Chapter 5

After performing the dawn prayers, Nabila prepared breakfast after feeding her cat, Comel. Once the breakfast was ready, she set the table with dishes and cutlery. She tidied Comel's feeding area before heading to Zalikha and Nadia's rooms to wake them up for breakfast. Both Zalikha and Nadia asked to sleep longer, telling Nabila they would eat later. Nabila complied and returned to the kitchen, where she served herself and ate alone. After finishing her meal, she cleaned up and headed to her room to write a note for her mother and sister;

'Assalamualaikum (Peace be unto you) Mak & Nadia,

I'm heading out for a walk around the village with Izzati, and we'll go to town as well. I've left breakfast under the food cover. InshaAllah, I'll be back before noon to prepare lunch.'

After writing the note, Nabila got ready and left it on the food cover in the kitchen. She then took Comel outside, coincidentally just as Izzati arrived at her house.

Nabila greeted Izzati, "You're here early... I wasn't even ready to wait for you yet."

Izzati responded playfully, "Oh, really? If I come early, it's wrong. If I'm late, it's wrong. Even if I'm on time, it's still wrong. So, when am I supposed to show up? And who even wants to wait around like you said? Usually, people don't like waiting."

Nabila laughed at Izzati's reaction and said, "I'm just kidding. I'm used to waiting... always waiting for you to get ready, waiting for you to arrive, waiting for….", Nabila's voice trailed off as she suddenly remembered Irman.

Seeing Nabila's change in expression, Izzati asked, "Waiting for who? Were you about to mention that guy?", in a slightly annoyed tone.

Nabila smiled and said, "No, I meant Comel here.", as she kissed her cat, cradled in her arms.

Izzati gave her a side-eye, "Sure, Comel. Why would you wait for Comel? He's just a cat."

Nabila replied, "Well, I wait for him to finish eating.", giving Izzati a teasing smile.

Izzati, irritated by Nabila's response, said, "Why bother waiting for a cat? Let him eat, and you can do something else. He's not a baby you need to watch. Even parents of babies don't just sit and wait; they do other things while the baby eats. You're really something."

Nabila responded with a sweet smile, "Well, some people may do other things, but my cat, my way. To me, cats are like babies. All animals are like babies to me. Their behavior is just like babies, even though they look different. Some are born looking like human babies, others like cats, dogs, turtles, rabbits, and so on."

Izzati sighed, "Wow, you sure gave me a whole lecture! Fine, your way it is. I'm not that into animals. I'm not scared of them, I just don't feel the need to keep any as pets."

Nabila laughed and agreed, "True, you never seemed like the type to want to keep a pet. Let's go, though, or we'll be late and my mom will complain."

"Alright, let's go.", Izzati said.

As Nabila and Izzati walked toward town, they enjoyed the fresh air and chatted happily. Their steps halted when they saw a taxi pulling up to Raihan's house. They stood in place, curious to see who was getting out of the taxi. To their surprise, it was Raihan, looking as if he had just come back from more than a simple trip to town. Moments later, Raihan's mother greeted him with a happy hug, as though they hadn't seen each other in a long time. After the hug, Raihan's mother noticed Nabila and Izzati and called them over.

As they walked toward Raihan and his mother, she asked Raihan, "Have you eaten?"

"Not yet, didn't have time earlier.", Raihan answered.

When Nabila and Izzati arrived, they greeted Raihan's mother, Fatimah, with "Assalamualaikum (Peace be unto you), Auntie.", while shaking her hand.

Fatimah returned the greeting and asked, "How are you both?"

"We're fine, Auntie.", Izzati replied with a smile, and Nabila nodded in agreement.

"And how are you, Auntie?", Nabila asked.

Fatimah smiled, "I'm well, alhamdulillah (thank God). Are you two home for the holidays?"

"Just for the weekend, Auntie.", Izzati grinned.

Fatimah asked curiously, "Aren't you both working at the flower shop? Does it give you weekends off?"

Nabila explained, "Yes, we're working there, Auntie. Normally, there's no weekend break, but since it's just the two of us working during the week, our boss gives us weekends off."

"And who's taking care of the shop on weekends?", Fatimah asked.

Nabila replied, "There's a part-time worker for Saturday and Sunday."

Fatimah nodded approvingly, "That's good. Have you eaten yet? If not, join us for a meal."

"We've already had breakfast, Auntie, but thank you.", Izzati said.

Fatimah nodded, "Alright then. How long are you staying?"

"Just until tomorrow. We're here to get our moms' blessings to continue our studies," Izzati explained.

Fatimah was surprised, "Oh, you're going back to school? For a foundation course?"

"No, a diploma, Auntie.", Nabila answered with a smile.

Fatimah, still surprised, asked, "And your mom is okay with it?"

"Yes, alhamdulillah (thank God).", Nabila replied.

