Chapter 1
She had the perfect wedding. A wonderful groom, nice music, amazing food, and her favorite people. Nine months later, she was in the hospital giving birth to her little bundle of joy. Najwa was so happy. She was tired from giving birth, but she was awake, smiling and crying at the same time. Leo, her husband, was right beside her, looking at the little baby with a proud smile. He could already see how he was going to spoil her, how he was going to teach her everything he knew and made sure she knew more. How he was going to make her his princess, strong and mighty like her mother. When Najwa finally got discharged from the hospital, they went home. The little family did a home tour for their newborn and then had some soup. When Lysandra started to make a fuss, Najwa tended to her and put her to sleep. The parents quickly saw how their normal routines were disturbed. They tried their best to keep up with their jobs, and daily life, despite the very little sleep they were getting. Thankfully, their bond only grew deeper because they knew each other and completed one another. Being on maternity leave for two months, Najwa took care of the baby and the house, while Leo was the one doing the work in the outside world.
One evening, Najwa was tending to Lysa while waiting for Leo. She facetimed her mom to show her Lysa and keep her company. Around 6 o’clock, the phone rang. Strangely, it was the hospital. Najwa answered, telling herself that they probably wanted to check on her, something they said they would do. However, it was not the doctor she normally spoke to. It was a man asking to confirm her identity. She did, confused what the phone call was about.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry to inform you that your husband was in an accident and now he’s in the emergency room.”
The phone fell from her hand after that sentence. She began trembling and tears fell from her eyes. She looked at Lysa and saw her big curious eyes, wondering why her mom was crying. Regaining her composure, Najwa finished the phone call, told her mom that she needed her to babysit Lysa for a while and left the house. She put Lysa at her grandparents’ house and went straight to the hospital. When she got there, she didn’t know what to do so she told the receptionist what happened. A minute later, a nurse came to get her and led her to the emergency room’s waiting area. She was handed a cup of water, which she didn’t want at all. She wanted to see her husband, her best friend, her Leo. She didn’t want to cry but she couldn’t help it. She prayed for him to get out safely, and to make it out alive. Questions about the accident ran through her mind; What happened? Why did it happen? Where did it happen? She then started to think about how she couldn’t raise their newborn alone. He was her strength. She couldn’t do what they were doing, all alone. Lysa also needed him. He’s her father. It would be unfair for her to be fatherless. He still had a lot of things to teach her. He must be there for her first steps, her first word, her first tooth, her first day of school, her graduation, her wedding. He couldn’t go now. He had so many things left to do on this earth. She began pacing the room. Her hands were trembling, her breath catching with every step.
Fifteen minutes later, the nurse and doctor came up to her. They both looked very tired and sad. They looked her in the eyes, and she knew. Her worst fear was confirmed. He was gone. Leo was gone.
“I’m sorry ma’am. We tried to get all the shards out of his system before they reached his-“
Najwa had stopped listening. She was on the ground, trembling from head to toe. With her hands in her hair, she began crying and screaming. The first nurse came to her side, took her in her arms, but didn’t say anything. She knew that there were no words to make the pain go away. When Najwa calmed down a little, they asked her if she wanted to see him. They could only let her see his face because the rest of the body was greatly damaged. Seeing the bed on which he was laying, Najwa tried to control her breathing. She wanted to be strong during their last moments together. After all, her strength was one of the many things he liked in her.
“Hey Leo. Are you really leaving me now? *She sniffled* Just when we began our family? You better watch carefully from above, ok? I’m going to need your help once in a while. *She sniffled* We believe in fate, you and I, so you send me a message every now and then to tell me if I’m doing alright, ok? When I’ll join you, in a few decades, I will tell you all about how Lys is. How she’s our better version. *She sniffled* I’ll try not to forget to take care of me too. I want to join you in the best shape possible. I love you.”
She kissed his forehead and sniffled. This was the hardest thing she had ever done. On her way to her parents’ house to pick Lysa up, she tried to wrap her mind around what had happened. Leo died in a car accident. The doctors tried to save him but due to his injuries, he was beyond saving. She started crying again. In front of her parents’ house, she dried up her tears, sniffled, and knocked on the door. Her mom opened it. Seeing her mom, Najwa couldn’t hold it together anymore. She collapsed into her mother’s arms.
The next two weeks were very hard to endure for Najwa. She tried to mourn, organized the funeral, and tended to Lysandra. She also had to extend her leave of work, which created some problems at her workplace. Although she had her parents and friends to help her, she felt overwhelmed, sad, and alone. When it was too hard to keep going, she would look at Lysandra and remind herself that she needed to be strong for her. A few months later, Najwa decided to move to an apartment because she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep up with the payments for the house.
