THIRTEEN

The instant Hâroon spotted Moses returning home from work that evening, he collected the children to go pay a visit to their across-the-street neighbors. Of course, Lila had gone out again. But he was done caring or trying to correct her. His priority were the children and making sure they were looked after properly—something which his wife was no longer willing to do, whether she was present in the house or not.

“Where are we going, Daddy?” Yusrâ asked as he led both children out of the house.

“To visit friends,” he told her.

When they reached the door, he let go of Yusrâ’s hand to ring the doorbell but kept a firm grip on Ibrâhîm’s. He heard the shrill cry echo through the house from the other side of the door. Then he heard approaching footsteps that seemed too light to be Moses’.

The door was opened by a blond young woman—Moses’ daughter he’d glimpsed from across the street sometime last year. He was instantly uncomfortable. Under legal age she may be, but she was still a female past puberty, and he avoided interacting with them as much as possible, especially the younger ones. Her stare as she looked him up and down, probably taking in his Islâmic attire, didn’t help his comfort level.

He stepped back to put more space between them. “Is your father available?”

At the same time, Yusrâ, who didn’t have an introverted bone in her body and must have inherited Ya’qoob’s more social personality than his, smiled brightly. “Hi! What’s your name? I’m Yusrâ.”

The girl’s gaze warmed as she looked down at Yusrâ, and she even shook her tiny hand. “I’m Charity.” Her curious gaze moved to Ibrâhîm, who didn’t even notice her and was looking everywhere else as he hummed and rocked in place, and then she looked back at Hâroon. “Come in. My father’s here.”

As she stepped back, holding the door open, he and the twins entered. Then she closed the door, pivoted with a gesture to follow her, and walked away. He followed with the children, keeping a firm grip on Ibrâhîm’s hand, while Yusrâ skipped alongside them.

They were led into the den, where Moses sat with his wife and a young man who looked to be around the same age as Charity with an eerie resemblance to how Hâroon had appeared at that age, down to curly red-orange hair and the leaf-green eyes. Moses and the young man were in the midst of an intense conversation that stopped abruptly when they noticed their visitors.

“Hâroon,” Moses acknowledged with a bright smile. “Nice of you to stop by.”

“Uncle Moses!” Yusrâ, without hesitation, rushed at him. She had a great fondness Moses in a way that reminded Hâroon of his childhood adoration for Arqam.

Chuckling, Moses picked her up and set her on his knee. Then he waved a hand to the furniture. “Join us, Hâroon. Take a seat.”

Hâroon took the remaining armchair—the young man occupied the other—and settled Ibrâhîm on his lap. Charity seated herself on the unoccupied couch, picking up a book that was lying face-down on it and began to read, not giving him a second glance.

Moses gestured to the unnamed young man. “Meet my daughter’s fiancé, Jake.” The note of pride in his voice clearly conveyed how he felt about his future son-in-law.

They were engaged rather young for a non-Muslim couple, but it did happen occasionally. He did wonder what had happened with the man who had been pursuing Moses’ daughter last year. He hadn’t seen him around for a while and Moses hadn’t mentioned him either.

“Jacob Reid,” the boy introduced himself.

Studying the younger image of himself, Hâroon recalled something from his childhood that his mother had said in passing. Don’t we have cousins by the name of Reid?

It had been many years since his mother had made any reference to said cousins, but if he remembered right, they were related to both sides of the family. His paternal great-great uncle had married his maternal great-aunt or something to that effect. That branch of the family weren’t Muslim though.

The double connection would certainly explain why Jake looked so eerily similar to him, though it could just be a coincidence. He would have to contact his mother and ask about those cousins to check.

“Hâroon Scott,” he said to the younger man.

Jake looked him up and down with a glint of something in his green eyes that made Hâroon slightly uneasy, but when he opened his mouth, his tone was friendly. “You’re Muslim, aren’t you?”

Hâroon nodded.

