Chapter 4
"Does anybody want to eat out today?", my abi asked. "Sorry but I think I have food poisoning",Ameen says with laughter. I look at him then I roll my eyes. This kid was crazy for sure.
My ummi walked into the kitchen with a smile on her face. "Yahya slow down on the fast food babe, maybe you and I can go and leave these two munkins here to eat toast", she says with a small smile and a short laugh. My abi smirks. "That might just happen, my love", he says to her.
Qasim Ameen rolls his eyes then says that it was cute that our parents still had the same love that they had twenty three years ago. My abi leans down to kiss my ummi in her cheek and she giggles. "Oh Yahya baby, we should get going it's getting late", she says. I look at Ameen and he has a look on his face that says "Fine I'll go". Before my abi pulls my ummi out of the kitchen, I tell them fine that we'll go. Abi has a smirk in his face then tells us to come on. I run upstairs to grab my coat and my purse. Ameen also runs upstairs to grab his dark blue hoodie. "Ameen!, hurry up dude. They're getting inside if the car", I shout to my brother. "Cool, I'll be down right after you", he shouts. He is so stupid. The last time we we're supposed to all go out and eat Ameen was late showing up and everyone ate while he was still out doing whatever boys do with their friends.
I rush outside and I climb into the car. "What is taking my baby so long?", my ummi asks. "He's coming down", I say to her not really sure if he is coming out at all. A few minutes past and yet he still isn't out of the house. My abi barmps the horn and a minute after that he's out of the house. He locks up after turning on the porch light. He heads to the car in his izaar and he climbs in the back with me. "Sorry for being late", he says apologizing. "What we're you doing?", my abi asked as he pulled onto the street. He began to drive down our neighborhood. "I was turning off all of the lights and locking the windows in the house", he says. "Thank you baby, that shows that you ate responsible", my ummi says. Qasim Ameen smiles and I smile along with him. I love my little brother. "Thanks ma".
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We arrived at the restaurant five and a half minutes ago. We are seated at table eight because my parents had wanted seats in the far back so there we have them. This restaurant had been built when I was in college. I've never even heard of it and I've never even seen it as I cruise down the street. The place is called Mari- Ramba, it's an African place. The smell of the place travels like a mile. The food has that good mouth watering smell that you can smell it all the way where the post office is.
Finally a waitress comes up to the table. "Hello", the woman says. "Hello", we all say back. "What can I get you all today?". My abi starts with his order. " I would like the fried rice and beans on the double side with the paa paa tate", my abi says. What the hell is a paa paa tate? "Is that all?", she asks. "And a sprite", he adds. She quickly scribbles it down then looks at the test of us. "Anyone else ready to order?". Ameen looks up then he nods. "I would like a salmon sandwich with a paa paa tate and also with a coke please", he says to her. She quickly scribbles it down the asks me and my mother are we ready to order. My ummi gives her her order. "Fried okra, fried fish and green beans please". The lady nods he head as she writes it down. "A drink?". My ummi nods. "Water please". The lady writes it down then looks at me with a small smile. "Are you ready to order yet?", she asks. I nods my head. "I would like fried rice and beans, fried fish and Peeta bread (flat bread) and a glass of lemonade please", I say. "Ok, is that all?". I nod my head. She smiles the walks away from our table. "Thank you", my ummi calls out to her. The lady turns around and smiles.
After ten minutes or so our food finally arrived. We ate all cute and talking about things that just pops up in our heads. After we all had cleared our plates the same woman came back and asked if we had wanted dessert. Immediately my abi said yes and we all agreed. So that's how we ended up eating a huge slice of cake and brownies and all types of cookies until finally we all couldn't take it anymore. Ummi laughed at us, she had had the sense not to eat alot, she only had o e cake and half a cookie washed down with water. "Is that all for the night?", the lady asked. My abi nodded his head.
"Alright great!, so the total today is $116.54", she says. My abi groans as he hands my ummi the credit card who then passes it to the lady. She leaves away smiling.
