Short Story: MY PANCAKE HUSBAND CHAPTER 7

By Alawiya Abdalla

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Bismillah 

Ibrahim

It has been a week since Mohamed and Khadija had their baby boy Salman, and everyone has been pouring to offer their congratulations to the happy couple

I could not get enough of the baby myself, I absolutely love children

Seeing him so adorable has made me think about finding a wife. It has been a long time since I have been divorced, and I need to find myself a child bearing woman immediately

Last time I got married for love and it did not work out, so this time I will marry someone whom I cannot possibly fall in love with. I will be honest with her from the beginning. I will explain that I am gonna do my best to be a good husband to her. I will make sure she is happy and looked after, but she must NEVER expect me to fall in love with her. She must give me a child, that is my one and only request from her and she will receive respect, help and mutual trust, Inshallah.  That is what I am looking for in a wife right now, and a couple of women have been eyeing me and Ahmed for their daughters when they came to visit but mum pushes them towards Ahmed

My fears have been confirmed. My mum wants me to marry Jawahir

She and Khadija have been relentless with their hints

“Why don’t you go say Salam to Jawahir’s mum” Said mum when Masiti (Jawahir’s mum) visited us.

“I wonder what Jawahir is doing right now? You better be looking after her at school you know!” Ponders Khadija, rather too loudly in my presence

Little hints like that made me realize what their plans are. Even that person of Facebook seems to hint the same

“Congratulations to Khadija and Mohamed on their newborn baby. A little birdie told me that Jawahir delivered the baby all by herself, I tell you what ladies and gentlemen. I think Jawahir will be joining that family very soon after that heroic deed. I would be delighted because that would make way for me and my one and only Ahmed”

You see what I mean

Asha was appalled that she was not mentioned but my main worry is who is this person?

She seems to know a lot of details about our lives, and she is always accurate with her information

As I was thinking about the possibility of who it might be, another thought entered my mind immediately.

It has to be either Asha or Jawahir

Everything posted on that page is totally accurate! And as I was pondering about the fact that it could be Asha or Jawahir, ANOTHER thought enters my mind___It could not POSSIBLY be Asha, because of all the obsession with Ahmed hoopla

It must be Jawahir

It is sooo her

She knows everything about us. She spends most of her time here AND she is clearly obsessed with Ahmed

I mean sometimes she looks terrified as a mouse when she sees him, but that could be just a disguise for her TRUE feelings towards Ahmed

I am telling you guys I have got this all figured out, I am very smart like that 

I have got to confront her about this

I have been avoiding her all week, because she makes me irritated beyond belief. But I have also come to realize that Jawahir is a very intriguing person

I am intrigued by the way she speaks to her outlook for life, the other day we were arguing about how Mufasa from The Lion King could have involved his brother more in running his kingdom and maybe preventing his inevitable death. She went ranting about how family should look out for each other no matter what, and how Scar is a hater anyway. There is also the small fact that she keeps involving me in her online hopefully he will marry me shenanigans

“What shall I say to get him to propose and how can I trap him?” She asked chirply one day. “Oh look what he is saying here in this email. Is there a hidden meaning behind it?” She shoved her laptop to my face another day. I do not get it! She is supposed to be scared and terrified that I might reveal her secret to her mum, NOT involve me in her mission to “trap” him

That is the thing with her, she lives in la la land where everyone is so helpful and has AMAZING intentions

Everyone is just awesome in Jawahir’s world  She even told me the reason behind all this rushing. She said that she just wants to get married, so her sisters will not have to wait for their turn. I have to admit I felt sorry for her, but only a little bit

She is putting herself in an awkward position! I have also found out that the guy she is talking to is Hamadi They guy who bullied her on the ship!! I have tried to make her see that bullies do not change, and that he has DEFINITELY got a hidden agenda. But on Planet Jawahir, Hamadi is a reformed bully

And now I am finding myself wondering what is going on with her, and have they arranged to meet yet? Arrghh, I should be focusing on getting myself a child bearing wife NOT happy go lucky miss Jawahir

How have I gone from being her worst enemy to a confidant in a week????

Marvellous, JUST marvellous 

Jawahir

I have gone from being a nobody to a hero within a week Mashallah

News have spread fast that I have helped Khadija deliver her baby boy, but I always remind them that Asha was involved too

The poor girl is not getting the credit she deserves, I mean she had her hands SQUEEZED like a lemon all throughout the birth

All this attention has made people interested___In my sisters

OH COME ON

The combination of people’s rejection and seeing and smelling baby Salman has increased my mission to trap__I mean get Hamadi to propose

I am fed up with everything to be honest with you. I am fed up of holding up my sisters like that, and I am fed up of being 28 years old and not married.

