Gemini

Chapter 5

FATIMA and Aliyu were meeting up with their friend Amira and their daughter at the airport.

Aliyu's grandfather was very sick and their return to Nigeria had been postponed. But, they decided to take their daughter on this trip simply because it's a family trip and not business.

Fatima waited rather impatiently for the arrival of her daughter.

"Amira is wasting time" Aliyu grumbled. Fatima said a silent prayer; she prayed his mood stayed cheerful.

Almost twenty more minutes went by and still nothing.

The second Fatima picked up her phone and unlocked the screen she heard the sound she'd been waiting for.

"Mommy!" the little girl screamed as she bolted straight for her mother. Fatima wasted no time in rushing towards her daughter, they collide and Fatima lifted up the small girl.

Aliyu got up from behind them and took Ameerah.

"Daddy!" she stated just as excitedly.

"How's daddy's girl?" he asked the happy child in his arms.

Fatima left the father-daughter reunion and hugged her friend.

"How are you?" Amira asked holding Fatima at arms' length.

"I'm fine" she smiled at her best friend.

The pair conversed while Aliyu checked their bags in for their flight to Dubai.

"Guess what?" Amira asked, her eyes lighting up at her thought.

"What's up?" Fatima is now curious.

"I'm getting married" she announced.

"Masha Allah that is great news" Fatima hugged her friend again.

"When" Fatima asked

"After Ramadan"

"That's just a few months from now. Who is it?" Fatima asked. She had been so busy she felt horrible that she didn't  know who her best friend was marrying.

"Yusuf, Yusuf Ahmed"

"Yusuf, Kauthar's cousin?" Kauthar was their classmate in school and a few months ago she got married and they all went, so Amira must have met him at the wedding.

"Yes" she nodded with a smile.

"I am so happy for you" Fatima gave her friend one more hug.

"It's time to go" Aliyu appeared with Ameerah holding his hand tight in her little one.

"Okay, I better get going" she said. She lived far away from the Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport in Abuja.

The small family board the plane as business class passengers and soon after the plane took off.

The plane ride was comfortable and Fatima was so wrapped up in her daughter to realize the length of the flight.

They arrived as scheduled.

They go through baggage claim and a few more formalities before they step out into the hot Dubai air.

There was a rental car waiting for them, rented by Aliyu's friend Amir.

Fatima loaded herself and her daughter into the backseat of the car while her husband rode up front with his friend.

"Where are we going?" Amir asks Aliyu.

"The hotel, we discussed this over the phone" Fatima wondered what he was so worked up about. Maybe it was just because his grandfather was sick.

Aliyu was very close to his grandfather. He was like a father to him; sometimes more than his own.