KWARTON MANYA Book 3 end Writing by Maman Teddy .txt

<p>Since Asmeey entered her room, she couldn’t sleep. A headache was bothering her, so she unzipped her bag, took out some medicine, and swallowed it, finally feeling some relief. She then prepared herself for what she had planned.</p><p>Her phone started ringing. When she checked the caller ID, she smiled and answered, “Assalamu Alaikum, habibi.”</p><p>The voice on the other end chuckled. “Wa Alaikum Salam, habibati. Hope you arrived safely. How’s the city?”</p><p>She smiled. “Alhamdulillah, very nice. I think we’ll be going to Baghdad or Bamako tomorrow. In Sha Allah, by next week, I’ll be in Nigeria.”</p><p>Hearing that, he felt happy. “May Allah grant you a safe journey, and I wish you success as well.”</p><p>She smiled. “Ameen.”</p><p>Muhammad sighed. “Husna, honestly, this job of yours isn’t suitable for a lady. You’re always traveling, never settled. Even holidays are so short. I swear, I can’t wait for us to get married.”</p><p>She closed her eyes and reassured him, “Don’t worry, In Sha Allah, very soon everything will be normal… Allah will make it happen. Bye.”</p><p>“Okay, bye.”</p><p>—</p><p>Around 3 AM, she woke up, took a bath, and prayed Nafila. She kept praying until the call for Fajr came. After performing her prayers and reciting Azkhar, she packed her belongings and got dressed.</p><p>Today, she wore her uniform: a maroon skirt that reached just below her knees, paired with tights and matching maroon socks. She put on her shoes, fixed her headgear, and applied makeup. Her deep black skin glowed, and the maroon lipstick highlighted her full lips. She had always resembled those dark-skinned Arabs with sharp noses and silky hair. Her thick eyebrows and long lashes made her look even more stunning.</p><p>She picked up her bag, held her latest iPhone 7 in one hand, and inserted an earphone in one ear, listening to Morell’s Gatan Arewa as she stepped out.</p><p>After handing over her room key, she glanced toward Captain Bilal’s room and saw the door open. She entered and found him already dressed, about to leave.</p><p>He gave her a quick glance and thought to himself, "Masha Allah." But outwardly, he frowned and said, “Don’t you know how to say Salam?”</p><p>She rolled her eyes. “Oh, I thought you didn’t know how to respond since even when I wished you well, you ignored me.”</p><p>Without waiting for his reply, she grabbed his bag and walked out.</p><p>When he stepped out, he found her waiting by the door. He didn’t say a word, just threw her a glare. He looked good too; they were both wearing the same color uniform.</p><p>As they stepped outside, he turned to her. “Remove those useless earphones. Our work starts here.”</p><p>She acted like she didn’t hear him.</p><p>By the time they reached the vehicle, a journalist was standing nearby. Bilal snatched her phone from her hand. When he glanced at the screen, he saw a picture of Barbie.</p><p>“Oh, wow. A grown woman still acting like a child.”</p><p>He scoffed. “Big for nothing.”</p><p>She ignored him completely.</p><p>After a brief press moment, the driver opened the backseat since the front was occupied. They had no choice but to sit together, keeping their distance.</p><p>Bilal was busy on his phone, while Asmeey was on a call. This annoyed him.</p><p>Annoyed, he snatched her phone. “Madam, you talk too much! You’re like a parrot!”</p><p>She pouted. “Sorry, sir.”</p><p>He scoffed. “Sorry for yourself, not for me.”</p><p>She regretted apologizing in the first place.</p><p>They entered a building where they were set to board their flight. Since Bilal was the highest-ranking officer, people greeted them upon arrival. He took a seat while Captain Shaheeda sat next to him, stirring a syrup bottle in her hand.</p><p>“Dear, take this. It’s better than what you’ve been using. Try it; I swear you’ll like it.”</p><p>Bilal opened his mouth slightly, about to let her pour the syrup in.</p><p>Asmeey panicked. She needed to stop him, but how?</p><p>In a split second, she pretended to get bitten by something and let out a loud scream, collapsing between them.</p><p>The bottle fell to the ground, spilling everywhere.</p><p>She felt a wave of satisfaction.</p><p>Bilal, on the other hand, was too frustrated to even speak.</p><p>Shaheeda, furious, snapped, “What’s wrong with you?! When will you ever act right?! I swear, you’ll pay for this! Captain, talk to her! Look at how she’s staring at me with those stupid black eyes!”</p><p>No matter what, Shaheeda always acted entitled.</p><p>Bilal, visibly annoyed, replied, “Shaheeda, ignore her. She’s out of control.”</p><p>Captain Anwar chuckled. “Come on, Captain, this is unfair! Honestly, I’m tired of dealing with Shaheeda. Please exchange—I want Asmeey instead. She’s way better than Shaheeda.”</p><p>He pointed at Shaheeda.</p><p>Shaheeda hissed. “Oh, please! Who even wants to be with you? Your Highness, take me away from him!”</p><p>Bilal scrunched his face. “I’ll think about it.”</p><p>Then he turned to Asmeey. “If you like, you can come with me. Do as you wish.”</p><p>Not wanting to embarrass herself in public, she followed him immediately.</p><p>The others trailed behind.</p><p>Shaheeda, as usual, kept trying to insert herself into Bilal’s space, but he only gave her minimal attention. No matter where he went, he carried himself with the air of royalty—after all, his father was a king in Bamako, Mali.</p><p>Just as they were about to board, Shaheeda slapped Asmeey.</p><p>“Are you crazy?! Can’t you wait for me to enter first?!”</p><p>Bilal didn’t hesitate. He slapped Shaheeda back.</p><p>“This is the first and last time you’ll ever hit her. From today, you’re not even allowed to throw her a dirty look!”</p><p>Shaheeda was stunned.</p><p>He turned to Asmeey. “And you! Since you have no sense, why don’t you just stand still and let everyone beat you up? Do what’s right for yourself!”</p><p>With that, he walked inside and took his seat.</p><p>Asmeey quietly sat beside him, while the rest sat behind.</p><p>Bilal looked at her and said, “You know you’ll be the first to go in, right?”</p><p>She shrugged. “But you’re in charge.”</p><p>He scoffed. “Oh, you’re already back to your usual stubbornness? I was going to warn you: don’t ever wear the same uniform color as mine again. From today, you can only wear maroon. Yellow and blue are canceled. Understood?”</p><p>"Fine. Whatever," she mumbled.</p><p>Bilal got into the driver’s seat.</p><p>She found him irritating. The way he spoke, like he hated talking but still made sure you heard him, was annoying.</p><p>They stayed silent for about ten minutes.</p><p>Then, out of nowhere, Bilal clicked his tongue.</p><p>“Are you from some village in Nigeria? You can’t even hold a proper conversation—just staring at people all day. Mtswww! Your village behavior hasn’t left you yet.”</p><p>That struck a nerve.</p><p>She straightened her back and replied, “A woman is priceless. No man, no matter who he is, can match a woman’s class. That’s why I save my words.”</p><p>Bilal scoffed. “Mtsww! What do you know? Do you even understand what you just said? Where’s your so-called class? Look at yourself—nonsense.”</p><p>She side-eyed him without realizing he was watching her.</p><p>Out of nowhere, he removed her headgear and playfully yanked her silky hair.</p><p> </p><p> </p>