Noor

Chapter 12

Here, It Begins

After telling Noor the story about mother, he seemed rather uneasy. He would leave for days and wouldn’t come back until the weekends. I would see him in school, but as time passed, Noor began to skip class. I wondered what was wrong, so I confronted his parents. They didn’t see this behavior but decided to scold him, for they knew I would never lie.

The morning air was unusually warm as I headed to class. As I was complaining about the heat under my breath, A short girl in a dark red Hijab walked up next to me. I recognized her as Aala, one of my dear friends who was pursuing a major in accounting.

“Aala! Asalamu Alakyum, my friend. How have you been?” I grinned brightly, looking down at the girl.

Her gentle eyes flashed back up to meet mine as a smile creeped across her lips. “Oh, nothing much. How have you been -- oh and how was your marriage? Your husband, that handsome Noor.” She giggled, placing a hand on her lips. “Ooh!”

Aala, so modest! I had forgotten that I have not seen most of my friends for a while ever since I had married Noor. Everything just became so busy, I didn’t have all that much time to talk.

“Ah, things are going well, thank you for asking… But…” I contemplated asking her about my husband’s strange behavior. “Noor has been acting strange, do you know if anything has happened to him at school? I know you share a class with him…”

Aala stopped and grabbed my arm, causing me to draw back slightly. “Oh, there has been a rumor spreading across the University!” At these words, my eyes widened.

“About my husband? What?”

She nodded her head vigorously then took me to a corner of the hallway so no one would hear.

“I heard that he has been… Flirting with other girls.” Aala whispered, her eyes wide. “That is … Why would he do something like that?”

“But how do you really know it’s true?” I asked, folding my arms.

Aala still held her hand against my arm. “I’m just telling you the rumor! Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. I’m sorry if it is, this is horrible!” She grumbled under her breath and shook her head.

“Well… Won’t you help me then, be with me along the way. Please?” I questioned. I needed a friend to rely upon, just in case if this rumor came to be true. My heart was beating quickly in my chest, and I felt myself beginning to sweat once more.

“Of course I will! Adali, you have been my friend ever since I entered the University, you have helped me around this school and encouraged me to study! Of course.” She grinned brightly and took my hand tightly in hers. “Friends forever, my sister!”