Seven

    "No! Mamaa, Yasmeen can't be dead! No! She can't leave me now! She's still alive. Yasmeen please say something. Talk to me. Prove them wrong." Her hands were cold. She was laying there lifeless.

      He placed both his hands on her shoulder and shook her body, "Yasmeen please open your eyes." He couldn't hold back the tears. A lump tied up in his throat. "Bashir, she's gone." Mamaa pulled him away from her body.

        "Innalillahi wa'inna ilaihir rajiun." He exclaimed looking around the four walls. His shirt was wet with sweat. What a nightmare. He recited some duas and got off the bed.

       He sashayed into the bathroom and washed his face. He looked at his self in the mirror. 'What will I do if I lose her?' He mused to himself. He sighed and shook the thought of losing Yasmeen away before he performed wudhu and sauntered out.

        He spread his praying mat and faced the Qiblah. He prayed two raka'ats and prayed for Yasmeen's health. He went back to his bed and picked up his phone to check the time.

      "1:34am" he sighed and kept the phone. He badly wanted to know the situation Yasmeen was in that moment. But he knew she must be sleeping that time.

      The thought of losing her, it really frightened him. He prayed for the best and tried to go back to sleep.

**

        "But Maa, why can't I go check on her before heading to work?" He sighed. "Bashir just do as I say; go to work now and you can go check on her later when you're back." Maama said sternly. He sluggishly stood up from the stool keeping his cup of coffee and grabbing his briefcase.

      "Kaci gaba da tafiya kaman ba jini ah jikin ka (keep walking like you don't have blood in your body)" she hissed. "I love you Maa," he grinned before engulfing his mother in a hug.

        He rushed out of the house already late for a meeting. He drove fast to his company and headed straight to his office where some people are waiting for him.

      "I'm truly sorry for keeping you waiting." He apologized. "No problem sir. We can start with the meeting now."

**

      "How? He won't... he will... how would we start telling him this? Yasmeen? She's dead! Subahanallah" Maama broke down in a heart touching tears. "I'm sorry Bashir." She wailed.

       Hajiya Salamatu couldn't utter a word ever since the news of her daughter's death. "Please, enough with the tears. Kullu nafsin zaa ikatul maut. Just pray for her. In shaa Allah she's in a better place." Yasmeen's father consoled.

          "Salamu alaykum." Bashir walked into the room. His mother looked at him and burst into new sets of tears. She stood up and hugged him. "Bashir kayi hakuri." She stated. "Maama." He raised her head up. "Where's Yasmeen?" He questioned, his heart beating at a high rate.

      "I'm sorry Bashir." She kept repeating. "She's dead." Maama broke the bad news to him. "No!" He shifted back. "Where is she?" He asked again. "You're all joking right?"

"Bashir how can we play with such thing. Hakuri zakayi, But Yasmeen is no more." Her father said.

        He looked at his mother for brief seconds then averted his gaze to Yasmeen's mother, "is this true?" He asked her. She nodded wiping away her tears.

       "Innalillahi wa'inna ilaihir raji'un!" He murmured feeling a sharp pain in his chest. He felt light headed. The four walls were closing in. His eyes felt heavy.

       "Innalillahi wa'inna ilaihir rajiun!" He murmured again. He couldn't take it. The darkness was taking him away. Subahanallah, he just lost the love of his life!

XxXx

        "You know I love you right? And you're the only girl I love?" She slowly nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Babe, look at me," he urged. She slowing raised her large brown eyes to look at him.

       "I Love You, Ameenah." He voiced  out looking at her beautiful light brown eyes. She smiled lowering her gaze. He chuckled loving how shy she always is. "Now I have to get going. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon Insha Allah." He said getting up from the couch.

     She accompanied him out to his car. "Don't forget that I love you so much." He smiled, he couldn't stop looking at her. "You've said that more than fifty times today" she laughed a bit. "I'll never get tired of saying it cause I mean it." His husky voice sent chills down her spine.