“Watch out for him,” Moses said in a tone that simultaneously warning and amused. “Jake is going into seminary. He loves debating theology. He’s good at it, too.”

The gleam in Jake’s eyes made Hâroon think Moses was right to warn him. “I don’t do debates,” he said. “I’m not a scholar. I can tell you what I believe, but I won’t debate it with you.”

Jake sighed. “Disappointing. Oh well, I’m game to hear it.” His gaze slid to Charity, a fond expression entering his eyes that showed his feelings for her clearly. “But maybe next time. Charity, ready to go?”

“Huh?” She looked up, her gaze confused before she seemed to come back to herself. “Oh, yeah. Let’s go.” Tucking the book under her arm, she stood.

“No way are you taking that,” Jake said, plucking it out of her hands and placing it back on the couch. “You won’t hear a word I say to you if you have a book.”

“Fine,” she grumbled but didn’t sound too put out.

“We’ll be back before ten, Uncle Moses,” Jake promised. Then, putting an arm over Charity’s shoulders, he escorted her out.

When the couple was gone, Hâroon turned curious eyes on Moses. “They been engaged long?”

“A few months,” Moses said. “The wedding is in three weeks. Think you could come? We’ll have the reception here, in the backyard.”

Hâroon knew he couldn’t attend a Christian wedding, but he could stop by to congratulate his neighbor. “I’ll try to come by,” he said.

Moses smiled. “Thank you.”

“What happened to...?” Hâroon asked, trailing off. He couldn’t recall if Moses had told him the name, but he clearly remembered the sinister aura he felt from the man.

Moses stiffened and shrugged. “He’s engaged to someone of his own status. He hasn’t contacted Charity.”

“Better for her,” Hâroon said honestly.

Moses nodded. “She was hurt at first, but Jake helped. Jake is better than Kevin could ever be. He’s sturdy and reliable for his age and an upright Christian. He’ll be a good husband.”

When Hâroon recalled that predatory gaze he’d seen in the other man’s eyes, he was relieved the man had lost interest in Moses’ daughter, too. Just like his neighbor, he sensed Jake was a very different sort of man and would be good for his daughter in the long run. He hoped she’d appreciate Jake more than Lila appreciated him.

“I don’t suppose you came over for just a visit,” Moses remarked. “You don’t really come over here.”

It was true. Hâroon hardly visited the house because he knew Moses wouldn’t understand the need for gender segregation. He didn’t want to needlessly interact with Moses’ womenfolk. Instead, he either invited Moses over to his house, or they occasionally met up at nearby restaurants or at the park.

“I need a babysitter for my kids while I’m at work,” he said. He didn’t mention Lila and hoped Moses wouldn’t ask about her. “I was hoping you could suggest someone—someone patient. Ibrâhîm can be very difficult.”

“I’ll do it,” Serenity offered from beside her husband. “I’m not working.”

Hâroon was relieved. Serenity, who the twins already knew and liked, was preferable to a stranger. “Yusrâ is in play group until twelve, so you’ll have just Ibrâhîm until then.”

“Okay. Let me know where the play group is and I’ll pick her up. I can even give them breakfast and drop her off for you if you want.”

It was more than Hâroon could hope for. Between the three of them, they agreed on a rate he would pay Serenity—Hâroon rejected the couple’s offer to babysit free of charge since he knew Ibrâhîm wouldn’t be easy—and to drop them at the house before he left for work. Now Lila would have nothing to complain about when he returned home and he’d feel secure that someone was actually watching the children properly.

After everything had been agreed on, Hâroon stayed long enough for a cup of coffee while Serenity gave the children cookies. Then he said his goodbyes and left.

The next morning, Hâroon got the children up early enough to bathe them and dress them. At exactly eight, he dropped them at Moses’ front door, and Serenity welcomed them in with a smile, promising to feed them and take Yusrâ to her play group. Then he left for work.

