Miss World Or Miss Akhirah?✔

Chapter 15: I want to be Miss Akirah

Do you know that moment when something is happening but you just do not want to believe it? That was exactly the moment I was having.

I watched as we passed trees and street lights in the dark of the night as Uncle Nour drove us to the hospital. The only image that kept popping to my head was the time I jokingly told Muklis to rest in peace in advance and I heard him reply with an "Aameen."

"Hameeda, are you crying? I never knew you are afraid of death," Muklis said.

"I'm not crying. But who is not afraid of death Muklis?" I replied him.

"I am not," Muklis answered somewhat smiling to himself. I turned around to face him and saw how serious his face was. I raised my eyebrows asking him, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I know you guys will pray for me so in sha Allah I have nothing to worry about."

In my mind I laughed, for Muklis really had a lot of things to worry about. He partied a lot, prayed twice a week and did not fast the whole month of Ramadan.

"Who told you I will pray for you?" I asked.

"I've always thought you will. Please do," he said.

"Are you planning on leaving us 'ne?'" I asked teasingly.

He ignored me and smiled, so I said, "Rest in peace in advance."

"Ameen," I heard him whisper.

Who would have thought two weeks after this conversation Bilal would call me to tell me that Muklis had a terrible accident?

As we passed by our school, the image that came into my head was that of a few hours ago.

Muklis had kept quiet. His mind was somewhere else. And that was what had been happening throughout today. He had been thinking too much. About what? None of us knew. He was not very keen on allowing us to do the trick we planned on doing but he had no choice. He could not stop Hameeda MG from doing what she wanted.

None of us knew what was going on in his head. I did a mental note to ask him what was wrong later on because Uncle Nour was waiting for me. I remembered Mama always telling me "Never say later. Always do it now."

Who would have thought I would never get a chance to ask him that question?

Uncle Nour increased the car speed and we did a round about and were meters away from the hospital when another image popped into my head.

"He still is. Hameeda always listen when someone is talking to you because you don't know when it will be the last time you will hear his voice," Muklis said in a matter of fact tone.

Who would have thought that would be the last time I would hear his own voice?

We entered the hospital. I rushed out of the car before Uncle Nour even parked it well. I could not describe how I was feeling exactly. I did not want to enter the hospital and see something worse than I prepared myself for. I ran into the hospital asking the receptionist about the room number. She did not hear me well or thought I was mad because she did not answer me. Well who would not think I was mad. I was wearing my school shirt with a wrapper made with atamfa and an Abaya veil and two different pairs of shoes, one of slippers and the other one of my school shoes. Uncle Nour asked her more calmly and she told him the room number. Before she completed her sentence, I started rushing towards the direction of the room.