The Paperback is now available! Also the kindle version is available at:
We Started Out as Friends
Enjoy, and please remember to leave a review!

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Fatima breezed through her studying. Her first exam was biology, her favourite subject. She kept good notes and always reviewed after classes, so preparing for exams was less difficult. After lunch she put the girls down for a nap, with the intention of doing the same herself.
"Can we go see Papa?" Masuma asked before her head hit the pillow.
"After you wake up," Fatima replied. She was truly grateful for the loving and supportive extended family that she had. There was no way she could get through each day without them. When they all woke up from their naps, they went across the street to see Ali’s parents.
“There she is.” Mama’s friend, Nargis, was visiting and her face lit up when she saw Fatima. She was a nurse and loved anything to do with babies. It was her son, Abbas, that was getting married the following week and the two women were discussing the final details of the wedding.

"Come darling, sit." Nargis motioned to a cushioned chair next to her. Mama and Nargis sat in the sunroom, surrounded by unassembled wedding favours.
"As-salaam alaikum, Auntie." Fatima kissed Nargis on both cheeks.
Nargis belonged to a large Khoja community in the city. The Khoja’s were an ethnic community of Indians, some of whom had travelled to and settled in East Africa. She was uncommonly kind and welcoming. She had become fast friends of the Abatis soon after their arrival in Canada. She was thrilled that Ali had agreed to recite Quran at Abbas’s wedding.
"His voice just moves me. He must be the best reciter in the province, maybe the country,"Nargis said.
Fatima squeezed Mama’s hand. "The best male reciter."
"Of course, of course," Nargis agreed. "So Fatima, how have you been doing?"


Fatima knew that the question was about more than her pregnancy. The lawsuit was all over the news. She was surprised reporters were not outside her house. Maybe photographers were lurking in the bushes. Anyway, she couldn’t worry about that. So far they had received enormous support from friends and neighbours. Everyone seemed to believe in Ali’s innocence. If anyone didn’t, they kept it to themselves. Fatima’s phone had been ringing almost non-stop. She often turned the ringer off as a result. Call after call came from Ali’s present and former teammates, coaches and managers. They all expressed their support. Ali had told her he would need to do a press conference soon. She remembered the conversation well.

“I guess I’ll be expected to be there.” She had dreaded the idea of being in the spotlight.
"Absolutely not," Ali had said.
"Why? I know in cases like these it usually looks better if the wife stands by her husband’s side." Fatima mentally recalled countless cases of women, smiling or stoic, standing by the sides of their husbands while the men faced some scandal or another. She always wondered how the women could do it.
"I don’t care how things look. I'll do what's best for my family. I’m not going to parade you in front of cameras just so I look innocent." Fatima had been through enough, he had said. He wouldn’t dream of putting her through such a circus. Papa had already warned him about succumbing to the pressure of press agents and managers. Fortunately, everyone knew Ali was his own man, and no one expected to be able to browbeat him into doing anything.
Fatima turned to Nargis.
 "I’m fine. It’s Ali’s last week on the road. He has three more games, and then he’s home until the fall."
 "Perfect timing.‛"Nargis smiled and raised her eyebrows.
"It is. I couldn’t have planned it better myself," Fatima added, as she reached for one of Nargis’s sweets. She always travelled with some kind of treat. Children loved her because of it. Today she had almond baklava with maple cappuccino syrup.
"Do you miss being out there?" Nargis asked.
"Yes and no. I love watching him play, and I always watch the games on TV when I’m home, but these days I would rather avoid the crowd. And I certainly don’t miss hanging out with the other wives. They’re a piece of work."
"So when are you due?"
"Next Friday." Fatima bit into her baklava.
"The day of the wedding?" Nargis looked from Fatima to Mama and back to Fatima. "How do you plan to swing that?"
"Well, the other kids were past their due date, so I just figure I’ll keep going until I can’t."
"You are amazing. I would be sitting at home with my feet up from the beginning of eight months! Are you ready for four children?"
"I guess I'll find out." Fatima smiled and her eyes sparkled. She really loved these last days of pregnancy. She never felt anxious to give birth. She enjoyed each of her final moments to the fullest.

