Khadijah's proposal

Khadijas proposal

Chapter 1
Mahmood paced back and forth waiting for her to leave her last class. He had timed it perfectly! She walks out with her friends, he was waiting outside with flowers, chocolate, their family and a ring, she screams, her friends scream, she says yes. He had been planning this perfectly for the past 3 weeks. He looked back at the group of people crowded behind him, both his and her mothers were holding on to one another in anticipation. The door opened. His heart thumped in his chest, "Allah" he thought to himself, "Please don't let me pass out." People passed and passed and passed, and Aisha was no where to be seen. He looked back at her brother who shrugged. Where was she?? They waited a few more minutes before peeking into the classroom which was empty except for the teacher.

"Um, excuse me sir? I'm looking for Aisha?"

The teacher looked up and smiled, "Ohh, Aisha! Yes, she left early. She said something about having to pick up her ID from the main office."

Mahmood sighed, the college campus was huge. What if she had already left the main office? How would they find her? What if she was already on her way home? After discussing for a few minutes, they all decided to pile into the car and drive to the main office.

Once again, they lined up outside the door and her brother went inside to see if she was in there.

They waited ... and waited...... and waited some more.

Finally he came out and motioned for them to follow. "Quickly! They said she left about 5 minutes ago to go to the campus library!" Mahmood gripped the flowers and ran behind him, followed by his mother and her mother who both struggled to hold up their skirts as they ran and their fathers who jogged slowly behind complaining about being too old for all this. They arrived at the library and groaned. It was HUGE! They'd have to search each aisle and table for her.

"We'll split up. If you find her, call the rest of us to where you are. Mahmood, you wait here at this table. The surprise will be ruined if she sees you first!"

Mahmood sat at the table while people passed by staring and wondering who he was and who was the recipient of all the flowers he had sprawled across the table.

He waited... and waited... and waited some more. It seemed like hundreds of people had gone by and he'd heard nothing from the family. "Allah, if this is You trying to tell me not to marry her I'm going to need a bigger sign than running around a college campus" he muttered to himself.

"Mahmood?" He looked up to see Aisha standing in front of him with her friends.

"Aisha! Wow, we've been looking for you everywhere!" Aisha raised an eyebrow.

"We?"

"Yeah, me and..." before he could finish her mother came running up.

"Ya Allah, no! Did you propose already?? I missed it? Where is everyone? Aisha, where have you been??"

"Propose?!" Aisha asked staring at him. Her friends squealed in the background.

"No.. I didn't....." Mahmood whispered through clinched teeth. This was really not how he expected this day to go.

"Oh there they are!" The rest of the group came together around the table. "Did he propose already?" her brother asked. Aisha laughed, "No not yet."

"What are you waiting for?? Yawm al qiyamah? Ask her!" his father said laughing.

Everyone laughed and started chanting, "Ask her, ask her, ask her."

Mahmood couldn't help it, he joined in the laughter and got down on one knee.

"Aisha, or Carmen Sandiego as I'm going to start calling you - will you marry me?"

Aisha laughed and hit him in the head with one of the roses from the table, "As long as you promise to never get tired of trying to find me."