A Halal Love Story #Wattys2019 - BEING EDITED

Chapter 21

*IF YOU HAVEN'T READ YOUR SALAH YET, THEN PLEASE READ IT BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER*

Recap...

"I'm so excited to go to Dubai." I tell Hamza as we go upstairs.

"I can tell." He says with a laugh.

"So are you done packing?" I ask him.

"Almost." He says.

"Same here." I tell him.

After a couple of minutes of chit-chat, I go back to my bedroom and start packing my carry-on. I decide to pack an emergency outfit, lotion, face cleanser, moisturizer, a travel size tissue packet, lip balm, deodorant, Band-Aids, and a hairbrush. I also put $200 inside the bag just in case.

Once I check over all my bags to make sure that I didn't forget anything, I decided to look at the clock in my room. When I read 11:46, I know that I should go to sleep because our flight is at 5 am, which obviously means that we'll be up earlier than that.

I change into my pyjamas and go to sleep after reading Isha namaz, and all the Duas and Surahs that I usually read before going to bed.

Chapter 21

I wake up to the loud noise coming from outside my room and I know that it's time for me to get up. I go to the bathroom and take a quick shower and change into proper clothes. I decide to wear black sweatpants, a grey full sleeve shirt, and a burgundy hijab. I keep a hoodie on as well because I know that it's best to layer clothes when you're on an airplane.

Auntie Lubna and mom made a couple of things for everyone, so that we wouldn't have leftover breakfast. When we finished, a taxi came and picked us up. Let's just say that the luggage bags were even put in the back seat because only 8 of them fit in the trunk. Everyone had 2 luggage spinners, so that made a total of 12 luggage spinners in the car.

Luckily the parents had ordered a van taxi, or else there would be no possible way that we all would fit in the car. Once we had arrived at the airport, we had to stand in a huge line because there were so many people that were going somewhere for the holidays.

After we all got checked in, we had to go through security which truth be told was a huge pain. Once we finished security, we wait in the lounge area because we still have 30 minutes before our flight leaves.

Auntie Lubna, mom, and I make a list of things that we want to do in Dubai and that consists of shopping, visiting Masjids (Mosques), and going to nice restaurants. Hamza, dad, and Uncle Nasir just sit there looking bored because they don't have anything to do at the moment.

Once we hear that we can now board the airplane, we all carried our carry-on bags to the airplane. Apparently the seats were done so that we had three rows of window seats, and also so that each person who got the window seat, had someone beside them as well.

The dilemma here was that Auntie Lubna and Uncle Nasir sat together. Mom and dad also decided to sit together, so I was stuck with Hamza. I put my carry-on in the space given above our seats, and sit beside the window.

You see I haven't travelled on an airplane much either, so when the plane starts moving, I get an odd churning feeling in the pit of my stomach. I bring my legs to my chest and shut my eyes. I wrap my arms around myself because I honestly think that breakfast is about to be barfed out any second now.

"Do you get air sick often?" Hamza asks.

"No I didn't know it would happen." I say and I can hear the vulnerability oozing out of my voice. I read the Kalimah in my head and I pray that Allah (swt) help me through this. Hamza leaves then and I don't really blame him. I wouldn't want to be around someone who is about to throw up her breakfast either.