Jamil couldn't sleep that evening. He knows Yasmin is now at Nur Sultan airport and will soon board her flight bound for Dubai. Sitting on the bedroom floor with his back on the bed's frame, Jamil was staring blankly outside the glass walls into the streets; he can't see the cars, just their colorful flashing, blinding lights passing by his vision.
He is not even thinking. His mind is blank. His mom had been telling him repeatedly to tell Yasmin everything, to be honest, and to lay bare his heart and soul. That is easy, but the one hard thing to accept is whatever Yasmin decides and if she cuts off their ties, and throws away the relationship they had built for years, that will be too hard to accept. How can he just accept it?
But he had done that to her when he left her and she had endured loneliness for five years. She had endured that. If she leaves him now, will he have to count another five years too? They're so close and yet so far. They were already engaged and were just a step away from being a married couple. Why had something like this happened again? How will Yasmin probably react? Isn't he just overthinking? Maybe he's just being negative. Maybe Yasmin is more magnanimous than he thinks she is.
He had already confessed last time that something had happened between him and the woman who held her in captivity. But he didn't tell her he knew her from back then when he was around 17 years of age. Now, he has to continue his story. She would certainly ask why he left that out. What else has he left out? That after she confessed she was that girl, that they made love again and that time, passionately? She will surely get hurt. And now, that two nights of sex had born them a baby, another human being, that he is now responsible for. And he can't just abandon the child. He is his flesh and blood. How can he not take responsibility? He shared responsibility in his procreation.
He had tried to release outside of her that first night, but she didn't want to, and he thought she had protected herself as Yasmin does with contraceptive pills. Could it be that Amara had wanted to have his child? And reality just hit her later on that she couldn't bring him up in her environment? She must have thought that she could remove herself from the organization once she gets pregnant, but they wouldn't let her. She could have foreseen that.
Amara must have loved him and she must love him still. She must have wanted a piece of him. She would have wanted to keep the child as a reminder of him, but not that easy, and realized later she was being unfair to the child. But it's too late. The child had been born and is now alive. The parents who procreated them should be responsible for him. Amara can't just turn her back after realizing that it would be hard to raise him in her kind of world; that it would be unfair to the child. She should have thought of that first. But he is partly to blame, too.
As his mom had advised, he will just have to accept it. Yasmin has to process her pain and he will just have to wait until she is ready to accept him again. But when she does, it would have to be a package deal. Not just him, but Amir, too. She would have to accept Amir in their lives. Amir will form part of their family. There is no other way at all. He would have to tell Yasmin the whole truth this time. That will set him free from his guilt.
***
For the first time, this is the only airport pickup where Jamil was more anxious than happy to see Yasmin. He had been sighing since he arrived at the airport, not as an expression of relief but more of sadness and anxiety. Yasmin might notice. He was about to close his eyes and look up at the ceiling again when Yasmin came into view, all smiles and eager to see him. Jamil hoped she will still smile when she leaves on Friday evening; he thought. Yasmin hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. Now, for the first time, he was afraid to return the gesture. This guilty feeling is like some kind of shackle preventing him from reacting spontaneously.
He should feed her breakfast first before he even tells her anything. Jamil wished his mom was with him to speak on his behalf. Right now, even his tongue felt numb. Will he be able to tell her all this time? He had better have some breakfast too, otherwise, he'd be starving as soon as Yasmin cries or starts hurting. They passed by a drive-thru for breakfast meals to-go.
As soon as they reached Jamil's flat, Yasmin changed into more comfortable clothing and joined Jamil at the dining table. Yasmin shared that her parents have processed their papers and her mom had undertaken the process into her Islamic faith conversion. She told Jamil that according to her mom; it took her two days to do it. They will marry soon. Yasmin didn't expect her parents to be married before them. They've just reconnected. It took them only a few days and now they're getting married. While they had been in a relationship for a longer time. But of course, it's her fault. They could have married if she had resigned and agreed at once.
