The prophet S.A.W said, when a husband and wife look at each other with love, then Allah looks at them with mercy.

~~~~~

"I'm going back to work tomorrow." Maryam informed her husband as her maternity leave was over already.

"Habibty, don't you think it'd be better if you stopped working? You have a baby to take care of now and that should be your main priority," Sa'eed voiced in an attempt to convince her to quit working and stay at home instead.

"You know I can't do that habibi. I love working and it has been my dream ever since I was a child to become a nurse and now that it has become a reality, you want me to quit? We've talked about all these before " she replied convincingly.

"But it's different now. I don't want you to neglect our baby, because of your work." he voiced.

"I'd never do that." She promised. "Don't make me quit please."

"What happens when you are on a nightshift?" He questioned. It had been on his mind for a really long time. How would they be able to cope without her then?

"I...Sa'adatu is here, she will take very good care of Manal in my absence." she stuttered.

Sa'eed shook his head — she depended too much on Sa'adatu to take care of their baby, instead of having the zeal to do it herself. He still wasn't happy with her reply. It'd have been much more better if she did that herself instead, but he knew how adamant she could be when she wanted to — she would never comply willingly. "I still -" he didn't get to finish what he was about to say, because she interjected mid sentence.

"I promise not to neglect Manal," she promised, her gaze fixed in his.

He could have easily given her an order to quit working and she would, even though it would not be willingly, but he didn't want to force her into doing as he wished — it would be highly unfair of him. He wanted her to do it on her own free will and he was ready to wait for the day when she would come to him with her letter of resignation willingly. He hesitated before muttering, "Alright." Under his breath.

"Thank you, habibi," she gave a duchenne smile. "I—" before she could finish what she was about to say, Manal's cries filled the room. "I will go get her." She excused herself and ambled out.

Walking into the nursery, she took her out of her crib. Positioning her close to her heart - in her arms, she began to sway her soothingly, until her cries completely stopped and soon fell asleep.

✴ ✴ ✴ ✴ ✴

Years passed in what seemed like a blink of an eye, with Manal in the house bringing ecstasy to her parents. Maryam abided by her promise and tried her best never to neglect Manal whenever she needed her. She was thankful to Sa'adatu because she was of immense help taking care of her baby girl. When Sa'adatu appeared before them on a fateful day, all of a sudden and told her and Sa'eed she was quitting her job as their maid, she became despondent - It'd be hard to cope with work and Manal at the same time without her around. Sa'eed would have an additional reason to try to convince her to quit her job.

"Why do you want to quit Sa'adatu?" Maryam questioned, her demeanor contorted in worry. She silently hoped she would be able to convince her otherwise.

"I really don't want to go, you two are good people and treat me like family, but I have to, because my son recently got an average paying job and he is insisting I quit working here given my age." she narrated with her head hung low.

"I understand." She heaved a sigh. "But Manal will miss you terribly." Maryam stated, knowingly - she would also miss her a lot - she knew. It was already happening.

"I will miss my little girl a lot too," she replied wiping a lone tear from her cheek.

Indisputably, she didn't want to leave, but she had to - her facial expression conveyed the unspoken words. Maryam's gaze darted to Sa'eed - He was seated across on the couch them and given how concentrated he was, only meant, he had been listening to their conversation intently. He brought out some money from his wallet and handed it over to her to pass to Sa'adatu.

"Thank you for your services over the years, we really appreciate," he smiled.

Sa'adatu had been working with them for almost six years and had not given them a reason to complain about her, even for once. She was very dedicated to her job and agile. She was very brisk in whatever she did - that was one of the reasons they both respected her a lot.

"Working for such nice people is a pleasure and privilege to me." she smiled, standing up to leave.

Maryam gave her a hug. "I think it'd be better if you leave before Manal returns. She will try to stop you with her tears."

"Exactly what I thought." She replied and turned to leave. She spun around one last time and waved at them, before walking out of the house and their lives permanently.

Maryam's gaze darted to Sa'eed. By the look on his face, she knew he wanted to say something - something she wasn't going to like and her hunch was confirmed when he spoke.

"Now that she's gone, will you consider resigning now?" He was still very persistent about that particular matter, but she wasn't going to give in that easily. They had to be fudge the situation. Sighing exasperatedly, she shook her head."I can't habibi. You know that."

"Who is going to get her ready for school everyday and prepare her breakfast?" He inquired, his demeanor contorted in seriousness.

"I will manage." She replied. "And you're here to help me right?"

"Of course, but what happens when I leave for work very early and you aren't at home or you left for work early too?" he asked, trying to reason with her.

She knew he had a point, but she wasn't ready to comply to his wish. "I think we need to get a new maid." she suggested.

"Where are you going to find one?" He asked.

"I will look and ask around and hire anyone willing to take up the job." she shrugged. "I mean, there are many people out there who will be willing to work for us."

Sa'eed was about to reply, when he heard his phone vibrating with an incoming call. He was about to receive when it stopped ringing. He called back and apologized for not picking up earlier. They talked for some minutes before the call finally ended. "It was mum." He informed, returning his phone in his pant pocket.

"Oh okay. How's she?"

"She is fine, alhamdulilah. She will be coming to visit tomorrow in sha Allah." he replied.

"Wow! That's unexpected. She didn't even tell me." She feigned infuriation. Unlike many mothers in law she knew, Sa'eed's mother was different. She loved her genuinely and Maryam loved and respected her back in return. She never for once treated her like a daughter in law, but as her own daughter - she was grateful to Allah for that as it was one of the things she feared before agreeing to marry Sa'eed.

