Hamza and Amy's Romantic Journey

Chapter 1

Hamza Dawud

I didn't want anyone to notice but I was feeling quite glum. I didn't want Safia and Yusuf to move out and take Adam and Maria with them. I knew they were growing and the five year olds needed space but I felt like they were my own. We had an entire spare bedroom upstairs and I said that they could move up with us and Yusuf and Safia could have Yusuf's dad move into the spare room they'd have downstairs.

Uncle Suleiman, Yusuf's dad, recently had a minor heart attack and Yusuf could no longer bear the thought of letting his dad live alone.

But they didn't plan on having any more kids so why couldn't they just stay? It wasn't fair!

"Uncle Hamja, what's wrong?" Maria asked. The name was now cemented, especially after Adam began calling me Uncle Hamja because he couldn't pronounce the z. It was the first time I'd seen Yusuf laugh so loud the first time Adam called me that.

"You're leaving me. Your evil parents are going to take my princess far away from me," I said, hugging her. I know Amy was desperate to have a baby but I was quite content with my nephew and niece. I was like their second father, helping raise them. It wasn't fair to have them taken away from me.

"Stop making her upset," Safia scolded. She didn't believe that I was genuinely really upset.

"Okay, you're not going to go that far. But don't worry, when your mummy and daddy settle down, I'm going to come and kidnap you and Adam, okay?" I whispered to Maria and she sat up beaming.

"Are you really going to kidnap us? All the way from there as well?" I kidnapped Adam and Maria often. But it was always planned with Yusuf and Safia's permission. But Adam and Maria didn't know that. They'd just go to bed early and suddenly, Amy and I would pick them up and take them upstairs. Then we'd watch a movie and eat junk food.

Adam strolled into the room with a sad look on his face. He had been to see their new house with Yusuf. I'd seen it and it was nice. Of course it needed some refurbishment but it was in a decent condition. But for Adam, seeing the house was just a realisation that he was going to move from their comfortable home here.

I called Adam over to me and he sat next to me, burying his head in my chest. This was unusual behaviour for Adam as he wasn't one to openly give cuddles.

"I don't want to go," he soon exclaimed. A wail followed and I hugged him tighter. I looked up to see Yusuf and Safia throwing each other worried glances.

"It's okay Adam, Uncle Hamja said he'll kidnap us," Maria said to comfort Adam.

"Did you now?" Yusuf asked and I shrugged my shoulders. Yusuf smiled and shook his head as he walked out of the room again.

"Adam?" Safia said, crouching next to him. "Come here," Safia whispered taking Adam into her arms and hushing him. "Our new house is big, isn't it? You can have your own playroom! It's going to be so much fun and Uncle Hamza and Aunty Amy will visit us often, won't you?"

"Of course!" I replied, eagerly.

Once the kids were settled and distracted, I went upstairs to check on Amy who was cooking dinner for us all. Yusuf and Safia had enough stress with moving already and Amy decided to help out by filling their bellies.

I heard her sniffing and blamed it on onions until I realised she wasn't chopping any onions.

"Hey, honey, what's wrong?" I asked, moving her around to face me.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with my life after Adam and Maria are going to go," she said, speaking my mind. I pulled her into a hug.

"I'd say something to comfort you, but I don't know what to say. I feel like I'm missing them already." Amy and I were like a second set of parents to Adam and Maria. Amy doted over them as much as I did and we were terribly sad that they were leaving.