Against The Tide (Formerly Two Tribes)

17: The Lion's Den

In the car, Afrah couldn't stop the tears from flowing as she recalled how difficult it was for her to leave the home she grew up in. The hardest part was seeing the tears in her parents' eyes when she went to say goodbye to them. It made her break down in tears. At that very moment, she sincerely wished she wasn't married, then she wouldn't be leaving and her parents wouldn't be sad.

"Afrah," Amal placed a soothing hand on her shuddering shoulder. "That's enough now. I know it's hard leaving your home but you should know it's not for good and you aren't far away from home. You can always visit them and have sleepovers."

"But," she sniffed. "It's not going to be the same, Amal. I really don't want to do this anymore. I don't have the strength for all these."

"Are you crazy?" Amal asked in disbelief. "It has already been done. You can't undo this. It'd be better for you to embrace it. Remember, you're not the only one."

Afrah's blood boiled at her friend's last statement. She hated being constantly reminded that she was second. All her life, she had always come first. The feeling of being second was irritating to the core.

"You have to get a grip!" Amal added. "don't allow her to have the last laugh."

"No matter what I do or say, she will always be known as the first wife and she will get more respect. I'm just his second wife. Nothing special."

Amal sighed and shook her head. "you and I know it's not true. You're probably the most special person in Jameel's life. Did you see how mesmerized he was when he saw you earlier? That gleam in his eyes cannot be counterfeited. He loves you to pieces, believe me on this. You have absolutely nothing to be insecure about. Second or not, you're first in his heart and his life as well. Always remember that he was yours first. Put it at the back of your mind. Najah or whatever they call her will only come after you in Jameel's life. She practically holds no significance in his life, he told you so himself, didn't he?"

Afrah hummed, a little reassured by her best friend's words. She held onto all that was said. Of course, Jameel was hers first.

"So don't worry about anything. You should be focused on the things to do to make your husband happy—" Amal moved closer to Afrah and whispered in her ears. "so happy that he forgets he even has another wife."

Afrah wiped her tears and nodded.

"You can do it, I know you can. Don't give him any reasons to go to her..."

As much as Afrah wanted Jameel all to herself, she couldn't disregard the fact that Najah was still halal-ly married to Jameel. "But she's his—"

"Wife?" Amal chuckled humorlessly. "Didn't you tell me he told you that their marriage hasn't been consummated?"

Afrah nodded in affirmation.

"You see? She's more like a roommate to him."

Afrah hummed, not liking the direction the conversation was taking. For a fact, she hated Najah, but what she couldn't understand was why she felt a tad bad about her situation with Jameel when she wasn't supposed to. "are we almost there?" She asked, changing the topic of discussion.

"Almost," Amal answered. "Right, Habib?"
Right," he answered. Habib was Afrah's cousin and a very good friend that was the reason Amal and Afrah were comfortable having that discussion to his hearing. "About thirty minutes left."

Afrah reclined backward in her seat and puffed out her cheeks. She thought she was mentally fit to accept whatever it was that would be waiting for her at Jameel's house, but as the time got nearer, she felt she needed more time to prepare herself.