Yesterday, I woke up to a brightly lit room, as the events of the previous day came to mind, I shot up from bed..."hey sleepy head, how you feeling", Imraan spoke from the desk in the corner of our room, he was typing on his laptop but he was still in PJs.
I looked at my bedside clock, 10:45, OMW!!! I was majorly late for work...!!!!
" I called us both in sick!" Imraan said, reading my mind again.
I looked at him shocked...Imraan never takes sick leave...a few hours off, yah...but a whole day?!
I couldn't seem to find my voice.
" you hungry ?", Imraan asked as he walked towards me, he bent to kiss me..."wash up and meet me in the kitchen", he smiled as he left.
I got out of bed wearily, in the bathroom I stared at myself in the mirror...after I washed up, I went to the kitchen, Imraan's was already sitting to eat
..i wanted to ask him about the helicopter when the twins walked in with Shireen...
Yusuf had a bouquet of red roses that he gave to me, " Thank you for finding us yesterday.", he said to me.
I hugged him.
Yusair handed me a gift bag, " we sorry for being so naughty we won't do it again", he said...
" thank you Yusair", I said as I hugged him, I hope you and Yusuf are going to be good now...
Yusuf, Yusair , Imraan and Shireen were looking at me like I had two heads suddenly...
"what?" I asked confused.
" you can tell them apart now?", Shireen said amazed.
I started laughing...i didn't even realize that! "Guess you can't play tricks on me anymore", I told the two boys...
As we ate I finally managed to asked Imraan about the damn helicopter that MiL mentioned that night.
.."oh that, when we couldn't find you I phoned insurance to track your car, the tracker picked up that the car was on the freeway, slow moving...that didn't tell me if you were safe though, just that the car was moving...i knew I wouldn't be able to get to you in traffic by road so I requested that they send a helicopter to check on you, they didn't want too, some 24 hour wait period crap...so I paid them to send it , I wanted a clear confirmation that you were driving..."
What!!! Imraan's like a real stalker...his insane!
I just shook my head, un.be.live.able!
I was about to tell him that, when MiL walked in tears...Bilal was at her heels, ranting and raving...i didn't get the whole story, but it was obvious that MiL was being blamed for fiasco...she had given the twins the money, after all...
I knew Bilal won't let this go until somebody takes the blame...i wonder if he stopped to think about how he made it seem that they were kidnapped because of the shop...
Aye...
Today as we got ready for Jumuah, Imraan reminded me that we have two weeks to get ready to move into our new place, everything was finalized...
Oh wow!
We decided to just buy the basics to function and then do up each room and furnish as time goes...
Two weeks!
TWO weeks!!!!
OMW...i have soo much to do, better start making a list!
My ringing phone got me out of my mild panic attack...it was Muhammad, Nasreen's husband...
" as salaaau alikum Kala", came the cheerful voice.
" what Kala! I'm still young!", I laughed back...
" well you are a Kala to a masha'Allah baby boy..." Muhammad said
Waaaaat! Nasreen had her baby! OMW!!!
Nasreen and Muhammad had told everyone that they wished for a private birth experience and will call only after baby was born and they felt ready to share ...
" Nasreen gave birth yesterday afternoon, he is healthy and she's well, she says I can tell you to come visit"
" Yay! We'll be there after lunch, can't wait!"
I'm so thrilled...time for new beginnings...
Showing posts with label bilal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bilal. Show all posts
Friday, 26 September 2014
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
Part 38: Kidnapped!
Today I got home from work and once again there was nowhere for me to park!
The yard was jam-packed with cars. Bilal was home and so were his in laws it seemed...but that's not what had me worried...the two police vans parked haphazardly across the front yard is what me hurry inside!
What on earth was going on!
Imraan was in PMB today to sort out some stuff at the new office premises.
I rushed inside to find shireen hysterical!
Bilal was ranting and raving...
my MiL and Shireen's mother were crying...
Shiraans Dadi was sitting the couch reading Izaa jaa in some kind of a trance...
It didn't take much to figure out that the twins were the cause of all this, but where were they?
Its only when I heard Bilal shouting at the men in blue that , ' he was sure they were kidnapped because of the business', that when I really started panicking!