A few minutes later she returns and she hands my ummi back the credit card who then hands it back to abi. We all get up to leave outside to our car. We thank the people before leaving out. When we head to our car my abi doesn't want to drive. He makes ummi drives since she doesn't have pain and since she was laughing at us with tears in her eyes threatening to spill out. "You greedy family of mines!", she says climbing I to the drivers seat. Qasim Ameen gives a small chuckle then rolls his window down.
She pulls out of the driveway and we head home."Ameen you feel sick?", my ummi asks as she's driving. Ameen shakes his head no. I look at him then I sigh. "Yeah right", I mutter. He looks over at me. "I don't", he says with a laugh. I roll my eyes at him then I rest my head on the hard car wall until we arrive home.
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I'm sitting in my room reviewing my college homework. It was just reading and answering questions. It wasn't easy and it wasn't hard either because I knew most of the things and plus I had took a practice test so that when I returned I can do the actual thing. Ameen walked into my room with a smile on his face. "What do you want?". I asked. He chuckled and sat down in my floor. "Jannah just called. She says that she's coming over and... Dulamah is coming over to pick me up", he says with a grin. It took me a minute to try and remember ego that person was.Oh yeah, he's going to be my future husband soon, I thought inwardly. "What the hell do she want?", I asked with my eyes squinted. "She wants to see you Lils", he says. I roll my eyes. After everything that she did... going against my wishes, making me feel sorry for that guy. Was she nuts? I'll answer that for you. Hell yea. "Does ummi know?", I ask. He nods his head up and down. "She's making sure that the house is squeaky clean", he says with a chuckle. "Our house looks fine the way it is", I say. "Yeah but... Dulamah is coming over", he says again with a grin. "What's so special about him?", I ask. "He's going to be your future husband inshallah", he says. I roll my eyes at Qasim Ameen. "Thanks for reminding me now please get out", I say. He stands up and leans over my bed to kiss my forehead. "Be nice Lils", he says in a warning tone. I push him away. "Don't worry".
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"Jalilah, Janbah is here hurry up downstairs", my ummi shouted. "I'm coming", I shouted back. I quickly slipped on my brown abaya and my brown long hijab. I raced downstairs and saw that Jannah and Dulamah stood in our foyer. "Salaamu Alaykum", I say approaching them. "Wa alaykum salaam", the both say. Ameen appears at my side giving salaams to them both then shaking Dulamah's covered hand. He still has that mask on. Truly I had forgotten how he looked and that I was getting married. I looked at Jannah and she looked away from me. "Can we take a walk?", she asked. "Sure", I said with a fake smile. We walked out of the house and climbed into my car. On the ride to the park we didn't say anything. So when we finally arrived at the park she began to speak starting off with "I'm sorry". I don't reply for a while.
" I am too". She looks at me as we walk. "How are you sorry?", she asked. "I'm sorry that I didn't want to get married and I now know that It was hurting you deeply inside", I say sarcastically. She sighs aloud the looks to the ground as we walk. Every now and then she'd look ahead of her then she'd glance at me. "That seemed quite fake", she mumbled. I let out a laugh. "Oh sorry didn't notice". She dies by say anything so I began to talk. "Right now I gave so many freaking emotions on me right now. And one if them is killing me if I don't say that I forgive you for the wrong that you have caused. I mean it wasn't wrong but it was slick and sneaky and I didn't like it at all. I thought that you'd respect my wishes like I respect yours...What the fuck happened?", I asked her. "I'm sorry Lils", she whispers. "It's just that my foster brother gas been looking for a wife for two years. So when that day he saw you he called me the next day and asked me if you had wanted to get married. I had told him no, so he then asked me if your brother was Ameen and I said yes. Then he asked Ameen and Ameen asked your abi who said yes. Im very sorry do that Lils", she leans over to hug me I hug her back. "Don't worry about it. I really need to grow up". We both laugh then we walk back to the car. I love my bestie Jannah now we are back to normal and are leaving the park as happy friends once again.
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That's the end if that chapter. I will write more soon hopefully. Always comment vote and share.
{~}{~}{~}-AswadMuslimah{~}{~}{~}