When he returned to pick them up, it was a drastic difference to how he found his own house. When Serenity showed him in, Yusrâ was coloring at the kitchen table and Ibrâhîm was looking at board books—books he couldn’t damage like the storybooks he’d ripped over the last few months. He’d never seen Ibrâhîm so quietly behaved. He wondered if Serenity had a special way with him, or it was just because Lila hadn’t put in the same kind of effort.

“How were they?” he asked.

“Good,” Serenity said. “I enjoyed it.”

Hâroon’s gaze moved to Ibrâhîm doubtfully.

“Really,” Serenity insisted, seeming to read his mind. “He was a little difficult at first, but he settled down when he found something he wanted to do. He’s not impossible. He just takes some patience.”

Patience no one but you and my mother have, Hâroon thought to himself. “Thank you for watching them,” he said.

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

It proved more difficult to get Ibrâhîm to leave than it had been to drop him. He screamed, screeched, kicked, and thrashed when separated from the board books he was looking at. Hâroon was forced to carry him out in the midst of his tantrum with Yusrâ following. At least Serenity seemed unfazed and unworried by the show of temper. She was still smiling when they exited at the house and murmured a prayer for him to hold onto his patience as they left.

Thankfully, Ibrâhîm’s tantrum didn’t last very long. As soon as he got the twins home and showed Ibrâhîm some of his favorite toys, he was distracted enough to stop raging. After the twins were settled, he left the room to cook their dinner.

There was no sign of Lila in the house, but this time he didn’t waste his energy on wondering where she was. He no longer cared as long as his children were looked after. It was too exhausting to care.

🌾

By the next week, Hâroon had a new set routine for himself and the children. He woke, bathed, and dressed the children and then dropped them at Moses’ home by eight. Then he picked them up around five-thirty to head home for dinner. On the weekends, he took them to the park and sometimes Moses and Serenity joined them.

He and the children hardly saw Lila at all, except for momentary glimpses now and then. Ibrâhîm didn’t seem to notice. He was content with just Hâroon and Serenity sharing his care. It was Yusrâ who noticed her mother’s increasing absences and asked about her, but no matter how many times Hâroon tried to convince Lila to at least spend some time with her daughter, she wasn’t interested. He ended up giving vague excuses about her not feeling well or being busy that he wasn’t sure Yusrâ believed.

Across the street, there was a palpable excitement in the Williams’ home as their daughter’s wedding approached. More than once, when Hâroon stopped by to pick up or drop his children, there would be groups of older women discussing wedding decoration with Serenity.

He occasionally glimpsed the young couple as well in his comings and goings, though he didn’t get another opportunity to speak to Jake. Mostly, he would see them conversing in front of Moses’ house or on their way out or in. In his observations of them, it struck him that Jacob Reid was rather proper for his age, especially toward his soon-to-be wife. He’d been surrounded by young men both in high school and college and had witnessed how they carried out their relationships, and he’d quickly become aware that Jake wasn’t as handsy as other boys his age. The most Hâroon had seen him do was hold Charity’s hand or put an arm around her. He’d never seen the like of that kind of behavior from a non-Muslim young man before. It made him respect and admire him.

Then, suddenly, the happiness and joy he’d felt emanating from all those involved with the wedding halted. When he dropped the children on an early Monday morning two weeks before the wedding, Moses hadn’t left for work and Jake was present. Both the young man and his soon-to-be father-in-law wore similar pensive expressions that showed they expected bad news—soon.

“Is something the matter?” Hâroon asked, unable to leave when they looked like that.

Moses gave him the first forced smile he’d ever seen from him. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.”

Hâroon didn’t know what it was Moses needed to handle, but he knew not to push when something wasn’t his business. If either wanted to confide in him later, they would.

By the time he returned after five, the pensive anxiety that had seemed to permeate the household had turned into something darker. When Serenity let him in, she could hardly smile, and when he entered the den to retrieve his children, Moses was seated in an armchair, staring out of the window with pain and fear etched across his sun-bronzed face.

