The feeling of being covered that she felt was out of the world, she felt secured!
She felt covered!
She felt pure!
She felt so relieved
And she keep smiling at herself that morning as she find her way to work.
She know her boss will be surprised and she was as soon as saw her.
“Oh ma Sha Allah, this is beautiful.” She said to her.
“Take that wrapper you use for Salah in the store and tie it round your body so as not to stain your dress while you work.” She said to her and she nodded. She didn’t even thought of that.
She smiled at herself as she continue mobbing the kitchen tiles, she had come so early that morning, even though she didn’t know how best to say it, she felt different with her hijab and Abaya and that very first morning she put it on to work, she swore never to wear any short dress again.
Perhaps she should just look for who to give, her sister refused to wear hers , so she already have a spare... she can wear one alternatively.
“Who is this?” she heard Hikmah’s voice behind her and she smiled then turn to look at her, she know she would also be surprise to see her new outfit.
“You?” Hikmah asked looking at her all over.
“Yes Anti.” She said to him.
“Well, this look better on you.” She finally said with a nod and Ashabi smiled and watched her leave the kitchen and she returned back to her work. She left the house and return back to the store and that day every one who come by the store to buy some things were amazed at her transformation.
She opened her eyes and saw her husband still awake and she wondered why, her eyes went to the wall clock on the wall , it was just two in the morning and she know it was so unusual of him to be awake at such time when he would go to work early that morning.
“Abu Hikmah... You aren’t sleeping ? Why?” she asked and changed her posture to a sitting position like her husband and faced him.
“I can’t sleep.” He said to her and she nodded.
“I can see that.” She said to him and he nodded.
“Abu Ruqayyah visited me at work today, he had told me there is something we need to discuss about and so I was not surprise to see him.” He started.
“You mean your friend?” She asked her husband to be sure and he nodded.
“He brought a wedding proposal for Hikmah.” He said to her and her heart missed a beat.
“He want Adnan and Hikmah to get married.” He said to his wife.
“I hope you rejected the proposal.” His wife asked him.
“Reject? Why will I do that? He is my friend ... And they are good family , Hikmah is just like their daughter.” He said to his wife.
“And Adnan is just like our son.” He said.
“So why are you not sleeping over the issue if that is how it is ?” his wife asked him.
“That boy is ...” He tried to say.
“Is a sickler ...we all know... How will my daughter get married to someone like that and become a widow at such a young age? Audhu billahi minas shaytani rajeem.” She said shaking her head in refusal.
“That will not happen.” She said to him.
“We are not accepting the proposal ooo, if you can’t tell them, let me say it to their face. We love them and love their son but I will not let my daughter marry someone like him and be a widow at such a young age. “ She said.
“lower your voice ... Please ...” He cautioned and she swallowed hard
She bent and served them the drink and food, she was about to leave when his voice stop her.
“Yes, we have met before ... In the village... My customer ... , hmmm with the beautiful name ... Yasmina... Sure you are Yasmina. How can I forget it?” He said and that was when she turned and saw him smiling beside Idris ...
Oh,
“As salamualykum waramotullah wabarakatuh sir...” She greeted him cheerfully and left the room to go back to the store.
It was a weekday and she wonder why Idris didn’t go to work. She struggled and opened the store, she had closed it briefly to go prepare some food for the two friends, her madam was out of town and it been five months of her stay with the family and seem to have so much faith in her to have left the house and store responsibility for her.
Cooking for the house is easier as there is a weekly food plan and all she need to do was to check through and cook was it says, she does not prepare breakfast as everyone seem to be on the rush to leave the house except Hikmah who had now completed her degree and was waiting for the mobilization list.
They barely have anything to talk about and she barely leave her room and the other family members seem to have been use to her being at home as if she is not.
She had never met someone as lazy as she was and sometimes she wonder if she could cook at all.
What is my problem, if she can, I might not be here...
She smiled at herself and stood up to attend to a customer.
Back In the living room,
“Where do you know the Ashabi from?” Idris asked his friend with curiosity.
“She was in my village for a while, she sells pure water... and i do buy from her every time.” He said to his friend and he nodded.
“Hmm, and you seem you know her more than that...” His friend said and he shook his head.
“Not really but each time I see her, I always felt the urge to help her , she was a teenager , struggling to survive, sometimes I buy more than I want to and most of the time, I just give up my change, I wonder what her parents might be doing for such a young girl like that to have to come through all that. And now that she is here? I just can’t believe it ...what does she do here exactly?” He asked his friend.
“She helps with Mum store and the house... She does not sleep here...she comes in the morning and leaves in the evening. she is an Orphan.” His friend explained and Adnan sighed.
Such a poor girl. He thought ,
“And there seem to be a lot of changes in her too, at the village, she does not use any headcover...” He said impressed, he was glad to see her changed and that was why he could not recognise her quickly, how could he expect her to be that covered, she was in a black abaya and a hijab.
“I think she was like that too when she started to work here... But I don’t really notice anything in her, you know I am hardly home...anyways enough of Ashabi, tell me what you are up to.” He asked his friend who had been out of town for a while for a treatment, being a sickle cell anaemia, he always go for thorough body treatment for at least a month at the popular anaemia clinic in India and this had reduced his health crises to the bearest minimum, he does not have them like he usually does when he was young and his parents were glad.
