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On high demand, I have decided to give Iman a proper book, but this will be shorter than the others.
Initially everyone got annoyed at Iman, even shocked at her behaviour, but it's so flattering to see how you all love her so much now.
She has come a long way, definitely!
Most of the scenes will be from the original book, but now I'm going to be adding scenes, and putting it together to create a proper book, rather than an anthology.
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Iman
I remember the first time I swore.
We were in a car, driving back from Manchester. It was after sunset, and it was dark in the car. The occasional lights at junctions lit up the car, before we were plunged into darkness again, driving through the countryside.
Hania Appi was dozing off, strapped into the seat beside me, while I was bored. I unzipped my small backpack with the numerous stickers all over it, and pulled out the half-eaten bag of Maltesers that I'd sneakily put in there, before Mama could take it away from me. My parents were having a quiet conversation, so I took the round chocolate ball carefully, as if one wrong move may cause an explosion. If my mother heard even the slightest sound of the wrapper, she would knew that I had sneaked in a snack.
I managed to eat a few of those sweet treats, and just as I grabbed the last one, it slipped through my fingers and onto the floor of the car. "F**k!"
I was just ten then.
My unintentionally loud voice woke Appi up and she gasped and slapped her hands against her ears as if protecting their innocence. After that there was a silence in the car that I didn't realise then, meant trouble for me.
"What did you just say?" Papa finally spoke up quietly, glancing at me in the rear-view mirror.
"I said..."
"Don't repeat it!" Mama interrupted in a rush.
"But he asked what I said." I protested innocently.
"Iman, what do you think that word means?" Mama asked.
"Oops?" I answered that in a form of a question, suddenly unsure of myself. "One of my classmates said it when he spilled juice all over his shirt."
"Iman, that's a very bad word. Don't you ever repeat it, okay?" Mama spoke softly, but firmly.