Unable to leave the man who had been a good friend to him this past year like that, Hâroon approached tentatively. As good friends as they’d been, he didn’t know how Moses would act when hurt or in pain. He’d never seen him that way. As much as Moses reminded him of Arqam, he wasn’t his uncle, so he couldn’t predict how he’d react like he could with his mother’s brother.

“Moses?” he spoke up. “Are you okay?”

For a long moment, Moses said nothing. He didn’t even acknowledge Hâroon’s presence or his words. “No,” he finally said in a low voice. “I’m not.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Hâroon still had no idea what has occurred, but he had the feeling it had to do with the wedding somehow. The absence of both Jake and Charity made him sure of it. On most days when he picked up the children, both were usually present; Charity helping her mother cook dinner while Jake read.

“No point in hiding it,” Moses said in a low voice. “Everyone will know soon.” When he finally looked at Hâroon, his eyes were red-rimmed as if he’d been crying, and Moses didn’t appear to be the kind of man who cried. “Charity... She eloped with Kevin.”

Shock tore through Hâroon. He’d known it was going to be bad, but he hadn’t suspected it would be this bad. “And Jake?” he managed to choke out.

“Jake, he’s heartbroken,” Moses said, looking down at his hands. “And he was so forgiving when she came this afternoon and admitted what she’d done.” He looked up. “The worst part isn’t even how she betrayed him so close to the wedding. She has no idea what she’s done.”

It wasn’t the first time Moses had hinted his belief that Kevin was dangerous to his daughter. “What do you mean?” Hâroon asked.

“Kevin Dawson is not a man in love,” Moses said. “He’s a man obsessed with getting what he wants. The only reason he’s stayed around so long is because he couldn’t get from my daughter what he could get from girls who didn’t have her values. She’s too infatuated to see him for who he really is and chose him over a good Christian man who would have been loyal and taken care of her. Eventually, he will tire of her and she’ll regret her choice, but it will be too late to undo it. I only hope he doesn’t destroy her in the process.”

As he listened to Moses’ woes, Hâroon came to an abrupt, unwelcome realization. Charity Williams and I are the same. We chose our marriage partners based on our blind infatuation and let our hormones control our decisions. I already regret my choice, and she may, too.

Hâroon didn’t know how to comfort Moses. He didn’t even know this man Charity had chosen well enough to determine if his older friend’s concerns were true, though the one glimpse he’d had of him made him trust Moses’ words. “Maybe things will work out,” he finally said, but the words sounded paltry to his own ears, so he doubted they were of much comfort.

Moses nodded. “Yeah.” He sighed. “The only thing I can do now is pray God will protect and guide her through this.”

Shortly afterward, Hâroon collected the children and left. But even as he escorted them home and while he decided on what to cook for dinner for himself and the children, he thought about Moses’ pain and wondered if he’d caused the same pain to his parents when he’d been stubbornly set on marrying a girl they seemed to know was wrong for him. But just like Charity’s ill-advised marriage, it was too late to turn back.

🌾

Hâroon left the house for ’Ishâ once Lila was home and the children in bed. As he stepped outside, he spotted Jake across the street, seated on the steps of Moses’ house, alone. Hâroon glanced at his watch. After determining he had a few minutes to spare before he needed to leave, he crossed the street.

Jake had his shoulders slumped and his head bowed as he stared at the thick book on his lap, but as Hâroon neared him, he looked up. Despite the eerie similarity in their appearance, Hâroon sensed that Jake was more like Ya’qoob than him personality-wise. The day they’d met, Jake had come across playful and vibrant; now, he looked as downtrodden and heartbroken as Ya’qoob had when he’d been told about Noorah’s engagement to Qais.

“I’m sorry,” Hâroon said to the younger man. He didn’t know what else he could say.

Jake gave him a pained smile and nodded. “Thank you.” He dropped his gaze to the book again. “A part of me was expecting this to happen, but it still hurts.”

“May I sit?” Hâroon asked. Jake shrugged and nodded, so he lowered himself on the step beside him.

