My Twisted Fate | A Muslim Love Story

Chapter 1

It was July. Summer in London is like paradise, Seeing the sun again after a wave of the unpleasant winter cold in the previous months. People can be seen strolling down the streets of notting hill, while others do their morning exercises. Highschool students deciding to enjoy the journey to their schools on foot did not mind getting late for classes. No one was willing to waste this perfect privilege of having a nice weather. At seven in the morning, Holland park was already crowded with talking bodies. The atmosphere was perfect, although our leading lady here does not give a damn about it. Why would she care about it when she knows damn well she was going to spend two week in Africa for holidays, she will get enough vitamin D from her stay in Egypt.

Granny sameera was on the porch as always since the summer began. As granny rested her back on her adjustable recliner chair, her mind wandered to her granddaughter and she raised her voice in concern.

"Seema." She called out and immediately got a reply from her daughter in-law.

"Yes granny." Seema answered as she walked out the door with a cup of fresh orange juice at hand. She handed the cup to granny and sat beside her on a wooden stool.

"You should wake her up, she has to submit her assignment?" Granny sameera said in her shaky voice.

"I have done that already, but I have no doubt she had gone back to bed after I left her room." Seema replied and granny chuckled.

" You know, her father troubled me just as much when he was around her age." Granny said between laughs and Seema bursted into laughter as well.

"He still does that granny, I have to wake him up twice everyday." Seema said and got up the stool, with the intention to wake her sleeping beauty up for the second time that morning. After adjusting granny's shoulder length hijab, Seema went back inside and up the stairs.

**
The chirping of birds from outside of her window was enough to wake someone up but in her case it was a lullaby. The sun was peeking through her pink curtains, disrupting her sleep but she ignored it and turned to the other side, lost in a Dreamland where prince charming was about to take her hand and proclaim her, that was when her mother barged in and raised the curtains completely, making Farida squeeze her eyes painfully.

"You are two hours late already, get up." Seema scolded her daughter.

"Okay , okay "

Farida groaned and rolled out of bed. She screamed when she landed on the floor with a thud. Seema shook her head and went out to wake her husband again and make breakfast.

The twenty one year old got up from the floor and glanced at her wall clock. Her eyes went wide when she saw that she had missed her first lecture.

"What the jahannam!" She yelled and ran to the bathroom, almost falling on the way. As she brushed her teeth, the sight of her unruly blonde hair caught her eyes and she snorted, she definitely would have a bad hair day. But thankfully, she could just cover the whole of her hair with a Shayla. Joy of being a Muslim girl, Farida smiled at her reflection. Her bathing did not take long and she wore her new red palazzo trousers and black turtle neck shirt with long sleeves. With a red veil wrapped around her head and red canvas on her feet, she took her back back and a large envelope. She was a girl who didn't need any makeup but she rubbed on her lips some light pink lip balm, her blue almond shaped eyes didn't need any khol or eyeliner either. She winked at the mirror and left her room.

She went downstairs in a hurry and had the french toasts her mother made which she struggled to finished as her mother nagged about her irresponsible behavior, then took a bottle of water from the fridge and kicked the door with her heels. Of course Seema had to eye her for that, she had warned her about kicking the fridge several times before.

Ignoring her mom's glares, Farida ran to the parking lot and drove out of the house, she parked her silver Mercedes Benz in front of their neighbors house and waited patiently for her best friend. It was willow's turn to drive.

Farida stared at the left side mirror to admire her reflection once again and spotted Willow jogging towards her with a pile of papers in one hand and a large bag in the other. Sighing, farida decided to help her with the load or willow would just scratch her new car while struggling to open the door.

"Good morning bae" Willow greeted, breathing heavily like a person who had a marathon run. She needs to lose some weight.

"Morning Willow" Farida replied as both girls pecked each other's cheeks.

"Guess what day it is" willow asked while pushing her stuff into the car and Farida rolled her eyes.

"The day to submit the boring and annoying project we've been working on for weeks" she replied starting the car.

Willow laughed at her friends annoyance and earned a  punch on her left hand as soon as she stepped into the passenger seat beside Farida.

Farida waved at her granny as they left their neighborhood and proceeded to school while chatting about who had a crush on who.

"Have you called him." Willow asked and glanced at Farida who had a scowl on her face after admitting to the fact that she still had a crush on samir, a classmate from elementary who moved to Dubai two months ago.

"Why would I call him, I have some self esteem you know." Farida replied.

"Besides, long distance relationship doesn't always work out." Willow added.

"Definitely. But why does he have to move so far away after he had confessed his feelings for me. This is absurd." Farida complained and willow nodded in agreement.

"I feel ya girl."