TREASURES AND THORNS

Chapter twenty four

"Without hope we are lost."
-Mahmoud Darwish

OMNISCIENT
<The arrival>

The ME private jet touched down on the tarmac of Dar es Salam airport at about 3pm. It was only then that Rukkayya snapped out of her bubble. It was real. They were in Tanzania. On many occasions Rukkayya and her siblings had made jokes about taking the first plane to China, Paris or any other country for that matter, so it wasn't anew thing. The breeze that blew towards her threatening to unhook her veil from the clip confirmed that she wasn't dreaming and her husband had not been joking.

After they said their prayers in a nearby Masjid, the couple boarded a ship from Dar es salam airport to stone town where they were scheduled to stay. The hotel bookings had already been made before hand by Mustapha. As surreal as it all felt, Rukkayya let herself enjoy the cool breeze that blew towards where she was seated in the ferry. She had never been in one of those so it was quite an experience for her although tempted, she did not want to make a show of jumping up and down to complement her excited state. When their eyes locked, it was as though he could see through her, the excitement kind of radiated off her body and bared itself for everyone to see. Ahmad flashed her a grin that released sent a handful of butterflies flying in her stomach.

The ferry docked at Malindi right in the heart of stone town. There were quite a number of people at the terminal, mostly Europeans. They were casually dressed with their backpacks on their backs giving them the typical tourist look. The excitement was evident on their faces as they departed to their various locations. although Rukkayya was equally thrilled if not more. She had not realized how much she needed a break until it was handed to her.
A taxi had been waiting for them the moment their luggage were retrieved from the ferry. The drive from Malindi to Zanzibar palace hotel located in kiponda street was a fast one. The car was packed at a distance from the entrance of the hotel although the staff were waiting for them right outside the thin tall building. They were greeted with warm smiles and accented English. It only meant they were expecting their visit. It left Rukkayya wondering...Just how influential is he?

The building was wrapped around an atrium with only nine rooms on its three floors. The couple were escorted to their Palace Suite Dunia on the third floor.

The Adhaan came from a nearby mosque shortly after the couple were settled in their suite. The man dressed in a sky blue shirt on black jeans turned his whole attention on her making her want to hide under the wood carved bed. Would she ever get used to his presence?

"I'm going to pray in the Masjid, Are you going to be okay?"

Rukkayya trained her eyes on the brown tiles that surrounded the bulk of the room where the Persian carpet had not concealed.

"Yes."

As if it wasn't enough discomfort having him stare at her with such scrutiny, the squatted before her. He used his finger's to prop her chin forcing her to look at him.

O'oh!

"Are you sure?"

Rukkayya's throat suddenly felt dry. "Very sure. You should go now else you'll miss some raka'ahs."

Ahmad smiled a bit relieved. "See you," he said before disappearing.

Rukkayya heaved a sigh of relief. Whew! She suddenly missed the mansion. How was she supposed to stay with Ahmad in such a small space? She could hardly breathe when he was around. It was even worse with the special kind of attention he was paying to her since...she hated to remember although it was never far from her thoughts. She knew it was the reason behind their sudden vacation so she drew a plan in her head. She would let herself enjoy this trip as much as possible, it was the right kind of distraction she needed.