IN-LAWS.

Dee was curled at the far end of her bed. She hugged her pillow and sobbed harder. Aalima was by her side playing with a toy. It was as if she knows her mother wasn't okay because she hadn't been crying for the past three days instead, Dee was now the baby.

Khalifah pushed the door of her room. Khadijah quickly wiped away her face. She's feeling so weak at that moment because, apart from standing up to pray, she does nothing but to curl up and cry.

"Khadijah!" He ran into the room.

"Don't come near me." Khalifah kept approaching her.

"I told you not to come closer. Go out of my home. Go!" She pushed him away.

"What have I done? My one and only wife," he spoke. Dee stood in tracks and turned her head back to him. She let out a laugh while wiping her tears.

She smiled and took two steps forth. She stood in front of him and said "Repeat what you said my darling husband. It soothes me more than every word in this world. I have missed you so much. Work has change my husband into something else." She hugged him waiting to hear his response.

"I miss you so much too my wife. Life has been hectic without you. I don't like the way I'm becoming a workaholic too but as soon as I finish my PhD programme everything will be alright. We will enjoy our life, me, Aalimaa and you in it alone." He held her tight.

"Won't you get married again by then? You know you guys, when life offers you all it's shade, you tend to use it all at once without preserving it for the sunny season." She smirked since he's not seeing her face.

"Marriage?! Not now, not ever!" He replied.

******

"Abdul if you don't want me to harm you, go away. I don't want to see her. Let her father's wife feed her not me. She's his daughter not mine!" Dee finished with her eyes closed. She couldn't believe Khalifah did that to her. How could he marry without her consent. Did he took her as a fool?

"He got married. Yes he married my best friend." Dee talked to her self. She was trying to believe it. It seemed like a dream to her.

"Khalifah belongs to another woman now. Yes he is Meenah's husband," she talked absentmindedly. That was her routine, it's either she's talking about the marriage or crying. Sometimes she laughed which scared her family. They were afraid she would lose her mind.

•••••••

Hafeez my own!"  Jamila paced about and then drew a chair for herself and sat down.

"My wife is coming back soon. I beg you to leave my house." he pleaded.

"Leave...your...house or our house?" She asked in between laughter. Hafeez scoffed.

"Last time I checked, it was not you on the photo. I don't even know you, I had no business with you. Why will you be chasing me up and down? Why will you be threatening me?" He shouted.

Jamila laughed. "Layla is my friend. We planned this together. It's quite unfortunate that you have a wife and you fell into our trap. The ball is still in your court, it's not late yet." She finished and opened another pack of chewing gum and threw it into her mouth.

She likes chewing like a goat.

Hafeez looked at her, unaware of what to say. She stood up and looked at the carved flowers in the garden and said: "soon it will be Hafeez and Jamilah not Halimah," with that she left.

****

This is the story of two sisters.

The story of Khadijah and her husband, Khalifah.

The story of Halimah and her husband, Hafeez