“It feels empty here without her,” Jake commented after a few moments of silence. His eyes scanned the porch. “I used to find her reading out here a lot, even when it was dark and she could hardly see. She was always too into the book to notice how much time had passed.”

Hâroon didn’t know what to say, so he stayed silent and listened instead.

“I always knew he was bad for her,” Jake said. “From the very beginning. The way he treated her like he owned her, the way he tried to cut her off from the rest of us.”

Jake wasn’t a recent romantic interest, Hâroon realized. He must have known Charity for some time, at least a few years. “How long have you known her?”

“Since we were in diapers practically,” Jake said. “Charity, Missy, and I were best friends growing up. We did everything together.”

Hâroon didn’t know who Missy was, but he assumed she was another girl that was friends with both Charity and Jake.

“Kevin tried to ruin that,” Jake said. “And he did. Even when he was just a kid, he was so calculating and manipulative. He isolated her from the rest of us, and I couldn’t stop it and she didn’t see it happening. I got it in my head that I could save her if I could make her fall in love with me instead. But I’m the one who fell in love and she still loves someone who has never deserved her.”

The story was both tragic and disturbing to Hâroon’s ears. He continued to listen, uncertain of what he could say.

“Maybe I could let go if he actually loved her,” Jake said softly. “But he doesn’t, and I know he’ll hurt her eventually, even though I pray for her happiness.”

Hâroon studied the young man beside him who could very well be his cousin—he had yet to confirm with his mother if they had relatives by the name of Reid—and saw Ya’qoob in him. Unable to think of anything to say, he placed a hand on Jake’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“Me, too,” Jake said. He sighed. “I’ll be leaving for seminary in a few weeks. There’s nothing I can do for her anymore. She’s made her choice. I can only pray for her now.”

For a while longer, the two sat in silence. Finally, Hâroon had to excuse himself before he was late for prayer.

“Thank you for listening,” Jake said. “I couldn’t have voiced my feelings to her parents. They feel bad enough.”

“You’re welcome,” Hâroon replied.

When he returned, Jake was gone and the Williams’ porch empty.  He let himself into his own house, checked the children, and went to bed, still thinking about the Williams’ heartbreak and the little he could do for them.

🌾

Hâroon thought of giving Serenity a few days off from watching the twins after what had happened, but the woman wouldn’t hear of it. She insisted the children would be a good distraction. In the end, he relented and continued taking the children over to the Williams to stay with her while he was working. In all his comings and goings, he never saw their daughter. It was as if she’d vanished.

For the next few weeks, he saw plenty of Jake. Even though Charity had rejected him and chosen another, his relationship with her parents was still going strong, but on the last week of August he said his final goodbyes and left for his first year if seminary with his broken heart and shattered dreams. From then on, it was just Moses and Serenity, whose daughter never seemed to come by to see them.

“He’s keeping her away from us,” Moses confided to Hâroon.

That was even more shocking than Charity’s sudden marriage. “Keeping her away? You’re her parents.”

“We’re not the kind of in-laws someone of his status would be proud of,” Moses said. “Maybe he’s hoping her background won’t be discovered if he keeps us apart.”

“What will you do?” Hâroon asked, wishing he could advise him.

“I will not let that man keep me away from my daughter,” Moses responded. “I’m still her father, and I have a right to see her.”

Hâroon wasn’t sure what Moses did or how well it went, but a few days later he woke up to find Serenity and Moses’ home surrounded by reporters and cameras. He knew then that he couldn’t leave for work. He didn’t want the media’s attention on him and his children. Instead, he surreptitiously watched from the window, listening to the cries and shouts of those across the street trying to bring the Williams couple outside. Thankfully, they had the sense to stay inside and not show themselves.

“What’s happening?” Lila’s voice asked from behind him. She came to stand beside him at the window. “What on earth is going on over there?”

“Not sure,” he replied honestly. “Don’t go out until they’re gone unless you want to be harassed for information about the neighbors.”