Who knows? Maybe there are still a few things they have to resolve between them before they could finally become a married couple. Yasmin laughed and winked at Jamil at the same time. Jamil didn't know exactly, but it seems like Yasmin can read his thoughts. That Yasmin is making fun of his inner turmoil. He pretended to cough and needed water; it was his excuse to remove himself from Yasmin's gaze. He left his sandwich on the table and used the restroom.
Inside, Jamil could feel the heat from his body. He is perspiring. He'd washed his face and neck with water to cool him off, but his body still felt feverish. It must be the angst and the fear that he will lose Yasmin; the fear of an unfavorable reaction from Yasmin. Never had he been this fearful of anything.
But he has to open up soon. He has to finish his breakfast. Jamil wouldn't be able to eat after he has started. He would have to show what's in the USB - the CCTV footage, the email, and the text. And last, the photo of Amir on his phone... if he will even come to that point.
He would have to tell Yasmin that his mom had to take Amir home because no one will take care of him and until he had told her first before anyone else. Jamil had needed his mother when Amara had to send the child through his midwife. He can't turn his back on him. He is a part of him too.
Yes, that was easy when planned and now the execution. He hasn't even started it and already, his bodily reactions and his senses are malfunctioning. How much more when he will see how Yasmin would react? But he can't just be thinking and thinking all day. Overthinking will resolve nothing. He has to start now! Wait, he will just have to finish his burger and coffee and start soon after.
"Sweetheart, I have a confession to make. That is why I asked you to come to Dubai. Forgive me, I should have been the one to have traveled. I know you are tired, but I have to unload what's on my chest now or it will burst. I don't know the outcome of this confession, but whatever you will decide, there is nothing more I can do. No one prepared me for anything today, but I can't undo what's done. I can't undo it anymore. So, I will prepare myself for the worst outcome. I would be grateful if you could forgive me and accept me that easily, but I don't know if you will or can. Whatever your decision, I am prepared to accept it." Jamil sighed.
Yasmin laughed. "Why are you so overdramatic today?"
"What could you have possibly done that I can't accept? You have already told me last time, sweetheart, and I have accepted that and forgiven you. It was not your fault. It's a result of the circumstances we went through. And I was also equally to be blamed. Nothing would have happened; if I had told you, I would arrive that day; you would not have met the woman. I am partly to blame. You had sex with her because she asked for it as repayment for saving me. There is no need to mention it again. Let's forget it now," Yasmin said as she stood up and kissed Jamil's cheek.
"But there's more, and that is what I am about to tell you. So brace yourself, as I am about to start now," Jamil said.
"The woman, your captor, knows us, myself, Fayed, and Layla. She used to live and work at the villa opposite our family's home. I was around 17 years old then and she was a year younger than me. She must have a crush on me and I on her. But we were young. Her name is Amara. She came to Dubai because her aunt took her to avoid being sent to Libya for training under the militant organization. They forced her to join the organization as a young girl. But once recruited and became a member, she can no longer leave the organization. They put her on Ibrahim's mission to save the woman Ibrahim planned to kidnap. It surprised her when it turned out that I was the woman's fiance. That was why the second plan after the car shipment was to extort ransom money, but she didn't want that. She had wanted to meet with me instead. I didn't know it was her when she offered herself on those two nights."
"On the second night, however, she divulged her name when she was saying goodbye. When I removed my blindfold, I saw her. When I came to know that it was her, we had another round of sex that night. Those two nights bore us a baby. She gave birth to a premature baby boy. She realized she can't let him grow in her environment, that she wanted him to grow in a normal world, and gave me the baby. I received the baby from the midwife a day before mom went home. I asked mom to take him until I have talked to you. If you can still accept me, include him too because I cannot turn my back on him."
Jamil stopped there and let Yasmin absorb all the information. Both of them remained quiet for a very long time. Jamil was too afraid to look at Yasmin's face. He didn't want to see her in tears. He covered his face with both hands. But now that he has said it all, he felt much better. He will just have to wait for Yasmin to say something.