Fatimah smiled, "Alhamdulillah (thank God)."

Izzati apologized, "Sorry, Auntie, we need to head to town before it gets too late. We don't want all the good stuff to be gone."

Fatimah chuckled, "Oh, alright then. Take care."

Nabila and Izzati smiled and said their goodbyes, shaking Fatimah's hand before heading back on their way to town. Raihan silently watched Nabila's every move, unable to take his eyes off her, until they walked out of sight.

Noticing her son's gaze, Fatimah asked, "You still have feelings for Nabila, don't you?"

Startled, Raihan quickly denied, "No, of course not! I don't have any feelings for her anymore. Come on, Mom, let's go inside. It's been a while since I've had your cooking."

Fatimah, sensing her son's true feelings, smiled knowingly and followed him into the house.

In town…..

Nabila and Izzati wandered the market, looking for ingredients for lunch and dinner. As they browsed, Raihan arrived and sought them out. When he found them choosing fish at a stall, he startled them with a loud greeting.

"Ish, you scared us! What's wrong with you?", Izzati exclaimed, holding her chest in surprise, with Nabila equally startled beside her.

Raihan laughed, "I've been watching you two for a while, so I thought I'd scare you."

Nabila and Izzati glared at him, while the fishmonger laughed at their antics. The fishmonger then said to Nabila, "You two haven't changed at all… but we hardly see you around town anymore, Nabila. My wife misses you a lot."

Nabila, taken aback, apologized, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Uncle. I've been working outside the village, so I don't come back often. I'm only here this time to ask for my mom's blessing to continue my studies. How's Aunt Nafisah doing? Is her back still bothering her?"

The fishmonger replied, "Don't apologize, Nabila, you've done nothing wrong. I was just wondering. Alhamdulillah, you're working now, and even though it's not an office job, any halal job is good. Now that you're continuing your studies, I pray everything goes smoothly for you. As for your Aunt Nafisah, she's still struggling with her back pain, so she didn't come with me today. But don't worry, she's managing."

"Amin, thank you. But…", Nabila began, but the fishmonger quickly cut her off.

"I'm sorry if I made you worry, Nabila. I didn't mean to.", he said.

"It's okay, Uncle. You didn't upset me. Could you please send my regards to Aunt Nafisah?", Nabila asked.

"Of course, Nabila. She'll be so happy to hear from you.", the fishmonger smiled.

Izzati chimed in to lighten the mood, "She'll be over the moon, I'm sure. You're lucky, Nabila, so many people care about you. No one misses me like that."

The fishmonger and the nearby vendors smiled knowingly, understanding the banter between the two friends.

"Ish, you've got me. I care about you and miss you.", Nabila teased Izzati.

Laughing, Izzati replied, "I was just kidding. I like messing with you.", sticking her tongue out playfully at Nabila.

Nabila squinted at her, pretending to be annoyed. The fishmonger and everyone around them laughed at the exchange.

After buying the fish, the three of them continued shopping for other ingredients. As they were leaving the market, Nabila suddenly stopped.

Izzati asked, "What's wrong?"

Nabila replied, "I think I should visit Aunt Nafisah. I want to check on her."

Izzati and Raihan exchanged glances and sighed, knowing they had no reason to stop her. "Alright, let's go.", Raihan said.

When they arrived at Nafisah's house, they greeted her at the door. Nafisah, surprised to see Nabila, immediately hugged her tightly, tears of joy streaming down her face. After the emotional reunion, Nafisah released Nabila from the embrace and smiled warmly at her. Seeing Nafisah walking, albeit slower than before, filled Nabila's heart with happiness. Raihan and Izzati shared in the joy, watching the heartwarming scene unfold. Raihan's heart swelled with admiration for Nabila's kindness and gentle nature, a small smile playing on his lips.

Nabila asked, "Can we come in?"

Nafisah, still gazing at Nabila, snapped out of her daze, "Oh my, I completely forgot. Of course, come in.", she chuckled, slightly embarrassed.

Izzati and Raihan laughed at Nafisah's reaction, and Izzati whispered to Raihan, "She's so sweet, isn't she?"

Raihan nodded in agreement as they followed Nafisah inside.

In the living room, Izzati helped Nafisah sit down, and Raihan took a seat, followed by Izzati.

"Sorry the house is a little messy. I haven't been able to clean much.", Nafisah apologized.

Izzati reassured her, "It's okay, Auntie. It's not messy at all.", she smiled.

Nafisah smiled back and asked, "Where's Nabila?"

Just then, Nabila walked in carrying a tray with four cups, a teapot, and a small plate.

"Auntie, sorry for the trouble.", Nafisah said as Nabila poured tea.

"Oh, it's no trouble, Auntie.", Nabila replied.

Izzati, curious, asked, "When did you go to the kitchen?"

