Edited:

Published: Friday, January 15th 2016 6:46 pm

Ayah:
December 7th

At a young age I always dreamed of getting married and having a family of my own, all while juggling a writing career. And for the longest time, that was always the plan. I was going to be a writer right after college, then marry the first guy who liked my writing. Six year old me had it all planned out from start to finish. And as I sit in the exam room as quietly as I possibly can, I can't help the smile forming onto my face now that today is the continuation of my dream.

Ayah: When is the date?

Isabella: The Christamas week. I really want you to come...

Ayah: I do too. But I can't fly right now, and a road trip doesn't really excite me at this time. Too much nausea.

Isabella: You're probably right. How are you doing?

Ayah: Today is the day...

I typed back, knowing that she would understand. To anyone I could say it to, I would go on and on about finding out the gender of my baby. Just knowing what type of family member will be added to our family makes me even happier. But like any mother, a healthy baby is all I ask for, but knowing if I'm carrying my son or daughter will help us plan better. Both Jafar and I are ecstatic to learn our child's gender, Jafar more than me actually. The giant grin plastered across his face hasn't left yet. Even though he's not in the room at the moment, I can tell that he isn't going to let that smile drop from his face. And when he came through the door, I was right.

"Hey."

"Hey," I smiled, putting my phone away and rubbing my growing stomach. "Excited?"

"Understatement," He scoffed, watching as I moved my hand around my belly. "From the moment you told me you were pregnant, I've been waiting for this moment."

"And you shall not wait another second!" Dr. Green said, coming into the room with her usual clipboard and bright smile, preparing the machine for the appointment. "You know the drill. Lay back, relax, and be prepared to see and hear your precious baby."

With a giant smile morphing onto my face as well, I did what she said and laid back on the bed, pulled up my dress, and prepared for the news.

-*-

It's amazing how things you always anticipate don't go your way. From the start of my life, I've lived that lesson, I've breathed it in. But right now, today, I was expecting a different outcome.

"Don't worry," Jafar reassured me, kissing the hand I forgot he picked up, which was sitting lamely on the middle console. "Like she said, we can always try again next month."

I nodded, not quite convinced myself. A whole month. I've been prepared for months for this moment, only for there not to be any sign of the gender of the baby. Apparently this happens to a lot of people, but unlike them, we can't come back in a few days to try again, but we have to wait until the new year to place an appointment. It just seems so long, too long. I didn't even realize we turned in front of his parents house until I turned my head to look outside.

"It's okay," Jafar tried again, "It's not the end of the world. One month, that's all."

"I know, but I was really hoping to find out, you know?"

"Yeah," He nodded, "I do. I was and still am just as excited to know as you are, but what's a month? Insha Allah we will know soon. Now," He unbuckled his seatbelt, leaning over to give me a contagious smile, "can you let your lips curve just a 'lil bit?"

Without helping myself, I let a smile creep up on my face, making his wider.

"There is that pretty grin."

"It's hard not smile when you act like this?"

"Well, you better get used to it."

-*-
Jamila:

"Assalamu Alaikum!" I waved, watching as my brother and sister drove away while clutching the paper he gave me in my hand.

"Did you get it?" Alia asked as I was closing the door. I nodded, taking the scarf I threw on my head off and headed back into the living room with my friend. She was sitting on the floor with her back on the couch, writing down another list of things she thought would go with the baby shower. So many other things were thrown around the room that I was grateful that I was home alone for the next few days. Well, Alia and I. "Done! Look at it!"

Shaking my head at her jittery attitude, I took the list from her hands and went over it expecting to see extravagant games and ideas, but surprised to see sensible games and a color scheme. I haven't really been to a baby shower before, not recently at least, and don't remember half the stuff they really did.

"So what's the paper say?"

"Hm?" I looked up from the list to see Alia texting in her phone. She looked up at me, an amused smile on her face.

"What's the paper say?" She repeated. Before I could give her an answer, the doorbell rang the same time Alia excused herself to go to the bathroom. Just like when Jafar came to the door, I put the same scarf around my head and checked to see who it was.

"Sorry I'm late," Kareema apologized, waving to her brother and walking in when I widened the door. "My sister isn't feeling the best."

"That's fine. We haven't gotten to the fun part of the sleepover yet. You can put your bag over by the couch."

"Thanks," After putting her bag by the side of the couch, she sat down and took her jacket off, reveling the bright blue pajamas she had on. "Yeah," She smiled sheepishly, looking down at the teddy bears on her pants, "it is way more comfortable than regular pants."

"I would have done the same thing," I told her, smiling in amusement, and remembering the time at the diner. "Are you hungry? Because there is some chicken that my Unmi made, and if you don't eat it now, Alia will defiantly gobble it before Fajr."

With a smile, she nodded. During the few minutes it took for me to prepare another plate of dinner and come back in the room, the tense silence and glares told me I probably shouldn't have left.