Indeed, Yasmin was in tears. When she couldn't hold her soundless crying anymore, she ran to the bedroom and went under the blanket to cry and sob. Jamil didn't know what to do. He can hear her cry out loud now. And she stayed crying for a very long time. Jamil went inside the bedroom and hugged her sobbing form on the bed. They had stayed that way on the bed for a long time. Until Yasmin stopped sobbing, but her tears would continue to flow while her eyes were closed. He can feel her pain. Jamil went into the kitchen to take a glass of water and put it on the bedside table near her. He went into the living room to sit on the sofa. He would have to let her deal with the pain, as his mom had said. It might take a long time, as Yasmin will have to go through a lot of thinking. Yasmin earlier blamed herself for being abducted. But now that she knew they know each other; it has turned into a different story.
Yasmin thought the woman had wanted something from Jamil and he gave it to her because he had wanted her too. She wasn't alone in his heart. There was someone before her. She wasn't his only love. He may have even loved her first. She wasn't his first love, as he had claimed. He may have just forgotten her until she saw her again that night. It hurts, she said.
"Now, he even has a child with her before our child. Our child will no longer be the first grandchild either." Yasmin whispered. She has beaten her to it. She had claimed a part of Jamil first before her. How can she be sure that Jamil doesn't love her still? Now that there is a child to bind them, it would be easy for him to forget her. If he will not accept his child, it would hurt him very much. She had loved only him for a long time. There was no one else but now, she could hardly believe anything he would say.
How could she? How could she? Yasmin hasn't moved from her position. Her eyes were open and blankly staring at the floor. She has stopped sobbing. Her tears have stopped for a while, then they would flow again.
She seemed catatonic; unresponsive and was just staring at nothing. She is thinking, but she is not saying anything.
Jamil doesn't even know what to say or do. He can't let her stay like that the whole day. He wanted to hear what she had to say. Anything. It was even harder not knowing what the other person was thinking after hurting her as he did now.
"Yasmin, sweetheart, I would like to hear you say something, please," Jamil begged.
But Yasmin closed her eyes, and her tears flowed again. She shook her head, which means she had nothing to say.
At lunchtime, he asked her if she's hungry, and she just shook her head again. She closed her eyes, maybe pretending to sleep, or she got tired from crying that she fell asleep. At around 2 p.m. when Jamil had planned to wake her up to force her to eat something, Yasmin was starting a fever. Jamil can't let her be sick. It is not something serious; she said. It's just a headache. Still, he had wanted her to eat and then take medicine. She shook her head again. When Jamil hugged her, she didn't respond. When he tried to kiss her on the lips, she turned away. She just wants to be alone in the meantime, she said.
Then Yasmin's phone rang. It was Amina, but Yasmin didn't answer. She flipped her phone over and ignored it. It rang again; she let it ring until Amina switched off. When it stopped ringing, Yasmin powered her phone off. Jamil worried. For sure, she won't be calling or texting him anymore. And she will not answer his calls. He will have to call Anya or Naira to know how she's doing because she won't be answering him anymore. For how long, he doesn't know. She closed her eyes again and fell asleep in the afternoon.
Her temperature rose later in the evening. And she wouldn't even eat dinner. Jamil was begging her to eat so she could take medicine, but Yasmin claimed to have no appetite. When later in the night, she was having chills and her temperature rose to 39 deg celsius, Jamil carried her down to his car and had her confined in the hospital. The nurse gave Yasmin IV fluid immediately when he told the doctor that she wouldn't eat.
***
Jamil had to stay in the hospital to look after her. How could he let her go back to Nur Sultan? She will be sick there. She will not eat. Jamil debated whether to let her family know. She wouldn't want to see them and she wouldn't tell them what's wrong. Her fever has settled. Overnight, Yasmin's eyes turned sunken. He can't let her leave tomorrow evening until she has said something. Not wanting to speak with Jamil, Yasmin had pretended to sleep the whole time during the night. She didn't want to open her eyes while he sat beside her. Jamil stayed by her side throughout the night. There was no need to feed her since she was on IV fluid. They also injected her medicines into her IV.