       "I'll call you immediately I get home, okay?" She slowly nodded. She waved him goodbye before heading inside.

       She went straight into her room to avoid Aunty's teasing. Oh Aamir! He has no idea how he makes her feel whenever he expresses his feelings for her. She's so in love with him. Right even before he confessed. She had something for him.

        She has known him for only a short period of time, but She feels as if she has known him forever. She trembles with joy whenever she looks at his handsome face. She glows with happiness every time he's near. She wants him near her now, she wants to be with him forever.

      Her heart jumps to know how much he cares. Knowing that it is so much more - She wants him to love her forever.

     Her phone beeps, interrupting her ocean of thoughts it was a text from her Prince Charming.

     There is a strange emptiness that I feel, I feel that something is missing in my life, Then I realize, it's you my dear, Without you in my life, there is no cheer! I miss you Bella. -Aamir

        She kept reading it over and over again, smiling not even knowing Aunty has been calling her name. "AMEENAH ABDULHADEE!" Aunty called out again. This time louder.

     She quickly kept the phone on the bed and stood up like she sat on a needle. "What were you doing that I've been calling you and you weren't answering?" She bayed at her.

      "Sorry, Aunty. What... can I help you... with?" She stuttered. "Your father wants to talk to you." She informed and walked out of the room.

     She sluggishly wore her hijab and stepped out of the room. She went straight to the living room. "Salamu Alaykum," she walked in and sat on the carpet. "Wa'alaykumus Salam."

     "Mama na," he smiled at her. She smiled back at him. "How are you?" He asked. "I'm fine Alhamdulillah."

       "You'll soon start registration, right?" He asked and she nodded. "Tohm Allah bada sa'a." He prayed. "Ameen."

       "Well I actually wanted to talk to you about Omar. He asked if he could send his people and I told him to." She quickly raise her head up to check if he was joking.

      "He told me he was going to Abuja to inform them next week." He added. "Baba!" She murmured. "Yes dear what's wrong? Don't you love him?"

     "Don't you think it's too early to marry this girl off? She's just eighteen!" Aunty spoke for the first time. "No, it's not. She's already a grown woman and it's not like I'm forcing her to marry him. Am I?" He asked. She shook her head no.

     "Tohm Masha Allah. Allah miki albarka, you can go now." She sluggishly rose up and left the living room.

Xx

      He slowly opened his heavy eyes and close them back cause of the brightness of the room. He opened it once again, looking around. His eyes landed on his mother who was looking at him, she felt sorry for him.

"Yasmeen!"

"Yasmeen!"

"Yasmeen, I lost her." He murmured, a single tear rolled down. Maama quickly stood up and engulf him in a tight hug. "Don't cry please. Don't cry for her. She doesn't need anything but Du'a. Insha Allah she's in a better place and I know she'll want you to move on."

       "I don't want to move on. I just want her," he lamented. She raised her head up and touched his face smiling sadly. "Kulli Nafsin Zaa Ikatul Maut. Don't forget about that. We're all waiting for the day we'll return to our creator. Just pray he takes us away when he is pleased with us." She sniffed and smiled at him.

     He kept staring at her as if she just grew two heads. "You need more rest son," she whispered smoothing his hair. He still didn't say anything to her.

      "She's not coming back." A knot tied in his throat. "Honey please. Hakuri zakayi. She's already gone. Her time has come to an end and we can't do anything about it. Sabr."

Xx

      She laid her head on her mother's lap as she shed tears. "Ameenah I don't think you're ready for marriage if you keep acting like this," Aunty spoke.

      "I'm just scared." She hiccuped. "Do you love him?" She asked. "Yes Aunty I do." She sniffed.

     "Then why are you crying? You love him and I can tell he loves you too. Marriage is a beautiful thing. Sure it's okay to be scared but my daughter I assure you, I promise you, you'll never regret it as long as you marry the right person. And Insha Allah Aamir is the one. So just think about it and we'll talk tomorrow."

     Aunty slowly laid Ameenah's head on the pillow before leaving the room.