Essha was walking cautiously as if she might not make it, and the weather was dangerous with strong winds and dust storms. But despite the circumstances, she was walking calmly as though nothing was wrong.

Ahead of her, I spotted a beautiful Black girl.

She turned and called, "Essha, Essha!" She called her twice, "Hurry up, if you don't, we might lose Nepep in this weather!" 

But Essha didn’t respond immediately; she just smiled. 

I heard a soft voice saying, "Come on, Bestie, you should go. You have to wait for me, don’t leave me behind!" The one called "Bestie" turned to her, shook her head, and said, "Honestly, Essha, you’re always getting on my nerves." Essha replied, "Come on, Bestie, forgive me, please." She held her ear and apologized. "Alright, I hear you. Let's hurry and get home." Essha agreed and said, “Let’s go.”

They stepped out and on the road, they were fortunate to find Nepep. "Hey, Mr. Nepep, Bukar Ari'i, we’re heading to Yumaco," said Bestie. Nepep replied, "Okay, I understand, come in, let's go." They got in and began chatting. 

They talked about a wedding they had attended, a girl they had seen there. Essha asked, "So, who is the bride, Bestie?" Bestie replied, "I’m not sure, but I’ll find out." Then they both burst into laughter. 

Essha remarked, "Honestly, I really like this place, I think I’ll consider marriage." Bestie responded, "Ha! You don’t even know what you're talking about; it’s me, not you!" Essha replied, “Oh, Bestie, I’m not interested in marriage for now. I want to finish my studies and become a doctor.”

Bestie teased her again, “Well, you should focus on that. Don’t worry about marriage for now.”

Nepep spoke up, “We’ve arrived, thank you for the ride.”

After they got out, Essha said to Bestie, "I’ll be back later; I’m going to drop by." She smiled and added, “Sorry for not answering your calls yesterday, I was talking to Khalid until I fell asleep.”

Essha continued, "Khalid really makes me feel for him, but you... it’s not certain yet." Bestie responded, “It’s okay, I understand. Just focus on your studies, inshaAllah. Let’s pray for what’s best for us.”

Essha replied, “Ameen, may Allah grant us the best.”

She went inside the house.

"Assalamu Alaikum," she greeted.

"Wa Alaikum Salam," Amir responded. He had been following her.

Mufeedat, their niece, ran up to Essha and hugged her, saying, "Oyoyo Sis Essha, how are you, aunty?" 

Essha responded, "Where is Mummy?" 

Mufeedat replied, “She’s in the kitchen. Dad is fasting today, it’s Thursday.”

Essha nodded, "Alright, I’ll go and check on her." 

Mufeedat continued, "Have you seen Walid? Oh, sorry sis, I didn’t notice. My car broke down, that’s why I wasn’t paying attention." 

Essha jokingly said, "You’re too busy with your car." 

Mufeedat responded, "Yes, it’s true. I’ll get better at this." 

Essha smiled and asked, "Has Daddy returned?" 

Mufeedat answered, "Yes, but they’ve gone out with Khairat, they went to the chemist, and they’ll be back soon." 

Essha said, "SubhanAllah, may Allah protect us." 

The family responded, "Ameen." 

Essha went to the kitchen and called out, "Mummy? Mummy?" 

Her mother replied, "Yes, Essha, why are you calling like that without greeting first? You didn’t even say ‘Salam’!" 

Essha apologized, "Sorry, Mummy, how is everything?" 

Her mother responded, “Everything is fine. But you didn’t hear, they went to the Ta'al Conference Hotel.”

Essha was surprised. "Wow, I didn’t know. I’m going to change my clothes and join you." 

Her mother said, "Hurry up and get ready. We’ll have dinner soon as your father is coming back." 

Essha replied, "Okay, I’ll change quickly and join you." 

She went to her room to change clothes and returned to help her mother set the dining table. After they finished, they started to prepare for the Maghrib prayer.