Her illness. PSYCHOSOMATIC. Her sadness and the pain in her heart made her sick.
***
The following morning, Yasmin wanted to go back home. He asked Jamil to have her discharged. Yasmin insisted she was fine and promised to eat and take her medicines. She wanted out of the hospital. Jamil had her discharged and took her home.
When she arrived, she prepared to shower. When she entered the bathroom, she locked it. She has never done that before. She would leave the door unlocked, hoping that Jamil would enter and join her. But not this time, Yasmin seemed so distant, though, so near. Last night, he kissed her forehead while she was asleep. Afraid that Jamil might kiss her again, Yasmin had turned to face the other side and turned her back on him. Jamil was hurting, but he will have to endure this all. They both have to endure the pain. She must have thought that he had betrayed her when he made love to Amara upon seeing her. Yes, he had deceived her there. Yasmin took a long time in the shower. When Jamil was about to knock, he heard her crying. Jamil stopped in his tracks. He thought he would have to let her. Crying is not bad; it isn't a weakness; it would help reduce the emotional stress in her body. She would feel a lot better after.
Yasmin had wanted to leave sooner. She doesn't want to stay any longer in the flat with Jamil, but she can't go so early to the airport. Her flight is in the evening. Yasmin wouldn't want to see her family either. She doesn't want them to know what had happened. She has to process all the information Jamil gave her yesterday. It is difficult. She felt cheated. Jamil made love to Amara; it wasn't just sex, and that was what Yasmin was finding hard to accept. She had thought that from the moment they met; it was only her. Jamil had mentioned no other girl in his past. And now, it turned out that there was one. And they even have a baby now.
Yasmin didn't realize that she had been in the shower for more than an hour. She shut the shower off and got dressed inside. She has to put this thought out of her mind at the moment. It's lunchtime and Jamil must be hungry too. She has to cook something for Jamil. As for her, she has lost her appetite. She could hardly swallow any food she put in her mouth.
When she came out of the shower, she asked Jamil if she would like her to cook something for lunch. Jamil asked her first if she will eat. If not, then no. Yasmin didn't reply but prepared something for them for lunch. Jamil looked at her while she was cooking, but Yasmin tried not to meet his eyes. When she did and connected with his eyes, she forced a smile and continued to cook. When she had cooked, she prepared the table and called Jamil to the table. They ate in silence. He asked Yasmin if there was something she would like to do outside. She answered no. She would prefer to stay indoors, she said. Jamil prepared to shower. He will try to kill some time alone too in the shower meantime. That way, Yasmin will feel more comfortable even for a short while.
***
Yasmin can't wait to leave for the airport three hours before her flight. Her luggage was right near the door with her jacket on top. Her shoulder bag was on the dining table. There was nothing Jamil could do to force her to talk. He will have to wait, as his mother had advised. Let Yasmin process her pain. Their trip to the airport this time had been dreadfully quiet. When the car stopped, Yasmin was out from the passenger seat fast, her bag on her shoulder and her jacket on her arm. Jamil took her luggage out of the back. Yasmin took it from him fast and moved away towards the door of the airport, waving at him and saying goodbye. He can only wave. She did not even look back this time. She went on straight to the check-in counter.
Yasmin bought Naira and Anya some chocolates. She had to buy some more; she said. They will wonder why she didn't buy more for their cookie baking. And they have lots of orders. It is cheaper to buy from the duty-free than the supermarkets; she thought.
How will she face Naira and Anya this time? She will have to force herself to smile and be jolly. Yasmin was glad that she was all alone in the apartment and could cry all she wants and no one will know.
Jamil. Why? It would have been easier to accept that he had sex with another woman. But it was not sex; they made love and that love bore them a son. This is hurting Yasmin so much. How will she ever make love with Jamil again, knowing that she shares him with someone else?
Yasmin went through the motions of boarding, stowing her luggage in the storage bin above her seat, and seating without so much attention. She was devoid of any emotions. Nothing can penetrate her heart. She's turned apathetic. In no time, it will turn to anger. Yes, she is gradually going through the entire process. Yasmin has to feel her pain to heal herself. It's just a matter of time. She needs time.