"I went right after coming inside.", Nabila replied with a smile.

"You really move fast.", Izzati said, amazed.

Nabila smiled again and handed everyone their tea before taking a seat next to Izzati.

"How have you been, Auntie?", Nabila asked.

Nafisah sighed, "It comes and goes, dear. Some days the pain is unbearable, but other days it's manageable. When it's not too bad, I can still go to the market with your uncle. But on days like this, I have to stay home."

Nabila offered, "Do you want me to give you a massage, Auntie?"

"That would be lovely.", Nafisah smiled.

"Let's go to your room, then.", Nabila suggested, and Nafisah agreed.

After the massage, they returned to the living room, where Izzati asked, "How was Nabila's massage, Auntie? Did it feel good?"

Nafisah smiled and gave a thumbs-up, "Very good."

Izzati and Raihan chuckled, while Nabila smiled softly and took her seat again. Once they finished their tea, they said their goodbyes and left the house.

On the way back home...

Raihan asked, "When are you both heading back to your place?"

"Tomorrow morning.Why?", Izzati replied.

"I was thinking we could hang out at the fields this afternoon.", Raihan suggested.

Nabila hesitated, "I'll see how it goes. My mom might need me to do something."

"I'm up for it.", Izzati answered.

Raihan was disappointed by Nabila's response but hid it. However, Izzati noticed his reaction and held back a laugh.

Teasingly, she said, "So, you wanted to hang out with just Nabila, huh?"

"Yeah, I'd rather hang out with Nabila. You'd just get in the way.", Raihan teased back.

Nabila laughed at their banter, "Alright, let's just get home."

Back at Nabila's house, she cleaned the dining table and washed the dishes used by her mother and sister before unpacking her groceries on the kitchen counter. Once the kitchen was tidy, she began preparing fish for asam pedas.

As Nabila cooked, Nadia appeared behind her and asked, "So, you did come back. I thought you might not. Weren't you all high and mighty about leaving home to work and be independent? So why come back now?"

Calmly, Nabila replied, "I came back to ask for Mom's blessing to continue my studies."

Nadia, puzzled, asked, "Why would you need her blessing for that?"

Nabila explained, "It's important to have the blessings of our parents. With their blessing, our studies will be blessed and successful. Just like work. When I left to work, I asked for Mom's blessing, and alhamdulillah, everything went smoothly. I was able to send money home even while paying rent and my expenses. You should do the same—ask for Mom's blessing in everything, and it will be blessed."

Nadia thought about what Nabila said as Nabila continued, "While I was gone, you should've helped Mom more with the chores. Don't let her do everything while you sit around. Learn to manage the housework so you'll be prepared when you have your own family. And how will you win over a future mother-in-law if you can't do basic chores?"

Feeling defensive, Nadia snapped, "I already know all that. I've been busy with schoolwork."

Overhearing their conversation, Zalikha cut in, "Nabila is right, my dear. You need to learn these things now so it'll be easier when you get married. But Nabila, you don't need to lecture your sister. Just do your own work quietly.", Her tone softened toward Nadia, but she was sharp with Nabila.

Nabila remained silent, not reacting to the harshness, while Nadia stuck out her tongue at her, smiling smugly. As Zalikha left the room, Nadia followed her. Nabila swallowed her hurt and quietly continued cooking.

That night, after her prayers, Nabila messaged Izzati on WhatsApp to discuss their travel plans for the next day.

"Assalamualaikum (Peace be unto you), Izzati. What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

Izzati replied,

"Waalaikumussalam (and upon you be peace). We'll leave after breakfast, around 10 a.m. Is that okay?"

Nabila answered,

"That works, but I don't know what time my mom will wake up tomorrow."

Izzati suggested,

"If she's still asleep after breakfast, just leave her a note and go. You don't have to wake her up."

Nabila replied,

"I can't do that. I entered the house properly when I arrived, so I can't leave without saying goodbye. It's not respectful. And I came here to get her blessing, so it wouldn't feel right to leave like that."

Izzati sighed,

"Ugh, you and your mom. Fine. We'll leave once you've said goodbye. I'll call a taxi around 10, and if your mom's still sleeping, we'll just wait outside until you're ready."

Nabila laughed,

"Okay, thanks! By the way, what should we pack for the diploma?"

Izzati answered,

"Just bring your important documents. We don't need to pack clothes or toiletries just yet. We can get those later."

Nabila replied,

"Got it. I'll pack my documents after this. Thanks."

Izzati responded,

"Alright, no problem. I'll pack my things after this too."

Nabila replied,

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

Izzati replied,

"Okay."

After their conversation, both Nabila and Izzati packed their belongings. As Nabila prepared her documents, she gazed at her study desk, and memories of Irman flooded her mind. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away, trying to calm herself. She refocused on packing her things, determined to move forward.