ZAID AND MARYAM ~ Their Story

12 - Meeting the Khalids!

--- MARYAM SHEIKH ---

"I seriously didn't doubt she was your sister," said Adam as we climbed onto Aziz's car after getting our luggage in.

"Trust me, sometimes I don't believe as well," teased Aziz and look at me in the backseat and stuck his tongue out. I stuck my tongue out too when Adam wasn't looking.

I can't believe we still do this.

They started talking about their businesses, Adam's clinic and surprisingly the conversation turned to football. While Adam was talking with my brother, I could feel my cheeks turning redder and redder so I had cover my face with my hands, pretending I had jetlag.

What was wrong with me?

"So this friend of Baba's," I started, after there was some silence and also because I wanted to know. "Someone we know?"

"Oh heck yeah, we know them," replied Aziz, with a satisfied smile. I still didn't understand what he was implying.

Adam leaned over to Aziz to whisper something and they talked like that for sometime not knowing I could still hear some snippets.

"She'll definitely freak out"

"We don't want to cause too many trouble, would we?"

But all the same, I was still glad to get back. We passed through many familiar streets and I mentally noted to plan some trips to some of my favorite milkshake spots. As we got closer to our house, Aziz took an immediate right turn.

"Wait, we're not heading home first?" I asked, trying to remember the new place.

"No, we're to go straight to their house, Baba's orders," replied Aziz, suddenly parking at a lone spot.

"But then why are we stopping at the helipad?" I asked, reading the bold sign.
There was a huge crowd waiting to get into the helicopters.

This time Aziz turned to me and said,

"You really think we're gonna go there by car?"

☆☆☆

Ya Allah.

Never in my life have I though I would get to ride in a helicopter, especially with my Aerophobia or something like the word Adam had said. However, as I put on the headphones as the pilot instructed me to, I finally accepted my reality.

Adam sat with the pilot while Aziz sat with me in the back.  This time, I was not afraid as I had Aziz's hands to hold too. He knew I was afraid of flights but he never mentioned it or made me fun of it all like the others did.

Because, only we both knew what we went through.

As I much as I hated him in my childhood, when he stole the tv remote or ate the last bit of cheetos which I was saving for later or once when he shoved me out of a swing, I was very grateful when we turned older. Especially since I had someone to rely on since Baba was out of the question.

It was nightime when we had reached the destination, so we get to witness a beautiful sunset. The place a very tropical yet chic place with a warm weather even though it was October. It was almost like a mini New York and California merged together. I immediately thought of Fatima and wished she could be her with me as well.

A sleek white rolls royce drove up to pick us. I could sense that whoever these people were, they were definitely related to the people from Upper East Side.

I took out my purse and secretly applied some lipgloss when no one was looking, especially as I looked like I had just woke up from a longnap(which I did). The more I see these fancy places, the more I wonder how fancy the people are gonna be.