Cinderella? NO

MARYAM

The school organised a trip to Al Ain and I got so excited. I told Zahra we should go before leaving for Umrah. After all we have few days remaining and she agreed. I made us sandwiches and she made us cookies. We sat in the back sit and pulled the curtains down. We slept throughout the ride. Upon arrival, we went to a Bazaar then we went to Sheikh Zayed's palace that was turned into a museum. We entered their rooms, the kids' rooms, sitting rooms, guests' rooms and madrasah(school). Zahra asked if I want to be a princess "If you had asked me this question a year ago, I would say yes. But now, no thank you. I told u Zahra, siyasat(politics) and royalty I don't like it but sometimes you can't help being a royalty. What I hate the most is a person coming out and telling people to vote for him/her. I can't marry someone that's into that. Royalty too I hate it, because it is for a life time and they are not religious and they have ego. Argh I don't want thank you." I explained to her "Some are religious, simple and nice. I have met someone, he's the crowned prince of his place but he is different and very religious. Don't think it's a small kingdom, a very big powerful one. Like erm the royal family of Dubai." she said and eyed me. "He's lucky then, very lucky." I said "Maryam, do you know anything about the royal family of Dubai, like the king doesn't have kids. I only see his pictures everywhere. Do they even have a crown prince?" she asked "Who am I to know darling? I'm sure he has kids, we don't just pay attention to them. All I know is that Emiratis love their rulers because there was a time in my class when a lady was talking ill about the king of Dubai, Khalifa wanted to shoot her. And remember on that National something, was it national day? We saw them with posters of their rulers everywhere. They seem to like them." I shook my head like I was answering a question in the affirmative "True, and you know on social media, I follow the king on twitter and Instagram, I try to read people's comments on his page and all I see is praises. No ill word. I even searched on the internet. You would never find any bad comment from the Emiratis on their rulers. But in Nigeria hmm, we have so much guts and hate our rulers. If you see Nigerians' comments on social media about president or some minister, you would cry" she said and shook her head. "Maybe that's why we would never go forward" I also shook my head.
We asked the ladies there for a place to pray and they gave us praying mats. In sujud I prayed for Sheikh Zayed and his family and also asked Allah to protect the rulers of UAE. Strangely I found peace in the palace and imagined the king and his family and smiled. We came back from Al Ain really late and just crashed. I almost missed Subh prayer.
After the Umrah trip, immediately after we landed, I saw Imran's text, wanting to see me. I told him after Isha because I was really tired and had washing to do and I needed to rest.
He came and took me away. Yes, he took me on a helicopter. I wanted to talk but he forbade me from saying anything. I was assuming so many things in my mind but just kept quiet. The pilot took us to an island and landed. All I could see was people, guards and servants if I am right. Because of their dressing and gestures. We entered a building and passed through so many halls with the best Ottomans and royal setting. We first went to the basement and saw cars, some small; what people call sports cars, some huge, some bullet proof and some looked gold plated. We then took the lift and went down again and I saw planes parked. Planes in different sizes with some initials 'ABD' meaning 'servant'. I didn't ask anything. We went back into the house and reached a door and Imran said I should enter alone. I don't know why but I didn't get scared at all. I was supposed to be scared but didn't. I touched the huge door and it opened by itself. You know those huge royal halls in films and cartoons where you open a huge doors and everybody turns; that's exactly how the hall was. But this one, beautiful and real. I had never seen a throne in my life until that day. A very beautiful, huge one with precious stones and someone seated and a very beautiful crown on his head. He buried his face in his hands then raised his head. It was Abdallah, again. I was confused and was about to talk when he raised from his seat and came to me. He said "Maryam this is what I have been hiding from you, my identity. My crown. My name. My full name is Abdallah bn Ibrahim bn Faisal bn Muhammad Al Gemzi. It didn't ring a bell. He continued "I belong to the royal family of Dubai and I am the crowned prince..." he paused and came closer "This island and whatever you see inside, belongs to me. I hid everything from you deliberately because I want you to accept me as I am and I don't want you to reject me because of who I am. I didn't choose it, it chose me. Allah wrote it in my destiny. It is not my doing..." he was narrating while I was moving backwards. You know how a glass falls and everything shatters? That's how I felt when he revealed his crown. He stepped forward and continued "I hate it so much but cannot run away from it. It's my destiny. But Maryam don't worry, I want you to remove everything and accept me as an abd(servant) of Allah. The crown shouldn't matter to you..." I shook my head while stepping back "It is going to work Maryam, trust me. I just want your full acceptance" his eyes were already moist and he looked scared (scared of losing me I guess). Like he