Blessed With Love (The Sisters of Rosefield Series Book 6)

by Emma Easter

  “What are you thinking about?”

  He lifted his brows and focused his attention completely on Zainah. “I was just thinking about how happy I am to be married to you and to live here.” He reached out and pulled Zainah into his arms. “I was also thinking about my sisters. I miss them terribly. I don’t think I would ever want to move back to America again, but I wouldn’t mind seeing them and hugging them again. I miss that.”

  Zainah ran her fingers through his hair and said, “I know, Faizan. I wish there was a way you could go and visit them or they could come here.”

  Faizan sighed. “The US government won’t let that happen.”

  Zainah smiled sadly. “I feel as though I am to blame for what happened. If I had not gone back to Mali, you would still be in America with your sisters.”

  He shook his head. “And have to live without you? Never! Besides, you had no choice. You had to return to Mali when you did. And I have never been as happy in my life as I am right now with you. I miss my sisters, but I cannot live without you.” He smiled as he put his hand on her stomach again and then leaned in to kiss her on the lips.

  Zainah smiled when he pulled away. “I love you with all my heart, Faizan,” she said.

  He grinned and kissed her again, and then took her hand and said, “Let’s go for a walk.”

  Zainah chuckled. She looked around the camp and waved her hand, “Where are we going in this vast, crazy desert?”

  Faizan looked back at the tents near theirs. Women milled around the camp. Some were weaving colorful rugs on their looms, others doing various chores, while some stood in front of their tents, chatting and laughing. A few young children played together in the sand. He looked at Zainah again and said, “Who knows, we might discover something we have never seen before.” He laughed. “We could discover some hidden treasure.”

  She laughed along with him. “The only thing we will discover is more sand.”

  He wrapped his arm around her waist and she threw her arm around his. They walked away from the camp, talking and laughing as they usually did when they were together. They walked for a long time, chatting about random things, and then Zainah suddenly stopped. “Let’s go back, Faizan,” she said. “If we keep walking on, we might get lost.”

  Faizan said, “We are not going to get lost, Zainah. I have lived in the desert for years. I think I can trace our way back to the camp easily.”

  Zainah said, “It’s not just that. I promised Leila that I would spend some time with her this evening. Yesterday, she told me she misses me. Imagine that.”

  Faizan raised his brows. “How can she miss you when you both live in the same place?”

  Zainah stopped walking and said, “Since she came back to the camp two years ago, after she and Malik broke up, she hasn’t been herself really. She seems really skeptical about everything and she complains constantly that I don’t spend enough time with her the way I used to before I got married. I just want to reassure her that I still love her and that she’s still my best friend.”

  “I thought I was your best friend,” Faizan said, pretending to sulk.

  “Okay, she’s my second-best friend.”

  “That’s better,” Faizan said, grinning.

  “I am serious, Faizan. Leila needs me.”

  Faizan stopped smiling and nodded. “I understand.”

  Zainah dug a hole in the sand with her sandals. “I feel so sorry for Leila. She still refuses to tell me everything that happened after she went to see Malik at the farm.”

  “I know I might sound slightly insensitive,” Faizan said, “but I really think it’s time Leila got over it all. It has been two years. She needs to move on.”

  Zainah smiled sadly and said, “Move on to where or who, Faizan? Do you see any other men around here except for you? Leila’s dream was always to get married and have a family. She even wanted it for herself more than I did. I think she is a little resentful of me because I found you and she doesn’t have anyone. Her dream of getting married and starting a family is lost now, so you can’t really blame her for how she feels.”

  Faizan pressed his lips together and then said, “I shouldn’t have said what I did. I guess I don’t understand what Leila is going through. I wish there were more men here, but at the same time, the camp is a wonderful place and the women are the nicest people on Earth. She has you and she has other friends, too. It’s not the same thing as having a loving spouse, but it still comes close.”