She went through the same process before when Jamil left her. But when they met again, it didn't even take an hour. They're back in each other's arms again as if they've never been apart. Because they must have kept the love within them despite everything. She wished that would be the case for them again... this time.
***
Jamil had no one to talk to but his mom because she knew what he was going through. He called his mom. He told her what happened with him and Yasmin after his confession. His mom told him to expect the worst.
"Let her be for the meantime. Try to distance yourself. She will come to miss you. Only then will she call you," Mona advised.
Mona wanted to cheer up Jamil. She signaled Amir's nanny, Daisy, to bring the baby near her so Jamil could hear his baby giggles, snickers, and chuckles over the phone. And she was right. Jamil was laughing in no time. There's something a baby can always do. Lighten up a heavy heart.
***
When Yasmin went to work the morning after, she pretended to be happy. She engrossed herself at work like there was no tomorrow. It was lunchtime, and Naira wondered why Yasmin had not even asked her to go out for lunch. Naira peeped into her room and saw her seated and typing on her desktop. She asked her if she wanted to eat out.
Yasmin stopped and then said, "Okay." Naira creased her brows.
Something's different, she wondered. Yasmin was quiet the entire lunchtime. She would smile, but it seemed she was forcing herself to. Naira asked if something was wrong. She shook her head while closing her eyes at the same time. And then bowed her head to continue eating her lunch. Naira held her hand on the table.
"Can I stay the night in your apartment?" she asked Yasmin.
"Sure, why not?" Yasmin said.
She would love that. But they would have to pass by the grocery since they will have nothing to cook. Naira agreed. She has something to buy, too.
After dinner, Naira said she fancies some red wine. It's been a long time. She knows that there is work tomorrow, but what the heck. Just for once, she said. It will be her first time drinking wine on a weekday. Yasmin brought the bottle and the wine glasses by the kitchen balcony as they looked at the waters. Tonight was not that bright. Just like her, she thought. Even the moon shares her feelings.
Towards her second glass, Naira asked Yasmin what was bothering her. She noticed her in the office the whole day. No smiles, no banters, not her usual self, she said. Naira can easily read her. She knows that something happened between her and Jamil. Yasmin was looking out and far, then her tears flowed and her chest heaved with her emotion. And then she cried, sobbed, and howled. Naira rubbed her back.
"Cry, it's a great catharsis to release your emotions," she said.
Yasmin did it for a long while until she could tell Naira everything that happened about her abduction and what Jamil told her about Amara and the baby. Naira could hardly believe it. That fateful night of her abduction has affected Yasmin's life so much. They were both quiet. Naira can't even say a word. She doesn't know if she could say something profound that could reach Yasmin's heart and soul. But she will try.
"Yassi, sometimes you may think that there is nothing more you could ask of a person because he is great and almost perfect for you, but Heaven tested you. What if that person has a flaw? What if you would discover something about that person? Would you still think of him that way? Would you still be willing to love him? We are just human, we commit mistakes. But if you could forgive and accept Jamil despite what he had done and much more accept the little one who's a part of him, you are a greater person. Jamil will love you even more. What happened to him that night was not entirely his fault. It forced him into that situation. The woman must have orchestrated it because she had wanted a piece of him. But for a mother to be separated from her child, it must devastate her. Maybe she planned to keep the child for life but had to give it to Jamil than risk the baby's life living in a dangerous situation. It will take time to accept. That is all you need. You still have the love in your heart, you now have the truth, you only need time. Everything will come to pass. Would you sacrifice your love for Jamil for the thought that he had loved someone else other than you? The woman can't even live near him nor get out of her situation. Accept Jamil and the baby, make them a part of your life. You'll be happier than being alone, sacrificing what you could have had," Naira thoughtfully shared.
Yasmin hugged Naira. She thanked her so much for understanding her. Then Yasmin's phone rang. It's Jamil. Naira understands if she could not bring herself to talk to him yet. Yasmin can only talk to him when the pain has subsided. Right now, she's still slowly coming out of it.