"She's probably planning to surprise you."

"I think so." Maryam replied when suddenly she heard the sound of a vehicle screeching to a halt. Instantly, she knew the driver was back with Manal from school. Just as expected, Manal ran into the house and into Sa'eed's waiting arms.

"How was school today, baby?" He inquired planting a kiss on both her cheeks.

"Fine." she replied. "Put me down abi. I'm not a kid anymore." she furrowed her brows, making Sa'eed as well as Maryam chuckle.

"Is it?" He asked, tickling her.

"Of course abi." She laughed. "Stop it!" She said amidst laughter. "I didn't allow Sa'adatu bath me today, I did it myself, because I'm a big girl now." she grinned.

"Really? My baby is all grown up now." he stated.

Maryam watched as her husband and daughter conversed and interacted so lovingly, but she was a bit hurt as her presence seemed to have been forgotten.

"Please put me down, abi," she pleaded, reminding her dad he still hadn't put her down.

He did as she wanted and saw Maryam gazing at them with a smile on her face. "Go to ummi." He whispered to her and she immediately complied.

"Why did you come in without saying as salamu alaikum? Didn't I tell you it's very wrong to barge into a room?" She reprimanded.

"I'm sorry, ummi. I won't do it again," she apologized.

Maryam smiled. "How was school?" she inquired, pulling her closer to herself.

"Fine," she answered curtly and ran back to her dad.

"I have an assignment, abee," she pulled out a book from her bag and handed it to him.

"Alright, baby, go to your room, ummi and I will follow suit and help you out with the assignment," Saeed said and his gaze trailed behind her as she ran off. "Be careful." He yelled after her.

Maryam was engrossed in a world of her own, when she felt her husband's presence beside her. He placed a finger underneath her chin, lifting her face.

"What's wrong, habibty?" He inquired, his gaze boring into hers.

"It's nothing. Just stressed from work." she lied.

"We don't hide anything from each other, yes? I know there is something else bothering you. Don't hesitate to let me know." he propelled.

"It's about Manal," she voiced.

"What about her?"

"Haven't you noticed how she is around me?" She asked. "It's as if I'm a stranger to her. She isn't as carefree with me as she is when she's with you," she voiced.

"That doesn't mean she loves you less. She's like that right now because you're not always home and when you are, you scold her for every little thing," Saeed explained.

"But you're not always home as well and I scold her for every little thing to make her a good person in future," she defended. She really didn't see anything wrong in reprimanding a child, in fact, it was the best thing a parent can do for a child.

"I'm not always at home, but I make sure to tuck her in bed every single night and I think you should start making efforts to do that as well. The littlest things we do matters a lot to her. Manal is a very sensitive girl, but don't worry, habibty, I will talk to her regarding this matter." he took her hand in his. "Manal is waiting for us." He reminded.

"Okay."

Manal was seated, surrounded by her books and truing to do her assignment herself when the couple ambled in.

"I told you to wait for us baby, but it's a good thing you've started doing it yourself," Sa'eed commented.

"I'm almost done, abi." she replied, showing her book to him.

"Very good, baby," he gave her a thumbs up.

"Ummi where is Sa'adatu? I haven't seen her since I came back from school." She asked all of a sudden.

"She's no longer living in this house." Maryam answered.

Manal began to tear up. "She left because I refused to allow her bath me right?" She asked with glassy eyes.

"Of course not baby. She was really proud of you when you offered to do that yourself." Sa'eed interjected, making her sit on his laps.

"Then why did she leave?" She cried.

"She went back to her house." Maryam replied.

"Did you scold her?" Manal asked, innocently.

Maryam gazed at her in disbelief. Was that what her daughter thought of her? "Manal!" She called sternly. "Why are you being persistent about the whole thing? She left and that's it. I don't want to hear anything else from you." she scolded.

"I thought you said you are a big girl now, don't you know that big girls don't cry?" Sa'eed asked with a raised brow.

She quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"Have you ever seen your ummi scolding her before?" He asked.

She shook her head vigorously. "No."

"Then why did you think she did it this time?" He asked.

"Because she always scolds me," she replied.

"And do you know why she always scold you?" she shook her head again. "-she wants you to grow up to be a very good person and avoid mistakes as much as possible. She loves you so much and that's why she always scold you, is that clear?" He asked, remembering the look on his wife's face when she held her daughter for the first time.

"Yes, abii," she answered.

"She knows you more than everyone else in this world, though she doesn't show it. Don't say such things to her again, okay?" He said.

"Yes, abii."

"You made ummi angry, what are you suppose to do?" He asked.

"Apologize," she answered.

"That's right baby," Sa'eed kissed her head and she jumped off his laps and walked towards her. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"What was that?" Maryam asked with a raised brow.

"Sorry, ummi," she repeated, but a bit louder than before.

"Come here, dear," she said, patting the space next to her.

Manal went closer to her and sat down next to her.

"Do you know why I always scold you?" She asked and to her surprise, she nodded.

"You do?" Maryam asked, feigning ignorance.

"Abii told me," she answered.

"And what did abii tell you?" Maryam asked, wanting her to repeat everything Sa'eed had told her not long ago and she did. Contented, Maryam smiled and kissed her on the cheek.