  “Does it, Faizan? I love the women at the camp, but the love I have for you is so different and so deep. You are a part of me. I don’t think the way I feel about any of the women… even Leila, comes close to how I feel about you.”

  Faizan gazed at her, feeling too overwhelmed to speak. Finally, with a voice choked with emotion, he said, “I feel the same way about you, Zainah.” He took her hand and kissed each of her fingers. “I guess you are right and now I feel really bad for Leila.”

  Zainah sighed. “Besides, she wants children and she needs a husband for that.”

  Faizan nodded.

  They continued to walk and Faizan told Zainah how much happiness being married to her had brought him. After that, they talked about Rosefield, reminiscing about the small American town. After a while, Faizan looked up and said, “The sun is beginning to set, Zainah. You’re right. We should start heading back.”

  He started to turn around, but Zainah said, “Wait. Let’s stay and watch the sunset.”

  They held on tightly to each other while looking up as the sun gradually disappeared from the sky. After that, they started to turn around again, but Faizan frowned as something caught his eye. “Look, Zainah!” He pointed at what looked like flames some distance away from where they were. “Is that a fire I see in the distance?”

  Zainah craned her neck and then blinked. “Let’s turn back. It might be dangerous for us to go there.”

  “What if it’s a plane crash or something like that? If you had not come to rescue me when you did, I would be dead now.”

  Zainah didn’t speak for a long moment and then nodded. “Okay, let’s go and see what it is.”

  They began to walk toward the fire. The closer they got, the more certain they were that it was not a crash. Soon, they found it was fire from a stack of wood on which sat a massive smoky pot. Clearly, someone was around somewhere cooking whatever was inside this pot.

  Faizan said, “Someone lives here.”

  Zainah shook her head. “Not someone. Some people. This pot is huge. The food being cooked in it is not for just for one person.”

  They continued to walk toward the pot on the fire and immediately stopped when they saw men dressed in white tunics and pants milling around various tents, tents similar to the ones at the women’s camp.

  Zainah gasped. “Faizan, a men’s camp!”

  Faizan looked around the camp. Zainah was right. As far as he could see, there were only men here. There were about two dozen tents and men came in and out of them. The camp was not as large as the women’s camp, but there were still quite a few people here.

  Zainah grabbed Faizan’s hand and whispered, “Let’s leave before they see us!”

  One of the men suddenly turned in their direction and it seemed like that prompted all of them to do that.

  “Oh no! They have seen us,” Zainah whispered harshly, still clutching Faizan’s hand. “Let’s go now, Faizan!”

  “Wait, Zainah,” Faizan said. “I know dangerous men when I see them and these men don’t look like they are dangerous.” Still, he knew he had to be careful. Looks could be deceiving.

  All the men were looking at them now. The expressions on their faces varied from surprise to curiosity. A few even looked fearful. One of them, a man who looked around fifty, walked toward them, a look of curiosity on his face. The man carried himself with authority and humility at the same time. He seemed as though he was the leader of these men.

  Faizan held tightly to Zainah’s hand and stood his ground. />
  “Are you friend or foe?” the man asked, looking at him.

  Faizan narrowed his eyes and said in a grim voice, “Neither. It depends on you. If you are a friend, then I am. But if you are not, then you will live to regret ever meeting me.”

  Zainah squeezed his hand. He was surprised when she said in a sweet voice, “We are friends. Can you tell us who you are?”

  The man glanced briefly at her and then looked at Faizan again. “We call ourselves ‘the friends of Christ’ and arrived here about a week ago.” He turned around and waved his hand around his camp. “As you can see, none of us pose any threat to you or your loved ones.”

  Faizan stared at him for a full minute and then nodded. In these parts, it could sometimes be dangerous to refer to oneself as “Christ’s friend” the way the man had. They were most definitely genuine. He gave the man a small smile and said, “Anyone who is a friend of Christ is my friend.”

  The man’s uncertain demeanor suddenly changed. Faizan’s eyes widened in surprise when the man came forward and gave him a bear hug. The older man glanced at Zainah again but quickly averted his gaze as though she were just a fixture at his side. When Faizan turned to look at Zainah, she seemed slightly put off.

