9

He entered his apartment to check on them as usual every day: "Ibrahim, Randa, Tatyana." 

She emerged with her short blonde hair, fair skin, and her beat-up car: "I'm here." 

"Where are Ibrahim and Randa?" 

"Asleep." 

He ignored her and went into his children's room, sat on the bed: "Ibrahim..." 

He got up and sat quietly, greeted his father, his eyes watching the figure standing behind his father, threatening him with her eyes. 

"How are you?" 

"I'm fine, thank God." 

"What's wrong? You look upset." 

"No, I'm not upset, just because I'm fasting." 

He smiled: "Good job, man..." 

He turned to his sleeping daughter before his little girl: "Randa, Daddy's here. Don't you want Daddy?" 

She opened her eyes with the mischief of children and screamed with joy: "Daddy!" 

She clung to his neck, embracing her small body in his hands: "How's my darling?" 

Randa: "Fine, but Daddy is not fine." 

"Oh, why?" 

Randa: "Because you always leave and abandon me."

 "When my affairs are settled, I won't leave you." 

Tatyana: "When will these matters be settled? I can't stand this miserable life again." 

Quietly: "Soon."

…

Wedding day

Suha: "I can't believe he's going to bring her home today."

Mayar, lying on Waad's bed: "Believe it, my dear. Can't you smell the incense filling the place? I'm almost suffocating from it."

Joud: "What I find strange is how calm my mother and aunts are, as if it doesn't bother them, and on top of that, he says he loves her and wanted to marry her years ago."

Noha: "That's how men are, they know love by name only. Is there a man who loves a woman and marries three others, then takes her as the fourth?"

Waad: "They don't have hearts, they have hotels, with each suite for a wife."

Suha: "I don't feel all men are like that. On the contrary, I think some of them are faithful."

Noha: "I've never heard of a faithful one. Imagine, one of my colleagues said her uncle, whose wife died leaving him with three children, didn't even wait three months after her death to start looking for a bride."

Waad: "Ugh, If it were him who died, she would still be in mourning."

Suha: "But it's a shame, he has three children who need a mother, a woman to stay with them."

Mayar: "He shouldn't even think about it until a year has passed since her death. And then, he should raise his children himself or his family should. Doesn't he have relatives?"

They heard the whistling of their brothers and knew that their father had entered.

Waad: "Oh, my happiness and my joy, Ibrahim is a groom tonight. Drum and ululate, come on girls, celebrate."

Mayar: "Ugh, your words annoy me, Ibrahim, a groom tonight."

Waad: "Just imagine if dad had a wedding, what would our reaction be? Would we wear dresses or invite our friends? Whose wedding do you have? It's dad's wedding, oh my."

Suha: "Thank God he didn't have a wedding, or I would have had a breakdown."

Mayar: "Do you think she's coming with him in a wedding dress?"

Joud: "So I can burn it with her in it. How lovely. She's as old as my grandmother and wearing a wedding dress. She shouldn't even take off her abaya out of modesty. How can a woman who's old and has children get married? I don't understand what her children are for, how could they agree to their mother getting married."

Waad: "Seriously, it's the first time I've heard of children agreeing to their mother getting remarried after their father. But my dear, this is what's called the luck of the draw for us."

Noha, sitting up after lying down: "Do you think she'll be the evil stepmother? I mean, my father married three, and all of them are kind, the toughest being my mother, and her toughness is on us. But do you think this one will be able to control my father?"

Suha: "No way, this is Ibrahim. If those with long mustaches couldn't handle him, how could a woman?"

Mayar: "Their plotting is great, but dad won't let her. It's impossible for a woman to control him."

Noha: "Let's wait and see her."

Suha: "Hey, don't show weakness. Stay strong and hit her with indifference, as if no new person has entered the house."

Joud: "Ugh, I feel dizzy."

Waad: "Do you want us to get you something to eat?"

Joud: "No, just juice will be enough for me."

Waad got up and opened her fridge: "What do you want?"

Joud: "Anything, Waad."

Waad: "Pepsi or Fresh juice."

Mayar: "I want Pepsi."

She took out the Pepsi, placed it on the bed, and each one took one for herself.

Noha: "You know, I think I'll buy a fridge for my room too."

