A Promise From My Heart

Chapter Twenty-One

It was so unbelievable. Amatullah wants to see me. She wants to see me. It had been a month and three weeks since that incident and she finally wants to talk to me. My heart drummed with joy.

"Thank you doctor" I said and walked into her room.

Waves of happiness washed over me reaching deep inside my heart. My face lit up with a smile as I entered Amatullah's ward. Amatullah raised her head up at the sound of the door. Her tear filled eyes stared at me before she walked towards me, water flowing down her cheeks.

"Yusuf" Amatullah called weeping.

"Amy" I walked up to her.

"Yusuf" she ran towards me sniffling.

It felt like a dream come true to see my wife running up to me. She engulfed me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her. She wept on my chest. It felt good. It felt so good to have her in my arms again. The emotions that crawled through my body, I had hugged her with everything. Tears burned my eyes. They were tears of joy. She had suffered me with her silent treatment. I tried to talk to her, I tried to feed her, I tried to make her laugh during these few weeks but all my effort went into thin air. When I was beginning to lose hope, my prayers were answered.

"Alhamdulillah" I muttered under my raging breathe.

We stayed like that for what felt like forever. It was peaceful to have her in my arms. It was relieving to know she was back. Her cries quiet down.

"I have missed you" I said to her kissing her temple.

"I am sorry" she said, her voice muffled in my chest.

She wanted to pull away but I held her back.

"No Amy. No, just stay like this. I have always wanted to hold you so close to me" I held her closer and kissed her forehead.

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There was nothing more I have ever wished for more than happiness for my family. The long lost happiness and laughter had been restored. I knew every day cannot be the same. Some events will always make them different but with love and joy, nothing would make it bad. My lips curved up into a smile as I watched my family smile brightly at the arrival of their daughter in law. My grandmother held Amatullah's face, stared at her for a while as if she could not believe she was back and hugged her before kissing her forehead. My father held her when she wanted to kneel to greet him, hugged her and kissed her forehead. Raihana and Raihan hugged her together.

"Mummy" she walked to her mother who engulfed her into a hug.

"Oko mi, olowo ori mi, omo mi" Mummy's voice cracked.

"I have missed you" Amatullah said to her. "Don't cry. I am back" she wiped her mother's tears and hugged her mother.

The joy on their faces gave me an overwhelming pleasure. The unshed tears in their eyes were tears of happiness. I stared at Abdulqayyum as he walked up to me. I had called him many times and apologized for what had happened few weeks ago and he had accepted my apology.

"Thank you bro" he said hugging me.

"We should thank Allah" I hugged him back.

I watched everybody happy and smiling except one person Noorie. She stood by the staircase, a scorn on her face, her eyes burning with fury. She looked as if she would kill soon. She gave Amy a death glare before matching up the staircase. I knew this was another problem to solve.

"Yusuf" I heard Amy call.

She stood beside me, smiling.

"Thank you" she said then leaned to kissed my check. I turned red due to embarrassment. She had just kissed my cheek in front of everyone.

"Oh my Allah brother Yusuf, are you blushing?" Raihana teased which made me redder and everyone laughed.

"Yusuf, you should take Amy up. She needs rest. I will send Raihan with her food" Grandma said.

I held Amy's hand then walked with her up stairs, her bag in my other hand.

"Welcome home sweetheart" I said pulling her closer as we entered our room.

I dropped the bag on the floor then turned around and hugged her.

"Yusuf, you have hugged me countless times" she laughed into my chest.

Hearing her laugh again gave me peace.

"Because I have missed you" I replied.

"Really?"

"Yes. I have missed you so much" I hugged her tighter.

"Me too. I must have been a whole lot of problem over the past year" she said.

"No, don't say that" I held her at arm length. "You were no problem to me and you will never be a problem to me. Understood?" I asked.

She nodded her head blinking unshed tears. I pressed my lips on her forehead and hugged her again.

