part 96 Neither Khulood nor Juwayriya could believe their ears. Qays was actually going through with this. He was really disowning his only daughter. Juwayriya knew her father well enough to know that once he had decided on something, he rarely changed his mind. There was nothing left to say, she knew she had to leave. She went up to Khulood and looked into her sorrowful eyes. As they embraced each other and held on for dear life, the two women wept bitterly together. Juwayriya was leaving the house, and their lives for good. Before Juwayriya let go of her mother, she spoke into Khulood’s ear. “Mom, please don’t defy dad. Don’t argue with him. We both know that he is not indecisive. Don’t let this come between you please. I know how much you two love each other. Don’t try to fight to get me back into your life…” She tried to steady her breathing which started to hiccup because of how much she was crying. “You and dad will always be in my heart and in my prayers. Inshaa-Allah, God willing, one day this will pass. Take care of dad and the boys. I love you mom.” With those words, Khulood sobbed loudly into her daughters shoulder. It felt strange, usually she was the one to always comfort Juwayriya. Qays didn’t realize what he was doing to her. Juwayriya occupied such a big part of her heart. She felt so connected to Juwayriya because of her strong bond of sisterhood she had with her birth mother. When Nawwaal died, that bond was transferred to Juwayriya, whom she loved as her own daughter so fiercely, with all her heart. Juwayriya reluctantly let go of her mother’s embrace, and led Yousef out the front door. Yousef stood silenced for the whole encounter, powerless. All he could do from then on was try to be there for his Juwayriya as much as possible in any way that he could. Juwayriya was still their daughter, but she was also someone’s wife, and thus belonged to a new household. Khulood’s family and loyalty was to her own household, and as much as she disliked it, she had to be loyal to her husband, just as Juwayriya was being loyal to her own. She therefore, could no longer be a part of Khulood’s life. From then on, things in the home of Qays Rouby were noticeably different. It felt incomplete. The house missed the loving tenderness of a daughter, who was so brutally caste out of her maiden home. Khulood still did what she needed to. She tended to everything she was used to, and performed all her wifely duties towards Qays, but it felt forced. She grew quiet, and Qays noticed. He pushed it aside, believing that she would soon tire from it. Qays just didn’t understand the bond between Juwayriya and Khulood. How could he? Sure, he was her father, and he cared for her and loved a great deal, but he had a father’s heart. Khulood on the other hand was a mother. The love between a mother and her child is so unconditional, so precious, that no man can ever understand it. This love is reserved exclusively for women, and beyond the perception of the male counterpart. Life for Khulood continued in a scarcely vocal fashion. Her life was only complete with Juwayriya in it, and thus had become a fragmented display of an existence. She and Juwayriya still kept in contact when then could, but Khulood had to be so careful with it and erase any trace of communication with Juwayriya out of fear of a reaction from Qays. Every so often the two would arrange to meet very secretly and discreetly. Most of the meeting would be spent in tears and hugs. They cherished those moments and savoured in the company of one another. Those little moments were what kept Khulood going, and replenished her beaten spirit. Weeks became months, and months turned a year, and soon, Juwayriya’s two years that she needed to complete at university came to an end. Reality began to dawn upon her, the realization that her agreed upon time with Yousef in the States had come to an end. It was time to leave the home she had always known, and to bid a final farewell to her beloved mother. Luckily, Qays was out of town, so Khulood was freely available to meet them at the airport to greet her daughter and son-in-law. The atmosphere was the saddest that Yousef had ever experienced firsthand. He didn’t have the bond with his own mother that Juwayriya had with hers. He left them alone to catch up on things they missed in each other’s lives for a while, before their boarding call was made. He instinctively looked towards the two gorgeous women, watching them stand up and embrace, with tears falling from their eyes, crying inconsolably. He left them to hug it out right up until the final boarding call was made, before he went up to them. “Hayaaty,” he said, addressing Juwayriya, “that’s the final boarding call. We have to go.” She lifted her head from Khulood’s shoulder to nod her head, realizing that time had come to an end. She reluctantly let go on Khulood, kissing her on both cheeks. “Yousef,” she said, “Look after my daughter. Make her happy, make her smile every day. Don’t be the cause of her tears.” She then hugged and kissed him, and watched him lead her baby girl away.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 16:59:36 +0000
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