Sudan, Khartoum.

***

"Where do you want to go?" He asked and she looked up at him excitedly. Is he really willing to help her without knowing anything about her except for her name.

"Home" she blurted out before she could think twice.

"Home?" He raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Nigeria" she answered and he nods his head.

"Who do you have there?" Why is he asking so many questions? He should just do her a favor and take her home. "Look I can't help you without knowing anything about you, I don't need anything personal, just your occupation so we can fill the necessary documents. I'm assuming you don't have a passport or do you?" She shook her head negatively while he muttered something under his breath. He made a call with the telephone before a man came rushing in almost immediately.

"Is it possible to get a passport as soon as possible?" He asked the man.

"It takes weeks or even months Sir" the man answered adjusting his spectacles.

"Okay, thank you Maleek, that's all for now" he dismissed him and he walks out of the porch office.

"Who do you have there?" He questioned and the tears rolls down her cheek once more, "my mother" she breaths out.

"Why should we help you?"

She looked up and gave him a teary smile, "because you help the ones who are willing to be helped"

"We will give you accommodation, you heard what the man who left said, it will take weeks or even months so till then, Jameelah will help you sign the necessary documents and InshaAllah you will be out of here" he stood up and when he reached the exit he heard her whimpering not so softly.

"I promise, we will get you to your mother, safe and sound" and with that he stepped away phoning Jameelah so she will take care of her.

Something about the girl just makes him want to get her home soon and give her the help she needs.

So looked so pure, so innocent.

Only Allah knows what happened to the girl but he vows to never let her witness the worst she has witnessed, ever again.

***

He takes a sip of his hot coffee before placing the mug on the table, far away from the documents right before him. Rubbing his thumb and ring finger on the right eyebrow, he sighed going through the papers before him yet again.

"How is she?" He asked and Jameelah looked up from the file she was scrutinizing, "Fine Alhamdulilah. She is still not talking but at least now she answers my questions by nodding or shaking her head" she replied hitting  the bottom of her pen on the table, once, twice and thrice. "The poor girl has been through a lot obviously, I feel so bad"

"This is your work, you meet people like her every single day and you will keep feeling bad for all of them until people start feeling sorry for you because you are so drowned in work you are slowly loosing it" a voice said from behind her and even without looking up she knows who the person is, she decided to ignore him by gathering her stuffs and standing up.

"I'll head to my office, we can hit up later and discuss this in private" she smiled at her boss who nods his head flashing her a smile.

"JamJam take a break. You can have the crossaints down the street, it's amazing I tell you" he grinned

"Thank you Khaleel but I'm good and no JamJam! We are at work" she scold walking away while he laughed. Right. Keeping things professional! They can just forgot the fact that they are cousins and best of friends! Yep. That's easy.

"Man one day, I swear she will snap your head off" Khaleel joked when Kabeer sat down on the chair Jameelah stood up from.

"I can't wait for that day. At least she will spare me a glance" he chuckled

"Man, your so whipped"

"Shut up"

"You do know I am your boss?" Khaleel asked trying to pull his serious face but when Kabeer snorted, they both burst out into booming laughter. "Idiot your distracting me" he tried catching his breath while taking a sip of his now lukewarm coffee.

"I hope you know I am only doing this job so I can spend more time with JamJam"

"I know man, now please go and disturb her. Leave me alone, I have lots of work to do" he sighed as he buried his face inside the document before him.

Kabeer stood up and adjusted his suit, "only because duty calls me. I have a girl to woo. till then, adios man!" He winked before walking away.

***

"I would like to see her" Khaleel said staring at his cousin who was perplexed.

"You want to shatter her hopes!?" She gasped and he shook his head negatively. "No. Ya Allah Jameelah! Why will I do that?"

"I don't know, maybe because there is no way we can get her out of this country"

"I think there is a way" Maleek who was working on this laptop said and the two turn their attention to him.

"Tell me" Khaleel demand standing up from his chair and leaning behind him so he can get a view of what was displayed on the laptop.

"The only way is if she marries a Nigerian citizen, that way she will be able to get citizenship by marriage and Sudanese government will let her go without any interrogations or family signatures or anything, just marriage certificate and passport" he explained and Jameelah rolled her eyes.