knows what I was going to say. I ran out of the place and knelt down on the ground and cried so much. I screamed and beat the ground (the beautiful green grass). I cried so loud. I'm sure everyone heard me. He followed me and knelt with me. "Don't leave me Maryam. Please accept me. We are going to be fine." He cried with me. I don't know why I was crying but then I realised it's because I love him so much but now I see no hope of being with him. "No Abdul, this is not real. Fairy tales and all" I looked around and continued "they don't exist. Your people are going to throw me out of the country and what you are feeling for me, is just infatuation. Just calm down and settle with one of those princesses. I'm sure you've met many. Don't get me involved in this. I can't do it." I cried and shook my head. He put his hands together and pleaded with tears in his eyes but I was shaking my head nonstop. "I don't know anything about your cultures, your rules, I know nothing about royalty and I cannot rule anybody. I don't know how to and I don't want to. I hate it!" I said and stood up "You don't need to. I'll take you far away from all these, I'll rule alone in the palace. I'll provide a place for you and our kids. You'll be far away from my family and nobody would be able to touch you" he pleaded and held my sketchers. I told him to get up but he refused. I went down with him and looked at him with red swollen eyes. In his eyes, I saw fear but ignored it "Abdallah you see, you just held my sneakers and not glass slippers, I am no Cinderella Abdul. I am Maryam; a simple muslimah that... you know what, you'll get over me. I'm just a normal girl. Religious girls are everywhere, black girls are everywhere. Just not me Abdul please not me." I calmed down and pleaded "Maryam all these things mean nothing to me. It is you, you mean everything to me. Wait, if you want I can drop the crown and run away with you" he looked at me "You are not a child and you know that's impossible" I chuckled. I felt really guilty and bad for him. I had never seen this side of him. I had never seen him obsessed over anything. I want to get really mad at him and scold him but I stopped myself and pleaded with him. "I love you too Abdallah, so much. But that's all, you are history. Just like a dream." I gazed up and said "You see these stars so clear and near yea, but they are very far away and I can't even dream of touching them talk more of owning them. That's how you are to me, here you are so close to me. But we are worlds apart. I want a simple life Abdul. My family or even country doesn't have troops to fight with the UAE." I paused and pinched myself so hard that it left a mark. Everything feels so unreal, worse than a dream "Your people are going to turn their backs on you, your family would desert you. You don't deserve it and I am not worth it. So please Abdallah, pray to Allah to help you forget me and you'll be fine." I suggested and smiled as my heart scattered "I have prayed Maryam, so many times, and whenever I pray, I just get closer to you." he said. I was shocked because that's exactly what happened with me but I can't tell him that and cannot depend on that. Maybe God is just testing us. I started walking and told him not to follow me. "And I don't want to enter any jet please. Find me a taxi, is this place even in Dubai? I need to get out of here. Please, where is Imran? I turned and saw Imran standing. I looked at him and more tears filled my eyes, I looked down and cleaned them, he lowered his gaze and I saw tears fall on his shirt. "I'm sorry" he murmured. I just sniffed and told him to take me home. He said I should take the exit, there's someone waiting. I went out and it was Zahra. I ran into her arms and cried like a baby. "I am sorry Maryam, I don't know how to explain to you that's why I left him to say it himself. I am sorry, you cried so much" she cried with me. We entered the car and I said "Zahra I can't be with Abdallah. He has so much baggage I can't help him with. I don't even know how to. And I have hurt him Zahra, he was on the floor begging me while I didn't care, I was just thinking about myself. Zahra I left him there I feel so bad for him. Zahra about your offer, let's leave. I want to. We can go back to Nigeria or go to Kashmir, I'll convince baba or we go to Uganda; Asha's place..." She didn't say anything, she was just patting my back, waiting for me to calm down. But I could hear her sobs.
I woke up to the smell of Zahra's special coffee with soymilk. I went to brush my teeth and looked into the mirror. I screamed and Zahra came running "Au'thubillah! What is it?" she was shocked. "You didn't tell me I look horrible earlier at subh" I held my face with my both hands. "The lights were low so I couldn't see you well but" she looked and me and concluded "you really look terrible." she laughed. "You know what Zahra, I feel good. I overreacted yesterday big time." I laughed "You were blinded by love yesterday" she sang "Joking apart. I won't allow Abdallah's episode to put me down. Allah has written our partners since the beginning of time, we have no control over that. I am not metal so of course I'll feel bad or even cry sometimes. But I am not going to run away to chase anything. I am going to relax and watch qadr. If we are written for each other, it's fine with me. If we are not, it's with me. Is it? But I really don't want to enter that house. Let Abdallah rule while I enjoy the best coffee in the world by my best friend." I raised a toast and flipped my short hair back.