21
Yasmin realized bribing little Safeenah wouldn't do her no good so she skipped the bribing part to the yelling—cursing part."Who are you? Open the goddamn door!" Yasmin cursed loudly.
"I said I'm your worst nightmare, don't you dare mess with anybody again!" Safeenah banged her tiny fist against the door frame.
The door to the VIP restroom opened and Safeenah froze in space—she was shuddering; realizing she was now in trouble. The worst part is that, when they know she's Zarah's daughter, she will face the consequences.
"See.. You should have accepted my offer." Yasmin sounded relieved. Scared Safeenah was about to toss Yasmin's cloth but someone stopped her from the door entrance.
"—I see you care a lot." The voice call from the entrance.
Scared Safeenah froze in one place and say silent dua; praying the man could just leave. She summoned her courage and turned to look at the intruder and it was the Prince.
The fright on Safeenah's face broke into a smile. "Uncle Ali!" Safeenah exclaimed happily; she ran towards him and gave him a hug.
"I'm not Ali and what are you doing here?"
"But uncle Ali you promise I could call you Ali; besides I don't like your other name." Safeenah whined,
"You're one smart kid but what's wrong with my other nam-" Yasmin's yelling cut him short.
"Hello... Somebody. Get me out of here! My clothes are with that girl!"
Safeenah smiled awkwardly before hiding Yasmin's dress behind her.
"—Is that not Lady Yasmin?" He whispered.
"Yeah.. She did the same thing to my ummi... I thought this is the only way to get to her."
Abubakar shook his in negativity. "Little Safeenah, even when we are offended in live; we must learn to forgive. This kinda reminds me of an old tale."
"Yay, story! Story! Story!" Safeenah clapped cheerfully while Yasmin kept banging the door.
He started. "—It's the tale of the milk seller, the woman and the king: long time ago—in the deepest part of the Sahara desert; the Bedouin part to be precise. In a small village called falafel-"
Safeenah cut him short. "Wait! Your tale is confusing; falafel is a name for a snack."
"—Yeah... True it is but also the village's name. So; king Abu-Zhar is the ruler of falafel kingdom—he has his own rules for the kingdom. 'Never cheat and don't play with salah'"
"That rules are simple! I always pray my five daily prayers." Safeenah said and Abubakar smiled before he continue,
He continued as Yasmin kept banging the door. "—That's great, but let's get to the tale; there was one widower who has twelve children to feed. Plus he is a poor milk seller. He sells milk in market everyday in order to raise twelve children. On a faithful —unfortunate day, the milk seller travelled to Labanun to get two gallons of milk."
"Labanun? It means milk in Arabic. I like that village."
He smiled and Yasmin sighed.
"Tale teller, open up."
"—Yeah... It means milk. After he had bought the two gallons of milk; he set on his journey back home. On his way, he was attacked by angry hyenas. The hyenas found a way to achieve one gallon for themselves."
"Awwn... Poor milk seller."
"So... He went home sadly. On his way; he saw an old cottage—there she saw a woman observing salah, but she violate one of the rules; she was praying salah subh in the night?" Prince Abubakar exclaimed.
"Such a loser." Yasmin chipped in, she's kinda enjoying the story.
He continued. "—The milk seller caught her but ran away as soon as she saw him. The old woman knew she was in trouble and she expected the king's soldiers to come knocking on her door the next day. Well the next day; no one came. The day after also. A week later, the woman forgot what she'd done. A very cloudy evening the woman's cousin ran to the woman and slam a cup of milk on the woman's table. She said: 'cousin, look at this—the milk is spoilt.' The woman stared at the milk and she actually noticed the milk was diluted with water. She ask her where she bought it and her cousin answered it was from the milk seller in market. 'He cheated!' The woman yelled and ordered her cousin to take the report to the king. Doing that, they went to the king. The king hated cheat—so he summoned his soldiers to burst the man's home."
"What.. That woman is bad."
Yasmin scoffed from inside. "Really.. I'm stuck."
Abubakar smiled at Safeenah and continued. "After an hour, the man was brought before the king; it was that same milk seller who lost a gallon of milk to the hyenas. The soldiers have already battered him. The woman kept yelling as soon as she saw that man, she call him names. But as soon as she laid her eyes on his face she froze. 'The milk was over boiled.' She said instantly. The man knew not of what was happening—he knew for sure he added water to his milk. The king ask the woman if she was sure of what she said and she testified that her cousin over boiled the milk. The wise king Abu-Zahr asked the woman to give the milk seller a compensation for ruining his dignity and also apologized to him personally. That marks the end of my tale." Abubakar finished his tale with a smile.
"Wow, the woman is nice, I want to be like her. What is her name?" Safeenah questioned.
"Her name doesn't matter. What matters is the lesson in it; the woman also violate the prayer rule and the man didn't tell on him—he overlooked her trespass and that's why she lied to save him." Abubakar replied.
"See.. Little Safeenah; we all sin in this world, but the best of us are those who make taubah and forgive." Abubakar said.
"What is taubah?" Safeenah asked in a clueless manner.
"Repentance." Prince Abubakar answered, "regardless our religion, repentance and taubah are the same. It means you admit your sin in the front of your lord and ready to repent!" Abubakar lectured with a smile.
