"Anisa, wake up! You're already late for school!"
Umma herself had come to wake me, since it was already 7:00 a.m. I rose from my Hello Kitty-themed bed, rubbing my eyes—not so gently.
"Ummaaa... my stomach hurts. I don't think I can go," I lied, putting on my best pitiful voice.
"Young woman, go get ready!" Umma roared, throwing a pillow straight at my face.
With haste, I jumped up from the bed and somersaulted into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind me. After brushing my teeth and taking a quick bath, I slipped into my uniform—a navy blue button-down shirt with a grey, knee-length pleated skirt and a shoulder-length grey hijab. I pulled on my black thigh-high socks, grabbed my Hello Kitty backpack, and slipped out of the bedroom.
Hurriedly descending the stairs, a very clumsy me missed the last step... and fell.
How pitiful.
"You're as clumsy as ever," Umma muttered, shaking her head in classic Umma-annoyance mode.
"Go and have your breakfast—it's already 7:26."
"Yes, Umma," I replied, dragging my feet to the dining table where a plate of fried tofu dusted with chilli powder and a glass of apple juice waited for me.
Yay! I cheered internally.
After devouring the entire plate with the energy of someone fighting for her life, I stood up, feeling renewed.
"Umma, I'm done!" I called out, stretching my arms.
"Let's go then," came her short reply.
We marched outside to the car, and she dropped me off at school.
---
Honeycomb Academy
"Assalamu alaikum," I greeted as soon as I stepped into the class. There was no teacher in sight.
"Wa alaikumus salam, Neesa!"
And there she was. My best friend, Janan—finally back after a whole week! She had gone on a supposedly important family vacation to Victoria Island... on school days! "Neesa" is what she calls me.
"Oh my goodness! You have no idea how cruel the world felt without you!" I squealed and ran over to her. We hugged each other tightly, earning a few glances from our classmates who were already in their seats.
"And you don't know how I felt like the walking dead without you!" Janan exclaimed.
"I missed you, bestie!" we both screamed at once, pulling apart from our hug.
"The crazy duo reunited. How exciting..." Nabeela muttered sarcastically from her seat, rolling her eyes like it was her part-time job.
Before we could fire back, our English Literature teacher, Ms. Mabruka, walked in unannounced. We quickly scattered to our seats like scared mice.
"Assalamu alaikum... uh, Anisa, can you come out for a second?" she said, motioning for me to follow her outside. And so I did.
"So... uh, don't panic," she started.
Which, honestly, is just a way of telling someone to panic immediately.
"Anisa, your mom had an accident. On her way back from dropping you off at school."
I blinked.
Wait. Did she just say...
"My Umma had an accident?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Like... my whole Umma?"
"Innalillahi wa inna ilaihir raji'un..."
Everything went blurry. My eyes exploded in silent tears.
---
<<<<<>>>>>
There I was, beside Umma, lying unconscious on the hospital bed.
Not a single nurse had attended to her. Not even a doctor.
'There are other patients that need treatment more than her,' they said.
Abba was in the U.S. My older siblings—Ya Hanifah and Ya Abdul—were in Johannesburg. It was just me... and Aunty Fati, our housemaid.
"Don't worry too much, okay? She'll be fine, in sha Allah," Aunty Fati said in the calmest voice she could manage, hoping to comfort me.
I wanted her to be treated so badly. I missed the way she laughed at me. How she scolded me. How she listened even when my words made no sense.
But the universe? It clearly wasn't in the mood to be kind today. No doctors. No nurses. Nothing.
I was staring into space, blank and helpless, when two figures appeared before me.
The nurse who had earlier told me to wait was back.
"We're so sorry for making you wait, miss," she said softly. "I've brought a doctor to check on her."
I finally looked up.
Standing beside her was a tall, slim man with light brown skin, deep black eyes, long curled lashes, a pointed nose, and jet black hair. His lab coat fit him like it had been tailored just for his tall, broad-shouldered frame.
Okay Anisa, stop staring. This is not a K-drama. Focus.
"Hello," he said, in a calm, confident voice.
"I'm Umar."
Goddamnit.