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PART 11
ISHMAEL & ISAAC
Opeyemi Akintunde
No one came out of their houses. Peter’s line was switched off. It was 8pm already. Roseline was sitting on the porch of their 3 bedroom apartment. She knew her Husband would come home. The Holy Spirit in her kept assuring her that Peter would come home with her son. Everything within her wanted to go out and look for him on the streets, but it felt like an angel was standing by her and restricting her from leaving…
*****
Peter had been walking for an hour carrying Ishmael who obviously out of exhaustion had slept off. The weight was telling on Peter and he silently wished for a vehicle…
“God, please let a vehicle pass by here… please!”
Five minutes later he saw a light from the distance. He turned to check if it was a vehicle.
“Thank God!” He exclaimed on seeing the two headlights approaching him… Peter started flagging the car down…
****
Dr. Ahmed was returning home, the religious riot had met him at the hospital. His wife Rasheedat had told him to stay at the hospital till the next day but in the last five minutes he got very uneasy and it felt like a voice kept telling him to get up and go home.
Just three minutes into his driving, he was seeing a man flagging down his car. He didn’t plan to stop but he noticed the man was carrying a child, the pediatrician in him couldn’t help but step on the brake.
“Good Evening Sir, please I need a lift!”
“Good Evening! Where are you headed?”
“Seventh Avenue!”
“Ok, I am going to the Ninth Avenue… Come in…”
“God bless you!” Peter said as usual
Dr. Ahmed didn’t reply…
If he knew the man was a Christian, he may not have offered him the help, but the Child…
Peter noticed the man did not reply to his prayer, he looked around in the vehicle, he saw His Quran on the car seat behind and the Muslim prayer bead.
“Would you like to alight?” Dr Ahmed said “Since you can see that I am a Muslim”
“No Sir, I am fine… We are one!” Peter couldn’t believe he said that…
The two sat quietly for the next 30 minutes drive.
******
An Unknown Car suddenly parked in front of the house. Roseline knew instantly Peter was back. She was happy he was carrying her son.
“Thank you Sir!” Peter said and Dr Ahmed called him back…
“Sir, this has always been my philosophy in life… In this Vehicle called Life which is called a transitioning place to our final destination heaven, if every man can stay in their space with the heart to live in peace, we all would live peacefully in the world, regardless of our different religions“ Dr Ahmed said…
Peter nodded with understanding and Dr Ahmed zoomed off…
By that time, Roseline was already by Peter…
“Thank you Jesus! Thank you…” Roseline’s hand dropped from carrying Ishmael from Peter when she saw the child, he was a far cry from her son. Though her son was half caste, but he wasn’t as white as a full blown Arab boy.
“Where is my son?” Roseline asked with shaky lips. Peter pulled her into the house instead and laid Ishmael on the sofa. He knelt in front of Roseline saying…
“I…I… couldn’t find him in the midst of the chaos, but I found him instead…” Peter said breaking down in tears for the first time…
“Him… Who is he…? You stole someone’s child when you couldn’t find ours…?” Roseline was angry and pained. Interestingly, she wasn’t feeling Sad. She had an inner peace, Isaac was not dead…
“I did not steal this child, I found him on the floor crying, while I was looking for Isaac. I couldn’t leave him there. I felt what if Isaac was in that same position, wouldn’t I want someone to help him…” Peter was crying profusely…
“God, I cannot lose Isaac just the way I lost Abraham.” Peter said
“My Son Isaac cannot die. My son is somewhere. I am sure God will bring my son to us. He is probably with someone too like the way this boy is with us…” Roseline said confidently knowing the God she was serving…
******
Rokibah was not planning on touching Isaac…
“I want my own son… Amid get me out of here…” Rokibah said screaming…
She had been disturbing the peace of the small camp all evening. The moment everyone of the Muslim brethren had returned from the riot with celebration shouts of “Allahu Akbar”. Rokibah and Amid knew they were in the wrong place…
“Please May I ask what is the celebration shout for?” Rokibah said
“We have won another war for Allah!” Fareed said
“You call the blood shed of other humans Victory? You call the loss of children Victory? You call the loss of people’s husband’s victory? You call the loss of people’s wives victory?” Rokibah said and everywhere on the camp went silent…
“Rokibah” Amid tried cautioning her. He knew the fanatics were not people to discuss reason with. They had lost their good judgement and had been fed with the religious hate.