Mama interjected, "She doesn’t have a thing to worry about. We are all ready and waiting to take care of her and those four babies."
"Do you know what the baby will be?" Nargis asked.
"No, I didn’t want to find out." Fatima slipped a quick look at Mama, who didn’t say a word.
"Whatever it is you just be grateful. A healthy baby is the most important. When you have worked in the hospital as long as I have and seen all that I have you understand that." Nargis was a neonatal nurse, so Fatima understood exactly what she meant.
"Have you been reading Surah Yusuf?" Nargis continued.
"Every day." It was said that reciting this chapter in the Quran by a pregnant mother would make her baby pious, intelligent and beautiful.
"What about names?"
"Ali is going to choose this time. He hasn’t told me what he’s thinking about." Fatima adjusted herself on the chair.
Nargis’s eyes widened. "I would never trust my husband to pick my child’s name! I don’t even let him pick which restaurant to eat at!" she exclaimed.
All three women laughed. "I trust him," Fatima replied.
Mama smiled silently.
Being with these two women made Fatima miss her own mother even more. Dana was currently in Malaysia working on two buildings that had recently been discovered in northern Kedah state. She wasn’t due home until September. Fatima had been fighting the desire to call her; she couldn’t bring herself to broach the topic at hand. She just wished Dana could be with her. Fatima knew if her mother could just hold her, everything would feel right. "Oh Mom, where are you?" Fatima whispered under her breath as she looked out on the backyard.

The Abati house had a similar set-up as Fatima’s, except for the huge sunroom that the Abatis spent so much time in, and the magnificent backyard. Mama’s garden was the envy of the entire neighbourhood. The previous summer they had put in a small pond with a waterfall. In the morning or late evening it was the most soothing sound to hear the trickling water. Mama had even added a few tropical trees to her nursery. Sometimes, if Ali and Fatima had the opportunity to get out at night, they would come and sit in the backyard to enjoy the beauty.
"Ok ladies, let’s get these favours wrapped," Nargis said. The women spent the rest of the afternoon filling and wrapping monogrammed mint tins for the wedding guests, chatting, laughing and, of course, eating. Fatima had invited Rachel to meet her at the house after work and Mama was looking forward to seeing her and spending time with her.

The hours flew by quickly. By the time Rachel rang the doorbell Fatima needed to stretch her legs. When she opened the door Rachel rushed past her to greet Mama and Papa, who had recently emerged from his study, and then quickly excused herself. Fatima was still standing at the doorway with her hand on the door knob when Rachel returned.
"What was that?" Fatima asked referring to Rachel’s whirl-wind entrance. "Where are Joshua and Jonah?"
"Come, come." Rachel closed the front door and pulled Fatima into Papa’s study.
"What is it, Rachel?"
 "Oh, are we allowed to be in here?" Rachel asked as she looked around the room.
"It’s fine, but what has gotten into you?" Rachel just hopped from one leg to the other. "Here Rachel, sit down." Fatima guided her into the large arm chair.
"Nice chair." She twirled around.
"It’s Ali’s."
"He has his own chair in his father’s study? Phew, they love their son."
"Rachel, the news?"
"It’s Jamie! He’s been arrested," she whispered forcefully.
"How do you know?"
"I have sources, too." Rachel had a few friends who were good at unearthing information and kept her updated on important community happenings.

"Ok, what was he arrested for?" Fatima pulled up another chair and sat beside Rachel.
"Illegal possession and misuse of a firearm!"
"Surprise, surprise. He’s a thug," Fatima said matter-of-factly.
"There’s more."
"Rachel, will you just spill it?"
"He escaped from police custody!"
"What?! How is that possible?" Fatima hit the arms of her chair.
"I told you he has connections." Rachel’s face was blank, but her eyes were moving. It was clear she had more on her mind.
"Ok, so what are you thinking?"
"A man with nothing to lose has nothing to lose."Fatima was getting very frustrated with Rachel’s communication. "The point, Rachel?"
"What if he goes off and comes here or something?‛"
"You think he will?" Fatima folded one arm across her chest and put the opposite hand under her chin.
"No, I don’t think so. The neighbourhood is pretty tight." Rachel was starting to sound erratic.
"What do you mean?" Fatima was having trouble keeping up with her.
"Oh, you don’t know?" Rachel put one hand on her hip. "There are security people all over the neighbourhood."
"You’re kidding?" Fatima was astonished.
"Did you doubt? Don’t tell me I know your husband better than you do? I’m sure Ali has at least three men watching your house alone."
"I had no idea."
"Didn’t you wonder why the street was so quiet? Normally, you would expect the press to be hounding you guys, under the circumstances."
"This is really heavy." Fatima dropped her hands in her lap.
"Yes, it is." Rachel said, as much to herself as to Fatima.
"Ok Rachel, everything is going to be fine. I have no idea what Jamie is up to, but Allah is greater than all these things. All we have to do is keep praying and take action. It’s time, Rachel."