Kidnapped!
The twins!
OMW!
Yah Allah...i thought I was going to faint...why hadn't anybody phoned me!
Shireen was getting hysterical, she kept repeating "I should have taken them to the park...they wanted to go so badly! Then none of this would have happen"
I rushed to Shireen offering her a tight hug, saying every comforting thing I could think off.
"Don't worry, they won't harm them...just pay the ransom, whatever they ask for...if you don't have enough Imraan and I can try and help, anything just ask...i'll start a yaseen khatam right now..."
I held my poor SiL tightly as she wept copiously in my arms...over her shoulder I saw Sumaya beckon me into the kitchen.
I left shireen to continue the interview with the police and went to see what Sumaya had to say...i knew she would have the details that I can't ask anybody in the other room for...
I was right...
Sumaya immediately began by telling me that this little drama may not be a kidnapping...Shireen was looking for the two about 2 hours ago and after searching the entire house and yard she found no sign of them she started panicking...it all escalated into an alleged kidnapping once the police got here, there was no evidence...just assumption and drama...
Isn't that like the main theme of this house?
Still! Two little boys were missing...kidnapped or not, where were they?
before I could get my thoughts straight, Tumi came hurrying through the kitchen door shouting frantically...
"Madaam!!!madaam!!!", she called.
Seeing us she immediately asked for Shireen, we pointed towards the lounge, following her as she flew through the door way...
"Madam...Madaam!!!!", "Baas???", she tried to get Shireens attention, then Bilal's, they waved her off, my MiL shooed her away...
She came back towards us, Sumaya quickly asked her what was up.
" the other maids, some that sit on the road waiting for the children after school...they said they see the twins gebala the bus", Tumi said.
What!!!!!
The bus!....
No freaking way!!!!
I jumped to action.
(....to be continued...)
The yard was jam-packed with cars. Bilal was home and so were his in laws it seemed...but that's not what had me worried...the two police vans parked haphazardly across the front yard is what me hurry inside!
What on earth was going on!
Imraan was in PMB today to sort out some stuff at the new office premises.
I rushed inside to find shireen hysterical!
Bilal was ranting and raving...
my MiL and Shireen's mother were crying...
Shiraans Dadi was sitting the couch reading Izaa jaa in some kind of a trance...
It didn't take much to figure out that the twins were the cause of all this, but where were they?
Its only when I heard Bilal shouting at the men in blue that , ' he was sure they were kidnapped because of the business', that when I really started panicking!
Kidnapped!
The twins!
OMW!
Yah Allah...i thought I was going to faint...why hadn't anybody phoned me!
Shireen was getting hysterical, she kept repeating "I should have taken them to the park...they wanted to go so badly! Then none of this would have happen"
I rushed to Shireen offering her a tight hug, saying every comforting thing I could think off.
"Don't worry, they won't harm them...just pay the ransom, whatever they ask for...if you don't have enough Imraan and I can try and help, anything just ask...i'll start a yaseen khatam right now..."
I held my poor SiL tightly as she wept copiously in my arms...over her shoulder I saw Sumaya beckon me into the kitchen.
I left shireen to continue the interview with the police and went to see what Sumaya had to say...i knew she would have the details that I can't ask anybody in the other room for...
I was right...
Sumaya immediately began by telling me that this little drama may not be a kidnapping...Shireen was looking for the two about 2 hours ago and after searching the entire house and yard she found no sign of them she started panicking...it all escalated into an alleged kidnapping once the police got here, there was no evidence...just assumption and drama...
Isn't that like the main theme of this house?
Still! Two little boys were missing...kidnapped or not, where were they?
before I could get my thoughts straight, Tumi came hurrying through the kitchen door shouting frantically...
"Madaam!!!madaam!!!", she called.
Seeing us she immediately asked for Shireen, we pointed towards the lounge, following her as she flew through the door way...
"Madam...Madaam!!!!", "Baas???", she tried to get Shireens attention, then Bilal's, they waved her off, my MiL shooed her away...
She came back towards us, Sumaya quickly asked her what was up.
" the other maids, some that sit on the road waiting for the children after school...they said they see the twins gebala the bus", Tumi said.
What!!!!!