Waad: "Yeah, it's useful. Now I'm thinking of buying a coffee machine and putting it in my room, and I'll put a couple of cups here too."

Suha: "Yeah, and put a small microwave and an oven, and a plate and a fork, and what else."

Noha: "It's turned into a kitchen."

Suha: "I don't know about her, there's nothing left she hasn't thought of putting in there."

.. Downstairs..

Saud is bursting with laughter: "Congratulations, dad, congratulations, auntie."

Ibrahim: "I will celebrate for you next."

Saud: "No, we don't want this hassle."

Rahma: "Congratulations, Munira."

Munira: "Thank you"

Ibrahim: "So, where are the girls?"

Mishal: "They're holed up upstairs."

Ibrahim: "Fares, go call them, tell them to speak to their father."

Fares: "Okay, but on one condition."

Ibrahim: "What is it?"

Fares: "Marry me off too."

Ibrahim: "Hahahaha, let your brothers get married first, then I'll marry you off with them."

Fares: "Alright then, you guys get married, and I'll get married."

Khaled: "Go, may God protect you, go call the girls."

Ibrahim: "My Wives, you surely know them."

Munira smiled: "Yes, I know them."

Ibrahim: "And these are my children, Saud the eldest, and Ahmad, Khaled, Yasser, Mishal, Walid, and the two sensible girls, Nada the eldest and Dana the second youngest."

Munira: "May God keep them for you and grant you their righteousness"

: "Amen."

Standing on the railing, looking down.

Noha: "She is hooot."

Joud: "How old do you think she is?"

Mayar: "My mom said 45."

Suha: "What 45? She looks like she's just 30."

Waad: "Forget all that and pay attention to the short hair, it's so thin, there's hardly anything left."

Joud: "I remember the day I was going to cut my hair short and he was going to measure it with a ruler to see how much to cut, and he didn't even let me cut it up to my neck."

Waad: "He doesn't want me to cut it whether for good or bad, saying it's a sin after your mom struggled to grow it long when you were young, and now you just chop it off."

Noha: "Her hair suits her, honestly, it makes her look younger, no wonder my dad is so smitten with her, wonder how she looked when she was younger."

Mayar: "I think she looks normal but she takes care of herself, or maybe it's all the bridal stuff that makes her look like this... Tomorrow everything will be clear."

Ibrahim looked up after Faris signaled to him that they were standing above: "Come down and greet your aunt."

Saud: "What's with you looking like monkeys from above?"

Waad: "We're going to see the series move from the seventies to the millennium, we'll see the sequence of events and how the hero and heroine act."

Ibrahim smiled: "Come down here instead of straining your neck."

Waad: "I like it here, but you have to show us the seventies era, we want to see how different you are from each other, we don't understand the transition of events."

Saud: "Waad, keep your tongue in your mouth or I'll cut it."

Ibrahim: "Let her be, Saud, I'm in a good mood and want to hear her out."

Suha: "You look so cute, getting angry on your wedding day will give her the wrong idea."

Waad: "No, my dear sister, I didn't get this idea for thirty years, now you'll live everything live."

Mayar: "Now, after he has kids, he's grown taller."

Noha speaking to her sisters: "You guys are exaggerating a lot, I swear I wouldn't be surprised if he comes out and beats us with his belt."

Joud: "He won't do it, darling, he cares about her feelings."

Nawal: "Waad, come down you and your sisters, stop being so cheeky."

Waad: "I don't want to be in the same place as her."

Yasser: "Why? did she take your husband and we don't know?"

Waad: "Honestly, it would have been better if I was married and my husband married another, at least I could ask for a divorce, but what can I do with dad?"

Ibrahim: "Okay, I'm giving you attention, come down and greet."

Joud: "I don't feel like coming down, my legs hurt as if I've aged thirty years, my sisters."

Suha: "Oh, my poor thing, you think your twenty will be like your forty."

As for Munira, she was embarrassed by the girls' talk: "Your daughters aren't pleased...?"

Ibrahim: "Don't worry about them, if they don't agree today, they will tomorrow."

Munira: "It's a shame they get upset like this and hate me."

Mona: "Don't worry, our daughters are spoiled, tomorrow they'll talk to you as if nothing happened."