"Whoa," Was the first thing I whispered to myself when I took account of Alia's rigid posture, which is saying a lot. All the time I've known my crazy friend, she's been just that; crazy in her own goofy way. And to see her like this, I for one didn't know what to do but stand in between them and hope for the best. "Everything okay?"

"Why is she here?" Alia demanded, still glaring at Kareema, who was as willing to back down as Alia.

"I invited her," I voiced, my eyes widening more when Alia's glare intensified. "Do you two know each other?"

"I wish we didn't," My look of confusion must have given it away, because Alia decided to elaborate. "She's the reason I'm not getting married."

"So now it's my fault that I'm trying to help my brother out from marrying you?" Kareema asked in disbelief.

Brother...

"Just because I'm not perfect like you doesn't mean we can't be together, Kareema. You can't run his life."

"You're right, I can't," Kareema confessed, offering Alia a sweet smile. "But I do have say in whether or not he marries someone like you. You should know that by now."

Oh, boy...

-*-

Speechless.

That's how I feel right now. Never would I have expected today to go like it did, but you'll be amazed at how enexpected life can be. All I did expect from this night, however, was to hang out with a few friends and discuss our plan, nothing like his was suppose to happen.

"Her!" Alia hissed from her spot in the kitchen. After we established Kareema and Alia's connection, she dragged me here in the kitchen to pace and vent, meanwhile I haven't even said a word. What is there to even say? There are always three sides to a story: yours, theirs, and the truth. And lucky me, I haven't heard any of them. I'm as lost as anyone else. But it has to be bad from what I can tell. "Why her?!" Alia turned to me, her eyes full of anger. She let out a frustrated groan and stomped her foot on the ground, only to hop on the other and groan again, this time in pain.

Snapping out of my shock, I rushed towards her, pulled out a chair, and sat her on it.

"Take a deep breath," I said softly, trying to calm her down, but I've never gone through anything like this before. "Lia?" She looked up at me with a blank look in her eyes, silently asking me to continue. "I have no idea what you're going through right now—"

She cut me off with a scoff. "Yeah, because this never happened to you, so no, you don't. She's evil, Jamila. Pure evil."

"I know you're upset—"

She cut me off once again.

"I haven't even told you all the things she has said about me. All the names and made up stories she told her mother to make her go after me. You have no idea."

"Then tell me," I pleaded, looking directly into her eyes. "Don't bottle it up. Just tell me."

I know asking her about the situation is a long shot considering she's such a private person, and the only time she'll actually admit that she's hurting is if you press her hard. Just like with Mu'adh and I, I know she really liked him. She had admitted it to me, and I can see it in her eyes. So imagine my suprise when she opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted at the sound of a voice clearing.

Perfect timing...

"Can we talk?"

"Yeah," I nodded to Kareema, not even concealing my annoyance at the fact that she interrupted us. I then turned to Alia."I'll be back."

She laughed half-heartedly, "I'll be here."

I pursed my lips and stood up from my kneeling position and followed Kareema out to the front room, not sure how I should feel about her. I mean, I've known Alia for years and treat her like a sister. So when she tells me someone—that someone who is in front of me standing awkwardly—bad mouthed her for reasons unknown, it's hard to crack a smile.

"I called my brother," She spoke, "and he'll be here in a few minutes. He's just getting gas."

"Why are you leaving?"

"I came here to help plan s friend of mines baby shower, but," She sucked in a breath, "things changed."

I watched as she went to grab her bag and move to the door when I decided to move into action. They can fued all they want with a valid reason, but I basically promised my brother I would do this with Kareema, and considering she's her sisters proxy—the same sister who is Ayah's cousin—I can't just let her leave.

"Just stay the night? It won't be that bad."

At that moment a knock sounded outside the door, and I went to open it, revealing the one and only brother who caused all of this.

"Is my sister here?"

"I'll be there in a minute, Saeed," Kareema told him, closing the door and turning to me with a smile. "Maybe next time Annie can come?"

"It would only be fitting for you to be here considering, oh, I don't know, you already have a lot of ideas into this."

She laughed.

"Yeah," She adjusted the bag on her shoulder and opened the door, "probably not."

-*-
Jafar:

I watched as Ayah sat down at the dresser in our room and let down her hair, brushing it slowly, my mind reminding me like every other time I see her, that I'm lucky to have her. As I see the small smile she has on her face through the mirror, I get transfixed on the moment the time we had our first sit down, and how nervous I was.

Flashback:

Jafar stood in front of his mirror fixing his hair for the millionth time that night, trying to get it just right, which us surprising, because he's never paid that much attention to his hair before.

And at that moment when he started to have a full blown argument with his locks, Jamila pushed the door open, a wide grin plastered on her face.

"Your hair?" She questioned, walking forward so she was standing to the side of him, looking at him in the mirror. "Since when?"

"Now I guess," He mumbled, giving up on it in frustration and going through his drawer looking for a kufi to throw on. "How do I look?"