The bus!....
No freaking way!!!!
I jumped to action.
(....to be continued...)
Monday, 28 July 2014
Part 11-Stab wounds and blood everywhere!
Just as I was about to tell Imraan the test results, we where interrupted by blood curling screams!
I thought choir barayaa1, and almost dove under the bed!
Knock knock knock KNOCK
Somebody was banging on the room door!
"IMRAAN IMRAAN, COME QUICKLY, THE TWINS ARE BLEEDING..."
What! Both of them!?, I jammed on my slippers, left the test on the bed and ran after Imraan who was already halfway to the lounge. My job at an ECD facility for special needs made me an excellent first-aider...I knew I could help calmly. Calm was not what I walked into...
The sight of the two boys was not one for weak stomachs, they both were covered in bright red blood, it was dripping from their heads, running little rivers down there faces, all over their hands and the carpet they where sitting on was smeared.
The twins however, were staring wide-eyed at everybody in what I hope was fear.
Shireen was besides herself and hysterical...my babies, my boys, they going to die Bilal, do something! Oh Allah...
She herself appeared to be blood-free however.
Bilal was shouting at her to shut up so he could think.
My MiL was trying to console her while ordering Imraan to tell the doctor its an emergency.
Imraan was scrolling through his phone, no doubt looking for my Mamagees2 number.
My FiL was frantically flipping through the phone book looking for the ambulance number.
Muhammad Bhai3, oddly enough, was calmly reading the paper, oblivious to the drama before him.
I wanted to laugh! The smell was distinctive, how did they not recognize it!
I kept a straight face and walked over to the boys...in a clear loud voice, I said: stand up and give it to me right now!
"oh Mari ma4...they have a knife, Bilal, Fatima saw a knife! They stabbed each other in the head, Bilal", Shireen started with another round of hysterics.
"give you what Fati-Mamee5", said one boy.
"yah, what you want Fati-Mamee", said the other.
"STAND UP RIGHT NOW, BOTH OF YOU!!", I said, using my teacher voice.
As they stood up, bottles and bottles of Maccurachomb tumbled out from under their 'blood stained' T-Shirts.
The room had fell silent.
"where did you get these?" I asked them.
"you gave us!", said one...
"don't lie, we took it from Nana's shop", said the other.
Shireens family owned a supermarket situated on the ground level and they lived in an apartment above.
How two 5year olds managed to do this without anybody noticing, was beyond me...but I also know how resourceful children are, especially if there are two of them.
I can't count how many times, my sister and I had put a drop of Macuracomb on our fingers to show our mother we got cut. We loved the fancy plasters she use to keep.
I suppose Muhammad Bhai had been sitting there the whole time too, but he knows better than to discipline 'Bilal's Children'
"they just need a bath Shireen, the red stains should fade in a week..." I said.
"oh Allah, they can't have red faces for Eid!", she said.
I sensed a new drama unfolding so I started retreating. Imraan was already late for Tarawee6 and his best friend Saleem was waiting outside. Saleem was getting married soon to a girl from Malawi and was having huge issues with land conveying for the extension he was trying to build, so he often needed Imraan's advice. His wedding was going to be in Malawi and the Walima7, two weeks later in Durban, Imraan and I had decided to go to Malawi instead of taking a holiday for our anniversary. We were really looking forward to the upcoming trip.
Back in my room I wondered how to recreate the moment Imraan and I had lost.
I looked through Imraan's cupboard for the smiley face tie he never wears, I got a huge chart board and folded it into a shirt with a collar, inside I wrote, "Congratulations, you going to be a dad, Insha'Allah.8" I draped the tie and leaned the card against Imraan's pillows.
Inspired! I quickly looked for his smilely boxer shorts and stretched it over the bottom of the card leaving the legs dangling. I found a powder blue sock and a pink one in my draw and stuffed them up with some of his rolled up socks, creating 'legs' I placed these poking out from the shorts. A baseball cap backwards resting on the top of the card and pillow completed my make-shift man. I tucked the positive pregnancy test into the stuck on pocket of the card. There...that was cute.
That night I did my tilawaat9 of Quraan with one hand over my abdomen and a silly grin I couldn't wipe off.
