Directions

Laila's mother-in-law smiled and her father-in-law laughed in reaction to her words. Noah's father said, "We sure do have a wonderful daughter-in-law. They don't make 'em like this very often anymore." and Noah's mother agreed before asking Laila, "Who were you talking to in the car? I hope we didn't interrupt anything important. We had assumed that it was Noah but of course he isn't the only person in the world you talk to and I worried that we might have rushed you by coming to the car like that."

Again Laila shook her head and swallowed her bite before she said, "Don't worry at all. It was indeed Noah. He and I had talked plenty when you came out and I promised to call him tonight. Plus, he was at work, so you did him a favour by making him get back to what he needed to do. So, I am sure he too will forgive you for coming out, especially when it was to help me carry my luggage." Again chuckles followed Laila's words and this time from both parents. "Good. If it was him he has no choice but to forgive us as we are his parents. What did he call you for? He couldn't be away from you for two days without calling you during work."

Laila laughed before saying, "Though he does have trouble with me leaving, even if it is only for two days, this particular call was made by me as I was lost and I needed directions." Noah's mother looked surprised and said, "But that was over half an hour ago. Did he stay with you on the phone that entire time?" Laila nodded and replied, "Yes. He was kind enough to stay with me on the phone as I drove the last few kilometres in order to make sure I got here safely." The look of surprise on her mother-in-law's face was replaced by a look of shock on both Noah's parents' faces.

With lifted brows and widened eyes Noah's mother asked, "Do you mean to tell me that he gave you real-time directions as you drove and he did so for thirty minutes?" Laila nodded and both her mother-in-law as well as her father-in-law didn't know what they had just heard. "Why didn't he just give you the directions and hang up to get back to work. Surely you could have remembered a few turns." Laila replied, "I could have but we hadn't spoken to each other much yesterday and we used this time to catch up with each other's days and in the process of doing that, he helped me find my way."

But for Noah's parents the shock was too great and they repeated, "Thirty minutes?! He stayed on the phone with you to give direction for so long? We sure did raise a saint. Or more so, a saint when it comes to you. Dropping all his work in order to give his wife directions. Though I can't imagine someone doing that, I am glad to hear he loves you enough to do so." With a bit more annoyance in her voice Laila also repeated her own words as she said, "Like I said, he was at work but he didn't stay on the phone with me for thirty minutes JUST to give me directions. We talked. He told me about his day and such. When I am not at home he usually works till much later anyways because he says that there is no reason for him to come home in time if I am not there, so I am sure that the time he spent talking to me, will be more than made up for by him later today."

Still being in a state of disbelief, Noah's parents replied a bit absentmindedly and said, "I suppose you are right in that." After snapping back from her daze, Noah's mother saw that Laila wasn't too pleased with their remarks. She grabbed Laila's hand into her own and smiled before she added, "Don't get us wrong dear. We aren't saying it is a bad thing. In fact, I am glad to see you two still getting along so well and being so loving to one another. In a way it shouldn't surprise me that you are this close and that he cares for you as much as he does since you two have been inseparable from the day you were born. There wasn't a day that you two weren't together and he would always go above and beyond to please you. It seems this hasn't changed now that he is an adult and married to you for plenty of years. Though it seems a bit much for us, that doesn't mean that there is something wrong with it. As long as it works for you two and doesn't cause any trouble to your work or marriage, I'd say, all the power to you. Who are we to judge your relationship?"

Though Laila felt that the apology was a bit incomplete, she brushed her feelings off and decided to let it go as she had come here for a pleasant visit and a pleasant visit she would have. She hadn't driven all the way out here and bought all those gifts to cause a fight over something so silly as a difference of opinion regarding what is and isn't normal in a relationship. She knew they were good people who had loved her as a daughter all her life. She imagined that they were as pleased as could be when she and Noah got together and that they would always be one of their biggest supporters as their lives together would continue. For that alone, forgiveness was most certainly in order!