Jamila held two thumbs up, rolling her lips into her mouth to keep from laughing. "You need to breathe," she told him, "It's not like you don't know her."

"That's the thing, I don't."

"You do. Just be yourself, not a lot like yourself, but yeah, yourself."

"And if that doesn't work?"

Jamila shrugged. "Her loss."

End of flashback

But the truth is, it would've been my loss.

Wasim: He's set on doing this. Why are you against it?"

Jafar: I'm not. I just don't want to see this turn into another thirty years.

Wasim: That's why we're going. You're going right?

"What has you so concentrated?" I looked up from my phone to see Ayah already laid down in the bed beside me, a smile on her face.

"Wasim."

"Bad news?"

Jafar: Yeah I'm in. just get back to me with the details.

I shook my head and placed my phone on the side table, then moved to a laying position.

"Just regular brother stuff. Nothing to worry about."

"I want the baby to have your eyes," She suddenly blurted out, and I had to stop myself from laughing at her expression to what she called out. "It's just that I've been thinking about what the baby will look like."

"Hopefully it will have its mothers beautiful looks."

"I don't want that," She stated. "If it's a girl, I want her to have your eyes and nose. You have a cute nose."

I shook my head in a silent chuckle. Where does she come up with this stuff?

"What about the nursery? Do you have any colors?"

Ayah nodded eagerly, getting into a sitting position.

"If it's a girl," She started off, the widest smile I've ever seen on her face, "I want the room to be a purple, not pink, no. I want there to be a butterfly print on the top of the walls for her to look at."

"And a boy?"

"Hmm..."She tapped her chin in a thinking way. "Red and white with race cars on the crib. What about you?"

"I want whatever you want."

She scoffed, moving back down to a laying position and giving me a pointed glare.

"You don't have any preferences?"

"I said mine, and only Allah can grant that, Insha Allah."

"Insha Allah."

-*-
Ayah:
December 11th

"Are you warm enough?"

"With the heat on blast?" I asked in amusement. "I think so."

"You think?"

"Yes," I rolled my eyes, giving a sweet smile, "I'm very toasty."

"Good. Because it's like eighty degrees outside."

I laughed. "That's hot!"

"Not for you," Jafar protested, taking quick glances at me before returning to the road ahead of him. "There are two of you now. That means you need twice as much heat."

"Says who?" I asked in disbelief. Never have I ever heard of this before, which has me questioning whether or not Jafar is making this up so I'll just go along with it.

"We're here," He announced, looking at me in a you better not open that door look. But me being me, I rolled my eyes at his antics and pushed it open, walking as quickly as I can to the house so he won't lecture me on the look again.

"Hey!" I greeted Jamila excitedly, walking by her and into the house. "You ready?"

"Why does Jafar look like you took away his favorite toy?" She asked, and I tried my best to hide my smile, but my lips kept turning upward in a grin.

"I don't know," I said casually, looking at both siblings: one which had a look of confusion, and the other of playful anger. "Why are you frowning, dear husband?"

Ignoring my playfulness, he turned to his sister.

"You ready?"

"I'm not going," She stated, taking the scarf off of her head and moving to sit on the couch, her arms folded.

"Why not?" I questioned, taking a seat besides her. Since she would be home alone for a few weeks, we volunteered for her to come with us to visit my cousin. She was excited to take a so called road trip, but now she changed her mind.

"Somethings come up that I need to take in."

"Does this have something to do with him again?" Jafar asked, and Jamila shook her head.

"Then what?" I asked. "No more secrets, remember?"

"But it's not even my business," She told me, "and going will only stress out the situation for me."

I know this mood that she's in. It's her usual I want to talk about it but my brothers right there look. Jafar must have gotten it, because he nodded in understanding and excused himself to go outside.

"Now that your brothers outside," I said, and she turned to me, "will you tell me?"

She nodded, sitting up. "I'll try."

-*-
Jamila:

In middle school, a lot went down with Alia and I, especially within our group. Living in a small town with 95% of the population being non Muslim and only about three kids a school that are Muslim, we always stuck together. We kept each other's secrets, had countless sleepovers, and not to mention she's the one who aided Mu'adh and I when we first started talking. We've been through a lot.

"Wow..."

"Yeah," I chuckled, "my reaction exactly. Please don't say anything. I barely got this out of her. She looked so angry and lost that I was literally speechless!"

"Maybe Kareema had a good reason as to why she did that, or if she did."

"You think Alia's lying?" I asked in disbelief.

Ayah shrugged. "Who knows. But what we both know is that there is a story, and it's nothing short of complicated. And if you come with us, you can get closer to the truth."

"So, like, spy on them?"

"Not exactly," Ayah tried, and I just smirked at her until she gave up. "We're just asking discreet questions. No biggie."

I sighed and stood up. "I hope not."

-*-

Random Question: What color is the dress? (I see white and gold)

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