  The man said to Faizan, “I am so glad to know you are a friend of Christ. I would invite you into the camp but unfortunately I can’t because of her.” He did not look at Zainah.

  Faizan said, “I can’t come into the camp because of my wife?”

  The man said in a kind but firm voice, “I’m sorry. I hope you aren’t offended. We left the world and everything in it, especially women, so we can fully focus on our faith and our relationship with God.”

  Faizan looked at Zainah again. She still had a smile on her face, but he knew her. The smile was just a camouflage for her true feelings. He asked the man cautiously, “May I come and visit you again tomorrow? Alone?” He did not dare look at Zainah again.

  The man smiled widely. “Yes! We would love that!”

  Faizan smiled once more at the man and said, “Thank you. I guess my wife and I have to go now.”

  “Do you live around here?” the man asked.

  Faizan considered his question for a few seconds and decided to conceal the truth, as he wasn’t totally sure he could fully trust any of the men in this camp yet. Plus, he was certain it wasn’t a good idea to let the men here know there was a camp full of women not far away. He answered simply, “We both live somewhere far from here.”

  After the men said goodbye, Faizan turned around and walked away from the camp with Zainah. He said nothing to her, afraid of what she was going to say. But after a while, he could not take the silence anymore. “Can you believe there’s a camp not far from ours? And a men’s camp, for that matter. Best of all, they are followers of Christ as well.”

  Zainah nodded, the expression on her face thoughtful.

  Wondering what was on her mind, he asked slowly, “Do you mind if I go and see them tomorrow without you?” He sighed. “You know what, I won’t go since they don’t want you there.”

  Zainah stopped walking and turned to him. “No, you should go. I understand why they don’t want me to come into their camp. Our camp is a women’s camp and though not as strict as theirs, men are not exactly allowed to live there.”

  “But I live there,” he said.

  She gave him a tired smile. “Yes, my love. You are different… but we don’t make a habit of letting men stay in the camp.”

  He wanted to go to the men’s camp but if she was uncomfortable in any way about it, he would not go. He told her so.

  “I understand their reason for not wanting women at their camp,” Zainah said. “Women might be a distraction to them, just like men would be at our camp.”

  “But I am not a distraction,” he said.

  “Yes you are, Faizan. I see the way many of the women at the camp look at you.”

  He winked at her and chuckled. “So you’re jealous?”

  “I’m not,” she answered. “They know you belong to me. None of them will do anything untoward. Anyway, you can go to the men’s camp without me anytime you want.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell anyone yet about the men’s camp… even Leila. If you tell Leila, she might tell someone else, who will in turn tell another person. Soon, everyone at the camp will know. The women can be very curious. They will search out the men’s camp.” He grinned. “I can just imagine how those men will look when women suddenly invade their camp.”

  Zainah laughed. “I can see it too. It’s so funny to me. The very thing they are trying to run away from infests their camp.”

  Faizan shook his head. “Infests? It’s not funny, Zainah.” But he couldn’t help laughing along with her.

  They got to the camp as the stars began to peek out of the sky. Miriam ran to them with worry clearly written on her face. “Where have you both been?”

  “We went for a walk,” Zainah said.

  “I sent Leila and Halima to look for you, but they didn’t find you.”

  “I’m sorry, Miriam,” Faizan said. “I was the one who led Zainah farther away from the camp than I should have.”

  “You had a call,” Miriam said. “From your brother-in-law, Ken. That’s why I was looking for you everywhere. It was very important.”

  Faizan raised his brows and his heart began to drum. “What did Ken say?”

  Miriam answered, “He told me to let you know that they have finally been given permission to come visit you.”

  Faizan’s mouth fell open and he hollered in excitement. “Oh, thank you, Lord!” He turned and hugged Zainah.

  “There’s more,” Miriam said. “Ken said they would all be coming soon. Maybe even next week.”