"I don’t know where he is. What am I supposed to do?" Rachel answered, with attitude.
"Talk to Shawn and see what steps you need to take to protect yourself and your sons. You’re afraid of Jamie and with good reason, I might add. You have enough on him to get a restraining order. Then you have to file for sole custody. It’s pretty simple." Fatima waited for Rachel’s response.
"Ok, ok," Rachel agreed, but the look in her eyes said something else.
Fatima stood up and pulled Rachel to her feet. "Let’s get some food into you. We’ll get started after dinner. Where are the boys?"
"They went into the backyard. I’ll go get them." Rachel left the room, slipped outside and around the side of the house along the cobblestone pathway to the backyard.

Rachel, Fatima and their children had dinner with the Abatis in the sunroom and stayed until the sun set. Papa lit the large candles that stood on tall stands in each corner. The room was flooded with hues of red, orange and gold. The children wrestled and rode on Papa’s back, jumping and rolling around until they were exhausted. By the time they were ready to leave, Rachel was feeling much better. Fatima had spoken to Shawn, who had agreed to meet with them the next evening. Finally, something was taking shape.
"So Rachel, I’ll see you in the morning?" Fatima knew she was pushing it, but she hoped Rachel would be open to another prayer session.
"Sure, I’ll be there."
"Great. See you then."

They went to their own homes and turned in for the evening. Naomi was at a church retreat and was scheduled to return on Thursday night. Rachel spent the rest of the evening cleaning and organizing her house. She figured she could focus on one area of the house each day until her mother returned. Knowing that Naomi was expecting guests on Friday, Rachel started thinking about what food she could prepare for them. With Rachel’s help, Naomi would have nothing to do when she returned. By the time Rachel turned in, well after midnight, she found Jonah in her bed. "Nightmares again?" she whispered to herself. "What am I going to do, Lord? What am I going to do?"

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The next morning Fatima woke up and looked around as she stretched in her bed. She had intentionally chosen a masculine style for the room. Dark furniture draped with solid colour fabrics brought a strong and comforting energy to the space. She usually used duvets and bedding in solid colours, plaids or stripes.
Ali spent so much time travelling that when he wasn’t she wanted him to feel at home. She wanted him to feel completely connected to their room and at peace when he was there. She never encouraged the children to sleep with them. Even when they were babies, they always slept in their own rooms. Ali did feel sorry for them sometimes and allow them in on rare occasions. Fatima only permitted them to hang out on the mornings that the family had time to lounge.
She did have some feminine markers in the room as well. The custom blinds were covered with sheer curtains, and on her side of the bed was a soft fluffy rug. She had a couch decorated with large soft cushions. Salt lamps sat on either side of the bed and she always had candles and aromatherapy oils nearby. It was her favourite room in the house.
The events of last night seemed to be a world away. Ali had not wanted to discuss the confrontation with Rachel when they returned home. He just wanted to put it all aside for the time being. Fatima had agreed to keep her focus on her family when she was in her home and leave the outside world beyond her front door.
She was not going to let the events of the evening rob her of precious time. It was Ali’s last night home and no one was going to ruin it. This approach was, sometimes, the only way to keep her sanity and ensure that her and her husband could outride the inevitable storms and challenges that would arise in their relationship.
As she stretched she looked up at the writing on the ceiling.

You are...
The Answer to my Prayers...
The Fulfillment of my Dreams...
The Direction of my Destiny...

