‘You’re back,’ she said.
‘Yes, we are,’ Azam replied, setting the bread down. Hearing Azam’s voice, Dania woke, and she held her arms out for him. With a laugh, he went and hugged her, and she climbed up into his arms, latching onto him like a monkey.
Sonya showed Kiri the flowers. ‘For you,’ Sonya said.
‘Aw, thank you, dearest,’ Kiri replied, smelling them. Sonya found a vase to put the flowers in. ‘I washed your dress and apron,’ Kiri said from the sofa. ‘They should be out on the clothesline, drying.’
‘Thank you!’ Sonya went out and grabbed the laundry, putting the apron on to keep her new dress clean as she folded the uniform, then set about cleaning the rest of the downstairs. It wasn’t in terrible shape, but still she swept and mopped again, washing any dishes that were dirty and wiping down counters.
‘I’m going to clean upstairs,’ Sonya said.
Azam stood, Dania still attached to his side. ‘We should sort out your room since you’ll be staying a while,’ he said. ‘I’m sure you don’t want to be living amongst all those boxes.’
‘Oh, yes, I can do that!’ she said.
‘I’ll help,’ he said.
‘And me!’ Dania cried, holding his face to get his attention. ‘Me, too!’
Azam laughed, unsticking her hand from his cheek. ‘Yes, you, too, bandri.’
‘I’m the bestest helper there ever was,’ Dania told Sonya.
‘I’m sure you are,’ Sonya replied, going to ruffle the little girl’s hair. Dania wrapped an arm around Sonya’s neck, pulling her andAzam in together, until the three of their heads were huddled. Dania giggled, then released Sonya.
Sonya knew by then that refusing their help would be futile. She went up first to change into the uniform dress, as she didn’t wish for her lovely new pink dress to be ruined. She kept her hair half pulled back in the bow, then exited the bathroom, ready to work. She found Kiri upstairs as well.
Sonya opened her mouth to protest, but Kiri held up a hand. ‘Don’t think of excluding me from the fun,’ she said. ‘Besides, it’ll be quicker this way.’
‘Thank you,’ Sonya said, and they all went to her room to sort out the boxes and clear the clutter. Azam had brought up the mop, broom, and other cleaning supplies.
First, they took everything extraneous out of the room, then dusted the remaining furniture before moving the bedframe and side table and dresser to sweep and mop the floors.
There was a rug rolled up in a corner that they set out, and then it was time to rummage through the boxes. Kiri helped with most of the organization for that, since some of the boxes were of her things, while other boxes were things belonging to Azam’s parents, and Kiri knew what to do with them or how to put them away. They sent some boxes up into the attic with Azam and cleared out the closet and the dresser drawers.
‘Now you have room for your own things,’ Azam said, showing her the emptied drawers. She folded the shawl and put it in a drawer, while she hung the pink dress up in the closet.
While Sonya finished with the last of organizing, Kiri went to see about dinner, and Azam disappeared for a bit.
‘Let’s take a little break, shall we?’ she asked Dania, who had been wiping the already-wiped side table with a rag for the better part of twenty minutes.
Dania released a long breath, climbing onto the bed. ‘Yes, please!’
Sonya lay down beside her, until Azam returned, his arms full of fabric.
‘Curtains!’ he said, grinning from behind the mass in his arms. She sat up and watched as he hung them in front of the window. They were thick enough with the lining that they’d keep the light out if drawn.
Afterwards, they found linens for the bed, and Sonya lifted the sheet, letting it billow over Dania, who hopped up, laughing, as Azam grabbed the other end. At the same time, they lifted the sheet, then snuck under, making a little fort with Dania between them.
She fell backwards, laughing, and Sonya met Azam’s eyes across the enclosed space, joy bursting through her as she saw the same joy mirrored in his face. She had never known chores could be so fun.
When the bed was made, Dania got bored and skipped along downstairs. Sonya brought up a vase of half the wildflowers, along with the sage-green dress, which she hung in the closet beside the pink dress.
Azam found some work clothes of his mother’s that he said he would tailor for her to wear while working to alternate with the uniform dress, noticing her reluctance to get the pink and green dresses dirty.
He even found a box of books he said she could look through. ‘I saw how happy you were at the bookshop,’ Azam said. ‘I know they aren’t as nice as the one you were looking at there, but feel free to keep any you’d like. My father loved reading.’
Sonya sat on the floor, perusing the titles until she had a stack on top of the dresser. Azam found some candle holders and candles for her as well, and in no time, the room was not only clean, but perfectly homey, as if it had always been hers.
