Previously…
His game finished sooner than I had
anticipated. I put on a composed expression as he walked towards me and climbed
over the bed. He held my face and wiped my dampened cheeks gently, and I could
see a hidden grin on his face as he clasped his lips tightly together. I sat
very still as I enjoyed the simple but loving caress.
3bdulla: “We need to talk, you know…”
Me: “Yeah,
I know.”
___________________
Asma
I always hated confrontations.
3bdulla:
“Asma… the way you acted was wrong. A
wife should be supportive of her husband.”
Support? That’s what he’s upset
about? I stared at him dazedly without a word.
3bdulla:
“And you acted like an immature teenager and
you made it all about yourself.”
I clenched my fists. Now he was
putting the whole blame on me?
Me: “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
He widened his eyes in surprise. I
kept my fists clenched and bit my lip. I didn’t want to make it any worse.
3bdulla:
“You’re not sorry.”
He reached for my hidden knuckles
under the blanket and brought them to the surface. He unclenched my hands and
held them closely within his grasp.
3bdulla:
“I’m listening. Please talk to me.”
I took in a deep breath. I had to
force myself to voice my jumbling thoughts.
Me: “3bdulla…”
But I couldn’t.
Immature
teenager… all about yourself… way you acted was wrong…
What about what he did?
Me: “I said I was sorry.
Am I already a terrible wife to him? Did I not
have the right to be angry?
3bdulla:
“I don’t want a meaningless apology.
Asma, just talk to me…”
I looked away, dropping my gaze.
Me: “A marriage is supposed to be about
compromise, respect and understanding. I’m not the only one at fault here.”
3bdulla:
“I know.”
I looked up at him and met a smiling
face.
Asma: “Then why are you putting the whole blame on
me?”
I was surprised at how calm I was. I tried to
keep a straight face to avoid bursting into tears in front of him. I didn’t
want to give him more reason to think that I was a childish girl who couldn’t
handle situations in a mature manner.
3bdulla:
“I don’t blame you. I’m only trying to
push you to communicate. I need you to trust that you can talk to me.”
I remained silent and bit my teeth
hard. My jawline tensed and I could feel myself starting to shiver.
Me: “Mhmm… I just want us to make decisions
together. I want you to see me as your equal, not more, not less. That’s all I
want.”
3bdulla:
“Okay then, it’s settled. I won’t do it
again.”
He cupped my right cheek with his
left hand and kissed my forehead.
Me: “Just like that?”
3bdulla:
“We’re both adults Asma. I think we can
both resolve a problem rationally, don’t you agree?”
I nodded, feeling ashamed.
Me: “I’m sorry I wasn’t supportive of you.”
3bdulla:
“It’s okay 7bibty. Now what do you want
to do about bu’6abi?”
Me: “It’s okay, we’ll move there if that’s what
you want.”
3bdulla:
“Are you sure?”
I think I decided that I wanted to
move there with him before we even had this conversation. I smiled then and
hugged him.
Me: “Yeah, I’m sure! I’ll be done with uni by
then anyway.”
3bdulla:
“Inzain. I picked out an apartment, just
like you told me… the location is an hour closer to Dubai though, so I thought
that would make it a little easier for you. But if you don’t like it, we can always
look for someplace else.”
Me: “No, it sounds great! Can you take me to see
it next weekend?”
3bdulla:
“Of course.”
Me: “Okay then! Yalla I have to sleep, I have to
wake up early bacher-”
He suddenly put both his arms around
me and dragged me down with him as his head settled on the pillows.
3bdulla:
“You really didn’t think you could just have
a fight with me and get away with it, did you?”
He grinned arrogantly and reached
over and kissed my jaw. I felt shivers crawl up my spine and brushed my lips
over his, missing the fervor of his dominating mouth. I felt at peace, knowing
that I had the most amazing person by my side.
Sul6an
I looked straight past my computer
screen at work as my new assistant walked in. I had told my trustee, Omar, to
find me someone new who was capable of handling pressure and I didn’t list any
other specifications. No bias with their gender, experience, age or past. I
just wanted anyone who could meet up to my expectations. Anyone except her, of
course.
Me: “OMAR!”
She jumped in shock the instant she
heard my voice. She stood very still, a frozen statue hoping to be overlooked.
Omar came rushing in.
Omar: “HA SHO ESTWA?”
I gave him a few seconds to recover
his breath before I spoke again.
Me: “Close the door behind you.”
I purposefully glanced right into
her eyes as I said the last word, making sure she knew that she had caught my
attention. She shrunk back and bit her lip, agitated.
Omar: “What happened?”
Me: “OF ALL PEOPLE, you couldn’t find anyone but
her?!”
Omar: “Umm… whom are we talking about exactly?”
Me: “My new assistant!”
Omar: “Oh! You mean Ms. Alia?”
I grit my teeth with loathing as he said her
name, waiting for him to explain himself.
Omar: “Oh, well… umm… you see, you said… umm… you
said you didn’t care about personal details as long as they met up to the
standards you gave me…”
Me: “So you assumed that just because I didn’t
openly state it, I would take in a slut as my assistant?”
He widened his eyes in shock.
Omar: “Umm… Sul6an… She’s a really good-”
Me: “There’s nothing good about that person
standing outside. Please show her to the door.”
I turned to my computer and shifted my focus
back to work, automatically and silently dismissing him. Just as he turned his
back and walked out of my office, heading towards her, I briefly looked up and
caught her miserable expression. She looked like she was pleading Omar and for
one brief second, my heart gave a hard kick out of nowhere. I frowned
reflexively when I saw Omar rush back in, Alia’s feet still glued to the same
place.
Omar: “Um, Sul6an… tba etramisk…”
I raised a brow at him, questioning
why he didn’t follow my direct orders. I looked back at her, her eyes fixed on
the floor, and I thought, same old
manipulative Alia. I had to deal with her myself, then.
Me: “Send her in.”
To be continued…
