Chapter 16

5alid: but I can see that your worried… tell me .. I’m your husband .. you can trust me .. what’s wrong?

Me: 7amood o5ooy mn yesterday mayrd 3alay.. he blackberry is off .. he’s not answering his iphone.. neither is he answering the house phone… he’s always off on skype…

5alid: w inty 5ayfa 3alaih?

Me: yes .. ho doom yramsny on skype gabl la he sleeps

5alid: ok I can help it u want?

Me: 9DG?! How?!

5alid: my friend ydrs there… I’ll ask him to go check on him

Me: ya please .. walla galby mb mrta7

5alid: just give me the address

I gave him the address

And he called his friend

To my luck his friend lived somewhere near our house in London

5alid: gal now he’ll go check on him just don’t worry

Me: thank you a lot

5alid drove off to my grandma’s house

Before we reached his phone rang

5alid: aloo … ha bashr…. Inta mit2akd? … ok 3eesa  abak itseer itchoof 7alta w it5abrny… mashkoor w matga9r .. yalla atrayak.. bye

Me: 7amood feeh shay??

5alid: wait and I’ll tell you all

Me: 5alid allah y5aleek tell me he’s fine

5alid: I don’t know if he’s fine or not yet

I stayed quiet

He held my hand

5alid: 3afra don’t worry

Me: kaif I don’t worry he’s my brother!

5alid kept quiet until we reached bait yado

He got down with me

We entered the house w 3arafta 3ala my cousins w my uncles and aunts

5alid sat beside me fl meelas

We both looked worried

Baba: sho balakm?

Me: baba 7amood..

Mama: bismillah wldy sho balah?

5alid: 3afra kanat it7aty lana mn il bar7a ma ramas’ha w his phone is off.. so I asked my friend to go check on him

Baba: inzain…

5alid: rbee3y sar dag il jaras but no one answered … he asked il neighbors w galo ina yesterday night il is3af shalo w wadoh il mstashfah

Mama started crying and soon yado w my aunts joined

Baba: inzain w hoo a7een b5air?

5alid: ba3adny ma3arf … rbee3y gal bayseer ychoofa w bay5abrny w still ma it9al

Baba got his phone out

Baba:  sul6an i7jzly 3ala 2wal 6ayara sayra London…. 7ata lw al7een sul6an dabrly… 7ata lw mb first class…. Ok mashkoor…

Mama: I’m coming with u.. msta7eel a5aly wldy hnak ta3ban broo7a

Baba: inshallah..

We were all quiet when suddenly 5alid’s phone rang

5alid: halla 3eesa…

They all turned and looked at 5alid

5alid: akeed 3eesa?... ok dgeega…

5alid handed me his phone

5alid: m7amad yba yramsch

Me: 7amooood!!!

7amood: 3afoor don’t tell mama w baba bay7atoon tra I’m fine

Me: too late … kl7ad y3arf now…

7amood: shit now akeed mama batgool she’ll come

Me: yes she’s coming hee w baba too!!

7amood: walla ana b5air bs yatny asthma w ma knt agdar atnafas so I dialed the ambulance number w they picked me up… a9lan tomorrow I’m going out

Me: il 7amdillah … 7amood mama wants to talk to u..

I gave mama the phone and she went out to talk to him while everyone looked at me..

Me: what?!

Baba: ya3ny mat3arfeen it6amneena?

Me: oh ya.. sorry nsait.. he’s fine bs yatla asthma  w he called il is3af w shaloh w bs… w ygool mala da3y iton cause he’s getting out bachr

Baba: il 7amdillah .. bs ma’9an umch batrta7 itha ma chafat waladha..

Me: I know

Everyone was chatting with the one next to him/her or playing with their phones

I looked at 5alid and whispered.

Me: thank you.. ma bansa wagfatk wyana..

5alid: sho hal kalam 3afra.. I’m one of you now 9a7?

Me: yes

5alid: w ba3dain mala da3y u thank me .. I’m your husband

Me: why do I feel that you love saying “I’m your husband” ?

5alid: because I love seeing you blush and whenever I say it inty tst7een w wayhch y7mar

I just smiled and looked away

My mum came in she looked relieved

Me: mama you’re not going 9a7? Tra 7amood gal mb lazm itseereen lana he’s fine

Mama: la baseer .. ana ma at6aman lain ma achoof wldy

We sat shway then they got us deserts and coffee and tea w chy ya3ny..

We all ate including 5alid

Then 5alid excused himself

5alid: yalla ana baraw7

Baba and my uncles: la tawa il nas

5alid: la ana imwa3d il rab3 aseer wyahm il cinema

Yado: 3afar goomy wa9ly raylch

Me: yado kam mara agoolch don’t call me 3afar

Yado: inzain yalla nshy wa9ly il rayal

Me: inshallah

I walked 5alid to the door

He went out

But before I could close the door

He turned back

Me: you forgot something?

5alid: yes

Me: what? Aseer ayeeblk?

5alid: la mala da3y itseereen I can get it here

Me: ok

I was confused

Ma3arf what did he forget

He walked to me

He was so close

They he whispered in my ears

5alid: tbain it3arfeen what I forgot?

Me: la 3ady mb lazm

5alid: gltlch don’t lie I can read everything from your eyes

Me: ok then what did u forget?

I was breathing heavily

He was so close

I could feel his breath on my ears

5alid: this…

He kissed my cheeks and walked away

He didn’t even wait for my reaction…

I walked back into the meelas ignoring what just happened

I chatted with my cousins

When it was night we had to leave and go back home

We all said our goodbyes to my grandma and left

When I reached home

The first thing I did was taking a shower

I got out and changed into my pj’s

Then I went to my bed took the flowers that 5alid got me and got a vase

Filled it with water w 7a6ait il flowers in it

Then I went back to my bed and opened the Cartier bag

I got out the box and opened it

There was this beautiful love bracelet

I had 2 of them and I added this to my collection

It was special because my wedding date was engraved in from the inside

After wearing it

I remembered that I haven’t thanked 5alid for the present and the flowers

So I took my phone out of the bag

Entered 5alid’s what’s app chat

Me: 5alid I don’t know how to thank you.. thank you for the gift.. flowers… and for helping me today …

I waited for 30 minutes but I didn’t get an answer … I saw the last seen it was 10 minutes ago

Hmm.. is he ignoring me?

Then my blackberry started vibrating

Akeed juju is pinging me

I opened my bbm

And it was him!!!

5alid: no need to thank me wifey ;)

Me: how did you get here? :O