"The best thing is you are back and I don't want to ever leave you"

Watching Amatullah since her arrival felt more interesting than watching a movie. I watched her as she walked out from the bathroom, a towel around her body. She held another towel running it through her hair. The fragrance of rose filled the room. That fragrance that was more intoxicating than any intoxicant. The room had lost that scent since she left and now that she is back, her scent was the only thing that fills it. She sat on the low stool in front of her elegant vanity and hummed to herself as she ran the towel through her hair. Water glided down her spotless taupe skin running into one another. She dropped the towel into the laundry basket and picked another one which she ran down her body.

"I know I am irresistible but that piercing look of yours is making me conscious of myself" she said with a smirk gazing at me in the mirror.

I smiled at her putting my laptop away as I got up and walked towards her. She stared at my frame in the mirror, her smile getting deeper. I placed a hand on her cold shoulder. The skin under my palm was smooth and flawless.

"You...." As I began to speak, a knock on the door made me stop. "I will get it" I told her and gestured towards the door.

I opened the door to see Noorie standing, her back against the door.

"Noor" I called and she turned back.

"Brother Yusuf" she smiled.

"Why are you here?"

"I came to see Sister Amy" she answered.

"Come in" I said opening the door for her to enter.

"Noor, how may I help you?" Amy walked up to us tying a robe she had worn over the towel.

"I aren't here to welcome you home" Noor spoke bluntly.

"Then why are you here?" Amy asked her voice calm.

I know how much that hurts but it had not shown on Amy's face.

"Everyone is happy including me that laughter runs again in the house. They are all happy to have you back after spending four months in the hospital but I am not" she shrugged nonchalantly. "They might be forgetting something including you" I narrowed my eyes, lines creased on my forehead. "We are forgetting to find justice for mom's death. You have come back without a memory. That part of your brain is still empty like a shell" she threw her head high.

Ouch, that's hurts and it was so blunt, I thought

"You have not still remember what happened that night and it is making me very sad. I have come here to remind you about it if you have forgotten. I will be happy if you can remember what happened that night so we can get justice for mom. Goodnight" she turned and left us in an eerie silence. What an attitude? I gritted my teeth

Amy turned around slowly to walk back to her vanity. She used a shaking hand to loosen her robe, her eyes darting around.

"Amy wait" I said and she stopped but she had not turned to look at me.

I took long strides towards her. Gently, I turned her to look at me.

"Look at me" I held her face. She hiccupped but refused to look at me. "Hey, look at me" I said, my voice low and husky. She was trying to hold back her tears which made her choke.

Slowly, her eyelashes lifted up. Her black teary eyes bore into mine. Those beautiful eyes charmed me for a moment that my breath had hitched.

"Don't take her words to heart. You know she is still shaken by mom's death"

"Noorie is right" she moved away from me. The baby pink robe glided down to her sides allowing the towel look like an armless dress under. "We are happy that I am back but we are forgetting about mom. I should try to remember" she tried to push back her tears as she walked to her vanity. I followed her.

"Amy, are you going to allow her words get into you?" I asked as I pulled her by her wrist "I know she had been blunt and rude which only few people can tolerate but you have tolerated her. Noor needs to understand the situation on ground. You just arrived from the hospital and you have your own problem. You are trying to live with our loss. She can't expect you to just remember like that. Something has to trigger the memory" I sighed tiredly when she refused to stop crying. "If you cry like this" I ran my thumbs on her face wiping away her tears "It hurts me. I want to see you smile. Just ignore Noor for now. She will get over it" I kissed her lips.

They were still soft like rose petals and still tasted sweet. I pulled away because it was a very brief kiss.

"I don't like it when you cry. It is not good for you" I hugged her. "Dress up. It's late already. We should sleep" I said after pulling away from her.

I waited in bed while she dressed. Amy slipped into bed slowly switching off the lamp by her side. I switched mine off moving closer to her.

"Come closer" I moved closer to her. I held her arm pulling her closer. "I have missed curdling with you"

"I have missed your warmth" she replied lying beside me.

"Feel it. It all yours" I smiled.

Amy rested her head on my chest, a hand wrapped around my torso and her legs entangled with mine. I smiled, a satisfactory one.

"Good night darling" I said with a smile when I closed my eyes.

"Good night prince charming" she sounded so sleepy.

I was at peace as I drifted into the world of slumber after my dua. Amatullah was back and that was what I always wanted, Alhamdulillah.