A hubby in a million

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up. I was just wondering how easily a trained barber can render your kissing brows apart, that way they’ll become normal, like everyone else’s.’ I explained.‘And how many times must I tell you that these brows are some of my great assets, I value them and the uniqueness […]

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up. I was just wondering how easily a trained barber can render your kissing brows apart, that way they’ll become normal, like everyone else’s.’ I explained.
‘And how many times must I tell you that these brows are some of my great assets, I value them and the uniqueness they have. Anyway get it into your head that it’s a rare thing to see a man with brows stretching almost from one end of the face to another, then value what you have.’ He replied.
‘One end of the face to another’ I repeated ‘that sounds really alien Tahir, we should do something about it.’ I suggested.
‘There is nothing alien about my brows, if anything they are adorable and unique.’ He answered turning over to lie on his back.
‘Adorable? Maybe, but unique is no longer the case. At least three of our four children have inherited the kissing brows. So there, four people in this house already.’ I answered, laughing.
‘Really, you mean up to three of them all have it? I only know about Ummi’s because it is so obvious.’ He pondered.  
‘Or maybe because as the first-born you had all the time in the world to study her and notice everything. Viewing the others as bonuses you never really paid attention to their looks.’ I accused.
‘You know that’s not true Bint. You know how much I cherish all my children. Maybe being weighed down by responsibilities made me less attentive. However, who was it that dared not to inherit my trade mark brows?’ he asked in mock anger.
‘Little Bint. But it’s a manifestation of God’s justice. Since He made her your spitting image, He reserved that one thing for me. That way I can look at her and see that I was there too. If she had inherited the kissing brows, in addition to your eyes, your nose, your ears, your feet and even your smile, I would have felt totally absent from my namesake’s anatomy.’ I declared.
‘That’s fair enough. Little Bint is so like me I sometimes wonder what it would be like if she was a boy. But three out of four children isn’t bad at all, and it still doesn’t make my kind of brows common; they remain in the family.’ He conceded.
‘Yes, but do you have any idea where you got them from, I mean were they from your father or your mother?’ I asked.
‘Honestly, I don’t know. By the time I realized that there was something different about them, I was so enjoying the attention, it didn’t occur to me to check where they came from. I just reveled in the thought of being unique.’ He joked again, suppressing a yawn.
‘You are unique in more ways than one hubby dearest, believe me.’ I replied.
‘Flattery will get you nowhere Bint. Just what do you want from me this time?’ He turned my way to ask, in mock horror.
‘Nothing, and this is truly from my heart Tahir. I believe I’ve said this before, I never knew just how lucky I am as a wife until it is Ramadan. Today I felt the same way when I ran into my friend Maimuna at the supermarket. She was rushing so hard to leave that she didn’t even see me. When I walked up to her for a greeting she was answering me in a hurry as if she was rushing to an appointment. 
‘Why do you seem in such a hurry, do you have an appointment elsewhere?’ I asked.
‘No I just need to rush back home and get into the kitchen. You know its Ramadan.’ She replied.
‘Yes I know it is, but it’s only 11.30am, you have at least three hours before you are needed in the kitchen.’ I argued.
‘Says who, Hajia Bint? Believe me if I am not in that kitchen by 12noon then the food won’t be ready by iftar time.’ Maimuna answered.
‘But what do you need to cook that takes so long?’ I asked.
‘Oh everything, the kunu, kosai, the potato chips, the eggs, the chicken, the samosa, the spring rolls and sometimes pancake. All this have to be done fresh, so I start cooking at noon.  The only thing I do early is the fruit salad and juice. Those I do around 8am and keep in the fridge before I leave for tafsir in the mosque at 9am. I’m just returning from the mosque because tafsir ends at 11am. I had just enough time to pick a few things before I rush into the kitchen. Ramadan is my busiest time of the year, so I have no time to waste.’ She concluded.
‘Sorry I don’t mean to delay you further, but is there no one to help you out?’
‘Yes, I have two house-girls who must have peeled the potatoes and prepared the chicken spices, washed the beans in readiness for grinding by now. But even with them, I need no less than those six hours because of the variety and volume of food we cook. You see between three to five guests break their fast with my husband every day. And sometimes they are as many as ten. So it is a lot of work really, throughout the month.’ She explained, walking out of the supermarket.
‘Well, everything you do in this holy month comes with multiple rewards so I can only wish you the great rewards of all your efforts.’ I said.
‘You can only wish me? You mean you have no such demands on your time during Ramadan?’ Maimuna asked incredulously.
‘No, I don’t. For one, Tahir eats lightly during iftar. He takes his tea, fruits and one protein meal, which can be chicken, fish or mutton with vegetables. After Tarawih prayers he eats another light meal, rice or acca cous-cous or spaghetti, again with vegetables. During sahur he takes his kunu with some fruits. He doesn’t go for kunu at iftar, or kosai or fruit salad. He likes one kind of fruit at a time. We do most of the other stuff for the other people in the house, you know relatives and house-helps and also when he has iftar guests, which is a few days in a week. So on the whole my Ramadan schedule isn’t much different from my other routine at other times.’ I explained.
‘How lucky can you get? This means you get to do all your extra devotions with ease. With me every Ramadan means complete tiredness in the evening, which translates into few tarawih and almost no tahajjud at all. The only thing I ever manage to get is the tafsir session because it happens in the mornings. Sometimes I can’t help feeling that the whole aim of the fast is defeated through our endless cooking and eating. ‘Maimuna complained before opening her car door to go in.
‘May Almighty Allah accept the little that we manage to do, in our own way.’ I prayed, waving her goodbye. So you see, this is why I keep saying I wish all men were like you during Ramadan. Less demands and enough time for everyone to seek Allah’s multiple blessings.’ I concluded my narration to Tahir.
‘Maybe I should spread the word, among friends and at our local mosque here, that men should be less demanding and more considerate of their wives during Ramadan. I don’t think my exemplary iftar will be of use to anyone if we don’t get others to imbibe the same style. And thanks for making me feel special and considerate. You may not have my kissing-brows but you are one very unique lady too Bint.’ Tahir said, with a hand on my cheek.
‘Thank you too darling, but you are one hubby in a million and I have to say it.’ I replied sincerely.