Joud speaking to her sisters: "Look at dad, afraid she'll slip through his fingers like she did thirty years ago."

Noha: "The heart loves, my girl, what do you think if we go down and see her up close?"

Mayar: "I was sure your curiosity would kill you, you couldn't hold out and be strong like us, as we agreed we wouldn't go down before they serve dinner."

Noha: "I want to hear what dad says about us."

Waad: "What's he going to say? These are Joud, Noha, Mayar, Suha, and the one with the sharp tongue Waad."

Ahmed: "Enough, girls, you've really overdone it."

Suha speaking to her sisters: "I don't think there's anything worse than loving someone for thirty years, even though she was married and so was he, and they're happy they met again."

Waad went back and put her hand on her head: "Ahh, my head."

Suha: "What's wrong with you?"

Waad: "I feel dizzy."

Mayar: "It's normal since we've been standing and looking down all day."

Waad flew to her room and came back, and her sisters followed her.

Suha: "what's wrong with you?"

Waad: "I don't know, suddenly I felt sick to my stomach."

Noha: "Come sit down, you look tired."

Waad washed her face and dried it.

Joud: "Don't tell me she has given you the evil eye."

Noha gasped: "Ah, maybe, how did I forget?"

Mayar: "I say, don't be silly, you and her."

Waad: "I say calm down, both of you. The whole issue is that I haven't eaten anything for two days and I stood on the stairs and got dizzy, that's all."

Fares: "Come on, let's go down for dinner."

Mayar: "Can you come down, or should we bring the food here and continue our upset?"

Waad: "No, I'll come down with you, let's go."

They all went down, and the chill of the world enveloped them as if their tongues weren't just wagging a moment ago.

Mayar: "Strange, everyone is sitting at the table except for our father, where is he leaving his bride?"

Joud: "I hope he's gotten bored of her, I hope."

Ibrahim from behind them: "Finally, you came down..." They all turned to him.

Waad: "Why, were you expecting us not to come down? I'm not depriving myself of food because of her."

Joud: "Nor am I. Imagine, I would go on a hunger strike because of her. But really, father, what's her name?"

Ibrahim took Waad and Joud by the hand: "Go outside, I want to talk to all of you."

They went out with him and stood waiting for him to speak: "Are you satisfied with what you're doing to me, trying to spoil my happiness?"

Waad: "Your happiness!! Father, as if it's the first time you marry, do you love her that much?"

Ibrahim: "I told you before, if I didn't want her, I wouldn't have married her."

Mayar: "Yeah, I see, this is just the beginning, you ignored us and defended her."

Ibrahim: "Did I ignore you, or are you the ones bringing me misery? Do you know what you did just now? If I wasn't patient, I would have gotten up and hit you with the belt."

: ...

Ibrahim: "When will you grow up and think like mature, sensible girls? Even Dana, who is younger than you, is more sensible than you."

Waad: "You brought her here and forced us to accept her. It's not reasonable that you didn't even consider taking our opinion before asking us to accept her."

Ibrahim: "I'm not a child, and you don't have a say over me to take your opinion."

Waad: "Since you value love so much, when I also love someone, I'll come and tell you that I love him and see if you accept the situation or not."

Ibrahim: "I have no objection, provided that he loves you and I will marry you two because that's the natural end of love, otherwise I have nothing else."

Noha: "Are you serious, father? Is it okay for us to love?"

Ibrahim sat on the stairs: "Do you think someone who has experienced love would deny someone else the chance to love?"

Joud: "If you value her so much, why didn't you marry her a long time ago?"

Ibrahim: "Her brother didn't want me to take her, and now after she became a widow, the opportunity arose for me to take her. Should I say no, I don't want her?"

Mayar sat next to him and held his arm: "I didn't expect you to love, it doesn't seem fitting for an older man to love."

Ibrahim: "Why, don't I have a heart that loves and hates, or am I not human in your eyes?"

Waad stepped forward and turned her back to them: "And what about mom and my aunts, what place do they have in your heart?"

Ibrahim: "Each one has a special place."

Waad: "Didn't I tell you, men's hearts are like hotels, each suite has a woman in it."

