RUWAIDA ✔️

POSTLUDE

The doors opened again, followed by a frantic cry of a woman as she trooped in to the chaotic living room. Muhammad sat yet in his study,disheveled as possibly as he could be. He'd never looked so in his entire life, not even in his most tiring work days. He took up the only book on his desk and stared intently at it. 'You love books don't you' he vividly could see her charismatic smile, he even could still feel her scent as he thought of her.

She circled her arms around his neck while he jotted a few new words he'd came across. The study room was their second favorite place. Absolute favorite. 'I'll like to join you..., Inaam is asleep' She announced jovially. He placed down the pen he held and turned in the chair, holding her hands. 'It's good that she has slept, have you eaten?' Muhammad over and over could still here her serene laughter while they ate in the late hours of the night.

Drawn out of his reverie, he felt someone nudging at his legs. It was Inaam. He took a glance at her and he was close to tears. She still had the red veil in her arms, the confused and agitated look had only intensified as more people thronged in with swollen eyes and depressing prayers. "Abi, where's Mama?"

Muhammad sniffed, taking her up to sit on his lap. "Why do you ask?," He carefully held the veil, reminiscing the time Ruwaida wore it last. She looked so pretty. He'd once mentioned to her being extraordinary when ever she was donned in red. She bought so many tones of red afterwards.

'Grandma said she's gone, but Mama is in her room, ko Abi? She fed me bread with Nutella in the morning," Inaam laughed as she raised the veil to his face.'look Abi, I stained Mama's scarf with chocolate too,' She peeked at her father with an angry look. "But they refuse to allow me enter her room,' she declared in a sad voice.

The tears welled up in his eyes, and taking off his glasses, he began to sob. Oh so bitterly, that he cried with his body racking from hurt. Has she really left him? All alone?.

And truly, as the day went on, Muhammad became overwhelmed with loneliness and a feeling of hopelessness. He found himself kneeling beside her while he held Inaam. She really wasn't staring at him the way she does, she wasn't counting Inaam's tiny fingers on and on and on until her baby sleeps, She wasn't pestering him while he now so badly wanted her to. No, she wasn't even breathing!

Many prayers and condolences have come and gone and Muhammad still sat there with his daughter calling 'Mama, Mama...I'm hungry' effortlessly, until when they came to take her from them...forever.

Even tho it was a cold chilly night of early December, Muhammad awoke drenched in his own sweat. He breathed loudly as his heart thumped in a restless manner and his gaze yawed from one corner of the room to another.

It was then he became conscious. It was a dream. A horrific bad dream. His hands shaky, he raised them up in prayers thanking his Lord that all he saw only happened in a state of unreality. Whilst praying, he did all possible best to erase the images of what he saw from his mind.

He sat quietly on the bed, trying to make some sense out of all that he saw. Even in his most deepest thoughts, he found it difficult, too difficult to use the word death. He convinced himself that it was because he worried too much that he was once told that her cancer could resurface and at that time, nothing can be done. Tho, that was 5 years ago.

Muhammad hoped for a brighter future for them. An Ebullient future that could be mistaken for an animation.

And then he paused, taking his head to the empty space beside him on the bed. Something ran down his spine when his eyes met an empty space. It felt to him like being electrocuted and In a thrice, he was off the bed and looking through the door of their bathroom. She wasn't there either.

Could he however be dreaming again?

"Ruwaida," He checked the kitchen first, the living room, the study, the guest room, he even went as far as the garden...yet again, she was nowhere to be seen. Muhammad scuttled up the few stairs to check the last place which held for him strings of sanity before finally, his dream and her disappearance drives him out of his right senses.

Muhammad walked in Inaam's room with so much relief. There he found Ruwaida sitting on the rug beside her daughter's bed, holding both her tiny hands in hers and fast asleep. "Oh Allah, I thank you again for your blessings," He whispered walking into the room silently.

He sat beside Ruwaida, and from the tiny illumination of Inaam's fairy lights, he stared at them both, his worries slipping out of his system and bringing him ease. Ruwaida woke just as he was about to cover her with a quilt.

"Turaad?," Ruwaida called in a frail voice. With her head still resting on the bed, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Couldn't sleep?," He nodded with a small grin. "Uhmm," she tried to keep her eyes open. "Do you have work tomorrow Turaad?,"

"Yes, and as early as 8,"

"Then you should sleep, or do you want tea? It makes you fall asleep faster...," He smiled warmly. Why would he ever want to wake up without her beside him? A life without her will sure be torture for him.

"No need, you just sleep," He replied watching as she fought her tired eyes open. Getting better after her treatment, even her prettiness had surfaced.

Ruwaida now fully opened her eyes. She took the quilt from him and slightly inched closer. "Come sleep with me," she covered his legs too with the small blue quilt, resting her head on his chest,"

Muhammad turned to face her. "What did you say?," Her eyes were closed but then, she reached perfectly for his neck with a small whack, resisting the urge to laugh at his perverted thoughts. We shouldn't wake Inaam with our silly talks should we? She also has school,"

"Uhm! We shouldn't. Goodnight Inamorata,"

She smiled cheerfully. "Goodnight to you too, hayatım,"

The End

Hey
We've finally reached 🥺 can you believe?
I'm excited as well as a little sad, but then, the book had to end anyways, tho I really enjoyed the journey of writing it, I felt at some point that it would always be the best plot I could ever come up with...then all of a sudden, more books began to show in my head 😌 ping ping ping! Haha

Yes! I'll be publishing another sooon and I hope you all will join me?!!!

I'm saying thank you to every single one of you who gave me a chance and watched me grow, getting better at writing and all. So I'm really really really grateful. And if I say I'll mention names of all the supporters, then it will take so much time, cause all you, including the ghost readers, you all matter so much and had done great in making me feel inspired and motivated.

How about a group?
Do you think it's possible to have you all in a group? Where we can discuss about books, school and even so many other topics?
If you think it's a great idea then please dm me privately on this platform with your WhatsApp number and name.

Question of the day: guess my age 🌚
[I ask about this specifically because someone dm'ed me saying she thinks I'm married and all! Haha it was funny]. But is it true that I write and speak like an aged person? Just so very curious!

I talked so much!
So adios!
And I hope I'll see you all in
'A BEAUTIFUL BLIGHT' sooon!

Love_
SilentWriter 🦋