A Simple Task Changes Destiny

"Honestly, Zaina, Mama forgot her bag and it has important things she needs for work in it. She left it here and went to work and I have to take it to her, but the problem is I have an exam and I can't be late for it, and I called her many times to send someone to pick it up but she's not answering and I don't know what to do, so if you're not in a hurry could you take the bag to her for me, please, Zaina?"

"Is that all? You scared me, girl, I thought it was some disaster, God forbid. Okay, fine, anyway my lecture is at eleven thirty and now it's nine o'clock. I was just going early because I had agreed with two of my friends to sit together for a bit before the lecture, but no problem, I'll just sit with them in the break between the two lectures and that's it."

"Sorry, Zaina, I'll hold you up and ruin your plans and trouble you, but truly I have no other solution."

"Stop it, girl, stop being silly. You're not going to hold me up or trouble me or ruin my plans or any of that nonsense you're saying, and besides, aren't we like sisters or what? And besides, girl, life goes around, I mean I could end up in a situation where I need your help too, and surely then you wouldn't leave me hanging."

"Habibti, thank you so much, and more than sisters even, and I'm at your service for anything, of course. Here is the bag and this is the address of the place."

"Okay, then, do you need anything else?"

"No, habibti, take care."

"May God be with you, and let me know how you did after you finish the exam."

"Okay."

After Zaina went down the stairs in front of the building entrance

"Zaina, ya Zaina!"

"I seek forgiveness from God, O Lord."

"Zaina, can I know why you don't answer me?"

"And why on earth would I answer you in the first place?"

"Because I love you and I asked your grandmother for your hand."

"And I refused, and please, I wish you wouldn't talk to me again, because standing together like this is wrong and haram, so please just leave me alone."

"Then can I understand why you're rejecting me?"

"Ugh, please stay away from me."

"Because I drink and I'm not close to God, right? Just say yes, Zaina, and I promise you I'll quit that drinking completely and I'll get close to God and I'll do everything that pleases you."

"I seek forgiveness from God, we get close to God because that's what's right and we stay away from our desires because Paradise is worth it, not to please people, and please don't make me bear the sin of standing here talking to a man I have no connection to, so please stay away from me nicely or I will literally go and file a report against you at the police station for harassing me."

"I won't stay away from you, Zaina, because I don't just love you, I adore you, and those few words you said won't scare me, and you will be mine willingly or even by force you will be mine, do you understand, and you will end up being my wife and in my house," and he left her and walked away.

"O Lord, distract him with his own life and keep him away from me."

The clock announced eight o'clock London time.

In one of the most beautiful villas in London

A lady in her fifties sat browsing the internet and following everything new about the fortune of Hamza al-Asyuti.

"Good morning, Mami."

"Good morning, Shatha, where were you, habibti?"

"I was out for a little run."

"Well, come on so we can have breakfast together."

"ok"

"Mami, why aren't you eating?"

"I'm just a little distracted."

"Can I know what's wrong?"

"Hamza's fortune keeps increasing, he was able to grow his money very quickly."

"Yes, that's because Hamza is a successful person."

Farida: "Oh, Shatha, if Hamza becomes yours, all this fortune of his will be at our disposal."

Shatha: "Ugh, Mami, we've talked about this a lot and I told you Hamza is not on my mind."

Farida: "I don't know how your mind works, how could he not be on your mind? All the girls in the world are chasing after him."

Shatha: "Let them have him."

Farida: "Girl, do you want me to die of a stroke because of you? I will never allow some strange woman to come and take everything just like that, ready-made."

Shatha: "Let me tell you something, let him be the one to choose."

Farida: "If you hadn't decided to study here in London, we would have been sitting in Egypt right in front of him, wouldn't he have asked for your hand in marriage by now?"

Shatha: "By God, Mami, do you believe what you're saying? Give your mind a rest, Mami, just as Hamza is not on my mind, I'm not on his mind either, and you know he has never seen me as more than a sister, just as he is to me my cousin and like my big brother, and besides he's eleven years older than me."