Noha: "To be honest, father, since I saw her, I don't blame you for loving her!"

Ibrahim smiled: "She is hot, right?"

His daughters laughed at him... Suha: "She seems like a late teenager."

Ibrahim stood up: "I've given you the chance to talk about me, now go ahead, greet her and kiss her head."

Waad: "Well, that's tough, Ibrahim. It never occurred to me to kiss her head. It's good enough that I shook her hand."

Ibrahim: "Looks like you girls aren't going to make it through the night peacefully. Come on, move it."

Waad: "Okay, just a moment..."

Ibrahim: "What's up?"

Waad: "Ummm, are you planning to have her bring kids?"

Ibrahim: "That would be nice, indeed."

: "Dad..."

Ibrahim: "What's wrong? Don't you want little siblings, little chicks?"

Mayar: "No, we don't want any. Fares is enough for us."

Ibrahim: "If God grants us children, no one can refuse them."

Noha: "Let her take pills."

Ibrahim: "Don't you think you've gone too far and I've been too lenient with you? Now, go ahead and greet her politely."

They all entered together and moved forward to greet; Noha, Saha, Mayar, Joud, and Waad. The latter did it and greeted with a handshake.

Everyone sat in their place.

Saud: "You girls took your time to grace us with your presence."

Waad: "Well, what can we do if Ibrahim insisted we honor you with our presence."

Ahmad: "Waad, that's inappropriate."

Waad: "The inappropriate thing is to talk about me and when I don't respond, they say it's inappropriate."

Ibrahim: "But Saha, Joud, Dana, and Mayar, you didn't mention your results?"

Joud: "You remembered on your wedding day."

Ibrahim: "What's your percentage?"

Joud: "Don't worry, I've made you proud, God willing."

Ibrahim: "Meaning?"

Joud: "93."

Ibrahim: "Good, congratulations."

Joud: "But I want my gift, not just congratulations."

Ibrahim: "I'll think about it... And you, Saha?"

Saha: "Thank God I passed, all thanks to God."

Ibrahim: "What's the percentage?"

Saha: "Don't get mad, okay? I hired tutors and everything, but this is what I ended up with."

Ibrahim: "Ninety?"

Saha: "Yes, the most important thing is I got an excellent grade, okay."

Ibrahim: "So you just scraped by in science."

Saha: "If you had let me study literature, I would have gotten 99.9%."

Yasir: "And why is that one out of ten missing?"

Saha: "Because there might be a teacher who doesn't like me, or maybe because I didn't answer something that was rarely asked."

Waad: "The most important thing is, how much did Najla give you for participation?"

Saha: "Imagine, she gave me seven. That bitch frustrated me."

Noha: "It's good that you passed, but you should have seen yourself studying her subject, you looked like Waad, but lighter."

Ibrahim: "So, Mayar, Nada, and Dana, how are your averages?"

Saha whispers to Waad: "What's wrong, why aren't you eating?"

Waad: "My stomach is upset, I still can't bring myself to eat."

Saha: "Don't tell me you caught a cold?"

Waad: "Oh my, with that kind of thinking, really? We're in July, do you know where July comes from, how do you get a cold?"

Saha: "From air conditioners, my dear."

Nada: "Thank God, dad, I'm still doing well, just one subject left that hasn't been posted yet."

Dana: "Me too, I have one subject left that's not willing to be posted, that bitch."

Mayar: "As for me, only one subject has been posted."

Saud: "Don't tell me you're failing subjects."

Waad lifted her legs onto the chair: "The subject that was posted for Azza?"

Mayar: "It would have been nice, sister, no, it's not for Azza, that crap, if she doesn't record the grades on the last day, she won't rest, she worries she might have given an extra quarter of a point or half."

Yasir looks at Waad: "Why aren't you eating?"

Waad: "I don't feel like it."

Noha talks to her sisters: "Does her hair have gray in it, or am I blind?"

Mayar: "Yes, it does have gray, can't you see it? A big chunk in her haircut."

Joud: "Strange, why didn't she dye it?"

Saha: "Why, as if the gray will disappear if she dyes it? Tomorrow it will show up again, better leave it as it is."

Noha: "Actually, I like white hair, I think it looks dignified."

Waad: "Dad."

