"I can whole heartedly try to do anything for my wife but one thing that I have sincerely been unable to do for her, is to win her mother's heart!"- Yasir Hosseini.

Months later...

A mother.

The very first person with whom almost everybody shares the most beautiful and sincere connection.

The one person and many at times the only person to whom you can never be a burden. The one person who instantly becomes your everything and you, theirs. The one person who would forever remain special and she Yumnah...

Had lost that person.

She had lost her dear mother in return for her loving husband.

Her blind husband!

Or rather had she chosen one over the other?

Tears continuously trickled down her face as she stared down at the phone in her now delicate trembling hands.

"Please pick up Mama. Please pick up my call for just this once, "she whispered as another slow but slightly painful early labor contraction hit her.

"All I want is for you to tell me that I can do this. That I will be okay. That I am going to make a great mother just like you. Just like you Mama," she once again whispered as she once again tried to dial her dear mother's number only for her heart to sink when there was no reply...

Yet again!

She tightly shut her eyes when she experienced yet another contraction, tears still trickling down her face, he heart laden with a lot of fear, nervousness, guilt and utmost yearning.

Utmost yearning for her very own mother.

"Was marrying a blind man such a grave mistake that I made that it cost me your love, Mama? Was it such a big sin that I committed by marrying a man who didn't choose to be the way he is? Was it something so horrendous that I did by marrying a man who gets up every day and tries to be the best of himself?"

"A man who loves and cares."

"A man who respects."

"A man, who makes mistakes, accepts them and tries to rectify them but what he doesn't know is that the biggest mistake of his life was him being born blind.

"A mistake that he has accepted but unfortunately can never rectify."

"The mistake or rather the flaw which I find so breathtakingly beautiful, it being one of the main reasons as to why I fell for him. As to how Yasir Hosseini stole my heart. As to why I can love him and only him and no other man," she said as she wiped away her tears her heart breaking bit by bit upon seeing her mother reply to a message on a common Whatsapp's ladies group.

"Mama please. Just for this once. I really really need you. I need you to reassure me that I can do this. That there is no reason for me to be scared. That you are there for me. That you are there for me even if it is just for today. Only until when my child is born. Your grandchild," she once again whispered, placing her hand gently over baby bump as she literally broke down once again.

She experienced pain, numbness, guilt, fear, sadness and so much for while her heart just yearned for one person...

Her mother!

She slightly jumped, placing her hand over heart when the front door of the mansion opened with an extremely loud overly dramatic and I repeat, OVERLY DRAMATIC bang!

An extremely concerned Khaleel walked or rather ran in followed by an overly nervous and stressed out Yasir and Yumnah immediately wiped away her tears and ran to her husband's side instantly entwining her hand with his.

"If that door has broken or even if it has gotten the tiniest crack and Baba asks, Wallah I will tell on both of you," she said, trying her best to hold back her tears and trying to sound as normal as possible hoping that neither Yasir nor Khaleel would notice that she had been crying only for her to choke on her tears the minute she felt Yasir tighten his grip on her hand.

More and more tears streamed down her face when she realized that it had taken Yasir only a mere couple of seconds to know that she was not okay.

If he, despite being blind, could realize, then why couldn't her mother?

Her very own mother.

The mother who had not even for a single day ever, picked up the phone to call her to ask how her pregnancy was fairing? To ask if she was experiencing any difficulties? If she had any cravings? If she wanted to eat something special? If she just was okay?

Khaleel sadly stared at Yumnah his heart breaking to pieces as he watched her try to desperately control her tears in front of them. He really genuinely cared for her with a pure heart and therefore as he watched the pained expression on her face, it didn't take long for him to ask...

"Is it really that painful Yumnah?"

"No, I am just crying for fun," she replied, Khaleel being taken aback completely when she sent him the deadliest glare ever.

She once again closed her eyes as yet another slow contraction hit her, her grip on Yasir's hand getting tighter and tighter and Khaleel could not help but once again stupidly blurt out...

"How I wish it was Yasir the one making you cry right now."

"What?" asked both Yasir and Yumnah in unison.

"Then I would have delightfully smashed his face for you."

"Bro...," began Yasir only to be quickly interrupted by a once again blabbering Khaleelo.

"You just got lucky because right now she is crying because the baby is...Ya Allah, THE BABY! Is it really coming Yumnah?" he asked almost as if he had not driven all the way from the office just to take her to the hospital.

"Damn! I am not even dressed for the occasion. What is the baby even going to think of me?"

"Khaleel...," began Yasir only to be quickly cut off again.

"I swear I had this strong gut feeling that I should have worn my pink and blue shirt today. I knew it. I just knew it," he said as he anxiously rubbed his hand over his beard.

