Chapter 5 Chapitre 4

Me: No, I'm not getting married. I'm only 17 and I need to concentrate on my studies.

Kamila: my darling, you don't have a choice Ahmed is going to get your father out of prison and get the house back so we won't be homeless. You know your father is accused of embezzlement and all the evidence is against him, so he could get up to 30 years in prison, so think carefully about what you're going to say.

~~~~~~~~~~ chapter 04 ~~~~~~~~

I couldn't say anything, I just stood there for a few seconds and then went back upstairs.

...

I lay there thinking about my miserable life and the ultimatum Kamila had given me.

My door suddenly opened

Kamila: you must give me an answer by tomorrow

Me: and if I refuse

Kamila: You don't really have a choice, darling. See you tomorrow.

She goes out. What am I going to do? I'm not going to spend the rest of my life with a man I don't love and who doesn't love me. Tomorrow I've decided to go and see my father in prison and explain the situation to him. But for the moment I'm going to try and sleep through the night on my own.

...

Today is Saturday so I wake up at 5am like every day I pray and go back to bed....

9h I get up and I do my routine (I brush my teeth, wash myself) and I put this on.

My visit to the prison is at 10 am so I go down to eat my breakfast, the cooks have already set everything up so I eat when I finish I go off to do a bit of revision because with everything that's happened lately I've forgotten...

My visit to the prison is at 10 am so I go down to eat my breakfast, the cooks have already set up everything so I eat when I finish I go to do a little revision because with everything that's happened lately I forgot that the baccalaureate is in less than 3 months.

...

Kamila: Where are you going?

Me: What's it to you?

Kamila: I don't give a damn about Ahmed and his family, who'll be asking for your hand tonight. You'd better accept!

Me: tchurr

And I leave the living room...

....

The driver accompanies me to the prison. At the reception desk there was a woman I go up to her

Me: hello I've come to see kais s***

The woman: okay, please follow me

I follow her, we arrive at a place where there's a chair in front of a bulletproof glass and on the other side of the glass there's another chair and to communicate there's a phone on the right I don't know you know what I mean but I'm no good at explanations so I settle down. A few minutes later he appears with a guard. He looks terrible, sits down opposite me, and as soon as our eyes meet he sheds a few tears. I pick up the phone and put it to my ears.

Me: Dad are you ok? Please stop crying

Dad: No, it's the emotion, darling, I missed you so much, I'm ashamed to see myself like this. Yes I'm fine and you

Me: alhamoulilah, it's nothing I know you're innocent. when are you coming out daddy?

Dad: I don't know, my daughter, my trial's in a week, we'll see what the verdict is.

Me: hummm. Dad, you know yesterday your friend Ahmed came to the house e....

Dad: I already know everything. He wants to give you to his son in marriage.

Me: Yes, dad, what should I do?

Dad: Ahmed is a very powerful man he can get me out of here, get our house back and help me rebuild my business but leyla you know you're a big girl and I can't make decisions for you

Me: But dad, without Ahmed's help, how long will you stay here?

Dad: my lawyer said I could get 25 years at the most

25 YEARS but I can't leave my father in this miserable place for more than 25 years. It's all on my shoulders. It's decided I'll agree to marry this man to save my father.

Me: Dad, I'll do it.

Dad: Are you sure? Don't feel obliged, it's the rest of your life we're talking about.

Me: tkt dad I know what I did

Daddy: I'm proud of you, my daughter

He puts his hand on the glass, I put mine too

Dad: I love you leyla my only daughter my only real child my flesh my blood I'm so proud of you. You saved your family by wasting your life you sacrificed yourself for us your mother must be proud of you. from up there she watches over you she knew how to educate you without making you forget your origins where you come from may Allah protect you I love you my darling

...:Time's up

Tears flowed unceasingly down my cheeks

Me: I love you too daddy

He gets up and disappears before my eyes

....

I take a shower and wear my red bazin. I look at myself in the mirror, I don't recognize myself anymore my eyes are all swollen and red from crying. What happened to the strong-willed leyla who never let anyone step on her toes, the leyla who was always smiling? She gave way to a weak leyla, a leyla who spends all her time crying. I've become a shadow of my former self, I've become weak, very weak. Today I promise to pull myself together, I won't shed a single tear anymore, all this is over. I'm going to do everything I can to get my father out of prison and make my mother proud of me....

I put on a little makeup to mimic the damage. Someone knocks on my door

Me: yes?

The door opens on sali

Sali: your darling and his family are here.

Me: mdrr you're funny *ironie*

I see the convention going on, nothing very interesting. I go downstairs and see my uncle Mahamoud, my mother's brother, and the whole family (Uncle Ahmed, Tanti Mariam, Issa, Mohamed and Safia). I kiss Uncle Ahmed, Issa and Mohamed goodbye and then hug Uncle Mahamoud, Tanti Mariam and Safia. We all settle in and then Uncle Ahmed speaks up

Uncle Ahmed: the reason we're all here is to ask for your daughter Leyla's hand in marriage to my son .....

To be continued...