Ibrahim: "Yes?"

Waad: "Does Uncle Bandar have no intention of returning to Saudi Arabia?"

Khaled: "What made you think of him?"

Waad: "I miss him a lot."

Ibrahim: "He hasn't spoken to me for a long time. I don't know when he plans to return."

Saud: "Yeah, we really miss him. It's like we haven't seen him for years."

Maiar: "Who is this person?"

Joud: "He's someone who's avoiding marriage so much that because my grandparents are pressuring him to get married, he fled outside of Saudi Arabia."

Maiar: "And why doesn't he want to get married?"

Noha: "He says he hasn't found someone who shares his passions yet."

Waad: "God didn't give him what He gave some people."

Ibrahim: "I'm not stupid, I know you're referring to me."

Waad smiled: "You've always been smart, so you're not going to understand what I mean."

Ibrahim: "Oh, lady, I raised you, so even if I'm not smart, I know who you're referring to."

Suha: "All the kids in our family are like him, avoiding marriage because they spent so much time with him during their adolescence, and not one of them has gotten married yet."

Ibrahim: "Mishal and Walid, are your results tomorrow?"

Mishal swallowed nervously: "God willing."

Ibrahim: "Good, I want to hear them by noon."

Walid: "Postpone it, Dad, you're a newlywed, we don't want to upset you."

Ibrahim: "So that if I see you've messed up, I'll send you to the company to work for me."

Khaled: "Then our inheritance is lost."

Mishal: "Why do you doubt our ability to manage the company?"

Yasser: "It's not doubt, it's certainty. If you were capable, you would have finished high school and managed your lives, not one stuck for six years and the other for five. You should be on the verge of graduating from college by now."

Munirah: "Maybe they don't like studying and have hobbies or interests in something specific?"

Ibrahim: "A degree is a weapon. They should study and specialize in whatever they want. I'm not opposed to what they want."

Waad stood up: "And I've taken this weapon and am sleeping on it… Excuse me, I'm going to sleep, and no one should think of waking me up."

Joud: "It's hard to wake you up."

Waad walking away: "Very much so."

Rahma: "Why aren't you eating, dear?"

Joud: "Even if I ate a whole feast, you'd say I'm not eating."

Saud: "I force you to eat every time I see you, and you're getting smaller."

Joud: "People grow up, and I get smaller, you mean."

Saud: "Almost a little bit more, and you'll disappear."

Yasser: "You girls need someone to monitor your eating, you and Maiar."

Maiar: "I'm on a diet."

Yasser: "What?! Diet? Why? What do you have to lose?"

Maiar: "I want to lose four kilos. Ever since you came, I've been eating non-stop."

Mona: "So in a few weeks with us, you'll gain weight?"

Maiar: "Well, I used to go two days without eating anything, no problem. But here, especially dinner, everyone has to sit down for it. When I was with my family, meals were almost skipped. Breakfast was basically canceled. My parents would only meet for lunch, and for dinner, they'd eat anything, it wasn't important. And I and Abdullah would order in, and everyone would eat alone. We're not used to sitting down at one table."

Nada: "Then you found it difficult to adjust to our house?"

Maiar: "Ummm, kind of, but it's not just the food. The whole house system, there are many things that are forbidden here that I used to do. Also, your house is always noisy except late at night. Our house is quiet 24/7 because no one is there except my mom and me. Whereas my brother and father spend most of their time outside, and my sisters come at the end of every week."

Ibrahim: "Don't you feel like you're separating yourself from us with your words?"

Maiar, surprised: "Me...?"

Ibrahim: "Yes, you said 'your house' and 'you guys,' and when you talk about the people you lived with, you say 'we' and 'our house.'"

Maiar smiled: "I didn't notice. Did you get upset?"

Ibrahim: "No, why would we get upset? It will take you a long time to get used to it."

…

As soon as she entered her room, she was shocked by the thing that touched her head, whispering: "One move and I'll empty it into your head."

She swallowed her saliva out of fear, unable to do anything anymore; she couldn't scream or speak. She wanted to call out, but no one would hear her voice because it wouldn't come out at all.

He tied her hands behind her back.

She finally spoke: "Who are you?"

He smiled provocatively: "Didn't recognize my voice?"