"But I then I don't think I own a pink and blue shirt. I should just have worn my plain pink shirt and carried my special blue one as a spare in the car. Well, I don't know about you guys but as for me, KHALO KHALEEL, I want to look the part when the baby is born."

"Then you should have dressed like a CLOWN! You will look and play the part extremely well," said Yasir, his voice laced with irritation and immediately rolled his eyes when Khaleel replied with...

"OMG. I know right. Can we stop by the mall on our way?"

"Of course we can. Me and Yumnah can go watch a movie, while you Khaleel, can shop for the perfect CLOWNS OUTFIT," said Yasir and Yumnah could not help but slightly smile for the first time in a while.

"And like...but... but wait. How did you even become KHALO KHALEEL?" asked Yasir confusedly.

"What do you mean by how? I am KHALO KHALEEL."

"How?"

"I choose to be Yumnah's brother in this case," said Khaleel proudly and Yumnah could not help but look up at him, tears once again filling her eyes.

"No you don't!" said Yasir crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes I do."

"You can't. You and I are related by blood Khaleel. You are going to be Ammu Khaleel...

"YUCK! It doesn't even go with my name," said Khaleel and Yasir once again couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"So Khalo Khaleel goes with your name, how?"

"They both start with a 'K'. So cool right?" asked Khaleel and laughed when Yasir replied with...

"Of course. How absolutely 'refreshing'."

"And I also...," Khaleel once again began but Yasir quickly cut him off this time round.

"Now can KHALO KHALEELO please do us, I mean me, a favour?"

"Of course, what?"

"Shut up?"

"But I..."

"Seems that is something difficult for you to do so, can KHALO KHALEEL please go to our room and get Yumnah's hospital bag?"

"You don't even have to ask," said Khaleel quickly turning around and Yasir immediately palmed his face the second he heard Khaleel begin to climb the stairs.

"KHALO KHALEEL!" he shouted and Khaleel immediately turned around a totally animated look on his face.

"What?"

"It's been months since Yumnah and I moved to the room downstairs."

"Now how am I supposed to know you changed rooms?"

"Of course you can't know. You are a guest here right?" asked Yasir and Khaleel once again let out a laugh.

"The guy basically lives here but just look at him. Well I guess it's something quite obvious now, an excited Khaleel is a dumb Khaleel," said Yasir instantly embracing his dear wife the minute he heard Khaleel's footsteps fade away.

Something that he had wanted to do from the minute he had walked in but didn't because he knew that Yumnah would not be comfortable to be embraced in front of Khaleel and he too did not want to make things awkward for his cousin.

"Yumnah my love, what is wrong?" he asked as he soothingly rubbed circles on her back.

"I...I...I am so scared Yasir. I don't think I can do this. I am feeling really really scared" she whispered as she tightly clung to his shirt and he too quickly tightened his arms around her.

"Yumnah..."

"What if I don't make it Yasir?"

"Of course you will, In Sha Allah. You are a strong woman my love. My strong woman who is about to become a very beautiful mother," he said as he moved his hand to gently rub over now extremely big baby bump.

"Thank you Yumnah for going through all of this. Is it hurting a lot already?" he asked, his voice laced with so much love and concern.

"Only when I experience a contraction. They aren't as frequent yet," she said, slightly smiling as she watched him happily rub her baby bump, his eyes full of eagerness and excitement.

"We should get you to the hospital as soon as possible, my love. I don't want to risk anything. Where are Mama and Baba by the way? I thought they would get here before us?"

"I didn't call them as yet."

"But why?" asked Yasir confusedly.

"Mama has gone out after a really long time. I wanted her to enjoy the little time she has gotten with Baba. I just didn't want to disturb them."

Yasir let out a small laugh as he shook his head in disbelief after which he placed a light kiss on his wife's forehead and said...

"When will you start to think about yourself my love? You should have called them the minute your water broke. You wouldn't have disturbed them but rather you would have made them extremely happy. Very very happy just like the way everyone else is," he said.

"Everyone?" she asked her thoughts once again drifting to her mother.

"Yes, everyone," he said as he once again embraced her and sighed when he felt her tears wet his shirt.

Yumnah tried her best to hold back her tears but couldn't as she thought of how wrong Yasir was. Not everyone was happy. Not everyone was concerned.

There was still her mother.

The mother she had lost because of the man that was currently tightly holding her in his arms.

Maybe that was the one time she had thought about herself.

The time she had chosen Yasir Hosseini over her very own mother.

The mother that she now felt she needed the most.

"Yumnah, please tell me what is wrong, my love?" Yasir asked once again, when he heard her inhale sharply.

