ABOUT THIS BOOK
Description
I saw a young man sitting close to his family, chatting warmly with them in affection.
“Samar!” the woman called his name in a serious voice. Hearing that, he turned his attention to her—because she rarely called him by his name. Usually she just said, “Soldier.” That made him certain his mother was about to say something important.
“Yes, Umma.”
“Soldier, do you have work now? And does your father even have the money to marry you off, even if you yourself don’t have anything? Shouldn’t you first get a job? You’ve been working for three years now, you’ve gained rank and you’ve started earning money—so now you should find someone to marry.”
“Your mother is right. You’re 30 years old now, so you should get married, Soldier,” Abba said.
“Hm… alright. In sha Allah, I’ll try to look for someone suitable.”
“Masha Allah. May Allah bring you a good one.”
His phone suddenly rang. The name Taj appeared. Smiling, he answered and said, “Hello, my friend—how are you?”
On the other end, he heard, “All good. Didn’t you see the message in your email? The Major needs us urgently for an assignment—we’re going.”
He adjusted how he was holding the phone and said, “An assignment? After we just got a one-month leave—what assignment again?”
“I don’t know, wallahi. I even thought you’d seen the message—that’s why I’m asking. We spoke to Sam too; she was surprised as well. But anyway, when we get to Abuja tomorrow we’ll know.”
“Hm… okay, no problem. We’ll meet tomorrow.”
He ended the call and checked his email. Truly, they wanted to see them tomorrow.
He told his parents; they wished him well, and he began preparing to travel…
“Sam, you’re a woman—why can’t you sit and rest? You’re always suffering. Leave this job, please. You see, the relatives keep insulting me, saying I’m the one who tied your waist and forced you into working like a man and mixing with men.”
“Mommy, just ignore them. None of them has ever helped us since Baba died. So now I’ve worked hard and finally got a job—and I’ve even gotten promoted—so it’s not right for me to throw away this opportunity. Just pray for me; may Allah protect me.”
“I pray every day, you know that. But what about marriage?”
“Marriage—its time will come, Mommy. But in sha Allah I promise you: when we return from this urgent assignment we were called for, I will.”
“Alright. May Allah protect you all.”
“Ameen, Mommy. I love you.”
“I love you too. So when are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow. I’m just packing my things—I know I won’t return from there; we’ll go straight to the assignment.”
“Jidda, so you’re really going to leave me and go for this assignment? Our wedding is only three weeks away—yet you’re going on some mission. Please resign from the job.”
“Bash, you knew—really knew—about my work, and you still felt you could marry me. So please be patient. You know it’s not even a long assignment.”
“I can’t accept that the woman I’m going to marry is mixing in groups of men. If you go on this assignment, I swear you should look for another husband.”
Fuuuu—he left the place.
She didn’t even bother to look after him. How could he want her not to go—does he want her to lose her job after all the suffering she endured to reach where she is now? No—wallahi she wouldn’t be foolish. She would go.
She went home feeling upset, and her grandmother asked her what was wrong.
She hid nothing from her, because she had no one but her. Her parents had long passed away; she was in the care of her grandmother and grandfather.
Her grandmother clicked her tongue: “Mtsss… so it’s because of him you’re worried? Forget him. If the marriage doesn’t happen, then Allah didn’t decree it. Go and do your work. A man is never guaranteed anyway. From the start I understood he doesn’t truly love you. Calm down, you hear?”
“Alright, Grandma. Thank you.”
When she returned to her room, she called her friend Sam and told her; Sam also comforted her and told her to be patient…
The next day, everyone gathered in Abuja at the main military headquarters.
Major Sa’id came out and began to speak after they finished selecting those who would go on the journey.
There were four close friends: Samir, Taj, Sam, and Jidda. They had worked together for a long time, though Samir was the senior among them.
“The reason I called you urgently is this: a disease outbreak has struck a certain town, and it has afflicted the little daughter of a General—she can’t be more than three years old. We want you to go and rescue this child. Knowing your zeal and dedication is why I included you in this mission.
“You, Captain Samir, are the leader of the mission. But Emanuel is the one who knows the forest routes—so you will not enter anywhere without his permission. As for the rest of your team, all of you are 200, because the forest is dangerous. We have prepared plenty of combat weapons for you.
“And whoever returns from this mission will receive a promotion and a special reward—one that the General himself will personally give, as long as his daughter is rescued. Know this mission is compulsory, and do not dare fail to bring back the child. That’s all. You may set out now—good luck and victory.”
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