All For What! - Episode 20

 

"Where do you think you're going to dressed like that?" Busted! Nafisa heard Maryam's voice. Slowly, she turned around and plastered a fake and forceful smile on. Her thoughts were running wild. What if she asked her where she was going to? She couldn't lie because she was already caught red handed. Her friends! They must already be waiting for her arrival . "I asked you a question?" Maryam raised her voice, startling her in the process.

"I ERM..." She stammered and trailed off.

"You ERM what?" Maryam asked irritatedly. "Never mind -" she waved a hand dismissively. "- Go back to your room and don't forget to lock the door before you do so." She ordered before going into the dining room to get a glass of water for Manal.

Nafisa sighed deeply before rolling her eyes at her order. She ruined her plan to spend the night at Yasmeen's and Nafisa was not prepared to let that go. It was all that useless girl's fault! Her plan to divert her parents' attentions to her worked, but the whole situation didn't work in her favor. How was she to begin explaining things to Yasmeen and the girls?! Surely, they would be very mad at her and maybe even withdraw her from the clique. She couldn't afford to let that happen

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/all-for-what

. She had to think of an excuse to give them and a good one at that!

Sluggishly and angrily, she walked back to her room and flung her bag to the wall aggressively. "What do this people even think of themselves? Am I a prisoner here? Why won't they give me my freedom? I do my work in the morning and day; what I decide to do in the night should be none of their businesses!" she gnashed her teeth in fury and went over to where she threw her bag and had all the contents shattered all over the floor. Amongst the contents was her old cellphone. She picked it out and dialed Yasmeen's number.

"Hey!" Yasmeen greeted as soon as she received the call.

"Hi," Nafisa greeted back trying earnestly to make her voice sound low.

"Ask her if she's ready on her way." Nafisa heard Ayesha's voice from the background.

"Where are you?" Yasmeen asked.

"Ayeesha and Zahra are already there right?" Nafisa asked. She didn't know how to begin explaining to them she wouldn't be able to make it because a dreadful woman named Maryam got in the way of her plan - she rolled her eyes again.

"Yeah and we're all waiting for you. Where the hell are you?" Yasmeen asked impatiently. They were all set for the party to begin and just a single person - a person who was even a newbie in the clique was wasting their precious time.

"I... That's why I called-"

"I don't get you?" Yasmeen spoke, cutting Nafisa off.

"Some...something came up, I won't be able to make it to your house tonight!" Nafisa said, clenching her eyes shut. She was afraid of what the outcome of her sentence would be. How angry and disappointed they would get.

"What! You won't be able to come?!" Yasmeen bursted out. The girls who were busy setting things up for the party averted their gazes to Yasmeen's direction and Ayesha snatched the phone away from her before she could comprehend. "What the f***! We've been here waiting for you for ages and suddenly you called to say 'I won't be able to be there' " Ayesha attempted to imitate her voice in a mocking way. "- to hell with you!"

"Please list-" before she could be able to finish her sentence, she heard the call end. "This is all that brat, Manal's fault. She won't get away with this." Nafisa vowed and lay down on her bed, different kinds of thoughts of how to make the girls forgive her and also how to make Manal as well as Maryam pay for the way Ayesha spoke to her over the phone earlier flooded her mind. She waited for sleep to overtake her and when it finally did, she drifted off with the thoughts still on her.

~~~

When Maryam had made sure Manal was asleep in their room and in between them, she averted her gaze from him and it darted to Saeed who was also in bed with them. Given how terrified Manal was to sleep in her room alone and how she trembled visibly, made Saeed suggest she slept with them in their room that night to which Maryam gladly agreed.
"Are you going anywhere tomorrow, habibi?" She asked. She wanted to know if Manal would be left alone with Nafisa tomorrow because she had to be at work.

"In sha Allah. Why did you ask?"

"Became I won't be home tomorrow as well." Maryam replied, curtly.

"Alright -" Saeed yawned tiredly. "We better sleep then if we want to wake up very early in the morning." Saeed advised.

"You're right -" Maryam smiled. "Goodnight habibi, I love you."

Saeed smiled and felt his heart swell with love and adoration for his wife. He was contented with the family Allah gave him, but he would have been happier if only his wife would agree to quit working. It was something that would immensely make him happy, but he knew he couldn't force her for it would make her demoralized. She would be disheartened and that was not something he wanted. Her happiness was what mattered most to him moreover, it could stir up problems in their marital life. "Goodnight habibty, I love you so much." He kiss her gently on the lips and Manal on the forehead. He watched as Maryam's eyelids met and how she drifted into slumber. He smiled and drew the duvet comfortably on them.