“Alihamdulilah, I am back, Hale and hearty again.” He said with smiles.
“Glad to see you bro.” Idris said.
“And you?” Adnan asked
“Enjoying my vacation in peace.” He said and stretched his legs.
“Ma sha Allah, does that mean we can go visit my grandparents in the village this weekend?” He asked his friend
“Sure bro, I am doing nothing at home.” He said
“And your sis, Hikmah, is she not home?” Adnan asked.
“Yes she is, but you know how she is..Once she is in that room of hers, she would not come out.” Idris said to his friend.
The two had been friends since childhood having been the first sons of friends; their fathers were friends as long as everyone could remember and thus they became friends, and not only them, but every members of their family.
Adnan family had five kids just unlike Idris’s who had four kids, Adnan had two sisters Ruqoyyah and Fatimah who are the first and fifth respectively and Fatimah and Hikmah were friends as well.
Adnan was the second child of five children and the only one with sickle cell, his parents got married without knowing their genotypes. When their first daughter Ruqoyyah was birthed, there was no problem until the delivery of Adnan,he was detected to be a sickle cell child at the age of three and that was the beginning of their woes. He was three with a younger brother Teslim who was just one year old and the parents were scared he might be one too.
It was a tough pill for the parents to swallow and they have the options to get separated but that happened at the time when divorced and single mothers were detested in the society and the woman might never get remarried. As if that was not enough for their troubles, the mother was just twenty six and seeing over the affairs of her children alone and the divorce might be too much to handle.
“How about we never have other children while we stay still married?” Adnan’s father said to him ,
“We need to also think about Teslim, Alihamdulilah Ruqoyyah is clear.” He said to her and she cried the more. If only she had known.
Teslim genotype was tested and he was an AA, it was so good to be true.
“There are always a twenty five percent chance that you would have a child of AA of four kids” The doctor said.
A year after the trouble , Adnan mother was in her store when she felt dizzy and fainted, at the hospital where she went for check up, she was told she was expecting another baby.
“What do you mean a baby?” Her husband asked, Adnan’s crises come so often and it was not easy tending to him , and he knew they were just lucky with their other two children.
“Hmm, do you think we should abort it...?” The mother asked him and he shook his head.
“There are shariah rulings about it... We aren’t even sure if the child would be a sickle cell child...” He said to him.
“We should have been more careful, bringing forth the children into this world to suffer... Subuanallah! Perhaps we should see a muslim doctor for guidance ...I am not ready to face another trauma of this again.” He said to his wife bluntly and they paid a visit to the doctor, Doctor Amir. He is a gynaecologist with over twenty seven years experience.
“Hmmm, we don’t even know the genotype of the baby yet... But majority of the scholars said it is not permissible to abort the pregnancy even it the foetus is at sperm drop stage call Nutfah. The prohibition is more emphatic after the soul is breathed into the foetus. Even the sickle cell is not even a valid reason to abort a child ... However we still have some scholars who Said it is permissible to have an abortion before the soul is breathed into the foetus consider there is a sound reason to do as long as the baby has not reach 120 days which is like four months and if the foetus already has a soul in it , then it is not permitted to abort except if the foetus or there is fear for the mother’s life.” The doctor explained
“Hmmm, doctor , what do you suggest we do?” Adnan father asked.
“Give birth to the child, it is already in the womb and let us have faith in Allah.” He said and they did and they gave that to Amin, he was not a sickle patient but a carrier ... He is AS and his parents were glad.
Adnan’s mother went for family planning , it was at that time that it was not so popular and it caused so many havoc to her body system , she was forced to remove the implant and just went about with the withdrawal method and Fatimah was birthed ... She was also a carrier but not a patient ... And Adnan was the only child with SS, and even as that, he was the most loved and they tried all they could to make things easier for him... They made his get the best medical care as the medicine become advanced such is his treatment.
Even though he was a sickle cell child, he had always been a very intelligent child, he started his business as young as twenty one , he is into shoes production and has become one of the fastest growing company In the state and his parents gave him all the support he needed.
He is after all their special child. His siblings learnt to accept the special treatment their parents bestowed on him because they were always scared each time they see their brother in pains and how he spend so much time in the hospital.
Idris parents were not left out in the care for him as well, even though Adnan did not like it, he had learnt to accept it and enjoy the care he get all the time.
.....
.....
“There is no way I am accepting this.” She said
“Hikmah is my only daughter, can she even take care of herself let alone take care of a sickler... have you seen the boy when he is in crises?” She explained further.
“Let’s calm down Umm Hikmah, there are a lot of things at stake, a long friendship for example ... And I don’t think it is that bad... Beside, you and I know the boy is getting the best medical care he can get ... We can't turn down proposal just like that...Allah takes whoever he wishes, Hikmah might get married to the one who is not a Sickle cell patient and still become a widow... So please calm down... I am also unable to sleep because I am trying to think about this carefully.” He said to his wife.
“I know that is what you will say... I am not in support of this oooo, and I am sure Hikmah would not too... They should look for a cheap girl else where.” She said and hissed.