When Imraan came home, he woke me with a kiss and a tight hug, then he slipped a Lindor into my mouth.
"Il take you to the Dr. after work tomorrow." he whispered.
We snuggled up and fell asleep smiling...dreaming of the good things to come.
Glossary:
I thought choir barayaa1, and almost dove under the bed!
Knock knock knock KNOCK
Somebody was banging on the room door!
"IMRAAN IMRAAN, COME QUICKLY, THE TWINS ARE BLEEDING..."
What! Both of them!?, I jammed on my slippers, left the test on the bed and ran after Imraan who was already halfway to the lounge. My job at an ECD facility for special needs made me an excellent first-aider...I knew I could help calmly. Calm was not what I walked into...
The sight of the two boys was not one for weak stomachs, they both were covered in bright red blood, it was dripping from their heads, running little rivers down there faces, all over their hands and the carpet they where sitting on was smeared.
The twins however, were staring wide-eyed at everybody in what I hope was fear.
Shireen was besides herself and hysterical...my babies, my boys, they going to die Bilal, do something! Oh Allah...
She herself appeared to be blood-free however.
Bilal was shouting at her to shut up so he could think.
My MiL was trying to console her while ordering Imraan to tell the doctor its an emergency.
Imraan was scrolling through his phone, no doubt looking for my Mamagees2 number.
My FiL was frantically flipping through the phone book looking for the ambulance number.
Muhammad Bhai3, oddly enough, was calmly reading the paper, oblivious to the drama before him.
I wanted to laugh! The smell was distinctive, how did they not recognize it!
I kept a straight face and walked over to the boys...in a clear loud voice, I said: stand up and give it to me right now!
"oh Mari ma4...they have a knife, Bilal, Fatima saw a knife! They stabbed each other in the head, Bilal", Shireen started with another round of hysterics.
"give you what Fati-Mamee5", said one boy.
"yah, what you want Fati-Mamee", said the other.
"STAND UP RIGHT NOW, BOTH OF YOU!!", I said, using my teacher voice.
As they stood up, bottles and bottles of Maccurachomb tumbled out from under their 'blood stained' T-Shirts.
The room had fell silent.
"where did you get these?" I asked them.
"you gave us!", said one...
"don't lie, we took it from Nana's shop", said the other.
Shireens family owned a supermarket situated on the ground level and they lived in an apartment above.
How two 5year olds managed to do this without anybody noticing, was beyond me...but I also know how resourceful children are, especially if there are two of them.
I can't count how many times, my sister and I had put a drop of Macuracomb on our fingers to show our mother we got cut. We loved the fancy plasters she use to keep.
I suppose Muhammad Bhai had been sitting there the whole time too, but he knows better than to discipline 'Bilal's Children'
"they just need a bath Shireen, the red stains should fade in a week..." I said.
"oh Allah, they can't have red faces for Eid!", she said.
I sensed a new drama unfolding so I started retreating. Imraan was already late for Tarawee6 and his best friend Saleem was waiting outside. Saleem was getting married soon to a girl from Malawi and was having huge issues with land conveying for the extension he was trying to build, so he often needed Imraan's advice. His wedding was going to be in Malawi and the Walima7, two weeks later in Durban, Imraan and I had decided to go to Malawi instead of taking a holiday for our anniversary. We were really looking forward to the upcoming trip.
Back in my room I wondered how to recreate the moment Imraan and I had lost.
I looked through Imraan's cupboard for the smiley face tie he never wears, I got a huge chart board and folded it into a shirt with a collar, inside I wrote, "Congratulations, you going to be a dad, Insha'Allah.8" I draped the tie and leaned the card against Imraan's pillows.
Inspired! I quickly looked for his smilely boxer shorts and stretched it over the bottom of the card leaving the legs dangling. I found a powder blue sock and a pink one in my draw and stuffed them up with some of his rolled up socks, creating 'legs' I placed these poking out from the shorts. A baseball cap backwards resting on the top of the card and pillow completed my make-shift man. I tucked the positive pregnancy test into the stuck on pocket of the card. There...that was cute.
That night I did my tilawaat9 of Quraan with one hand over my abdomen and a silly grin I couldn't wipe off.
