by Leslie North
“She said that? Oh, she has lost her mind.”
“The way the two of you were looking at each other, I was expecting the situation to turn physical,” Sara said. Soraya handed Aaliyah Leylah's spoon so she could feed her little niece.
* * * *
Fiddah walked into the living room where Faiza was sitting with Amir's parents. Faiza stood up to greet Fiddah but was dismissed. Fiddah was not in the mood. She seemed angry. “Faiza, go home,” she said as she sat down. She sat opposite Mrs. Botros. Faiza was confused.
“Just go speak with Amir,” Mrs. Botros encouraged Faiza. She nodded and left the room immediately.
“Daaliyah, this has gone too far,” Fiddah said to Amir's mother. She grimaced when she heard Fiddah's words. “This is ridiculous. You cannot force him to marry her. For goodness sake, you know that he loves Soraya and she loves him. What are you trying to do?” she added. Mr. Botros could see that his mother was not pleased. She rarely lost her temper except when it involved her grandchildren.
“He has a son. He needs to be the father to that little boy,” Mrs. Botros said.
“He can do so without marrying Faiza," Fiddah turned her attention to her son. “I am disappointed in you. You let this go on,” she said to him.
“Mother, I never in any way encouraged this talk of marriage,” Mr. Botros defended himself.
“You did nothing to stop it either.”
“Marriage is the best thing to do,” Mrs. Botros said.
“For whom?” Fiddah asked. She did not, for one second, believe it was the best thing. Amir did not like the idea. She supported him on it.
“For all of them.”
“And the family?”
Mrs. Botros nodded. Fiddah stood up.
“Whether he marries her or not will not affect the family name in anyway. Daaliyah, leave him alone, I am warning you.” Fiddah left the room. Mrs. Botros sighed and rubbed her face. Her husband pulled her into an embrace and kissed her forehead.
“You must let this go my love. You know Amir will only despise you. He won't marry her, don't force it upon him,” Mr. Botros said softly. He had tried to stop his wife from the beginning but she seemed so adamant about it. He did not understand why.
Upon exit, Faiza bumped into Amir and Tariq. The two of them were not pleased to see her. She rubbed Amir's arm and greeted him.
“You keeping coming over,” Amir said to her.
“Your mother summoned me,” Faiza replied.
“And I suppose she compelled you to disrespect Soraya.”
Faiza exhaled sharply and ran her hand through her hair. “Of course she told you,” she said. “She seemed like the type to run to her boyfriend to fight her battles.”
“She did not say anything to me, but your response answers my question.” Aaliyah was the one who had actually informed Amir and Tariq, but he was not going to share that with Faiza.
Faiza was feeling angry and emotional. She really did love Amir but never told him. When they were together, their intimacy was a matter of convenience. On one occasion, they joked about what their marriage would be like. That was when she started to see him differently. She fell in love with him when he fought for her honour. A man had insulted her and Amir defended her. The week after, she found out that she was pregnant with his child. Now, here she was having the opportunity to marry him but there was a human obstacle that he claimed to love.
“Faiza, I am not going to marry you. You need to understand that. Coming here every day and plotting with my mother is not going to change my mind. It will only make me resent the two of you. This would have been avoided had you told me three years ago.”
“I had my reason!”
“What is the reason you keep jabbering about?”
Tariq was feeling awkward. This was not a conversation he was meant to witness. The two of them were fuming. Their voices were raised.
“You loved me at one point, you can't deny it,” Faiza's face was turning red. She was almost in tears.
“Once again, loved, past tense. What is your reason?”
“Why can't you love me once more?”
“I love Soraya, what is your damn reason that you hold so precious to your heart?”
“Ask your mother!”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“She wanted me to get rid of the baby.” Tears flowed down Faiza's cheeks. Tariq's eyes flew open. Amir was frozen. That did not make sense at all. Faiza ran her hand through her hair and walked out. She was too emotional to carry on the conversation.
Amir stormed into the living room where his parents were. They both looked up at him. He stopped right in front of his mother. “Mother, what is the main reason that you want this marriage so badly,” he asked her.
“Asim needs to grow up with his father. You need to give him that and also keep our family honour intact,” his mother replied.
“So it's not your guilty conscience?”
“What guilty conscience?”
“Did you know Faiza was pregnant three years ago?”
“How would she know?” his father asked. He had no idea what was happening.
“Mother!” Amir shouted.
“Yes,” she replied and burst into tears.
“So, you did ask her to abort the baby. I can't believe you would do such a thing,” Amir said and spun on his heel. He was too angry to continue speaking with his mother.