Ali had written it for her, but it reflected her feelings exactly. It had always been such a comfort to her whether he was home or not, but somehow today it made her feel sad. Things were not the same anymore. She had not mentioned Ali’s recent trip out of town, but it was on her mind. She wondered when she would learn about what had been so urgent. She would not bring it up now, but in time he would have to discuss it with her.
Ali would be leaving this morning and not returning until Fri-day. It was always hard to say good-bye, but this time would be more difficult. She really felt like she needed him to be with her right now. When he was with her she didn’t need to think. His presence would block out all her negative thoughts, fears and worries. When he was gone, all she did was think.
She missed the days of travelling with him, and often won-dered if she had had the children too early. Ali had wanted to wait. They were young, he had said, and had a lot of time, but Fatima had been so eager to try and have a son. After having Masuma and facing the realities of parenting, she decided waiting would be a good idea. And then dreams of a boy resurfaced, and along came the twins.

She didn’t even want to think about who this baby might be. She had refused to find out the sex of the baby, although the suspense sometimes was unbearable.
She leaned over to look at the table beside her bed. She had al-ready found four of the papers that Ali had placed around the house. The first one had the number 7 written on it. The other three papers had one letter each, an n and two e’s. She had placed the four papers in a line on her bedside table. She still needed to find the others to decode the message. Ali had promised her a special gift if she found all of them before he returned.
Fatima had her week fully planned. She would study in the mornings and then take her daughters out in the afternoon. She had several people she wanted to visit with before her period of confinement started, and she wanted to look for outfits for Rachel’s boys, in case Rachel decided to send them to the wedding the following week. She would be with Naomi and her church sisters on Friday, and then Ali would be home.

She glanced at her clock. She wasn’t sure if she should expect Rachel this morning, but she would be ready just in case.
At precisely seven thirty, the doorbell rang. Rachel held up a bouquet of flowers as a peace offering."Where did you find flowers at this time of the morning?" Fa-tima asked, as she graciously accepted the gift.
"Oh, I have my ways." Rachel was dressed in a blue, grey and black plaid skirt, a black sweater and a black leather jacket. She wore her hair curly and looked much younger as a result. "I need to talk to you about last night."
"Come in."
When they were both seated in the living room, Rachel started speaking quickly. "You know I would never do anything to hurt you, Fatima. I only came over because I had a really messed up day, and I needed to talk to Ali, that’s all. You know he has this different way of looking at things. I just needed to hear what he had to say. I would never do anything to harm you or your family." Rachel looked Fatima directly in the eyes. Rachel continued, "And I am so sorry about that stupid comment I made about you not trusting Ali. That was so mean and disgusting of me. We both know he is perfectly trustworthy, and you would never have any reason to doubt him. I’m so sorry."
"Never say never." Fatima placed the flowers on the table in front of her.
"Don’t say that, Fatima. You guys are perfect, and I can’t even handle anything less than that today, so don’t even go there." Rachel finally took a breath."
"Oh sure, I wouldn’t want to upset you now, would I?" Fatima continued, "So tell me, what happened that had you so upset?"
Rachel told Fatima about the meeting with Brigitte, about Jamie following her and Ali, and Jamie’s plans to take the boys."
"So you told Ali all this?"
"No, not exactly."
"Either you did or you didn’t," Fatima pressed.
"I didn’t." Rachel looked down.
"Why not?" Fatima was shocked and slightly confused."
"I don’t know. I just felt kind of overwhelmed. What will Ali do when he finds out?" Rachel glanced in Fatima’s direction.
"Well, I don’t know, but he needs to know that he’s being stalked, don’t you think?" Fatima’s eyes were wide.
"You’re going to tell him?" Rachel chewed the inside of her lip.
"Of course, I’m going to tell him. What if he’s in danger? How could you keep this from him? What did you come over for, if not to tell him this?"
"I don’t know. I was just babbling, really." Rachel looked down at her lap, folding and unfolding a corner of her jacket.
Fatima furrowed her brow and assessed Rachel. She believed that Rachel’s apology was sincere, but she did notice that Rachel suddenly had trouble meeting her gaze.
Fatima didn’t have to ask why. She knew Rachel too well. And she would never forget the words that Rachel had said last night.