"Please just don't leave me Yasir," she whispered, her heart overwhelmed with many different feelings one of them being immense guilt.

"I don't plan on leaving you, Yumnah."

"Not even at the hospital okay? I want you to be with me. Just don't leave me...

"Yumnah, I am here. I am here just for you and only you but right now, just for now, I will have to let you go because KHALO KHALEEL might walk in any time and I don't want to make it awkward for him."

"He won't be walking in any time soon," said Yumnah against his chest.

"What? Why?"

"The hospital bag that you sent him for is already with me. I brought it to the living room when my water broke," she said and Yasir laughed as he hugged her tighter unable to figure out what was disturbing her.

If all she wanted was for her to hold her and to be with her then he would do just that until she was ready to go to the hospital.

"Yasir?" she asked after a few minutes.

"Yes. Yumnah?"

"If I ask you for something, will you be able to get it for me?"

"Whatever you want my love but first I think we should get you to the hospital and after that I promise that I will get you whatever it is that you want."

"Will you be able to get me my mother to the hospital for my delivery?" she asked, feeling deeply overwhelmed to notice as to how his body froze.

"Yumnah, I...I ...

"I have been calling my Mama continuously for so long but she just doesn't pick up my calls. She just doesn't pick up my calls, Yasir," she said as she once again broke down.

"Maybe she isn't near her phone, my love."

"She is replying to other people's messages on Whatsapp but she just doesn't pick up mine," she said and Yasir's heart broke upon hearing her quivering voice.

So this was why she had been crying.

This was why his wife had been hurting.

Because of him.

"Let me call your Papa..."

"NO. I don't want to be a reason for them to start arguing and fighting. Papa will insist on coming right away and I know that she won't want to. Their relationship is already estranged because of me. I don't want to make it worse."

"Then I will be the one to personally call her," said Yasir with a heavy heart.

Calling Yumnah's mother was not something new for him. He had done it numerous times. At times just to pass Salams, at times to invite her for lunch, at times just to ask how she was fairing on and every single time there was only one thing he got in return...

Abuses and heart wrenching insults.

"I will do it right away," he said as he pulled out his phone only for Yumnah to quickly stop him and her next words literally broke his heart.

"Don't call her Yasir. She does not like you. You will only but make things worse."

"But then how...," he asked, completely unable to speak out clearly.

"Khaleel. She likes Khaleel. She approves of Khaleel. She will agree if Khaleel asks her. Please tell him to get me my mother," she said not realizing as to how her every word was breaking her poor husband's heart.

"I...I...I will. Now please go wash your face and let us go to the hospital," he finally said with a heavy heart and managed to keep a straight face as he listened to her walk away.

He then slowly walked towards their bedroom to find Khaleel and the very first thing that Khaleel said upon listening to Yasir's request was a big fat...

NO!

"Please just do it Khaleel."

"No. This is wrong Yasir."

"It isn't."

"It is!"

"No, it's not."

"It absolutely is. Like its high time that woman accepted you. So what if you are blind? We all love and respect you. So what is so special about her, that she can't do so as well?"

"Khaleel..."

"No, I refuse to call someone who is adamant on being so IGNORANT."

"You said that you are Yumnah's brother right? Then do it for her," pleaded Yasir.

"No, in this case, I choose to be your brother and I refuse to associate myself with anyone that cannot accept you!"

Yasir let out a loud sigh, passed his hand over his beard and then said...

"For the sake of this baby, please do it Khaleel. Help me that when this child is born, his or her entire family is there. A happy family. Please Khaleel...

"FINE! But I am doing this only for the baby. Now give me Zulekha part two's number," he said and Yasir sighed once again not wanting to get into an argument with Khaleel regarding Zulekha.

"And I guess people on my TO HATE LIST will keep on growing. I think it's high time a I created a new one called TO HATE HATE HATE LIST since I can see that there are people already aspiring to be at the very top of the list," said Khaleel as he reluctantly took Yasir's phone to copy down the number.

Yasir leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes as he listened to Khaleel dial his mother in law's number.

The one woman whom he had not been able to win over.

The one woman who hated him with all her heart and soul and something deep down kept telling him that...

She would continue hating him until her last breathe!

***

PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT.

I KNOW IT'S BEEN A WHILE BUT I COULDN'T HELP IT.

HOPE YOU LIKED THE CHAPTER. I JUST COULDN'T LEAVE THIS PART OUT.

EVERYONE NEEDS THEIR MOTHER NO MATTER HOW OLD WE GET AND I FELT YUMNAH NEEDED HER MOTHER TOO.

DO YOU THINK SAEEDA WILL COME?

UNTIL NEXT TIME,

ASALAM ALEIKUM.