***
Jamil had been worrying. Yasmin has answered none of his calls since she has returned to Nur Sultan. He wouldn't want to call Naira and Anya. Maybe Yasmin will not like her friends to know anything about what had happened to them. He asked his mom if it would be best to tell both families. Yasmin wouldn't answer his calls. Maybe, if he tells and shows Amir to everyone, they could help him. Mona told him to wait for her to get back there and bring Amir. If she will bring Amir, she will have to bring her nanny. It is hard to travel alone with a baby; she said. She had to ask for help from the cabin crew, especially in changing Amir's diapers. Maybe a week after, she told Jamil she'll arrange their flights, but she advised him to get ready for Yasmin's family's reactions. They would feel for her. They'll get hurt too. When he had disconnected. His mom called again.
"Jamil, we need a baby's crib. Buy one and put it in the house, but if that's the case, you might have to talk to your father first. Let him know but tell him not to tell Dodi yet." she advised.
Thanks to mom, without her, I wouldn't know how to handle this, Jamil thought.
That night, Jamil slept in their house, which delighted Naseem. After dinner, Jamil asked his father to spare some time with him in his study. Although wondering, Naseem agreed. Jamil closed the door. He told his father everything, leaving nothing at all. Jamil now told him about the email, the text, and CCTV footage of Amara, and the nights when Amara conceived Amir. He showed Amir's photo on his phone. Shocked but Naseem smiled and laughed when he saw Amir's photo. He was just concerned that this revelation will hurt Dodi and Zora. Jamil asked for his help. Everyone will be there, even Layla. He told his father that his mom had asked to provide a crib, at least.
"Okay, leave it to me," he said.
Naseem had something much better planned. He will turn the one room on the ground floor nearest the living room into Amir's room and nursery. They will wait for her mother to arrive first and then have the following day for a family gathering. After this family meeting, he planned to visit Yasmin with the entire family in Nur Sultan the following weekend. It's been more than a month since Yasmin's last visit. He said he is missing Yasmin so much and he has to do something.
Jamil went to pick up his mom, Amir, and the nanny, Daisy, at the airport and proceeded to their house. When they arrived that Friday, everyone was gaping at the sight of the baby and thrilled to hold him. Fayed and Layla kept asking who the baby was but Naseem told them they will soon know but asked them to keep it a secret. Naseem was all smiles and was so happy to unlock his surprise. Mona and Jamil were so pleased to see the room. Mona put Amir in the crib immediately. Jamil thought his father went overboard with the simple request of a crib. He turned one room into a baby's play haven and room. Fayed asked to hold the baby. Layla was squealing. She was so happy to play with the little one. Amir was making gurgling noises like he understood he just got a delightful surprise and was beaming with it. Jamil couldn't understand that despite his anxiety about Yasmin and their relationship, he can't help but feel happy when he sees Amir. And now, not just him. His family as well seems to revolve around Amir.
Mona has asked Daisy to keep Amir in the garden or somewhere away from the living room while the visitors are in the house. They would wonder about the baby before they could tell them about him. Daisy knows about Amir, Mona had told her, that's why she understands at once. When the Ahmed family arrived, they had lunch immediately. The conversation was cheerful throughout. Except for Jamil, who was so tense the entire time. It will hurt Dodi and Zora, but he has to tell them before they see Yasmin.
When Cathy has served them coffee and desserts, Naseem opened up the topic about Yasmin's abduction and what had happened. Because of the younger ones, Naseem had been careful to choose his words to convey what he wanted to say. He told them that Yasmin knew of it and she and Jamil hadn't talked for more than a month now. Jamil intends for the family to give Yasmin a visit to Nur Sultan. Dodi sighed and Zora had been quiet, thinking about Yasmin. Amina now understood why Yasmin didn't even answer her call when she knew she was in Dubai that weekend. She didn't even visit them. She must have been crying, she thought.
