Cinderella? NO

MARYAM

I told Zahra about moving to Imran's house and she poured it all out "Maryam I don't know how much you love Abdallah but I know you are not stubborn when it comes to owning something. You always give up and say 'life is too short' or 'this life is not Jannah', how come today you are so stubborn, going against everybody to see that you and Abdul win? You are just doing this because he is doing the same. Maryam, Abdallah is Abdul, while you are Maryam. You are two different bodies, so don't lose everything because he is doing the same. There is a stage you reach in something and you just have to give up because as you said 'this life is not Jannah' we can't get whatever we want. Abdallah is nice and religious, loves you but HE IS THE PRINCE OF DUBAI. This fact, destroys everything. His dad, is scary...very scary." she nagged "Zahra, this boy is not losing it all. He has lost everything because of me. His father hates him (so he said) but never used his hand on him. Because of me, his dad slapped him, because of me, he went to the place he hates the most on earth, because of me.... he's willing to leave everything behind. And what he is doing is not haram(forbidden). What his parents are doing to him is. They want the poor child to live with a girl that doesn't even care about her lord. Zahra why shouldn't I do the same also. Loving is not a crime. If I don't do the same, then whatever he's doing is going to waste. He is doing all these for me. He asked for Allah's permission and counsel even before approaching me. We are not doing anything wrong Zahra. I am not doing all these because he is doing the same, I am doing this because I want to. Because he means that much to me too." I stared at her "I have never seen you want something this much. You love him, that too, so much. I am not going to nag again. I am going to support you, whatever you choose, I am going to stand by your side and fight with you. Let's see where this ends" she sighed.
This time around, it is a farm house. Looks deserted and scary but whose fault? Mine. I loved their prince. I knocked on the door and a hall opened. I heard growling of something familiar. I used to watch Nat Geo with my dad so I recalled the sound; it's the sound of a lion. I heard the sound coming closer and closer, I just stood and started reciting whatever that came to my mouth. Lo and behold two of them came out and I saw a lion for the first time. One is brown and the other one white, so beautiful. I remembered my teacher in school told me whenever we see something scary, we should recite the athan (call for prayer) I started very loudly and fast but these creatures didn't stop from approaching me. I decided to check if the door was still open. I looked back and the door was closed. I decided to run and try my luck you know just like Yusuf(as) but hit my head and fell. They ran fast and stood on my head panting with rage. I didn't faint, but I couldn't feel or hear anything around me. I could just see them and feel their heat. I heard a voice in the background and they dispersed. It was him 'Hitler'. He laughed very loudly and sat on the couch. "You see these wild animals here, they don't bite, they don't harm, they can just scare if I tell them to. But you see those ones there..." he pointed at the curtains with some control and they opened, from outside the glass I could see lions roaming in a field. Some in a groups eating meat. "they bite even if I don't tell them to. I can feed you to them and won't regret it." I rubbed my forehead and I was bleeding "Tissues please?" I asked looking at him. He laughed again "You see this stupidity of yours makes me sick. What scares you in your life?" he asked sarcastically "Allah does, death does, two faced people do. Wild animals do...before I tame them" I said looking at him without blinking. I know next time he's going to make his lions fast so that they eat me for iftar. "You amuse me with your foolishness." and he frowned again "Sir, Abdallah is a wonderful person. He is innocent and sad..." I was talking when he cuts me off "How do you know that? Abdallah is my son, I know him more than you, how dare you lecture me about him and his behaviour or feelings. You must be brave and stupid" his accent makes me wanna puck "You didn't prove you were his dad when he was roaming the streets of Dubai with wet eyes and a torn heart. Your palace is so big but your son, had to visit an untidy garden to relieve himself from your troubles. Where were you then?" I mustered courage to tell him the truth "wowh Maryam..." the way he calls my name is cute though "The woman that fed you must be a warrior. Today, I, Ibrahim Al Gemzi is being lectured by a lowly girl? HOW DARE YOU!" he shouted and even the walls shook "I am going to deprive you of happiness. I am going to make your life miserable" he came closer. I gave up on my life and said "I might do one thing wrong, and that's loving your son but I didn't do anything to deserve torture from you. Miserable? You can deport me, refuse me your son or kill me even but you cannot deprive me of happiness because my happiness is in my heart; the love I have for my deen and Allah not in the love of worldly pleasures or the love I have for your son." I said and I was surprised he didn't slap me but calmed down a bit. He looked at me for like minute and then sighed. He finally gave me a handkerchief when the blood was already drying. I thanked him and collected while he talks "I am not the bad guy, I loved Abdallah even before he was born. I planned everything but Abdallah went away from me. When they took him, he didn't even cry. He didn't look for his dad. When he grew up, he loved that woman more than he loves me. He adopted somethings I don't like. He was extreme in everything. And finds fault in whatever we (his family) do. He hates me too" when he was talking, I didn't see the ruler of Dubai, I didn't see the 5th most powerful man of earth. I saw a father longing for his son. I want to hold him and tell him everything's going to be alright but how dare me. "Abdallah barely knows himself when he was taken away. He didn't crawl out your hands to go to his aunt. He was taken away. You didn't look back either. Your ego didn't let you. You never called him when you sent him away. You never asked which course was difficult, which teacher was rude, which kid was pestering him. But you showed and gave Mahmood everything and failed miserably because you ruined Mahmood..." I paused and moved away from him "Abdallah was loved and raised by a religious woman, that's why you find faults in everything he does and think he's an extremist. Abdallah loves the things you hate, because you didn't raise him. He loves simplicity and equality, because that was what he was taught. He wasn't taught an Arab is better than a non-Arab, he wasn't taught masters are better than servants. He was taught that everyone is equal and that we should love everyone. And that's what is right and that's why he loves a poor black girl." I said with tears in my eyes I know whatever ice he has in his body has melted but he'll never show that because he was never taught that. "You must have gotten a distinction in the poetry you did in four years but that won't work on me. I wasn't taught to love equally and you are right. But so what? I decide what is right. I set the rules. Just leave my son alone." He even knows the course I did. Cool. Please instead of keeping my CV he should give me a job. Today he asked the driver to take me back and I guess we are getting kind of close, though he didn't give me first aid for my wound.