I am one fed up individual

I do not even mind if Hamadi marries me, and then divorces me the next day

I just wanna be known as a married woman, even if it is just for one day

That is how fed up I am right now. I even asking Ibrahim for advice these days

IBRAHIM

It started one day when he suggested something as silly as Mufasa would have been alive, had he included his brother Scar in the running of his Kingdom

PAAAHHHH. That is exactly what I said to him on that day actually

I know, very unladylike   but that statement made me angry

Family stick with you through thick and thin, not kill you

And talking about family, Luul my little sis (The pretty one) has got something to tell me but she will not tell me what it is

She just came into my room yesterday and said

“Jawahir. You know how much I love you and look up to you right? I have something to tell you, but it’ll have to wait until I get the all clear from this person”

“What does that mean? Is someone gonna propose to you?” I ask her enthusiastically

“Maybe. I just need to hear that it is alright with this special person, before I can ask him to come over and propose, Inshallah” She says it, and then she hugs me tightly

“He is not a drug dealer is he?? And you haven’t compromised yourself have you Luul??” I ask her concerned about all the hugging and the sweetness

“OH NO HE IS NOT! AND I HAVEN’T WALAHI” She replies quickly, then she giggles and says “I made him sound so bad didn't I? He isn't I promise you!”

“Alhamdulillah, phew! So when do I get to meet him?” I ask her, feeling a tug in my heart not from jealousy but from the fact that we do not have a father we can confide in. A father to check out our future husbands to be

My father died from Kidney failure 3 years ago, and to this day I feel sad whenever I remember that he is not around

It is very hard, especially moments like these when you need your father the most

But life must go on, and I have to check this guy out myself Inshallah_You know before bringing him home to mum. I must work hard to get Hamadi to propose, so Luul will not have to wait forever to marry her future husband

That is why I have decided that today is the day when I put Hamadi on the spot

I am gonna ask him bluntly about his intentions, Inshallah. Ibrahim has been drumming something in my head lately, and I am starting to believe it

“He is HAMADI! The bully on the ship” He kept emphasizing this particular point every time

As if I do not know

But people change, I KNOW that. I believe that people CAN change, and I will prove Mr “ I've been divorced once thus I'm gonna spread my joyful views to anyone who’d listen” wrong

I can like totally change his mind

Oh how amazing that would be

I can hear it clearly in my head, can you hear it too

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT CAN YOU HEAR?

“You were absolutely right Jawahir” Of course

So I logged on Facebook, determined to get some answers

However, it looks like someone has beaten me to it

“Asalamu Alykum Jawahir, Hope you are well, Inshallah. I don’t know how to ask you this, but I would like to see you today. I have something important to ask you please” Read the email

Yes! He is soo gonna propose I can feel it in my soul

I agree to a time and place, and off I go to meet my future husband, Inshallah. Woohoo

Ibrahim

SURPRISE SURPRISE! My mum sent me to Jawahir’s house to give “something” to her mum

I would normally refuse, and insist that Ahmed takes it but he is nowhere to be seen today

I suspect my mum and Khadija had something to do with it, because every time I ask Khadija she finds the ceiling surprisingly interesting

“Oh look at that pattern on the ceiling Ibrahim. Fascinating, isn't it just Mohamed?” She involves Mohamed. He looks at the ceiling and says

“I do not know for the life of me what you’re talking about”

“I give up on you Mohamed. I really do” She replies in despair.

I leave them to it, and I make my way to her house.

I arrive at her house 10 minutes later, and I knock on the door.

SURPRISE SURPRISE, Jawahir answers the door

Wait a minute though, she has make-up on and she is all dressed up

“Ibrahim?? What are you doing here?” She asks, surprised that I have turned up since I never visit them and all.

“My mum sent me to give your mum Mandha (Barawani bread, well kind of. The author doesn't know how to make it so excuse her ignorance but she can vouch that it does indeed taste good)” I answer her, looking at her and thinking where did this beauty come from

“Well, you can’t come in! There is no Man here!” She states the obvious as usual

“I know that! I just wanted to drop it that’s all. And where are you going all dressed up like that” I ask her, not adding (Looking all nice)

“I'm about to meet Hamadi” She whispers it, and then she adds “He asked me to meet him in Costa Edgware, and that he has something important to ask me” She says it cheerfully, before adding “Eeeeeek”

“And you’re going by yourself?” I ask protectively

“Yes. Everything will be official after today Inshallah, no more sneaking and hiding” She gets out the house and she was just about to close the door when

“IBRAHIMMMM! How are you my son? Come in Come in” Yells Jawahir’s mum as she spots me

“Mum, we have no man present. He cannot come in!” Argues Jawahir with her mum, looking rather flustered from trying to leave and holding her ground at the same time

“I must really go anyway aunty. Thanks for the invite” I turn around to leave, but I feel a hand on my arm

“Nooooo you don’t leave! You stay and have some coffee and Halwa (A sweet, which AGAIN the author doesn't know how to make. The author DOES wonder how her husband is putting up with her sometimes)”

Jawahir’s mum drags me inside, with Jawahir mumbling protests as the door shuts in her face

I enter the living room awkwardly as I wait for my Halwa

That’s when I hear one of Jawahir’s sister talking on the phone in the dinning room

“Hamadi, she’s on her way. Please make sure you present yourself properly. Jawahir’s opinion means the world to me, and if you mess it up there is no us anymore. If she says no, then this relationship is over”

Oh no!!! Oh no no no!!!

This is bad.

This is really bad

Poor Jawahir dressed up all nice and looking all pretty

I must go to Costa and do something

Anything

So I leave the house in a dash, hoping that Jawahir’s mum understands. I hope I am not too late

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Posted in: Alawiya Abdalla,chapter 7,Ibrahim,Jawahir,My Pancake Husband,Short Story