Farida: "So what? Your father, God rest his soul, was older than me by even more than that, and tomorrow I'll make him have you on his mind, Shatha, and come ask me for you, or else I'm not Farida al-Asyuti."

Shatha: "Truly, there's no use. Excuse me."

Farida: "Where are you going? Sit down and finish eating."

Shatha: "I'm full, excuse me."

Farida: "You turned out to be a jinx like the one who raised you, God rest his soul."

At Zaina's

Zaina got on the microbus and kept remembering God all the way.

Zaina arrived in front of the villa gate and was dazzled by its beauty from the outside.

Zaina to herself: "God, how beautiful is this! If it looks like this from the outside, what must it be like inside? God has willed it."

The security guard: "Miss!"

Zaina distractedly: "Yes?"

The security guard: "I've been talking to you for a while and you weren't with me. Can I help you with something?"

Zaina: "Yes, is there a woman who works here called Tante Suad?"

The security guard: "Yeah."

Zaina: "Well, please, I want to see her."

The security guard: "And who are you?"

Zaina: "I'm a neighbor of hers and I wanted to give her something important."

The security guard: "Alright, come in."

And on the other side,

Hamza: "Alright, Ziad, send me all the reports on the new project and I'll look them over."

Ziad: "Okay, I'll send them to your email right now."

Hamza: "Alright."

Ziad: "Are you coming to the company today?"

Hamza: "If I finish work at the Directorate early, I might stop by for a bit."

Ziad: "Alright, my friend, may God help you."

Hamza: "Bye."

Hamza, pressing a button beside him: "Suad, send my coffee to my room."

Suad: "Yes, sir."

Back with Zaina,

Zaina was about to enter through the main gate of the villa

The security guard fearfully: "Wait here, where are you going?"

Zaina: "I'm going in."

The security guard nervously: "Going in where? Do you want to get me into trouble? Not from here."

Zaina followed the security guard until they went to the kitchen through the servants' entrance.

The security guard: "Sett Suad, there's someone asking for you."

Suad anxiously: "Zaina, what's wrong, my daughter? Are you alright? Has something happened to Sara?"

Zaina calmly: "Don't worry, Tante, Sara is fine and I'm fine too. I just came to give you your bag; you forgot it and she couldn't come because of her exams."

Suad: "So why didn't you call?"

Zaina: "She says she called you many times and you didn't answer."

Suad, taking her phone out of the bag: "Yes, she really did call, but I didn't hear it because I had it on silent. Sorry, Zaina, we put you to trouble and held you up, my daughter."

Zaina with a smile: "No trouble at all, Tante."

Suad fearfully: "Oh my God!"

Zaina: "What's wrong, Tante? Is something the matter?"

Suad with great fear: "I forgot Hamza Bey's coffee, I got distracted with the food and completely forgot it. Zaina, my love, can I ask you for a favor?"

Zaina: "Of course, Tante, you don't need to ask."

Suad pleadingly: "Please, could you make a mug of plain coffee and take it up to Hamza Bey? Please, my daughter, I have to make a very urgent call."

Zaina: "Yes, but—"

Suad, interrupting and pleading: "Please, Zaina, there's no one else right now, the other girls went to get things for the kitchen, and if I'm any later than this I'll get fired, and don't worry, Hamza Bey— Safia who works with us here said he went into the office—but he told me to bring it to his room, so you'll just knock and then go in and put the coffee on the table and then leave."

Zaina: "Alright, but would he really fire you, to that extent?"

Suad: "And worse, my daughter, you don't know him."

And on the other side, Hamza had indeed gone into the office, but afterwards he came out and went up to his room and took a shower and got dressed, then he received a phone call.

Hamza: "Hello, yes, Ashraq?"

Ashraf: "Hamza Bey, His Excellency the General wants you."

Hamza: "Alright, I'm coming right away."

Minutes later,

Zaina: "Tante Suad, I've finished the coffee."

Suad: "Alright, my love, Hamza Bey's room is the room right across from the stairs."

Zaina: "Okay."

Zaina to herself: "May God protect me."

As Zaina was walking with the coffee, she bumped into someone and spilled the coffee on him.

To be continued...