Dedicated to lily_JA

"Na'am, ummi." Sumaiya sashayed into the room.

Mrs. Hauwa glared at her, before speaking softly. "Please have a seat."

She looked really puzzled by what was happening or was about to happen, but sat down nonetheless.

"I want you to answer all of my questions sincerely; have you ever lied against Maryam with the aim of getting her in trouble with me, in the past? Why did you do it? Is that the way I raised you?"

"Ummi..."

"No excuses, Sumaiya. I want nothing, but the truth. Did you or did you not do that?"

Sumaiya's gaze darted to Maryam, before she averted it back to her mother. "But it was all in the past. Why is she digging up the past?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes at Maryam.

"You still haven't given a reply to my question. It is all in the past, yes, but I still want to know."

Glaring at Maryam, she replied; "Yes. I did."

"Why did you do it?" Mrs. Hauwa asked.

"I did it for many reasons." She replied.

Maryam wasn't taken aback by her reply, for she already saw it coming.

"Reasons are?" Mrs. Hauwa inquired.

"Do we really have to talk about this now, ummi?" She asked with furrowed brows and averted her gaze to Maryam. "Why did you have to tell her after so many years?" She rolled her eyes. "You did it for revenge. I know." She muttered.

"Yes." Mrs. Hauwa replied curtly.

Maryam was about to speak - she was about to beseech with Mrs. Hauwa to let the matter slide, moreover, it happened so many years ago. She ended up closing her lips.

"I was six when she was brought to live with us. I was very happy to have a playmate, because as an only child, I was beginning to get bored not playing with other kids my age or close." She paused for some seconds. "The problem I have with her, began when you started showing her affection. You treated her well, more than you treated me."

"I had no idea you had this in mind ever since." Mrs. Hauwa shook her head. "I might have treated Maryam with more love then, because she lost her father recently. It wouldn't have been easy for her to adapt to the family if I had not shown her she was already part of it. I thought you were reasonable enough to understand that."

Maryam wiped a tear from her eye as she listened attentively.

"Not only that." She remarked. "You weren't strict with me, until she arrived. The worst you did, was yell at me when I did something wrong, but when she-" she pointed a finger at Maryam. "Arrived, you began to punish me more strictly. I wasn't used to it and I refused to get used to it. I blamed her for the change in you. I still do."

"How did she become stricter because of me?" Maryam asked incredulously. She couldn't believe what she just heard. How was she to be blamed for their mother's attitude? Indeed, when a butter person sees you walking on water, they will say it's because you can't swim.

"In every way." She huffed.

"Is that the reason you blamed her for your wrongdoings?" Mrs. Hauwa asked.

"One of the reasons. The other is; she never seemed to do anything wrong in your eyes. To you, she was the perfect daughter and I was second best. You praised her whenever she would come first in class and I, you'd never encourage or praise me for coming fourth in class." She replied.

Maryam looked on in perplexity - indeed children are very observant and many parents fail in realising that. Including her. If Sumaiya could grow such thoughts in her mind at such a tender age, then she wondered what Manal must also be thinking of her.

"I know. I realise my mistake and I'm sorry for that. I did all I did in the past to fulfil all righteousness. It was never my intention to make any of you feel unloved. Without a doubt, it isn't easy to raise children. Perhaps, I didn't scold you in the past, because you were the only child Allah gave me, but when he gave me Maryam, I realised I had to be stern with the both of you, for you both are girls." She sighed. "I hope you understand what I'm saying. " she turned to Sumaiya. "You should have talked to me."

"I have wanted to for a long time, but I couldn't. You never gave me the chance to."

"It's all my fault. I have sat down and thought about this issue so many time that I can count. I questioned my approach of parenting and I got the answers I needed. If I had been less strict with the both of you, then you wouldn't have hesitated before coming to me and telling me anything that bothered you. You would have been best of friends with Maryam and you wouldn't have felt like you were second best. I'm not perfect. I have many flaws. Life is indeed the best teacher. It taught me all these by experience. I hope the both of you will be able to forgive me and most of all, forgive each other. I want the both of you to be best of friends - this will bring immense joy to me as a mother. Please." She pleaded.

Sumaiya had unshed tears in her eyes as she gazed at Maryam. Only Allah knows the kind of pain she had to endure for so many years.

Maryam had to admit - she was equally at fault for Sumaiya's behavior towards her, for she never attempted to solve the tension between them. She regretted not giving their relationship a trial. "I'm sorry." She was the first person to apologize.

Sumaiya gazed at her, dumfounded. "You don't have to apologize to me, ya Maryam." She scoffed.

"Sumaiya!" Mrs. Hauwa called. "She's apologizing to you right now and you should do the same. The apology should come from your heart. Please." She pleaded. "I just want you both to reconcile. If not for yourselves, please do it for me."