Jamil had to break the ice with his sincere apology to Dodi, Zora, and Amina. He knew how much he had hurt them; he said. But he will not stop until Yasmin can accept him again. And he asked for their help. He wants them all to see Yasmin next weekend. He can't just let their relationship go to waste after all their years building it.
"Sometimes, without meaning to, we hurt the ones we love. Not with malicious intent but by accidental design," Dodi said as he put his arm around Zora.
Yasmin will come around. Surely, as soon as Yasmin can forgive Jamil, she'll instantly heal.
"One can never love without forgiving. Forgiveness deepens one's ability to love and frees the person from pain."
When everyone has settled in the living room, Mona asked Daisy to bring the baby into the living room. Despite their pain for Yasmin, the Ghanems couldn't help but gravitate toward Amir.
There is not a hardened heart that's not softened by a baby's angelic smile.
Jamil booked the entire family for Nur Sultan that weekend. He had been thinking the whole time for a little surprise, to include Yasmin and Amir. Jamil doesn't know what to expect from Yasmin, but he knows they love each other, and he is not willing to throw everything in the air. He had called Naira earlier on and asked her about Yasmin.
Naira told Jamil that she knew everything that had happened between them. She had advised Yasmin and just between them, Yasmin is considering traveling after a week to see him. Yasmin is now slowly healing; she had said. Jamil had instead asked Naira to help him organize a surprise for Yasmin. He will bring the baby to Nur Sultan, he said. Jamil booked the flights and the hotels for the two families.
Jamil asked Naira to prepare some kind of pretty dress for Yasmin, but no, Naira borrowed a very exotic Kazakh wedding dress and a very traditional groom attire for Jamil, and a cute one for the baby. They are going to hold a mock wedding in the apartment. Without Yasmin's knowledge, Naira enlisted Anya's help and prepared the house and the costumes hidden in the wardrobe in the other room. They had food catered and will have delivered at a certain time. Besides the two families, only Daisy, Naira, and Anya will be present. Naira and Anya had promised Jamil that it will be a special occasion that weekend in Nur Sultan for the families.
***
Naira and Anya told Yasmin to wake up early that Friday. Friends had invited them to a wedding, they told Yasmin, and she too has to attend. It's a special Kazakh wedding and everyone should wear a pretty dress. She and her friends will wear them. Naira will help Yasmin with the makeup, she said. When the three friends were ready and wearing their dresses, the doorbell rang. Anya volunteered to open the gate and the door for the visitors. Yasmin laughed.
"We have visitors?" she asked.
Anya brought Jamil's costume down for Jamil to wear before he went up to the apartment. She also had the baby's which she gave to the nanny holding the baby. The Abdallah and the Ghanem families went up first. From below, Jamil could hear Yasmin squealing with surprise. The wonderful surprise of them shocked her. Then naughty Anya played the recorder for the traditional wedding of Kazakh to announce the groom. Jamil went up and Yasmin cried. She couldn't contain her emotions. She ran to Jamil to hug and kiss him. When the nanny came up with baby Amir, Yasmin welled up, but smiling and pleased, she took the baby from Daisy. And while Yasmin was kissing the baby, Jamil hugged them both tightly. Yasmin looked up lovingly at Jamil. He kissed her lips and the baby after.
Their families took pictures of the wonderful family right in front of them. The family clapped and cheered while surrounding them with kisses and hugs. Layla was the most delighted. She told Amina that she had never been this thrilled. She had travelled outside Dubai for the first time and with the entire family. Mona took the baby from Yasmin while she and Jamil kissed and hugged.
When Jamil asked Yasmin if she will accept Amir into their family, she said, "Yes! I will. He is your son, and he will be mine as well. We are a family," Yasmin said. Jamil welled up and hugged Yasmin even tighter, thanking her. He is so pleased that Yasmin is back in his life again.
***
There's this simple wooden plank hanging in Yasmin's apartment, a quote by Cat Bauer which says, "Love is so powerful that it always wins. Truth is so powerful that it always wins. All it takes is Time." Yes, indeed.