A Promise to Aabidah (#1 Natives series) #ProjectNigeria

Chapter One

Chapter One

          IT WAS AABIDAH ALI'S THIRTEENTH birthday. She was the third child and precious second daughter of Alhaji Ali. Her father called her his princess, so her birthday had to be befitting of a royal.

Chairs dressed up in fine purple materials and golden ribbons holding them in place were arranged into two rows, with a purple runner gracing the tarred floor in between the rows of seats. A huge snacks table which was covered with a gold coloured cloth stood in a corner away from the excited adolescents and early teens to avoid spillage.

AbdulAzeez Dawud looked around him at the familiar and strange faces from his place at the snacks table. When the celebrant's name was called out by the MC, AbdulAzeez felt his heart thump harder. Dressed up in a mauve taffeta princess cut gown that swelled around her as she walked was the one girl he spent most of his day with. Her bosom length hijab which was a light shade of gold and sparkled with little crystal studs made her look like a true princess. 

That wasn't what had gotten AbdulAzeez's attention though; the flush which seemed to have granted itself permanent residence in her cheeks had. He had always thought that his friend's looks was 'just there', but standing alone by the snacks table, watching her as she mingled with her guests, a letter clutched in her hand, she shone with so much radiance and confidence that although impossible, she looked even more beautiful.

AbdulAzeez noticed how round her cheeks grew when she laughed. How a stretch of her glossy lips encouraged another person's smile. He even liked how the lights casted long shadows of her lashes down on her cheekbones. And he realized that at fifteen he had it bad.

Lower your gaze. As if like a reminder, his Ustaz's voice as he reprimanded two days back resurfaced. Flooded with sudden guilt, AbdulAzeez instantly diverted his gaze as other words danced in the basements of his mind. Haram. Jahanam. Zina. He flinched at the thought of committing a sin that could lead him to the depths of hell.

But his perturbed mind didn't stay that way for long. He waved off the dark images his mind conjured up.

Today was the day, he thought as he picked up a spring roll from the numerous crystal bowls that had been set up on the table and shoved it into his mouth. Today is the day I tell her how I feel.

"Tell who how you feel?" a voice asked from beside him.

Startled out of his wits, AbdulAzeez chocked on what he had been eating. He couldn't believe he had said that out loud!

"It's Aabidah, right?" The voice went on without care. "I wouldn't waste my time if I were you. All the boys have been looking at her as if she's food. It'll be fun to watch them fight over her when she won't even marry anyone of them though. So stupid, all of you."

Without a word, the fifteen-year-old boy turned around to see who the person talking was and without a doubt, it was Aabidah's eldest brother, Sulaiman.

"Really, it is so annoying. Last year it was Faidah's turn. She had a lot of fans then too. Lots of written confessions. If I see even a single piece of paper in this house tonight, I'm burning it." Sulaiman swore, picked up a meat kebab and chewed on it.

"Don't people have any other thing to do other than falling in love?" He continued as he swallowed the remains of the first meat on the skewer before picking on the next one.

For the first time since the nineteen year old had joined him at the snacks table, AbdulAzeez belted his courage to ask, "Haven't you ever been in love?"

The young man released something that sounded both like a snort and a grunt. He had hit the stage of puberty early. Whispers of dark hair made themselves noticeable at his thick jawline and his voice was a hardened kernel. Something AbdulAzeez admired.