He stopped halfway and looked at her. “THAT WAS MY FLESH YOU WERE WILLING TO KILL!” he shouted. He kicked the vase near the door before leaving the room. It hit the wall and smashed into pieces. His mother jumped at the violence. Mr. Botros sat there quietly. He was riddled with shock and disgust at his wife.
Chapter 14
The house had turned into a battlefield. First, there was the argument between Soraya and Faiza. Then, there was the bombshell Faiza dropped on her way out. Mr. Botros was not impressed with what he had found out about his wife, so he left the house. Amir had also left, as he was too outraged. Aaliyah and Malik were sitting outside in the courtyard. Soraya sat in Amir's room waiting for him. Sara and Tariq were in their room. Leylah was in her room sleeping.
Fiddah found her daughter-in-law sitting in her bedroom. Fiddah stood in the doorway. She did not even know where to begin.
“Fiddah, I know I was wrong,” Mrs. Botros said before Fiddah could say anything. “I wanted to right my wrong by marrying them,” she added. Fiddah shook her head and walked into the room. She sat down next to her.
“What was so wrong about her carrying his child that made you want her to abort?” Fiddah asked.
“A baby out of wedlock would tarnish our family name.”
“Those old traditions. Yes, it’s frowned upon to have a baby out of wedlock but abortion is even more disgraceful and I am so disappointed in you. That's your grandson.”
“I know and I am ashamed of myself. I wanted them to marry so that he didn't have to find out what I did.” Amir's mother wiped her tears and looked at Fiddah. “I didn't like Faiza or her family. I know that is no excuse but even Faiza herself did not want to keep it. I knew she loved Amir and she was going to use the pregnancy as a way to keep him in her life.” Mrs. Botros shook her head. She realised her own foolishness and where it had landed her.
“Daaliyah, you have to make this right if you don't want to lose your son,” Fiddah stood up and left. There was nothing more for her to say. She was disappointed and disgusted in her daughter-in-law.
* * * *
The next couple of days were frosty. Everyone was walking around on eggshells, avoiding each other. Mrs. Botros had tried to apologise to Amir but he was not ready to hear it. His mother's actions were hard for him to process. His father was the only one speaking to her normally. Tariq was staying clear from the whole situation. Luckily for everyone, their stay in Salma City was coming to an end. They all had had enough of tiptoeing around each other and being in the same house.
The day before departure, Amir a
nd Sara had been absent all morning. They finally returned in the afternoon. Sara was giggling and in a good mood. She was also carrying shopping bags. Tariq raised his eyebrow. “What is wrong with her?” he asked.
Sara nudged Amir. “Tell him,” she said to him. Amir reached in his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. He passed it to Tariq. He took the box from his brother and opened it. There was a ring set, an engagement ring with a large square diamond in the middle and a matching wedding band. Both were white gold, simple but elegant. There was a small dedication inside the wedding band, “Soraya, the keeper of my heart.”
“I was wondering when you were going to do it,” Tariq said to Amir.
“What do you mean?” Amir asked.
“It was obvious that she was the one for you. I have never seen you into a woman this much. Congratulations, brother.”
“Hey, no congratulations yet, she hasn't said yes.”
“She will,” Sara said and hugged him. She knew how much Soraya loved him and how crazy she was for him. Amir put the box back in his pocket.
One of the servants approached them and announced Faiza's arrival. The three all looked at each other. They could not handle any more drama.
“I come in peace,” she said with her hands up in the air. Sara excused herself. She grabbed Tariq's hand as she walked off. “Look, I simply want to call a truce,” Faiza said.
“What changed your mind?” Amir asked her.
“I came back to reality. If we ever had a chance, it would have been three years ago but things are different now. I missed my chance and completely messed things up in regards to our son. I can't change that now but I can change how I handle things from now on.”
“I did not think you would give up this easily.”
Faiza smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “You can have Asim for a weekend every month to start. Is that okay?” she asked him. He nodded silently. She smiled and walked off. Soraya was lucky to have him. Faiza wished she had done things differently.
“I am sorry for what my mother did,” Amir shouted out to her. It must have been hard for her to deal with that.
“Thanks,” she replied and carried on walking.
* * *
Aaliyah and Sara told Soraya that they wanted to prepare her for a date with Amir. She had a scented bath. After the bath, Aaliyah forced her into a chair. “Let's take care of them caterpillars,” she said referring to Soraya's eyebrows. Aaliyah threaded them for her and nicely shaped them. Soraya complained about the pain all the way through. Her face was slightly red afterward, but it was quickly covered with make-up. Sara handed Soraya one of the shopping bags and asked her to wear the dress. Sara and Aaliyah also changed. They were wearing long, satin cobalt-blue dresses.