When Imraan came home, he woke me with a kiss and a tight hug, then he slipped a Lindor into my mouth.
"Il take you to the Dr. after work tomorrow." he whispered.
We snuggled up and fell asleep smiling...dreaming of the good things to come.
Glossary:
- Robbers gained entry.
- maternal uncle
- brother
- oh my mother-dramtic expression
- aunty-married to fathers brother
- extended night-time prayer in ramadaan
- feast after the wedding
- if Allah wills
- recitation
Thursday, 24 July 2014
Part 9- Family scandales and skeletons
I was seriously getting home-sick now... I missed my parents and sister and I had the most intense craving for the Chicken Tikkah pizza that one of the local food outlets in my hometown makes.
I must talk to Imraan about going to Port Shepstone after Eid, it was long overdue and quite frankly we could do with a sea-side break.
Most Guji DiLs go home for their first Ramadaan, at very least for a few weeks, but Imraan's family was paranoid and I didn't want to drag up any old ghost, especially after I noticed that Sumaya too, doesn't go home for Ramadaan. She did go for a week before though, brought back lovely savouries from her mum and nice things from a butchery in laudium.
Before I got married, Imraan told me about Bilal's first wife Farzana, she went home for her first Ramadaan and then decided she's not coming back. Nothing Bilal or my in-laws said would change her mind.
I also heard that sumaya and farzana got along really well, like sisters almost, so when the trouble started, Bilal accused Sumaya of causing some if it. (that may explain why Sumaya has taken so long to start warming to me.)
After a long drawn out dispute and trying to make it work living apart, Bilal and Farzana eventually decided to divorce. Much to my MiLs horror! She couldn't stand the tainted reputation and whispers, I'm sure.
Shortly after the talaaq, Bilal married Shiraan in a small Nikkah and backyard walima, nine months later...out popped the twins.
Shireen is my MiLs sisters daughter, at the time she was fending off a stigma of her own...the community was buzzing over her broken engagement after her fiancé called it off to make secret nikkah to the 'madragee' secretary from his office. Shireens mother was in a panic, Shireen was already 25 at the time and Imraan's Kala didn't want her daughter to be sitting on the shelf.
The two unfortunate situations made Bilal and Shireen a perfect match in every bodies eyes and my MiL had always had a soft spot for Shiraan because she and Bilal had been born a week apart, their mothers had confinement together. It was ment to be for then, apparently...(to bad they don't act 'ment to be,now')
Wait, wait...i stopped my self, backspace that thought...never judge anybody's relationship no matter how it looks from the outside, least you be wrong, worse if a similar situation should befall you, too.
Not like I didn't have my own fair share of time in the rumour spot light...when I met Imraan, Nasreen had just gotten engaged and rumours were flying around that I was jealous and trying to break off her engagement, after all, she's 6 months younger than me and getting married first. The rumours almost ruined our friendship, but good thing Nasreens so level-headed.
More than a year ago, when Nasreen heard that a boy from Port Shepstone was coming to see her, she immediately phoned to ask me if his name was familiar, I told her I had had a classmate by the same name, if it was the same boy, we were sort of friends in school and he was very nice, super intelligent too and cute! But I wasn't sure, I hadn't seen this boy in ages. Nasreen didn't mind, she was glad to have a positive vibe because this prospect did sound promising.
Things worked out for Nasreen... Muhammad was a "hunky, quantity surveyor" who grew up in Port Shepstone but studied, worked and lived in Durban. Nasreen never wanted to be a live-in DiL so for her, that was a real plus. The fact that Muhammad's parents lived almost an hour away, didnt hurt his rating either. She really makes me laugh.
At her engagement I immediately recognized Muhammad as the same one I had meant now with a designer beard.
When I went to congratulate the shy couple, Muhammad recognized me and the three of us fell into easy conversation, I think Nas&Mo were kind of glad to have a mutual buffer. Ofcorse the gossip mongers' watched on, eyes wide open...
The very next day the damaal started. I was accused of jealousy, conceit, lies etc it was very stressful because my relationship with Nas was on the line as well as her engagement.
