Manane!! Manane!!! Why are you still in bed? You’re going to be late for school! Umma, sorry, we don’t have a lecture at nine. Even so, get up and get ready so that Samira doesn’t have to wait for you. Are you ready?
Okay, Umma, let me get up.
Hmph, as if. She got up and closed the door behind her. Umma was leaving and Manane threw her feet from the edge of the bed, saying her prayers. “It’s always me who wants to go to school,” she muttered. (Looking at her sister, Amina, she added, “It would be better if I studied and not her.”) At thirteen or fourteen years old, Manane wasn’t considered beautiful. She had a long nose, a pink mouth, expressive eyes, and a lot of hair, although she tied it with a ribbon that still couldn’t hide it completely. Her forehead was visible, and her hairline wasn’t very high. It couldn’t be styled in a short or medium-length line.
Manane sat there and heard her friend Samira greeting Umma.
Umma said, “Go inside and see if she wakes me up. I’m tired of waking her up.” So Manane got up and hurried to the bathroom.
After fifteen minutes, she came out of the bathroom and found Samira waiting for her. She laughed, knowing she was late, and said, “Hey, Sambaby, are you here already?”
Ha! Look, Manane, you didn’t hear, but I’ll get my revenge. You made us almost late. Look, it’s 8:40. Today is Malam Habib, and that won’t stop us from getting in. Yes, anyway, let’s go and get the car ready. Okay, let’s go.
After 10 minutes, they stepped out and found Umma in the bedroom watching TV. They were about to leave when she asked, “Are you going to have breakfast?” Manane replied, “If there’s chocolate and ice cream, I don’t mind. Just reduce the amount of sugar you consume, and don’t forget to cry when your period comes.” At the college gate, they saw their chauffeur waiting, so they got in the car. They saw other students entering the college through the gate. They were from wealthy families. (Manane grabbed Amina’s hand, and they told the driver to take them back home.)
After an hour since they left, Umma was sitting in the living room, watching a series on Zee-Magic. Her phone started ringing. She picked it up and answered, “Comment vas-tu?” (How are you?) Manane couldn’t hear what the person on the other side was saying, but she could see that Umma was happier. Umma mentioned that she became an ambassador and gave birth to twins. Congratulations and God bless. Raya was in the hospital. Umma fell silent for a moment and then asked, “Did you inform Hadjia Amachatou?”
When they arrived at Kenan Hospital, they found Hadjia Amachatou in the room where Safara was. They pushed the door open and entered. They greeted her and wished her well. Umma, provoked by Adam, went out to talk to him. When she laughed, she shook her head.
Kenna entered the living room and started calling for Umma when she returned. An elderly woman (their father’s coworker) came out from the kitchen and greeted Manane.
Manane said, “Where’s Umma?”
Umma went to the hospital and gave birth to twins. Manane shouted for joy, but she was also scared. Umma
came in with a note from the school, wearing clothes that matched what Manane was wearing. She entered the room and greeted them. They celebrated a little.
“How are you two?” Manane asked. Since then, she started calling her friend Sambaby and witnessed her conversations with Patyn (they are adults now).
After the Maghrib prayer, they were discharged from the hospital. Adam and his wife Safara left the house. They had been living in the same neighborhood for a long time. Safara asked, “Did you inform the American people?” Umma replied, “Not yet. Let me try now.” She took the phone and dialed a number. “Hello, brother, how are you? Safara gave birth to a boy and a girl.” Umma fell silent, listening to the other person on the line, and then said, “Oh, no. You’ll finish everything in one month. Alhamdulillah, Masha Allah. Okay, we’ll see you soon. Say hello to your family.”
That day, they decided to name the twins Adnane and Afnane, after Adam’s grandfather and Hadjia Balkissa. They were truly the grandchildren of the first generation. Manane and Paty were also going to America, just like their parents.