"Masha Allah!" Safeenah said as she was amused with the prince intelligence.
"My clothes please.. I'm sweating." Yasmin yelled as she was at the verge of crying. Safeenah tossed her clothes in the restroom and she and the Prince walked away before Yasmin could see them.
Yasmin opened the door; she was angry and scared.
"Who is Ali? I'll make sure I find him and I'll sue him and his daughter." She said and walked away angrily.
* * * *
"You shouldn't have come here." Prince Abubakar scolds Zarah as soon as he saw her.
"It's not too late to go back." Yasmin snickered.
"What are we cooking today?" Abubakar asked ignoring Yasmin existence, knowing she's a longtime trouble maker.
"Okay, let's make spaghetti and meatballs, I betcha she can't cook it." Yasmin said wanting another stupid—childish food challenge.
"Let's cook what the Fair Lady suggested!" Zarah said using Yasmin's honorifics properly, Abubakar was disgusted with honorifics in some ways. Devastated Zarah knew she can't make meatballs even if she can try with the boiling of the pasta, she haven't googled the recipe yet.
"I'll go get the water." Abubakar said as he dragged a long hose towards the water board system. Yasmin was staring at Zarah, wanting to say something but she was some how afraid to utter the words.
"Who did you sent after me?" Yasmin later gathered the courage to talk. Zarah was dicing some white onion bulbs—cooking for masses is sure stressful.
"So you want me to answer that?" Zarah asked weakly,
"I'll sue you, I'll make your whole lineage rot in jail!" Yasmin threatened.
"Oh we are talking laws now? You packed my clothes, and I did nothing, I nearly died remember—now you're blaming me for your misfortune in life." Zarah points her finger at Yasmin "Lady I won't take this anymore, no disrespect but you are a wicked person-" Zarah was cut short with a slap.
"Don't you dare blame it on me, how dare you speak to me like that. You think I don't notice the chemistry between you and the Prince?" Yasmin blurted out in anger.
"Well, if you say chemistry; but I didn't notice any chemistry between the two of you. You know what people say: chemistry comes before love!" Zarah rudely said and Yasmin was angry that she wanted slapping Zarah again but she held her hands. "Enough of all these!" Zarah yelled as she flung her hands away and without hesitation she walked away.
Tears rolled down Zarah's cheeks as she walks away. It pains her she was born into a poor family; her destiny was a rough one, why is it happening to her?
Why did her life take a whole 360° turn?
She wasn't ready for what was happening.
Zarah sprinkled curry in the spaghetti sauce and the aroma was magnificent.
"Lemme help you with that." Abubakar's voice was heard as he drop a big pot of water.
Zarah avoided eye contact because she couldn't get what she just heard from Yasmin out of her mind, was it chemistry? The questions kept churning and burning inside her.
What is true love? She asked her self.
"Hmm.. Zarah, I told Sheik about your episode, he was concerned. He sent his greetings." Abubakar said.
"Jazakalahhul khairan, thanks." Zarah said as she dropped the sauce pan from the ragging fire.
"He was moved that you came today so he hired some helping hand for you; he hired some exchange chefs from Australia, Asia and Africa. These people are the best chef in their country!" Abubakar assured.
Zarah was amused, the Fazza is so nice that he hired bunch of expert chefs allover the globe. "Thank you-" she paused, "—for looking after me, send my regards to Sheikh Hamdan." Zarah added with a bow.
Abubakar smiled at her and it revealed his dimples; he kept the big pressure pot on the ragging coal and he gently put the spaghetti pieces inside the hot water.
"Add little salt to it!" Zarah instructed weakly.
"Okay, ma'am!" He said with a smirk and add a handful of salt in it, he smiled at the boiling spaghetti for no reason. Zarah was captivated by the smile, she could pay millions of dihram to watch him smile for her all day.
If she had one.
"Is there something on my face?" Abubakar asked as he noticed zarah was staring through her niqab.
"I'm sorry." Zarah said and she averted her gaze.
"Tomorrow, we will change the charity organization location, I heard some people are complaining this place is too rowdy." Abubakar said.
"Do royalty heed to complains?" Zarah asked.
"Not all royalty are jerks. Abubakar said and walked closer to Zarah, he was so close that she could feel his hot breath on her skin.
"Zarah.... I owe you an apology, and I owe you a big thank you." Abubakar started.
"What... Now?" Zarah was too flabbergasted to speak.
"Zarah I'm so sorry for being cold and being a jerk. Despite all the attitude I showed towards you, you never hated me. I will be honest, I wanted you gone before, but now I see the kind of attributes you possess. You're a great woman, Zarah. Thank you for all the things you've done to me—you saved me from those Frenchmen, you go extra miles for me, you cared for me. Your husband is lucky, Shukran Zarah." Abubakar said, and this time he truly meant it—he look sincere this time.
Zarah wished she could tell him she was a divorcee, but she couldn't.
Love oh love....
Author's note
Hey, I guess this chapter is the best of the best. I still can't believe Prince Abubakar can talk like that; I mean he should be the icy cold prince every body wants.
Is the Prince also in love with Zarah?
What will Yasmin do if she finds out?
Can someone fall in love with you in thirty days?
I guess the answers lies in the next chapters.
Don't get tired people, it's about to get wild.