head that reminded him too much of teenage Lila, she closed the door in his face.

Hoping she had no plans of coming out of her room with that attitude, he went back to the front door to let the waiting couple in. As promised, Serenity took over handling the children. She took Ibrâhîm and then herded Yusrâ into the den with them. Hâroon and Moses were left alone in the front hall.

“What else needs to be done?” Moses asked.

“The children’s bedroom,” Hâroon said. “That’s all that’s left.”

He led Moses into the bedroom, where a number of sealed boxes were stashed into the corner except for one of toys he’d unpacked so they’d have things to play with and a box of clothes he’d unsealed yet not fully unpacked.

“I need to pray first,” Hâroon said. “You can wait here or join your wife in the den.”

“I’ll wait here,” Moses said, seating himself on the chair Hâroon kept by Ibrâhîm’s bedside to remain vigil into the boy fell asleep.

Hâroon nodded and left. After praying in his room, he looked in the den to check on his kids. Ibrâhîm, surprisingly, had stopped screaming and was even sitting on Serenity’s lap. Yusrâ sat across from her. The trio were building a tower together with the blocks Hâroon had packed in the diaper bag, though it appeared Ibrâhîm was more interested in knocking the tower down than building it.

“What color is this?” Serenity asked, holding up a red block.

“Red!” Yusrâ exclaimed.

“Say ‘red,’ Ibby,” Serenity said to Ibrâhîm.

He was of course silent, but Hâroon appreciated her effort.

“What shape is it?” she asked next.

“Dunno.” Yusrâ shrugged. Though she knew all her colors, she wasn’t adept with her shapes. So far she only knew the circle.

“Rectangle,” Serenity told her.

“Ret’ngle,” Yusrâ tried to repeat.

Smiling, Hâroon left them. He returned to the room where Moses was waiting. He found him playing with a Rubik’s cube that had come along with a kid’s meal Hâroon had bought for Yusrâ several months ago. He glanced up as Hâroon entered the room and set it on the chest of drawers placed between the two beds in the room as he stood.

“We can start now,” Hâroon said.

Moses nodded. They each took a box and set to work with Moses taking instructions and directions from him on where to put the things they unpacked.

By the time they were done, Hâroon picked up the familiar scent of macaroni and cheese coming from the kitchen. Did Lila get over her tantrum and decide to make us lunch?

But when he entered the kitchen, it wasn’t Lila at the stove. Serenity stood over a pot she was stirring. Ibrâhîm was in his highchair playing with the blocks the children had been stacking earlier, though his version of playing mostly consisted of banging them on the tray or throwing them. Yusrâ was seated on the counter with a mixing bowl that she was stirring with a large wooden spoon.

“Daddy, look!” Yusrâ called when she saw him. “Cookies!”

Serenity glanced over her shoulder at him and Moses, who had entered behind him. “The kids seemed hungry so I made them lunch.”

“Thank you,” he said.

She covered the pot and took the mixing bowl from Yusrâ. “Ready to make those cookies, sweetheart?”

Yusrâ nodded. “Yeah!”

Yusrâ and Serenity sat at the table with the mixing bowl, a cookie sheet, cookie cutters, and a spread of baking paper. Then Serenity showed Yusrâ how to cut out shapes with the cookie dough. She even included Ibrâhîm, though she had to help him and he tried to eat the dough more than cut out shapes.

Hâroon was amazed. Lila, in recent memory, would have never made such an effort, especially with Ibrâhîm. Serenity reminded him of his mother in the confident, yet warm approach in her dealings with the children. He was grateful he’d met her and Moses. At least there would be a friendly neighbor who could occasionally help with the kids or watch them when he needed it. He had a feeling he was going to need it sooner or later.