“Is this the version of Islam you know, because the version of Islam I know is the version that seeks Peace. Even our greeting tells us what we are to be known for… Peace be unto you! Is that not our greeting? So why did winning a war through bloodshed a thing to celebrate…?” Rokibah asked
“Woman! In Islam, women are not to question men!” Fareed said
“Where is that written in the Quran? Please remind me!” Rokibah replied…
Fareed had no answer for her…
“I guessed as much, no correct knowledge of the scripture yet you fight ignorantly for the same religion.” Rokibah said
“We need to go home, and report this baby to the police department. He is not our son, our son should be out there. Just as I am worried sick about my son, I am sure his parents will be worried about him.” Rokibah said
Amid was dialing Farouq’s number, but it was switched off. He was the one who brought them into this mess, and he was the only one capable of taking them out.
Fareed moved towards Amid…and grabbed his phone hurriedly…
“Calling the police already, I guess?” Fareed said
“No… I wa…was calling my brother” Amid was saying but in a flash, Fareed had a gun pointed at Amid’s Head…
“Nooooo… please ! Not my husband!” Rokibah screamed.
PART 12
ISHMAEL & ISAAC
Opeyemi Akintunde
“Listen woman! We risked our lives to come save you and your husband and you want to pay us back by turning us in … If you go return this child, they will find out about us and besides don’t you know what will happen to you, stupid woman. They will label you a female terrorist. You will become the scape goat. You have two options…
One, you stay here with us and live like us. See the new child as your child, you will be safe from the police and the stigma of being called the couple who caused the religious riot. Or the second option , I kill you and you will die…
So anyone of the choices you pick, something is sure, you are not stepping out of this camp…” Fareed said with a look of seriousness.
Two women walked up to Rokibah and hijacked her bag from her. They ransacked it for her phone. After bringing it out, they handed it over to Fareed…
Fear had taken over Rokibah which was evident in the suddenly loss of her voice.
Amid summoned up courage and said “Can I at least speak with Farouq my brother”…
Fareed didn’t give him an answer, instead he spoke to his assistant…
“Get them settled in…”
Rokibah rushed towards Amid
“What has Farouq done to us? I told you several times not to ever ask Farouq for any Favour!”
“Rokibah, All will be well…” Amid said as he rocked Isaac.
A man walked towards them.
“Brother, give the child to his mother and follow me.” He said
“The child is not mine…” Rokibah said
“Now, He is yours. Allah never makes mistake “
“Where are you taking my husband to?” Rokibah asked in fear with a loud trembling voice. Simultaneously, two women walked up to Rokibah and said
“Sister, please come with us!”
“To …?”
“The sisters’ quarters.” One of the women said…
“I don’t understand… Married couple stay differently here?” Rokibah asked and the silence in the room told her she was right…
Rokibah couldn’t help but laugh hysterically…
“And you expect me to believe, what you people practice here is Islam?”
“Tell your wife to cooperate with the rules here… It would be the best for you both especially you.” The man said to Amid…
Amid was blank. He was looking forward to a private time alone. He wanted to ask Allah for the forgiveness of his sin, especially the bloodshed that happened because of him. If only he had accepted the letter in good fate.
“Brother!” The man jerked Amid
“Yes!”
“Speak to your wife…”
Like a robot, Amid faced Rokibah…
“Rokibah, this will pass, just obey whatever we are instructed to do… Please, I cannot afford to lose you… Also take care of the boy… Call him Ishmael… Who knows Allah may show our son kindness wherever he is because of how we treat this boy…” Amid said with misty eyes…
Rokibah looked into her Amid’s eye…
“In sha Allah, we will be out of here sooner than you expect…” Amid said to her. Rokibah watched as her husband left her. She watched as his hand left hers. The boy in her hand snuggled closer to her…
In Obedience to Amid, as Amid casted a glance at Rokibah over his shoulders, Rokibah followed the women into a different new world with a new child. A world of religiously misled blood thirsty men…
CLICK HERE TO READ ISHMAEL & ISAAC (PART 13&14) – OPEYEMI OJERINDE AKINTUNDE
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