Miss World Or Miss Akhirah?✔

Chapter 6: Ramadan

"Assalamu alaikum" I said awkwardly entering the passenger's door of the car. Uncle Nour had been waiting for me for the past ten minutes. Immediately after the breakfast, the twins and him headed out. The twins took our car while he waited for me in mom's old accord, the car he would use before he gets a new one. I asked him to wait for me for a few minutes and he agreed. I didn't know why he had being kind of nice to me lately. Let's forget about the time he sprinkled water on my face.

After I had tried all I could to change Mama's mind yesterday and didn't succeed I just slept. When I woke up this morning I didn't remember he will be the one taking me  to school until about fifteen minutes ago when he asked me if I was ready. I freaked out when I remembered he will be the one taking me. When I calmed down,  I decided today will be the only day he will take me. In sha Allah before the end of the day, I will come up with something so that he won't be taking me to school through out the year.

"Wa alaikumu salam," he answered looking back at me. He stopped a little when he noticed my make up and realized I changed my skirt but he didn't say anything. There was no way I was going to school without my make up, I wouldn't let him ruin my life nor will I change my way of life because of him. The only thing I wasv afraid of  was he may tell Mama, but since he didn't tell her about the call incident , I doubt he will tell her about this.

"Finally you are here, you are always late, just like I remember," he said with a smile. He liked teasing me. He always teased me. When I was in nursery school he used to make me cry, like saying 'Ruqy is prettier than you' or ' your sallah kitso ( eid hairstyle) is not beautiful. I would cry for hours, he would hug me later on and buy me sweets or ice cream saying he was just joking. When I grew older I realized he was always joking so I didn't cry but sometimes I pretended to be angry just so that I could get a cone of ice cream. Well that was all before it happened.

"You know it's my tradition to show up fashionably late and I think I got it from one of my uncles, if I can remember clearly whenever I asked him why he is always late that wise man says,'it's better late than never,' " I told him smiling, remembering all those years, all that happened before he broke everything.

I then remembered how he broke everything, the bad summers I had been having for the last five years just because I had to go to Sudan and had to be seeing him everyday.  My expression immediately changed. He started laughing too, but then turned around and saw my expression. He knew what I was thinking about because his expression changed into a sad one too. After few minutes of silence, I broke it.

"Urhm Incle Nour?"

"Yes," he answered turning to look at me.

"I want to ask you something," I said.

"Sure go ahead,"

"Why didn't you tell mama anything about that night," I asked.

"Which night?"

"The night you caught me on a phone call with my boyfriend," I answered, playing with the ring Hamdan gave me. He kept quite for some minutes, analyzing me.

"It wasn't anything to tell," he said.

"Really? The Uncle Nour I know for the last few years will be the happiest person on earth if that news reaches Mama" I had been wondering why he didn't tell mom and I couldn't come up with anything.

"Well people change Amumu,"he said.

"Anyway thanks," I answered curtly. I had a feeling we were being too informal and close. And I didn't like it. I wasn't ready to forgive him.