Nur served dinner as her parents updated each other about the day's events, Humairah walked in with a bowl of fruits and kept it on the table.
"Ummah, Abbah, it's dinner time." She announced lightly clapping her hands making Nur smile and cutting her parents conversation who just chuckled at her antics then began to eat their already dished out food.
Nur had arrived  home around 5:30 pm after repeatedly promising the children she would come back next week. Thank Allah she had prayed there because fatigue had almost consumed her on her return home.
She left the cooking to Humairah who gladly took over, she suspected Humairah was trying to bribe her to continue her tale after she had abruptly told her to go to bed and turned her back to her leaving no room for argument.
The tale was getting to her most painful moments and she didn't trust herself to hold it together yesterday which was why opted for the safe option but seeing how Humairah was at her service, doing everything she asked her to do gladly, she knew she couldn't run away anymore it was time to feel her worst pain all over again.
"Nur, khalifa sent his parents today." Her Father broke the silence they've managed to maintain for the past 10 minutes.
"His parents, why?" Ummah asked what Nur was about to ask.
"He wants to marry Nur, he claimed to have loved her since, but she have been ignoring him, so he decided to make it official hoping that will prompt a reply from her." Abbah explained a strange expression on his face.
"Nur, you've been ignoring Khalifa, why would you do that? He's a nice boy willing to marry you though you are a divorcee, instead of you to grab such opportunity you are letting it slip away just like that?" Ummah asked infuriated at her daughter's stubborn attitude.
"Ummah, Abbah, just like you said, Khalifa is a nice boy but I don't think he is a husband for me."
"Khalifa's liking towards me began when he saw my face the day he came to visit Abbah, I know you are allowed to marry a woman for her beauty but that's not what I want my husband to want from me, I once married a man that loved my beauty and as time passed by, the beauty faded in his eyes, I was just another normal girl to him, I know Khalifa's parents, I've known them since we migrated here, his mother won't accept a divorcee for her bachelor son and once Khalifa knows the truth about me that beauty that is attracting him will fade. I can't bear another life of pain, I won't be able to handle it, I rather never marry." Nur concluded, tears choking her last words. she excused herself from the dining room and headed towards her room to hide the years threatening to spill from her eyes.
Mairah looked at her parents whose eyes were dull and sad, pain evident on their face, her mother blinked away the tears in her eyes and said as if to herself.
" Nur, you will never be happy alone, you are too young to be left alone,you've endured too much pain and you need to find a shoulder to cry on my dear. I'll do everything to find the right person for you, Ya Allah dry the tears of my daughter and replace her frowns with sincere, happy and wide smiles." She brought down her hand which she had lifted to pray and her husband drew her closer to him guiding her head to his shoulder.
"Ya Allah, give my daughters spouses better than their father." She whispered then buried her tear stained face in her husband pyjama shirt.
Humairah took her leave noticing that they needed privacy, she went to the kitchen and did the dishes giving Nur  time to put herself together. After wandering around the house, she finally headed to their room, where she found Nur on her prayer mat.
'She must really be upset.' She thought.
It was Nur's habit to offer nafilah anytime she was upset, disturbed or angry, since she learnt of it in the hadith of the prophet (s.a.w) she had kept practicing it until it became a habit. Humairah quietly climbed the bed careful not to bother Nur when she heard her voice.
"Mairah, I've been waiting for you, we couldn't continue yesterday."
"No,Nur, you should rest, you are already upset as it is." Humairah protested weakly.
Nur chucked a bit before she replied.
"I've taken the remedy prescribed by prophet Muhammad(s.a.w') himself, so I'm no longer upset, I am okay." She made herself comfortable on the bed a bit far from Humairah but close enough for her to hear her without the need to shout.
"Humairah,telling you this is so difficult, sometimes I just want to stop because I want to forget but I can't see you going down my path. It''d be too selfish of me to let you learn the hard way just like I did, the main lesson I want you to learn from this story is, every action comes with a reaction, marriage isn't all romance flowers and sex, in fact those things are the tiniest but most exaggerated facts about marriage, there are so many downs, loopholes, dark tunnels,twist and turns in marriage.
The foundation of marriage, the reason for that marriage is what will push you through those dark moments. Do not marry for fleeting reasons like, beauty, money, lovey doviness, attraction, raging hormones, sugar coated tongues and so on. There will come a time when those things will hold no value, marry a man that respects you and you respect,marry a man for his manners, his steadfastness In religion, his upbringing and then you can consider love, for steadfastness in religion brings about the best of manners and " manners maketh man."
A religious person will understand that the downs in marriage are just tests from Allah, losses are test written in your destiny and Allah will replace your loss with something better, he will know the rights of a wife over her husband and will abide by it. His upbringing determines what type of parents he has, and believe me, your in-laws play a big part in your married life. A man with this three things might not love you but will keep you happier than those that married just for love, he will tolerate your mood swings for he was pre informed in several teachings of the prophet. He will understand you, trust you and stay by your side in happiness and in grieve, he will respect you, give a listening ear to your advice, correct your mistakes gently and lastly guide you to the path to Aljannatul firdaus, what more do you need from a man other than these things?
My story differs from yours but the result I fear may be like mine I want you to ask yourself sincerely, you don not need to tell me these answers but I want you to answer yourself. The characters I mentioned earlier, do you see them in Imran or do you hope he would somehow grow them?
Do you see Imran ten years after your marriage when you have gained weight and have children to take care of, when you no longer have time to deck yourself up like you use to, Do you see him gazing at you with admiration?
When you return from work, tired and frustrated, do you see Imran helping in the kitchen?
When you are throwing up due to pregnancy, do you see Imran patting your back and offering soothing words?
When you are in the wrong, do you see Imran correcting you lovingly and not in a condescending manner?
In ten years time do you think Imran will run to you anytime he has something bothering him?
Will he seek your advice when stuck and will he lean on you when tired?
Remember, this goes both ways.
Not only one spouse makes a marriage.
When he cries, you need to be there to clean his tears and lend him your shoulder or even your lap to rest his head on.
If you want to be with someone exceptional, you have to be exceptional too or else you will be the wife, he should have prayed against.