“I won’t,” she replied, thankfully willing to be reasonable.

He moved away from the window. “I’ll call my supervisor.”

Thankfully, when he spoke to Brandon Eckhart about what was going on, he was very understanding of Hâroon’s concerns and gave him the day off.

“Why don’t you come to my house for dinner tonight?” Brandon offered just as the conversation was coming to a close.

Hâroon hesitated.

“I know the Muslim dietary laws,” Brandon said. “We’ll only serve what you can eat.”

That was more thoughtful than most non-Muslims he knew. “Thank you, but I’ll be busy with the children,” he said carefully. “I’m the one cooking their dinner and putting them to bed.”

“Bring them with you,” Brandon replied. “My wife and I love kids.”

“You might change your mind after meeting mine,” Hâroon said honestly. “My son is difficult and can be rather unpredictable.”

His warnings didn’t seem to faze Brandon Eckhart at all. “We’ll be prepared. Bring them.”

Seeing no way out of the invitation, especially when Brandon was offering so many accommodations for Hâroon’s comfort, he gave in. “We’ll be there.”

“Great. Come at six.”

After Hâroon agreed on the time, he said his goodbyes and hung up. When he returned to the window, Lila was still watching and Moses’ front yard was still infested with reporters.

“Mr. Eckhart invited us for dinner tonight,” Hâroon told her. Though Lila hadn’t specifically been mentioned, he figured if the kids had been invited so was she, though he doubted she’d be interested. “Will you come?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Spend a night with your boss trying to make Ibrâhîm behave? No, thank you.”

“I warned him Ibrâhîm is difficult,” Hâroon said.

She shrugged. “I have plans this evening. You can go if you want, but I’m busy.”

Of course you are, he thought. There wasn’t ever a day she wasn’t too busy for the children. “Okay,” he said dismissively, knowing trying to convince her to spend more time with the children than her friends would be an exercise in futility that would just anger her and exhaust him.

She didn’t reply, and he walked away, leaving her to watch the ongoings in front of the Williams home.

By five o’clock, the mob of media was thankfully gone, so Hâroon and the children could leave without catching any unwanted attention. As soon as the reporters and cameras were gone, Lila called a friend for a ride and left shortly after. Alone, Hâroon bathed and dressed the children. Then he packed a diaper bag of extra clothes, diapers for Ibrâhîm, who had yet to be potty-trained no matter how hard he tried, and toys.

“Where are we going, Daddy?” Yusrâ asked as he helped her put on her shoes.

“My boss invited us for dinner,” he told her. “You have to be good.” He knew there was no hope of eliciting such a promise from Ibrâhîm.

“I will.” Her blue eyes slid to her brother. “But I’m not sure Ibby will.”

“I’ll worry about your brother,” he told her.

Once they were all dressed, including himself, they left the house. Across the street, he spotted Moses and Serenity on the porch, seated on the steps. Determining to check on his neighbors after this morning’s fiasco, he crossed the street to them.

“Good evening,” he said as he reached them.

“Hi!” Yusrâ said brightly. “Daddy’s boss invited us to dinner.”

The couple looked up, giving Yusrâ equally warm smiles before turning their attention to Hâroon. Moses looked haggard to his more experienced eyes and Serenity appeared worried.

“Are you okay? ” Hâroon asked.

Moses sighed. “We’ll manage.”

“Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“I went to that big fancy house they live in yesterday,” Moses grumbled. “They wouldn’t let me in. They have security guards and everything. They wouldn’t let me go in to see her or call her out to see me. I have no idea how she is or anything. I made a fuss and they called the cops on me. They let me go, but I guess someone must have gotten wind of who we were after my visit since all these reporters showed up.”

“Can you call her?” Hâroon asked.

Moses shook his head. “I don’t have the phone number.”

Is this really happening? Hâroon thought in disbelief. A girl gets married and her parents can’t see her or get in touch with her? It was chilling and there was nothing he could do to help them.