~~~

Saeed woke up very early as usual and woke Maryam and Manal up for salat. He went into the bathroom and perform wudhu. When he emerged from the bathroom, he met Maryam and Manal still as he left them.

"Habibty," he called softly, tapping on her shoulder gently. She grumbled incoherent words and turned to the other side. She just wanted the intruder to go faraway from her. She was exhausted from the previous day. "- wake up. It's time for prayer." He said and tapped on Manal next. "Wake up baby." Manal stirred in her sleep and woke up. Saeed helped her to the bathroom to perform wudhu and came back to the room. He went straight to Maryam and tried waking her up again. This time, she woke up easily and went straight to the bathroom.

By the time Maryam and Manal emerged from the bathroom, Saeed had already laid the prayer mat for them. He led the prayer while they followed not far from behind him. "Good morning, abee. Good morning ummi." Manal greeted her parents immediately they finished praying.

"Good morning baby," Saeed kissed her forehead and stroked her cheek lovingly.

"Good morning dear," Maryam said and kissed Manal on the same spot Saeed did. "How did you sleep?"

"Alhamdulilah, fine," Manal said cheerfully. She was really happy because it was Saturday. It meant no school for her and her parents would also be around - she hoped.

"Ma sha Allah. Go on to your room and take your bath. I will tell Nafisa to prepare your favourite dish today," Maryam smiled.

"Thanks ummi, I love you." Manal grinned before racing out of the room.

"I love you too," Saeed said smiling  immediately Manal was out of sight. Maryam just laughed at his cheesiness. "- good morning. I hope you slept peacefully last night?"

"I did, Alhamdulilah." Maryam answered. "You?"

"Same habibty, Alhamdulilah." He replied. "- I prayed for us, did you?"

Maryam looked at him in disbelief. How could he ask her that! It was always the first thing she always  prayed for beside praying for the prophet S.A.W (PEACE BE UPON HIM) and their parents. She could forget to pray for herself, but never her husband and kid. "Of course! I never forget."

"That's good. May Allah accept all of our prayers." Saeed prayed.

"Ameen thumma ameen." Maryam replied and stood up.

"Where are you going to?" Saeed inquired.

"To the kitchen. I want to go and prepare breakfast," Maryam replied.

Saeed nodded.

She wanted to cook that early so she could leave for work early as well. She could have left the job for Nafisa to do, but she didn't want her doing all of the work in the house especially cooking for her husband. She left the room for the kitchen and started preparing breakfast. In less than thirty minutes, she was done. She served the food on the dining table and went back to their room to inform Saeed to go down for breakfast. He asked her if she had had anything to eat because she told him to go on ahead and she lied to him telling him she already ate. Truth was, she just had few bites of the omelets she made. She knew just how persistent Saeed could get and it wasn't something she wanted at that time because she was already running late for work.

When Maryam was ready to leave for work, she called for Nafisa and she appeared before her immediately. She told her to make Manal her favorite food as promised before exiting the house. Nafisa huffed and walked away, swearing not to do as Maryam instructed unless Saeed was not home of course. To Nafisa's surprise, few minutes later, she sighted Saeed also going out of the house all dressed up for work. She couldn't believe her luck. It was finally time to deal with the little brat Manal...