Nas was understandably upset and full of doubt, luckily I managed to convince her that whatever school day comradeship Mo and I had was long in the past and it would never match to the relationship she'll have with him as husband and wife. Plus, I would always respect the boundaries of that. Nasreen is very level-head and once the rumors died down, things were fine.
Luckily Imraan had heard this whole damaal straight from me before he even proposed, ah...Imraans proposal, now that's a story!... But, for another time...too bad I didn't keep a diary back then...
I must talk to Imraan about going to Port Shepstone after Eid, it was long overdue and quite frankly we could do with a sea-side break.
Most Guji DiLs go home for their first Ramadaan, at very least for a few weeks, but Imraan's family was paranoid and I didn't want to drag up any old ghost, especially after I noticed that Sumaya too, doesn't go home for Ramadaan. She did go for a week before though, brought back lovely savouries from her mum and nice things from a butchery in laudium.
Before I got married, Imraan told me about Bilal's first wife Farzana, she went home for her first Ramadaan and then decided she's not coming back. Nothing Bilal or my in-laws said would change her mind.
I also heard that sumaya and farzana got along really well, like sisters almost, so when the trouble started, Bilal accused Sumaya of causing some if it. (that may explain why Sumaya has taken so long to start warming to me.)
After a long drawn out dispute and trying to make it work living apart, Bilal and Farzana eventually decided to divorce. Much to my MiLs horror! She couldn't stand the tainted reputation and whispers, I'm sure.
Shortly after the talaaq, Bilal married Shiraan in a small Nikkah and backyard walima, nine months later...out popped the twins.
Shireen is my MiLs sisters daughter, at the time she was fending off a stigma of her own...the community was buzzing over her broken engagement after her fiancé called it off to make secret nikkah to the 'madragee' secretary from his office. Shireens mother was in a panic, Shireen was already 25 at the time and Imraan's Kala didn't want her daughter to be sitting on the shelf.
The two unfortunate situations made Bilal and Shireen a perfect match in every bodies eyes and my MiL had always had a soft spot for Shiraan because she and Bilal had been born a week apart, their mothers had confinement together. It was ment to be for then, apparently...(to bad they don't act 'ment to be,now')
Wait, wait...i stopped my self, backspace that thought...never judge anybody's relationship no matter how it looks from the outside, least you be wrong, worse if a similar situation should befall you, too.
Not like I didn't have my own fair share of time in the rumour spot light...when I met Imraan, Nasreen had just gotten engaged and rumours were flying around that I was jealous and trying to break off her engagement, after all, she's 6 months younger than me and getting married first. The rumours almost ruined our friendship, but good thing Nasreens so level-headed.
More than a year ago, when Nasreen heard that a boy from Port Shepstone was coming to see her, she immediately phoned to ask me if his name was familiar, I told her I had had a classmate by the same name, if it was the same boy, we were sort of friends in school and he was very nice, super intelligent too and cute! But I wasn't sure, I hadn't seen this boy in ages. Nasreen didn't mind, she was glad to have a positive vibe because this prospect did sound promising.
Things worked out for Nasreen... Muhammad was a "hunky, quantity surveyor" who grew up in Port Shepstone but studied, worked and lived in Durban. Nasreen never wanted to be a live-in DiL so for her, that was a real plus. The fact that Muhammad's parents lived almost an hour away, didnt hurt his rating either. She really makes me laugh.
At her engagement I immediately recognized Muhammad as the same one I had meant now with a designer beard.
When I went to congratulate the shy couple, Muhammad recognized me and the three of us fell into easy conversation, I think Nas&Mo were kind of glad to have a mutual buffer. Ofcorse the gossip mongers' watched on, eyes wide open...
The very next day the damaal started. I was accused of jealousy, conceit, lies etc it was very stressful because my relationship with Nas was on the line as well as her engagement.
Nas was understandably upset and full of doubt, luckily I managed to convince her that whatever school day comradeship Mo and I had was long in the past and it would never match to the relationship she'll have with him as husband and wife. Plus, I would always respect the boundaries of that. Nasreen is very level-head and once the rumors died down, things were fine.
Luckily Imraan had heard this whole damaal straight from me before he even proposed, ah...Imraans proposal, now that's a story!... But, for another time...too bad I didn't keep a diary back then...
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