Dawud.

Chapter 9: End of the Semester Get Together

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Jannah's P.O.V

I gave my mother a thumbs up. "We did well, Alhamdullilah."

Mariam walked into the dining room with rubber gloves in one hand and a mop in the other. She sighed. "Every single part of the house is clean. The basement, the kitchen, every room upstairs, the living room and the foyer smell like lavender bleach." She said sarcastically while resting her chin on the mop's handle.

My mother laughed. "I think Warsan and Muna are here." She said, pointing to the window.

Struggling to walk up the driveway were Muna and Warsan. They grabbed each other hopelessly, fighting against the black ice that pulled at the soles of their boots. Once they reached our snowy patio, I ran and opened the door. "Hey, hey, hey! And welcome to our 'Girls Only: End of the Semester Get Together'!" I cheered. They rolled their eyes. "It's Muslim friendly too!" I whispered, cupping the side of my mouth. "We set up a prayer station upstairs with wonderful mats and abayas, tents downstairs for tonight and tables for snacks, meals, and desserts!" I grabbed their cheeks in excitement.

"Can you just let us in? Subhan'Allah, we're freezing!" Muna begged. I laughed and escorted them in. The flurry that came through the doorframe was blisteringly cold. Warsan rubbed her palms together as Muna shook the snow from her coat. "We took an Uber but from the way we look, you'd think we walked here." Muna sighed. I took their coats and hung them in the closet.

"Insha'Allah tonight is going to be so much fun. Oh!" I grabbed both of their shoulders and pulled them close. We gathered together secretively. "Do not mention Dawud. My mother will go ballistic." I informed them. The three of us shared nervous and uneasy expressions.

"Warsan! Muna! How are you guys?" My mother asked, breaking our little circle apart. We shouted in fear that she might have heard something. My mom laughed. "I look that bad?" She joked.

I gave Warsan a tiny nudge. "No, no you don't Auntie! You look nice! Are those highlights in your hair?" She asked, saving us from exposure. "They're gorgeous!"

"Aren't they? Allahuma Barak, you're really rocking the big 4-0!" Muna added. My mother shook her head, grinning. She walked into the kitchen, leaving the three of us frightened.

"That was so close!" I murmured frantically.

I asked the girls to help me find an outfit upstairs but once we reached my room Warsan demanded that we have an intervention. We sat on the floor next to my bed. "You guys look like you're hiding something from me." I said unhappily.

Muna ushered for Warsan to speak first. "We think you're speeding into things too fast and for the wrong reasons." Warsan replied, taking my hand.

I scoffed. "What do you mean?" I tried to ignore the fact that they discussed this in my absence.

"Jannah you're crazy about Dawud because you think he's cute. You don't know anything about him except for the little bits and pieces you've gathered so far." She added.

Muna cleared her throat. "Jannah, you don't know if he prays five times a day or if he listens to music. You don't know if he smokes or if he's abusive. These are really important things you need to know before getting married."

I took a deep breath and felt myself nod. They were right. This whole time I've been living a fantasy. "So what should I do?" I asked them. There was a slight creak at the door. I turned around to look but saw nothing.

Warsan scratched her chin thoughtfully. "Personally, I'd get my mother to meet him. Because things are starting to get serious, you don't want to tell your mother too late. The haram becomes possible if she doesn't allow you to marry him and you're already in the process of doing so. If she meets him and she doesn't see any red flags, proceed. If she meets him and notices the little things, think about it. If she meets him and she sees that he is completely out of line, abort mission." Warsan proposed.

I shook my head. "No! There is no way I'm going to tell my mother about Dawud right now. I don't know how I will or when I will but it can not be right now!" I protested.

Muna pulled at her cheeks in exasperation. "You have to!"

I shook my head. "My dad, my sister, and her husband are involved. My mom can be the last to find out." I stated, crossing my arms.

My two best friends shared uncomfortable looks. "Well then, let's get you a list of proper questions to ask him, okay? Pull out your phone." Warsan told me. I complied.

We found an amazing list of questions to ask a potential before proceeding with marriage online. The questions were a bit too formal and I knew the answer for a few of them so we tweaked them a bit. By the end, we had around fifty-five well-structured questions.

"Hey, I think you should write these down on paper and ask your dad to give it to Dawud before you see him next Saturday." Muna suggested. "Maybe it'll change things."

My heart weakened at the idea. If Dawud was a nutcase, I'd have to call everything off. I really hoped he wasn't a nutcase.

"Hey, I think all the guests are here." Warsan said.

After dressing into an oversized white button up tucked into light-wash jeans, the three of us marched downstairs. A lot of my sister's friends from school were here. Around fifteen of them had familiar faces. The rest were strangers. I sat on the couch with Muna and Warsan, discussing important matters, like how strange it felt to wear jeans again and how this 'girls-only' party was the best reason to pull em' out of my wardrobe.

All of a sudden, my mother stood up on a chair in the center of the living room, getting everyone's attention. She lowered herself back onto the floor with a smile. Everyone moved backward, clearing some space for her to announce whatever she was thinking. "Assalamu'Alaykum, girls. Today, some of you have completed the first semester of your third, fourth and fifth year of university. For that, I congratulate you." My mother said in her best diplomatic voice. We cheered. "I know my little baby sitting on the couch over there finished her last exam this morning. I am so proud of you and the two beautiful girls sitting next to you." My mother said, blowing us a kiss. I caught it with my hand, causing everyone to laugh. "I just want to tell all of you girls that right now, men are the last of your worries. Focus on school. Focus on your future. Allah will put a guy in your life at the right time. I think my daughter Mariam was a bit earlier than most but Allah is the best of planners, right?" My mother said, stifling back a snicker. The room roared with laughter. I stretched out my neck to find Mariam in the crowd. She was far back, frowning and shaking her head in displeasure. My mother ignored this and continued. "I'm glad my youngest daughter Jannah listened to me. I wouldn't want her goofing around and falling in love with some guy named Dawud!" She proclaimed. Her laughter caused all the girls to double-over, rubbing the tears from their cheeks. Muna's hand reached for my wrist and Warsan grabbed my shoulder.

Chapter Ten ->