“Hang in there,” he finally said. “I’ll pray things sort themselves out.”

Moses nodded. “Thank you.”

Hâroon said his goodbyes and left the couple, escorting the children to the car and buckling them. On his drive to the Eckhart home, the things going on with Moses was forefront of his mind, but no matter how long he thought or worried, there really was nothing he could do.

Hâroon pulled up in front of the Eckhart home several minutes later. It was a medium-sized home on the wealthier side of Oak Village, complete with a whitewashed picket fence, a front yard flower bed, and a porch outfitted with outdoor furniture. Hâroon parked his car beside Brandon’s smaller convertible and switched off the car. Then he got the the twins out of the car, got the diaper bag from the floor, and walked them up to the door.

“Do you think they’ll have a place for us to play, Daddy?” Yusrâ asked.

He hoped so. “I don’t know. We’ll see.”

A middle-aged woman answered the door with a smile. “Hello, I’m Elena, Brandon’s wife. Come in.”

As Hâroon and the children entered the house, Brandon joined his wife in the entrance hall. “Hâroon, thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for inviting me,” he replied.

“And these must be your children,” Brandon said, his gaze dropping to Ibrâhîm and Yusrâ. “Twins?”

“Yup!” Yusrâ said. “We’re twins! That means we have the same birthday. I’m Yusrâ and—” She pointed to her brother. “He’s Ibby. We’re three years old. Ibby can’t talk and he’s not very good at listening. But I can talk a lot and I always listen to Daddy.”

Hâroon inwardly cringed in embarrassment, but he didn’t rebuke her. Lila did enough of that.

Brandon studied Ibrâhîm curiously, who was looking everywhere but at those around him as usual, but didn’t ask Hâroon any questions. Instead, he addressed Yusrâ, “I have a play room. Would you and your brother like to see it?”

Yusrâ lit up. “Oh, goodie. It wouldn’t be fun to sit still the whole time. Do you have any kids?”

“I do, but they’re all grown up now,” Brandon said. “But they have their own kids who come and visit me and they play in the play room.”

“Like Grandma,” Yusrâ said. “Daddy is Grandma’s kid and he’s all grown up and has me and Ibby.”

Brandon laughed. “Yes, just like that.” Smiling, he asked, “Would you like to go see the play room now?”

“Yes, please.”

Yusrâ took his hand and allowed him to lead her through the house. Hâroon silently followed with Ibrâhîm, Brandon’s wife trailing after them.

Brandon lead them into a room that was every child’s paradise. It was a massive room well-organized into sections. Shelves of construction building toys, puzzles, dolls, and vehicles were on one side of the room. Then there was a miniature house, a kitchen set, a fire station, police station, and hospital with all the right costumes and supplies. On yet another side of the room was a small jungle gym, a trampoline, and a swing that was attached the ceiling. Hâroon had never seen the like of it in any house he’d visited before.

“Wow!” Yusrâ exclaimed. “There’s so many toys!” She abandoned the adults and raced straight for the kitchen set. “This is better than my play school!”

Even Ibrâhîm became excited at the sight of everything around him. When Hâroon let go, he flew across the room and straight to the jungle gym, one of his favorite activities to do at the park.

“You must think it’s too much,” Brandon commented to Hâroon.

“Not exactly,” he said. “But it’s a lot more than any play room I’ve seen.”

“We set it up as a place that would keep the grandkids entertained for hours and a place they could bring their friends,” Brandon said. “It took a lot of saving up, of course.”

“It looks wonderful,” Hâroon said. It wasn’t something he could do himself without years of saving up, but it made him glad he’d accepted the dinner invitation to give the children this experience.

Brandon gestured toward the door. “Shall we go? My wife will keep an eye on the kids.”

Hâroon threw one last worried glance at Ibrâhîm, but he was happily climbing the gym.

“I’ll call you if there’s any problems,” Elena promised.

That settled Hâroon’s mind somewhat, so he nodded and followed Brandon out of the room and into the den, where they sat down and discussed work until it was time for dinner.