"Sorry." Sumaiya apologized nonchalantly and left the room in a hurry.

"She's never going to change, is she?" Maryam commented.

"Inshaa Allah, she is going to change for the better soon. The grudge she has against you will soon dissolve. We just have to give her more time." She replied.

"I hope so." She muttered under her breath. "And-" she was about to say something else, when Manal walked into the room groggily. Her eyes were half closed and the back of her palms couldn't stop rubbing them. Maryam smiled. "Come here." She motioned. "Greet granny."

"As salamu'alaykum, granny." She greeted with furrowed brows.

"Wa'alaykum salam, Manal." She drew her closer and engulfed her in her embrace. "Did you miss me?"

Just as Maryam had expected, she remained silent. She quickly intervened before she could be able to say no. She knew all too well how Manal didn't want to come with her willingly. "Of course she did. Right, baby?" She asked with a smile. "She is like this each time she wakes up from sleep or a nap." She excused her attitude.

"I can see that." Mrs. Hauwa smiled. "She must be very hungry after the trip. Go to the kitchen. The food I made earlier is still remaining. You can warm it up in the microwave."

"I doubt she is hungry." Maryam replied. "She doesn't really eat much." She averted her gaze to her daughter. "Are you hungry?"

She shook her head.

"You see, ummi? She doesn't like eating." Maryam heaved a sigh.

"Why is that?" Mrs. Hauwa inquired.

Maryam shrugged. "I don't know... She has always been like this."

"Where is abi?" Manal suddenly asked, her gaze traveling around in the hopes of finding him.

Her tantrums would begin now - Maryam knew. She remained silent instead.

"He left already." Mrs. Hauwa replied.

As expected by Maryam, tears began to well up in Manal's eyes. "But he promised not to leave without me."

"He didn't want to." Maryam drew her closer by her right hand. "But you see... You were deeply asleep and he didn't want to disturb you." She explained gently.

"I want to go home now!" She stamped her feet on the ground repeatedly. "I don't like it here." She cried.

Mentally, Maryam cringed by her words and resisted the urge to face palm. "Don't start now, Manal."

"But I don't want to stay here!" She protested.

"Is she always like this?" Mrs. Hauwa asked.

"No." Maryam denied. "I don't know what got into her suddenly. Perhaps, it's because she misses her father already."

"Don't you want to stay with granny?" Mrs. Hauwa questioned. "If you agree to stay, I will take you to..." She hummed. "Wherever you want to go and also buy you your favorite toys. How does that sound?"

Maryam's lips curled into a smile - she knew Manal was definitely going to enjoy her stay in the house as unlike before, Mrs. Hauwa didn't reprimand her for throwing an unnecessary tantrum few minutes ago. "She's asking you a question." She nudged Manal gently.

"Okay." She finally replied reluctantly.

"Aunty Sumaiya!" Manal suddenly exclaimed and ran out of the room and towards her. She must had sighted her walking pass the door.

In spite of their differences, Sumaiya's behavior towards Manal had never been awkward and indisputably, Maryam knew she loved her genuinely and vice versa. Manal was the kind of child who got along easily with everyone that treated her with love - a sensitive child.

"When is abba coming home?" Maryam inquired. "I can't wait to see him after a long time." She voiced.

"He should have been home by now." She replied. "I think he might have visited his farm afterwards."

"Alright." She smiled. She couldn't wait to see him after so many months. He would be ecstatic to see her - she knew.

Mrs. Hauwa and Maryam spent the next few minutes having lengthy discussions about each and every member of the family. Maryam also told her about Nafisa and how she treated Manal in her absence. She was perplexed.

The discussion continued until Mrs. Hauwa finally dozed off. Maryam chuckled and sauntered out of the room. The scene she met was so exhilarating and enlivening - Sumaiya had Manal on her laps and their carefree laughter echoed throughout the building.

"Now tell me;" Sumaiya begin. "What do you want to become in future?"

"I want to become a PRINCESS!" Manal exclaimed.

"A princess?" Sumaiya burst into laughter.

Carried away by the moment, Maryam chuckled, drawing both attentions to her. She cleared her throat dramatically and walked away.

~~~~~~~~

😂😂😂

Who likes Sumaiya?

Manal wants to become a princess in the future 😂😌 ... Your wish is never going to come true, baby 😝🏃🏃🏃🏃

But it can if she eventually ends up marrying a Prince 😂

Who misses Sa'eed? 😍😎 (don't worry, he's gonna be in the next chapter 😘)

Who is your favorite character in the whole of this book so far?

Why is he/she your favorite?

Who do you hate the most? 😠

Target
120 votes
100 comments for an update tomorrow :)

deey_jah