"...you have everything. All I wanted was a few minutes."
Anyway, that wasn’t important now. This news about Jamie was going to have to take precedence.
"Don’t you think it’s about time you talked to the police, or at least saw a lawyer? You have to do something, Rachel. Shawn is really great, maybe you should talk to him."
"I don’t know." Rachel struggled with this issue. She was so afraid of making waves.
"What are you going to do? Wait until Jamie really goes berserk around here? You have two little boys and your mother to think about. It’s not just about you. This is not going away. You have to meet it head on, or else it will blow up in your face. We’re all here for you. You can do this."
"I’m not like you, Fatima. I can’t."
"Yes, you can, and you have to. Things are getting out of hand and you have to take action. I know you’re scared. You just move forward anyway. We’re going to support you. We have so many resources. You can get the best lawyers. You can have all kinds of security and protection. There is no limit to what we would do for you. You just have to say the word. But it has to come from you."
Silence fell between them as Rachel soaked in Fatima’s words. She knew Fatima was right and she agreed it was time for her to do something now. She had to. The first step was just the hardest.
"I went to see my dad."
Fatima eyes misted. "That’s wonderful. How was it?"
"Good. It was really good.‛ Rachel dabbed at the tears that were gathering in her eyes.
"You should go more often. Regularly. Maybe it will give you the strength you need right now."
Rachel nodded then quickly changed the subject. "So you’re going to tell Ali?"
"Absolutely."
"Ok, I’m going to think about everything you said. Really, I’m going to think about it."
"Good. Anyway, time is passing. Let’s get started." Fatima reached for the dua books she had put on the table.

First they started with Hadith e Kisa /The Story of the Cloak. Fatima explained briefly to Rachel. "One of the things I love about this hadith is the way the family members speak to each other. Imam Ali(as) doesn’t call his wife, ‘Fatima’, he calls her ‘Daughter of the Prophet,’ and she, in turn, doesn’t refer to him simply as ‘Ali,’ she uses his full title, ‘Commander of the Faithful.’
"When they speak to their children, it is with so much love and tenderness, it reminds us that those we are supposed to be most respectful to are the members of our household and not the outside people, the way we usually are.
"It is said that whenever this hadith is read, the angels come down and encircle the people, praying for their forgiveness until the gathering disperses and Allah answers requests made at that time. So, I really love this."
The two ladies spent the remainder of their hour together reading and listening to various duas and Quran. Fatima and Rachel both made their own specific supplications, and when Rachel left to go to work, Fatima prepared to give Ali the news.

“I know.”
"You know?‛"Fatima sat on the lounge chair in her bedroom. "How did you know, and when were you going to tell me?"
"I didn’t want to worry you." Ali walked into his closet to get his clothes.
"The more things you keep from me the more worried I get." Fatima raised her voice slightly to make sure he heard her.
He stepped back through the doorway. "I just found out last night. Shawn has a private investigator working on my case and this is what he came up with so far."
"That was fast."
"He has good men." Ali disappeared into the closet again.
"Ali, could you just sit down for a second and talk to me?" Fatima hated when he behaved like this.

Ali returned to the room, stopped getting dressed and sat on the bed facing Fatima.
"What else do you need to tell me?" Fatima asked.
"It’s just what Rachel said. Jamie is following us in an attempt to stir up trouble. When we have more evidence then we can take action."
"What kind of action?"
"Don’t worry, Fatima."
"This is my family, and all you can say is, ‘don’t worry?’ Do you think that’s reasonable? Now, you’re leaving. How do you expect me to feel?"
"You’ll be safe when I’m away. I’ve made sure of it," Ali said.
"Oh, when were you going to clue me in to what’s going on?"
"I tell you what I think you need to know," he replied without changing his facial expression.
"How manly of you." She was deliberately sarcastic, knowing how much he hated it.
"I am what I am, Fatima. I’m not going to come to you with every little problem, to stress you out, when you can’t do anything about it anyway."
"I just want to feel included. If something involves me or the family, I just want to know. It’s important to me. And how do you know I can’t do anything? I have a brain. I have ideas too."
Ali glanced at the clock. "Ok, what do you want to know?"
"Don’t talk to me like that, Ali. I’m trying to communicate with you, here." Ali could be so warm at times and then suddenly shift to being so distant, often with no warning. "Well, did the investigation find anything else? Related to your case, I mean." She could not bring herself to say the word 'paternity.'
"Well, I studied the photos, and it looks like my pictures were cropped from pictures that we took last summer, when we went on vacation,"Ali said.
"How would someone have had access to them?"
"I had emailed them to my cousins, so who knows. If someone got into my email then they could get it, I guess."
"What about the emails?" Fatima questioned.