How could she not recognize it? Surely, it was the scoundrel from outside. How did he manage to get in when her brothers and her father were all there, along with the guards outside? What was she going to do? How was she going to free herself? She tried to loosen her hands from the tie: "Let me go"

Salah: "I have a score to settle with your brother and by extension, you. Now, we're going down to surprise them, especially on your father's wedding night. It will be a modest gift I will present to him."

Waad: "You lowlife. You despi-" Her words were cut off because he put tape over her mouth.

Salah: "Stay polite and smart. If you step away from me, I won't hesitate to kill you and your father and brothers right in front of your eyes because they won't be able to do anything once they see you, and I'll kill them in front of your eyes and let you see how you all die together before I take you for myself."

Her eyes were about to pop out of her head from what she was hearing. It was impossible for her to bear something like this. How could someone die because of her? She wouldn't accept any soul to die because of her, especially when they are the dearest to her heart.

He grabbed her by the arm and walked her: "Let's make sure all the rooms here are empty."

He checked every room, dragging her along, then they reached the stairs: "Stay sensible so you don't provoke me into doing something you won't like. My quarrel is only with your brother Saud and that's it. Don't make me finish him and your whole family." She nodded in agreement...

They went down the stairs with him pointing the gun at her head.

The first to notice was Walid, who stood in shock, and when they all saw them, they stood with him, shocked at the sight.

Their blood froze in their veins, or rather, there was no blood flowing in them anymore, no life, no colors, nothing.

Salah smiled provocatively: "You took my threats lightly, thinking I couldn't enter your house, thinking there's no man who could enter a house with seven men inside. But I managed to enter while you all were here, on a night you'll never forget."

Saud angrily: "What do you want with her? Your issue is with me, let her go and take me instead."

Salah: "And I will settle my score with her. What do I care if I kill you now without making you suffer before you die?"

Ibrahim stepped forward: "What do you want, and we will give it to you."

Salah: "First, don't take even a quarter step forward, or I'll empty it into her head."

Yasser: "What do you gain from doing this?"

Salah: "I gain making your brother's heart boil just as he made me boil for eight years. I don't want to be enemies with all of you, but Saud destroyed me and my future and my life, and I won't let him enjoy his."

Saud, who was sending a message to Assaf about the situation and didn't want Salah to notice.

Ibrahim: "How much will you be compensated?"

Salah: "Your daughter."

Ibrahim: "What?!"

Salah: "If you want me to forget what happened, we become relatives. You give me your daughter to compensate for the years I spent in prison because of your son."

Khalid angrily: "You wish."

She started shaking her head and crying, trying to get away from him, but he was holding her: "Stay put, don't make me lose my temper with you."

Ibrahim: "Waad, calm down."

Salah: 'What did you say?'

Ibrahim: "How can I trust that you will cherish my daughter and protect her?"

Salah: "Don't worry, I'll give her a better life than this, and as for protection, I love her and won't allow any harm to come to her."

Saud harshly: "May your love be cursed."

Ibrahim: "Saud, calm down."

Yasser: "Father, are you listening to what he's saying? Are you planning to let him take her?"

Ibrahim firmly: "If it ends all of this, yes. Waad won't refuse to sacrifice herself for her brother."

Saud in shock: "Sacrifice herself means you know he's not worthy of her. How can you agree, father?"

Ibrahim firmly: "My daughter or yours?"

Khalid, trying to suppress his anger but it was evident: "Our sister, father. How can we agree to throw her into this situation?"

Salah: "Don't think you can deceive me. I'm not a fool. I'll take her with me until the time of the marriage contract and she'll be wed in my house."

Ibrahim: "You'll have what you want. But don't come near Saud and forget what's between you and him."

She was shocked. He traded her life for Saud's life. He traded her for his hatred. Surely, he would throw her away. How could he want her? He wants to get rid of her and her problems and the headache she's causing him. Surely, he'll tell her, "I was cornered, Waad. I was cornered. Would you let your brother's life go because of you?' But she's not to blame. Since she is not to blame, why should she have to live with such a vile and despicable person? How could he trust him with a piece of himself?

Salah smiled: "You'll have what you want. How could I harm the uncle of my children?"