When they sat down to eat, the Eckhart couple even had a booster chair for Ibrâhîm to use since he would not remain seated at the table otherwise. Both children made a mess while eating the spaghetti, meatballs, and sauce that had been made for dinner, but it was of course Ibrâhîm who both played with his food and threw it. Though embarrassed, Hâroon was thankful the middle-aged couple were unbothered. Mrs. Eckhart even offered to clean up and change Yusrâ for him, while he dealt with Ibrâhîm. She even babysat for them while he prayed.

When Hâroon returned home with the twins at past nine to put them to bed, he caught sight of a familiar individual on the Williams’ porch—the man Moses’ daughter had married before she disappeared out of her parents’ lives. There was no sign of his new wife, and he and Moses were engaged in a conversation that looked more intense than friendly if the scowling expression on Moses’ face was anything to judge by. Hâroon stayed put in his car until the man left. When Moses’ son-in-law left, he had a triumphant smirk, while Moses looked defeated.

Hâroon got the children out of the car, carrying a sleeping Ibrâhîm while Yusrâ, still awake, walked. Then he crossed the street to where Moses was to speak with him first. “Are you alright?”

Moses shook his head. “He agreed to let me see Charity, but I’m not to go over there and she’s not to come here. We’ll meet a restaurant tomorrow evening. He’ll even send us the proper attire.” Moses’ voice was bitter and enraged. “And I’m not allowed to mention I went to their house and wasn’t let in or I won’t be able to see her again.”

“Can he legally do that?” Hâroon asked. “Keep you apart? You’re her father.”

“Legally, I’m not sure. Does he have the power and money to pull it off? Definitely.” Moses looked at Hâroon with bleak eyes, far removed from the strong, forthright man Hâroon had met last year. “My fears have already come to pass. I don’t know if she realizes what he’s doing, but he’s controlling who she can see and when. And if I so much as mention it, who knows if I’ll ever see her again.”

“I’m sorry,” Hâroon said softly. “I wish I could help you.”

Moses inhaled deeply, exhaled, and set his shoulders. “God always finds a way. We’ll get through this. I don’t know how yet, but we will.”

Hâroon nodded his agreement. Then, saying a goodnight to Moses, he went back across the street and took the children inside.

Lila was already home, drinking a mug of hot chocolate in the kitchen. He paused by the doorway when he spotted her, and she looked up, looking from him to the children.

“How was it?” she finally asked, though her tone implied she didn’t particularly care about his answer.

“Fun,” he replied. “The kids enjoyed it.”

“They had lotsa and lotsa toys, Mommy,” Yusrâ added.

Lila nodded and then turned away, obviously finished with the conversation.

“You should come with us next time,” Yusrâ continued.

Lila sighed. “I’m too busy, Yusrâ.”

Her smile dropped and she deflated. “Oh.”

Before Lila could cause any more damage, Hâroon herded Yusrâ away from the kitchen and toward the bedrooms.

“Daddy, does Mommy not like me anymore?” Yusrâ asked in a low voice as they entered her and Ibrâhîm’s bedroom and he laid the latter on his bed. “She never wants to play with me or come anywhere with me.”

Hâroon looked at her. What do I say? How can I tell her that her mommy doesn’t really want to be her mommy? He settled for a partial truth. “I don’t understand your mommy either, Yusrâ, but no matter what, I’m here.”

“You won’t get tired of playing with me, right?” Yusrâ’s voice trembled.

Hâroon tamped down the rage he felt toward his wife for making their daughter feel this way. “Never,” he assured her. He took her hand and led her to the cabinet. “Let’s get you ready for bed.”

About an hour later, Hâroon had changed both children into their pajamas, tucked them in, and turned off the lights. Once both were asleep, he exited the room and went to his own.

What should I do about Lila? he asked himself as he changed. But just as he had no answers for how Moses could save his daughter, he didn’t know what to do about his wife.