  Faizan’s jaw dropped. “Next week! Wow! Okay then. We have to prepare for their arrival.”

  Miriam said, “About that, Faizan. It won’t be possible for all of them to stay here.”

  Faizan frowned. “Why not?”

  “Because this is a women’s camp, Faizan. Even though you are a man, you became a part of the camp ever since we rescued you from that plane crash and you married our Zainah.” She smiled.

  Faizan put his hand on his head and thought how ironic and strange it was that he and Zainah had just encountered almost the exact same thing back at the men’s camp. Maybe he’d entered an alternate universe.

  “I’m sorry,” Miriam said.

  Faizan rubbed his head and said, “Did you tell Ken they couldn’t come here?”

  “No,” Miriam answered. “I’m leaving that to you.” A wry smile appeared on her face and she left before he could say anything.

  “Thanks a lot, Miriam,” he said under his breath.

  Zainah took his hand and said, “Wow! This is just strange. Miriam just repeated almost the same thing that man at the men’s camp told us.”

  Faizan said, “Maybe the Lord is trying to say something… but I don’t know what.”

  Zainah put her hands around him, kissed him, and said, “I’ll see you at dinner, honey. Let me go and see Leila now.”

  “Do you have to go?” he muttered, holding on to her. “I know something else we can do right before dinner.”

  She shook her head and giggled. “No, Faizan. Not now.” She tried to extricate herself from him. “You see what I told you earlier. You are such a distraction.”

  He chuckled. “Okay, but I am a good distraction.”

  She finally escaped his grasp and said, “Yes, you are. But a distraction still.”

  “And you are a distraction, too,” he said as she walked away. He laughed as she began to sway her hips in an exaggerated way. He shook his head after she disappeared from sight and then his stomach bubbled up with excitement. Finally, his sisters could come and visit him. He would finally get to see them in person and hug them. He would be able to share his idyllic life at the camp with them. Unfortunately, their husbands would not be able to come. Thanks to Miriam,
he had the unsavory job of telling them that. He would have to wait until Ken called again before he could tell him.

  Chapter Three

  Leila looked up as Zainah walked into the tent she shared with Halima and Binta. Her tent was at the edge of the camp and, being very pregnant, it must have taken Zainah some time to get here. She smiled as Zainah waved at the other women in greeting and then walked toward her corner of the tent. “Should I sing a song of thanksgiving to God?” Leila asked as Zainah reached her. “I’m surprised you actually came.”

  “Of course I came,” Zainah said. “Why wouldn’t I come, Leila? I promised you I would.”

  Leila shrugged as Zainah slowly lowered herself onto one of the rugs on the floor. Two big kerosene lanterns stood at both ends of the tent, illuminating Zainah’s pretty face. “I wasn’t sure you would come,” Leila said. “You and Faizan are joined at the hip. You never leave each other’s side.”

  Zainah raised her brows. “That is because we are married, Leila. It’s what sometimes happens when you are happily married.”

  Leila winced inwardly as she felt a slice of pain go through her. Zainah had exactly what she wanted but could never have; what she had dreamed about all her life. Now, she had given up on everything regarding love and marriage and having kids of her own. Still, Zainah’s marriage to Faizan and their intense love for each other was hard to watch. It reminded her of Malik and what they had shared, which was now lost forever. Her marriage to Dauda had been dissolved more than a year ago and she had known she would never get married again. Not living at this camp.

  “I’m sorry, Leila,” Zainah said. “I shouldn’t have said that, knowing how much you are still struggling.”

  Leila shrugged and pretended she was okay. “It’s nothing.”

  Zainah smiled at Leila. “I have something to tell you, but it’s a secret. You have to promise not to tell anyone.” She looked toward Halima and Binta who were on the other side of the tent, and then looked at Leila. “Faizan would kill me for telling you.”

  Leila sat down beside Zainah, her curiosity rising at the excited look on Zainah’s face.