RAYS OF HOPE✔

Chapter 17

"Are you going to get in or you're going to keep standing there the whole day?" Adeelah snickered after rolling down the window of the back seat.

"Why are you guys doing this? You know I don't like seating in the front seat. And you Ya Adeel, are you really going to side with them on this?" Humaira voiced out with a pleading look. They were at the school's parking lot all set for their trip to Katsina. Adeelah decided to follow Adeel home yesterday to pack the rest of all she needed and say goodbye to her parents. She spent the night there and today Adeel drove them back to the school so they could pick up Humaira and Maryam.

Meanwhile, Adeelah and her accomplice just shrugged at Humaira's request and tried smothering their laughter while Adeel on the other hand, cleared his throat to disguise his chuckle. "As you and me can see, neither one of them have the intention of seating at the front so i suggest you be the elder one and take heart okay?"

Humaira felt as her head was getting heavier by the minute while her nose itchy like she was going to catch a cold. Her eyes and nose both looked reddish and her throat was also sore. She knew it was as a result of her playing in the rain yesterday. Therefore, not having the strength in her to argue with any of them any longer, she silently got in the front seat and shut the door.

"What's wrong sassy? You okay?" Adeel enquired after sensing the fatigued look on her face.

"Yeah I'm okay. It's Just a headache." She smiled wearily and leaned in her seat for comfort.

"Subhanallah. Allahu yafhfiki." He prayed and they all chorused an 'Ameen' as he turned the key into ignition and drove off.

"Sorry habibty." The two girls cooed and she smiled gratefully.

Moments later, the serene Qur'an recitation of Sheik Al_sudais blasted through the speakers. Adeel regulated the volume as he recited along with the sheikh and to say Humaira was suprised would be an understatement.

His voice flawlessly and melodiously synced with the sheik's as they recited suratul Baqrah. Humaira found it incredible that Adeel has memorized such a great amount of the holy book if not all.

"So we've a hafiz in this car. Masha Allah." Humaira grinned casting him a look.

Adeel chuckled and his cheeks flushed. "Not a hafiz yet but still a learner In Sha Allah."

The calmness of his alluring voice and the recitation as a whole sounded so peaceful to her ears that she didn't know when her eyes slowly began dropping and she fell into a deep slumber.

*~*~*~

Humaira squinted her eyes trying to adjust to the bright sunlight. She yawned silently and grudgingly opened her eyes fully to discover they were stuck in traffic. Turning her head slightly, she found Adeelah and Maryam deep in sleep. Adeel was typing something in his phone so he didn't notice that she was awake.

"Please help me buy these sir. If not for you then for your sisters. I haven't been able to sell anything today and I need to buy medicines for my sick mother back at home." A young girl of not more than 7 years old pleaded with Adeel whose window was rolled down. She adjusted the tray of locally made delicacies on her head and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Her eyes looked sunken and from her really slender size, you could tell she was malnourished.

"How much do you sell those?" Adeel asked carefully.

"100 naira per pack sir."

"And how much is everything worth on the tray?"

"500 naira sir."

"Okay. I want all of it." He said as reached for his wallet and brought a thousand naira note and handed it to her.