"Ya Salaam Maleek! Where will we find a Nigerian who will be willing to marry her just to get her out of the country" Jameelah screeched utterly confused.

"It doesn't have to be a sacred bond, no intimacy just that legal papers and the man can divorce her immediately they step foot in Nigeria" he explained while Khaleel stood up pacing back and forth in his office.

"Well then Maleek will you please marry her?" Jameelah asked and you could practically see Maleek's fair face turning a shade of pink as he stammered. "M-me?"

Clearing his voice, he tried again. "I mean I am not a Nigerian, I am a Sudanese"

"I know" she rolled her eyes gathering her documents before standing up. "Do you still want to see her?" She asked her cousin who was watching out the big window.

"Maybe later" he smiled and she hugged him. "We will find a way out InshaAllah"

"InshaAllah" he muttered as she walked out leaving him and Maleek to go through someone else files. The amount of people he meets everyday wows him, every single day it's a tragedy, every single day it's either a woman who was sexually harassed, raped or abused.

The knock on the door paused their work and they looked up to see Jameelah looking frightened as if she would cry any minute from now. Khaleel's instincts kicked into him immediately as he asked his cousin if she was okay but instead she moved away until his eyes fell on a girl crying hysterically.

Ya Rabb!

***

His head was pounding badly as he turned off his car and got down holding his black suit in one hand and phone with car keys in the other, walking inside the big house, he sighed seeing everyone all settled on the dinning table ready to eat dinner. Today no one can save him from his aunt, absolutely no one.

"I thought you were going to sleep at work" Aunty Kulthum snapped immediately he approached the dinning table and he walked around to hug her.

"My dearest aunty Kul, I am so- ouch!" she swatted her hand on his arm and he yelled in pain.

"Assalam Alaikum sisters" he greeted sitting beside JamJam who was stuffing her face with a bowl of fruit salad. They all replied his salaam before a plate was pushed towards him by Myra, his younger cousin who smiled at him.

"What do you want?" He asked after silently thanking her and serving some rice and baked chicken with potatoes.

"Yaya Khaleel I can't even help you anymore?" She pouted and everyone laughed.

"No you can't. Myra you want something from me so just spill"

"Don't mind her, I asked her to please pass me a spoon and do you know what she did? She passed me a table knife and continued eating while I was struggling to eat my fruit salad with a knife" Jameelah glared at her younger sibling who chuckled loudly.

"I was distracted, sorry"

"If I slap you from across the table.." Jameelah threatened.

"..I'll reach to China. Adda Jamjam that's just lame" she completed while Jameelah gasped absolutely taken aback by her sister's behavior.

"Myra!"

"Ya Khaleel" she whines.

"JamJam leave her to me" Khaleel interfered knowing very well Jameelah will beat her sister to a plump this night. After a not so silent dinner, Aunty Kulthum retired for the night before JamJam, Myra and Khaleel cleared the table and gathered in the living room to watch a movie.

Even though Khaleel was tired to his wits, he couldn't say no to a demanding Myra who claimed they no longer spend time with her. For a seventeen year old, she is behaving really matured. "Are you still thinking about the young girl?" Jameelah who was slumped on the couch beside him asked and he exhaled deeply.

"Which girl?" Myra asked lowering the volume of the television.

"Work related. Mind your business" Jameelah snapped at her

"Please I want to know.."

"A girl of age eight showed up at work today, she was crying hysterically and she looked so worn out. Immediately I moved to talk to her, she fainted" Khaleel said shivering at the memories.

Myra gasped, "Ya Allah! Is she okay? What's her story?"

"We don't know yet" Jameelah replied.

"I am so sorry, I think you guys need to rest. we can watch this movie another time InshaAllah" she stood up and switched off the television.

"I'm sorry Myra, I'll make it up to you. I just need to sleep now, goodnight you both." Khaleel stood up and walked to his room before taking a relaxing shower. He decided retired for the night after reading the Qur'an. As he laid on his bed, he thought about everything weighing him down while asking Allah to help him in all his affairs.

How will he get Aamirah out of the country? Was his last thought before leaving everything in the hands of Allah and drifting off.

***

What are we thinking?

Thank you for reading.

Vote, comment and share. ❤