“I still want us to do things naturally, Honey. Allah always gives us blessings at the right time. And what counts as the right time is often different for Him than it is for us.” Maura remained firm in her opinion.
“Then when exactly is the right time?” Kendra snorted in frustration. He really wanted them to have a child soon.
“When we’re truly ready, that’s one sign that the right time has come. If we still haven’t been blessed with a child even though we’re both healthy, maybe we need to look inward first, Honey. There might be something wrong with our relationship, or something we need to fix. Or … maybe we’re just not mentally ready.” Maura put the paper away in her purse.
Maura realized that Kendra still didn’t fully love her. Maybe that was also God’s reason for not blessing them with children yet. Maura had loved Kendra deeply from the moment they first met. But Kendra didn’t feel the same way about her. He had married Maura for comfort and to forget his old love.
“Don’t be so idealistic. We’ve already been waiting almost two years to have a baby.” Kendra kept his eyes on the road ahead.
“What if we wait a little longer? If I’m still not pregnant a year from now, then we can start IVF. For this next year, let’s do our best to pray and try naturally first.”
“A year is a long time, Maura! There’s no way I can wait any longer.”
“Please, Honey. Come on …” Maura clasped her hands together, giving him a pleading look.
When she acted like this, how could Kendra possibly resist? His heart would melt instantly. Those gentle eyes of hers were enough to quiet every turmoil in his heart.
“Okay. One year, all right?” The man let out a heavy sigh. He wasn’t exactly happy about it, but what else could he do? He couldn’t force her.
“Okay. Thanks, Honey. Let’s pray harder. Hopefully, I’ll get pregnant soon.” Maura looked happy to hear her husband’s decision.
“Amen. Always, Maura. I never stop praying. That means … we’ll have to work overtime every night, huh? We have to do our part.” Kendra teased her deliberately.
Maura merely lowered her head in embarrassment. The woman in the wide hijab really was adorable. Even though they had been married for more than a year, she still became shy whenever Kendra brought up the pleasures of heaven on earth. Their personalities were completely different. Kendra tended to speak his mind bluntly, while Maura was more reserved, just like the way she dressed.
Maura didn’t have many friends. Only a handful. One was her best friend from high school, another was a college friend, and two were coworkers at the university where she worked. Those four were her only close friends.
Kendra? Don’t even ask. That was only natural. Employees spent their time working, while entrepreneurs like Kendra spent more of theirs building connections. Especially since his business was in hospitality. The more friends he had, the more customers he would have, of course.
They had met near the end of college. One day, while Kendra was window-shopping at a mall, he happened to run into someone from his department. She was with Maura at the time.
The aura of peace Maura carried immediately captivated Kendra. Love at first sight? Not exactly. Even now, he couldn’t love Maura in the slightest. All he felt was comfort, calm, and peace. Nothing more. Kendra hadn’t married Maura out of love. You could say … he simply needed to get married. Unfortunately, Maura had readily agreed when he asked her.
After they arrived in front of the house and Kendra made sure Maura went inside, he turned around and headed back to the hotel he had started building right after graduating from college. That was where he spent most of his time. Sometimes Maura would follow him there just to have lunch together.
“Where’s Ms. Amala?” Kendra asked the receptionist when he arrived at the hotel.
“She’s in the hall, sir.”
“Okay. I’ll go there.”
There was something Kendra wanted to discuss with Ms. Amala, the hotel’s general manager. At the very least, they could talk while monitoring preparations for the wedding reception taking place in the hall that evening. A government official’s child was holding a reception at their hotel, so Ms. Amala was sure to be extremely busy.
Kendra had taken only a few steps into the hall when his eyes locked onto a figure who was now staring back at him. He stopped in his tracks, standing there like a Dwarapala statue.
Oh my God! Kendra screamed inwardly.
“Alissa?”