"They were all sent between midnight and 2 a.m. You know I’m always sleeping at that time."
She knew that was true. She had never known Ali to stay up much past 10 pm. He would sleep even earlier if he could. He always woke up early, extremely early, but never before 2 a.m.
"Well, someone knows your schedule. What about the receipts?" Fatima continued.
"The dates are right. I was at those hotels." Ali stood and walked around the room. "I don’t know how anyone got a hold of them or if they are even the originals. The team is still working on that."
"I see. Anything else?"
"No, that’s about it for now."
So he is still being tight-lipped about his trip, Fatima thought. She wanted to ask about the paternity test, but the words could not pass her lips. As if Ali could read her mind he said, "I’m still waiting for Shawn to let me know which company we’re going to do the DNA test with."
Fatima nodded. "Ok, I just wish you felt comfortable to share with me. You shouldn’t be dealing with this by yourself." She was trying to be supportive, although she really wished she could jump somewhere into the future to a time when this would no longer matter.

Ali recalled the way Fatima’s mood had changed when he had reminded her that Shawn was coming over to discuss the case. He also recalled the look on her face when Shawn had left the house that day. How could he keep bringing up an issue that he knew disturbed her so much?
"I can handle it." He stood up and pulled his shirt over his head.

"I know you can handle it, Ali. That’s not the point. It makes me feel like you don’t trust me or value me when you don’t tell me things. I’m your wife. I want to be there for you."
"You are. You’re there in the way that I need; it just may not be what you think I need."
"What about what I need?"

Ali squeezed his eyes shut and leaned his head back. When he brought it forward his eyes were heavy. "I’m trying, Fatima. I am trying."
"Ok, ok, let’s leave it for now. Thanks for telling me everything. I really appreciate it." Fatima smiled as she thought about his impending departure. "Anyway, I want you to leave happy."
Ali smiled back. "Impossible."

After Ali and Fatima had fed and dressed the children, they said their goodbyes and Ali departed amidst a torrent of hugs and kisses from the little ladies of his house. He then crossed the street to say goodbye to his parents. Fatima turned in to start studying. She had a full day ahead of her, but she knew that no matter how busy she was, Friday could not arrive soon enough

Many of my readers have been asking when I will post more of the novel. I am preparing to publish this month, but I decided that I can post another chapter or two. Please leave a comment if you are reading and would like a little more before the entire book is ready for sale. Enjoy, and thank-you for reading!

Coollace - ShoeAccessories: I taught Dallas Right from Left in 2 days, love it...

Coollace - ShoeAccessories: I taught Dallas Right from Left in 2 days, love it...: I remember Dante's teacher trying different methods to teach him Right and Left when he was 3.  Once I created the R and L coollace, I test...

Update.

Some of my readers have been asking about the book sales. I am currently reviewing the PROOF copy of the novel, We Started Out as Friends.
Look for book sales this Spring/Summer. Keep checking for updates. If you would like to be notified when the book is available for sale, send an email to saatulloch@hotmail.com, or become a follower of this blog to receive all notifications. Thank-you for reading and leaving comments. Keep following to see what happens to Rachel, Fatima and Ali...

The 10 o'clock Angel Train

~~~Looking for WE STARTED OUT AS FRIENDS? Please go to the very first post(2009) to read the first chapters.~~~

I just finished listening to the book Happy for No Reason, by Marci Shimoff. It was a delightful book, full of personal case studies as well as scientific studies about researched and proven ways to live happier lives. I received a wealth of very practical information. One of the things I loved the most was the instruction to sleep before ten, preferably by nine. The author said if you are feeling depressed, sad or out of sorts you should go to bed early for 3 days in a row and enjoy the positive effects of this happiness habit. She calls it "The 10 o'clock Angel Train." I love it! So simple, yet it is something that most of us take for granted. I know my days always start and proceed much better when I have had enough rest. What about you?