Metanoia | ongoing

12 | bad habits

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07:08 am

AUTHOR-

IT had been 2 weeks since their marriage. Abeer busied herself with her studies, while Arham was busy working from home. Sarah insisted he spends time with his wife; that was the main reason why Rahim had urged him to take an off from work and Arsal would work in his place. But, Arham being him; couldn't stay away from his first wife- note the sarcasm.

Abeer relied on Abid as her only source of emotional support. She felt comfortable confiding in him about her struggles with her strict professor and the immense pressure she felt to complete her assignments. Abid would patiently listen to her rants and offer a listening ear, and purrs when Abeer needed to vent. The only other being who knew Abeer's vulnerable side was her cat, who was always there to comfort her. Abeer had a hard time trusting anyone else enough to open up to them as she did with Abid, her furry companion.

Abeer and Arham, were nothing like how newlyweds are typically supposed to be; especially in the honeymoon phase. Both of them were total workaholics and hardly had any time for each other. Despite Abeer's attempts to approach Arham, he was always busy or not at home. The only time they would see each other was during meals or when they prayed fajr together, but even that happened rarely. Arham would often retreat to his study to offer his prayers and Abeer would be left alone. Their mealtimes together also lessened as Abeer had to complete her assignments before the semester started. She would often pull all-nighters, having dinner by herself, and missing out on sleep. However, she never missed her fajr prayers or breakfast and spent this time with her in-laws. This left Sarah and the youngsters feeling heartbroken as they could see the distance growing between the couple. It was evident that their marriage was slowly shattering, and it was saddening to see them drift apart.

Despite their eyes revealing a need for each other, the newlyweds refused to let their emotions rule. They remained practical and let their minds guide them, for they did not believe in following their hearts.

"dekho toh meri pyari beti ka kya haal hogya, kaise halkaan hogyi aankhein. Beti, don't stay up at night for the sake of studying. If this keeps up, you'll get weak. Agr, help ki zarurat hai toh, you know you have us. Ma Shaa Allah se itne velle log rehte Ghar nai, anyone can help you." Sarah said worriedly while patting Abeer's hijab-clad head. Abeer just tiredly smiled at the angel-like human in front of her.

(look how my beautiful daughter is looking, how dull and weak her eyes look. God has willed, there are so many useless people living in this house.)

"Jazakallah, ammi. The assignments are almost done, kuch dino mai I'll be free." She voiced her thoughts, tiredness laced in her voice. Arham was worried for his wife's health. Anyone could say how it declined rapidly.

(may god reward you all with goodness, mom. in some days I'll be free)

"Bhabhi, aap mujhe batado karna kya hai. Hashir Bhai and I will help you, aap nap lelo, you look utterly drained" Haseena said, glancing at Hashir with a knowing look in her eyes and he nodded at Abeer.

(Sister-in-law, you just tell me what you gotta do... you take a nap,)

Abeer was once again filled with joy. She felt grateful to her God for blessing her with a wonderful family. The thought of finally getting some sleep made her face light up. "Thank you so much. I hope I'm not causing you any trouble," she said with a smile. Her eyes turned into crescents as she smiled, which made Arham smile back at her angelic expression.

Haseena and Hashir disagreed and insisted on letting them do her assignment and she finally had to give in. After having breakfast, while the family was waiting for their usual cup of tea with cake rusk, Abeer explained the assignment to Haseena while Haya and Hania were readying the tea.