“You're changing also?” Soraya was completely confused.
“You look lovely,” Sara said smiling at Soraya. “Let's go,” she added and left the room. Soraya looked at Aaliyah who was also smiling at her. She frowned and walked out the door. The two of them were acting stranger than usual.
They finally got to the secluded garden where Fiddah once took them when they first got there. Sara and Aaliyah let Soraya walk in alone. There was a trail of red rose petals leading up to Amir. He stood there in a black tuxedo. Soraya's legs felt stiff as she walked towards him.
“What is going on?” She asked as she approached him. He was staring at her speechless. She was wearing a white satin dress that accentuated her curves. Her hair was down and wavy. He kissed her on both cheeks.
“You look gorgeous,” he said as his voice trembled.
“Thank you and so do you.”
He smiled at her nervously. “You are the love of my life,” he said to her. This was the first time he had ever been nervous around her. “I…I never thought I could love someone this much.... Th that word, love, was meaningless before I met you. This whole situation with Faiza, I only made it through because you let me lean on you. You did not leave me, instead you gave me strength and courage,” he said. He never stuttered so much. He was so nervous.
Soraya gave him half a smile. She felt both shy and nervous. She had never seen this nervous schoolboy side of him. Her eyes flew open when Amir dropped to one knee and held her hands. “Soraya, I love you so much. More than I can express to you. You are my life.” He took a deep breath and slipped his hand into his pocket. He pulled out the box and opened it. Soraya's jaw dropped open. “Soraya, my habibti, will you marry me?” he asked. Soraya was frozen. She had not expected this at all. Tears flowed freely. Usually she fought her tears when she was in his presence but this time she couldn't.
“Soraya?” Amir said her name softly.
“Are you sure?” she asked. Amir laughed. That was a unique response. He nodded. Soraya exhaled loudly and wiped her tears. She nodded at him and started laughing.
“Yes, I will marry you,” she nodded. He slipped the ring on her finger. He got to his feet and kissed her.
“Finally!” Sara shouted as she opened the gate. Soraya turned around and smiled at her. Sara hugged her. She also hugged Amir. “I have never seen you nervous,” she said to him. His family and Soraya's walked in cheering. Soraya gasped and put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, Soraya, we are having the wedding now,” Sara said to her.
Amir was already looking at her, thinking of how lucky and happy he was. This was the best decision he had ever made in his life and he would treasure it and Soraya always.
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Julia Thompson sat at the bar and watched the crowded dance floor, once again trying to find her best friend, Tonya, amidst the masses of writhing bodies. She pushed her glasses up on her nose, and her brown hair off her forehead, fanning herself to move the air around.
It was Friday night and they were supposed to be celebrating Julia having won the coveted exchange position in her company. Every year, three employees from the American-based mining company traded placed with three employees from the Russian-based mining company. Prior to this year, all of the exchange positions had been filled with men, but Julia had proven that she could hold her own in the financial world. Much to her counter-part’s dismay, she had been given the chance to fill the position for the upcoming year. She would be leaving for Russia within the next few weeks and needed a break before the madness of preparing to leave the US for a year began.
She had been ecstatic and she and Tonya had gone out to celebrate. The hottest nightclub in the city was DYSH and they had waited for thirty minutes to gain access to the inside. The crowd was to be expected so early on a Friday evening, and Julia hoped that as the night progressed, the people would begin to thin out.
She loved to dance, but being pressed up against five other people while she did so was not her idea of a good time.
While she waited for Tonya to return, she glanced around the large room once more, focusing once again on the group of good-looking men sitting at the corner table. They were all tall, with dark hair, and great physiques. The two younger men kept going out on the dance floor, but the third ma
n simply watched.
Feeling someone staring at him, Dmitry raised his head and once again caught the young woman sitting at the bar looking directly at him. He raised an eyebrow at her and then smiled when she held his gaze and didn’t look away.
Julia wasn’t sure why she kept staring at him. He gave off an aura of power and danger, but she was feeling on top of the world at the moment, and the alcohol buzzing through her system helped her project a confidence she normally didn’t have.
Dmitry motioned with his head for her to come to him, pleased when she slipped from the stool and sauntered over to him, a small smile upon her face. “Hi,” she said when she was standing next to his table.
“Hello. Would you care to join me?”