Chapter 94

"I asked my wife, not you." He glared at him before turning his gaze to dalia. She ducked her head, looking melancholy. He hissed softly as he turned and entered his car. She hurriedly followed him and entered the car. If only she could jump out of the car, dalia would've did that. He yelled nonstop on their way home. If she knew seeing her together with abdulwahab was going to be something, she wouldn't have allowed him to follow her that far. "And from today, you will no longer wear veil to School anymore. Hijabs only and I mean it. We are going to the market to get more hijabs tomorrow after you're done with classes." She stared at him with an astonished expression. This means he was jealous and he still loved her. "But... I didn't do anything...." She swallowed her words and turned her head away when he gave her a dead look. Then he continued from where he stopped. "Why won't you attract men when you wear all these fancy abayas and you know how much I...." Then he let his words trail off as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. The storm had ebbed to nothingness, now the silence was as pure as the cold winter breeze in the night. She took a glimpse at him. She had so many things to say to him but she dared not talk, not when he was angry. The rain bore down mercilessly upon the heart of the city, pounding on the rooftops and turning the cobbled streets of the city district into a warren of slick stones and muddy waters. A startling low rumble rang loud in the cool fall air, the sky roaring with satisfaction. Dalia looked at the clock as she ambled across the living room to the window to peep again for the umpteenth time at the moment. Her shoulders slumped when she didn't see any sign of them. They have been out for about two hours, now it was raining cats and dogs. What frightened her was the loud storm. She plunk down on the sofa as she wondered what was taking them so long. Time flowed like cement. She glanced at the wall clock again for the umpteenth time. A minute had passed since she last checked two minutes ago, or so it seemed. Sitting there with nothing to stare at but the blank TV screen. She had watched everything but doesn't seem to work for her. The house felt emptier than a crypt. She couldn't just sit there watching the walls, no matter how pretty painted they were. Just then, the idea kicked in her mind. She scooped her phone and dialled her mother's number. She had to call again before she picked it up. "Mama, why do I always have to keep calling before you pick up?" She go on about, making her mother to scold her. "Fisabilillahi, dalia why won't you change this behaviour of whining about little things. Okay, I am sorry, the phone wasn't close to me. How are you doing? How's everything there?" Dalia grinned like a Cheshire Cat, though she was melancholic but everything changes the moment she's speaking with her mother. "Everything is fine, mama. Where's Amrah? We haven't spoken in a while now. Why won't you allow her to come visit me please? She should come at least during the weekend, please mama. Just do me this favour. I am mostly alone here and I have nothing to do. Like now, I am the only one at home." Amina sighed, it was resigned and weary. "You can be a talkative sometimes. And she will come when the right time comes, now stop disturbing me about this and face you matrimonial home and studies okay? And I hope everything is fine." Dalia furrowed her brows as she rolled her eyes. "His wife is sick so they went to the hospital for about two hours now and it's raining heavily. I'm so scared." She lamented, lowering her voice. Her exhaled again as she shook her head. "May Allah grant her a healthy recovery. Please my regards to her and your husband. I need to go now dalia, I can't with your blabbering." Dalia continued making a fuss before her mother finally ended the call. She smiled when she realised her mother has ended the call. She kept the phone aside and stood up. She peeped out through the window again. It was passed nine in the night but they still weren't back. The rain soon turned to light droplets but the thunder storms were still there, not as it was before. An hour later, she find herself already drowsing off when she heard the front door open. She briskly sat up right rubbing her eyes with her knuckles. She looked at the both as she rose up. "Welcome back," she muttered staring at them. Muhsin gestured amira to head upstairs while he stood there looking at her till she left. He turned his attention to dalia. "What are you doing here?" He asked her. The question sounded ridiculous, she mused to herself. Wasn't this her house also? Or she doesn't have access to his living room anymore? "I was waiting for you..." "Why?" He fixed his irked eyes on her. Her face was something he finds painful to look at. "Look, by now you should understand that I don't want anything that has to do with you. I don't want you anywhere near me because I don't wish to see your face... you should figure that out by now that I just don't want to be seeing your face...."