ice cubes

He slammed the door and stormed into the room, startling her as she read her book.

"Bismillah" she said out loud, but his anger clouded his sense of hearing. He didnt utter a word, not even "AlSalam 3laikom". He didnt look up to see who was sitting in the room. He just stomped into the kitchen with his flawless white dishdasha and neatly pressed chamgh.

Her eyes followed him silently, and in her head, she started counting down from 10, expecting what will come next.

It was at 3 that she heard his voice shake the chair she was sitting on.

"LAISH MAKO THALJ BL FREEZER!! ELMAYY 7AR!! SHAL ARAF!! MA YINSHIRIB!!" His voice got louder as he got closer to the living room. "ENTAY MN 9IJICH?!", he yelled at her "SHLON ELBAIT MA FEH WALA GI63AT THALJ?! SHLON TSAMEN NAFSICH RABBAT MANZIL ETHA RAYLICH YDISH ELBAIT OO 7TA GLASS MAYY BARID MA YILGA!!". 

With that sentence, the glass in his hand suddenly exploded into a million little pieces into his hand. Blood and water slipped between his fingers onto the white carpet.

She immediately sprang up from the chair and ran over to him, as he stood staring at his bleeding hand in astonishment. His temper wasn't new to him, or his wife for that matter, but never had it reached this level before. He felt as if he was having an out-of-body experience, watching his wife worriedly undo his bleeding fists, and carefully inspect it for glass, not caring that she might hurt her own in the process. He could hear her repeatedly say something, but he couldn't tell exactly what it was above the sound of his own breathing. She held his hand and led him to the sofa, carefully sitting him down as he obeyed like a little child. She then ran into the kitchen and grabbed some ice cubes from the freezer, and some plaster for his hand.

She came back with a glass of water and added a few more ice cubes into it. He watched her in amazement, and he didn't understand why. He could now barely hear what she was saying. "Ti3awath mn ebleees....ti3awath mn eblees" she kept repeating. Still depersonalized, he repeated "a3otho billah mn alshay6an alrajeem....a3otho billah mn alshay6an alrajeem". She handed him the glass of water, and he gulped it down all in one go. When he put the glass down, his hand was nicely bandaged and in between his wife's own.

He looked into her eyes, and she smiled softly. He then lay his body on the sofa, and his head on her thigh, and just like every other time, she stroked his hair gently, knowing fully well this is the only thing that can soothe him and calm him down. He lay there for hours, feeling her soft fingers running through his hair, and losing a reasonable amount of negative energy each time. As he calmed down, he felt his veins return to their original place, and his flushed face return to its original color. He felt his heart slowing down and his breathing become more regular. He felt his jittery body become still. The more relaxed he became, he slowly felt the business deal he lost this morning dissolve into thin air.

How would he have ever gotten through it without her?

Without looking up at her, he kissed her thigh where he lay, and stroked it gently. "A7ibich 7beebty". The words still tickled her insides, just like the first time she heard them. She moved her soft fingertips to the sides of his temples to brush them, but he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. "Ana asif...sam7eeni"

"Shhhhhhh....."

And he drifted into deep sleep.