LIGHT FROM THE DESERT✓

||CHAPTER 17||

||HUSSEIN||

Staring at Salima happily gather pomegranates and dates at the oasis makes my heart swell with happiness. It's always my joy to see her happy. She has known limited happiness but I am here to make sure that she gets unlimited. A lady her age shouldn't be burdened with the fear of living with her own father. Instead, she should be cocooned by his love and guidance at this stage. It makes me mad to know that blood isn't thicker when it comes to him.

The whole time I was in Ethiopia, I would think of her every day. No day passed without thinking and writing about her. I waited so much to come back and when I did, I could hardly stop myself from seeing her. I wanted her so much, to feel her again in my arms. And now that I have her, I can't think of any other way to feel complete. She has and always will be my better half. My completion.

During my stay here, I have done nothing much but spy on her father. I made it my mission while I was still in Ethiopia. I drew my plan so well and once I arrived, I started executing it. My whole being despises the man and I am going to stop at nothing to see that he ends up where he deserves. Rotting in jail awaiting his doom. It should have been done a long time ago but he always finds a way to escape. But not this time around. I will make sure of that.

I have been gathering evidence on my own. It's interesting to know that the man has been to gambling dens. Day in day out. There is not a single day he misses out on going to this particular one where he also happens to see a woman there. A mistress who has no dignity or self-value. She lets the man toy with her. It's such a pity. The man has also been raiding livestock for sale from neighbouring communities.

It's a large group of them and I am hoping that they will be tagged along when Omar is nabbed. But even if they weren't, I wouldn't care as long as Omar himself was nabbed. Zawadi should have the recorded phone calls. They will surely help even though they are not a shred of strong evidence unless there is mention on names. That will be more believable.

I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I fish it out to see that it's Zawadi who's calling. I slide to answer as my eyes dart on Salima.

"Za, how is the going?" I ask.

"It's good. No, actually, it's better. I have filed a new complaint." My heart skips a beat, I swear. "I will be coming home tomorrow. A detective is handling the case and soon we'll have the man where we want him," she says.

My heart soars with happiness and much-needed peace of mind. Salima will be delighted to hear this. Freedom and justice are looming around the corner. All I that I have always wanted for her. All that she has always wanted for herself.

"Are we going to work with those corrupt whistles again?" I ask hoping that those greedy bellies at the local police station won't be involved with the case. They let Omar slip away many times before as he would bribe them with money.

"No, I'll have two officers from the city who will liaise with the head of the office there. This time he will have no escape."

I let out a heavy sigh of relief. Her running away was a blessing in disguise. It works to everyone's advantage. Save for the jerk.

"That's great! It's wonderful news. I will work on every piece of evidence I have gathered. I am sure they will be of much help. It's time we made him pay, Zawadi," I say to her in excitement. Not for myself, but for them. Most especially my brittle yet strong girl, Salima.

"It's time, Hussein," she is excited too. Of course, she would be. It's about time they were saved from the chains of an ungrateful man.

"Yes, Zawadi." I agree. "Want to speak to Salima?"

"She's there?" she asks enthusiastically.

"Yeap. Just a minute, I'll call her for you," I put the call on hold. Sal is still busy picking dates.

"Sal," I call to her.

"Just a minute. I'm almost done," she says as she struggles to pick a bunch of dates that are out of her reach.

"Za wants to speak to you," she halts at the mention of her sister's name.

The basket drops on the bush as she runs to me. Looking so happy that she will get to speak to her sister whom she can't speak freely to because of a man misnamed father. She settles at my patted legs and picks the phone from my hand.

"Za," she calls on the phone.

They converse for a few minutes. She tells her about her mom. She is doing fine though she still is disturbed about her. She tells her more about herself and how she is fairing. Zawadi tells her about the case and her arrival home tomorrow. She holds her hand on her mouth as she gasps in joy and tears as she imagines the freedom she'll be getting once all this works out. She'll no longer have to live in fear of a man who should have painted a whole different picture for them was he humane. A few minutes later she hangs up. She turns to me.

"Do you know what that means?" she asks with an emotional smile.

"Freedom and justice from that man, Sal," I respond to her.

She screams it. Freedom and Justice. With so much happiness before she breaks down after she realizes how big whatever she is getting is.

"Easy, Cherry," I hush her. She holds on to me as she lets the tears flow down.

"Mama will be so happy to hear this," she sniffs.

"She will. Now, quit crying or I'll have no choice but to throw you right in the middle of that oasis. And you do know that there are scorpions in that vegetation. Generally of your favourite species," I threaten playfully.

She laugh-cries. She hates scorpions. They give her migraines. Once, when she was eleven, she came across one at the back of their house. She became sick that instant and couldn't leave the bed for two days. It's quite ironic that she loves the desert so much yet she can't stand its creatures. A moment later she calms down and kisses my lips so softly. If I wasn't man enough I would have already taken advantage of her. But I can't. I respect and love her so much to be a jerk. I kiss her back softly letting it all soak in.

"You're mean," she says on my lips.

I tickle her in all her sensitive places leaving her laughing so hard tears start sprinkling down her fair cheeks again. It displays a literal picture of how she should be happy. Laughing so hard showing her rabbit teeth and the sharp dimples at the corners of her mouth.

As the desert wind blows on our faces, I will myself to stop thinking about deployment. It's in two months and they'll come to an end like the blinking of an eye. I dread the fact that I will leave her until the contract is over. Though a good thing is that this time I will not leave her in the clutches of her father. She'll be a free woman.

While in deployment, she'll keep me going especially when I am sent on missions. She'll be my strength. The only thing that keeps me moving and makes me want to keep on fighting for survival no matter how hard it becomes. So that when I come back, I'll have her to come back to and she'll be having someone to love and treasure her.