The next month and a half, before school started, more or less went in the same rhythm. Freya went to work, went on a blind date which Sam kept setting her- after a while, she had many more platonic relationships, as they agreed to be friends rather than date. Other times, there were failures: for instance, one of them turned out to be a creep, who stalked her for a week, until Freya had the courage to call up the police. He got a restraining order. But the majority of them were lovely people, it was just they weren't right for her. Also, Freya felt guilty; she was keeping a gargantua secret from them. Yet, there was one, who she felt really connected to.
Serena, bless her soul, somehow always got into accidents; Serena could be walking and she would trip; jogging, and she would bump into lampposts; pouring a cup of water, the water would end up all over the floor. There was never a dull moment with Serena. Her personality was exceedingly bubbly, and excitable. Serena's smile could light up a whole room.
Whilst chatting on their second date, Serena revealed she was transgender. Freya didn't really mind, she still was the same person in her mind. It was strange though, after that, to realise how 'girly' she was. Pink was Serena's favourite colour, she loved dresses, absolutely adored cute animals. All those stereotypes of females in society fit Serena perfectly.
After her first second date, Freya called up Sam. Sam was super thrilled that Serena and her hit it off. Then Freya asked how it was going with Alex. Alex, short for Alexander, was from a Jewish family, he was rather modern. His family were orthodox though. They were dismayed that he was dating a non-Jewish girl. Until they heard that her maternal grandmother was Jewish. They were then a lot more relaxed, as in Judaism it is through the mother that religion is inherited. According to Sam, they were really hitting it off, and she was thinking that perhaps she should propose. However, she wasn't sure whether she should or not.
"Come on Sam! From what you've told me," Freya replied instantly, "he is going to say yes, if he doesn't you can come over to me, and we will light his picture over the fire and roast marshmallows!". Giggling, Sam agreed she would do it the next time she saw him.
Whilst Sam went to bed, in another completely different continent, Inaya and Aayan were sitting on their couch together.
"Aayan," Inaya began, "do you think Echo is alright and doing well?" she looked over at her husband.
He looked at her and said, "Habibi, I'm sure she's alright," he then added as an afterthought, "Toni is probably not even allowed to talk to us.". Glancing at the time, he continued, "Anyways, we need to get ready to go, your parents have invited us to dinner, and it would be rude to be late.".
Inaya changed her clothes, from ripped jeans and a t-shirt, to a modest, simple, green dress with a matching hijab. Her parents were very particular about wearing the hijab, and preferred the niqab, but Inaya decided to go without the hijab. Unless she was going to the Mosque, or a family gathering, she forwent the item.
Aayan just put a slightly smarter outfit, as he usually dressed rather casually to make himself more affable to his clients. They left their house and drove to his in-laws house. Ibrahim and Aisha came out the house as soon as they saw Aayan's and Inaya's car approaching. Aisha always wore a niqab outside the house. Even on days when it was over 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius). Inaya admired that about her mother, she struggled to wear the hijab even on those rare occasions. Smiling, Inaya hugged her mother and father, and received a kiss on her forehead in return from her dad. They hadn't been able to visit each other for a month, due to the amount of work. Aayan shook hands with both of his in-laws, he wasn't a hug-sort of man.
Entering the house, both Inaya and Aayan were bombarded by her siblings. Inaya was the third oldest in her family, but all her younger siblings were there. Inaya had a large family, she had seven siblings, one of whom were twins. The eldest, Daniyal, thirty, had moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with his wife, Fatima (who was from there). Inaya didn't see much of him, but they FaceTimed quite often. The second to eldest, Muhammad, twenty-seven, lived in Montreal, Canada, with his wife Jameela. He visited every so often, about four time a year, and he called a lot. Then there was Inaya, twenty four, who lived in the same city as her parents. Afterwards, came her younger twin eighteen year old sisters: Safiya and Daanya. They were both still in school and were performing extremely well. Safiya wanted to be a medical physicist and Daanya desired to be an English Literature professor in a university. Aisha and Ibrahim supported their daughters in what they wanted to be. Then came Zain, or Zayn as he spelled it- he absolutely adored the singer's songs. He was fifteen. Obsessed with his phone. Finally, Eiliyah, the baby in the family. She was twelve years old.
Once all the greetings had been said, and Inaya and Aisha removed their face coverings, the family all sat down at the very long dinner table. Aisha had cooked a vast array of traditional Arabic cuisine: there was Küfta Bozbash (stuffed meatballs and chestnuts in Saffron broth), couscous, Shakshuka (eggs poached with a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, onion and garlic, spiced up with spices like cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper), and hummus. As always, Aisha cooked much more than needed, so there was always left overs. Then Aisha spent the rest of the evening attempting to convince them (and succeeding) to take some.
After dinner, they prayed together the Ishaa (nightfall) prayer. They then sat together and chatted. It then came up that Daanya had decided to apply to a couple of universities in England, and she was accepted in Manchester university. Inaya and Aayan were thrilled for her. They then spilled the news that Inaya was pregnant. Ibrahim's and Aisha's house reached a new level of pandemonium. Aisha was over the moon.
"Thank Allah!" Aisha exclaimed and then after a moment, hit Aayan on the shoulder, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? How far along are you?".
Inaya responded nervously, "I'm four and a half months along.". Whilst both Ibrahim and Aisha were overjoyed, they wanted to know why the didn't tell them sooner.
After checking the time, it was nine-twenty five, Inaya and Aayan decided to tactfully retreat. They left Aisha's and Ibrahim's house, Inaya nearly forgetting her hijab- which she always wore in front of her younger sisters, at her parents' insistence. Her mother was now giving her a cornucopia of food. Safiya offered to babysit when the baby was born, so that Inaya could continue to work as a hairstylist and makeup artist for weddings.