175 - Hassan Al-Makki

Hassan Al-Makki

My star asked me gently, and I couldn't deny anymore what my heart desired. I had been missing Mahjub for a long time, even before my star begged me to bring him home again.

I know I had been terribly cruel to him, but he needed it to mature and understand his place not only in Sudan but also within our family. It hurt to be harsh, insensitive, stupid, authoritarian, and all the other adjectives that could describe me as a father to the son I was very lucky to have. When Carol decided to give me a biological son, I saw it as a gift from Allah.

But when my son chose to disgrace our family by being filmed in that orgy during the night, it was time to teach him one last lesson: Honor!

I watch my brother Bruno working on something I have no idea about, while our wife is curled up, sleeping on my thigh. I gently stroke her long hair, noticing new gray strands that make her even more beautiful.

“How are you feeling?” Bruno asks me, and I see the concern in his eyes.

“Anxious…” I let a smile form.

“He may have made mistakes, we made mistakes with him, and I know this time has been good for everyone!” he asserts.

Sliding my hand through our wife’s hair, I nod in agreement.

"I just wanted our son to mature, you understand?" I said, watching Bruno nod in agreement.

"Our son has matured in ways you can’t imagine. Seeing his determination to win back Hope was inspiring, which makes me believe he will be an excellent leader!” Bruno said proudly.

“Thank you for being a better father than I was, brother,” I said, feeling ashamed.

“We all make mistakes on our journey, Hassan. My mistake brought you into our lives, and I am grateful to Allah for that, and that we’ve managed to coexist…”

I slid my finger along our wife’s cheek, and she turned to face me, sighing deeply in her heavy sleep.

“Carolina has shown herself to be a formidable woman. She had an internal struggle that was painful to witness. I knew she loved you, and I knew from the very beginning that I would only be a stopgap to ease the pain she felt,” I said, recalling the past.

“But seeing our son break the heart of a girl who was being prepared for him hurt deeply. It was as if he had never listened to our stories or learned from our religion.” I looked out the airplane window, observing the orange sky.

It was dawn in Capri. I gently touched my star's face and watched her wake up with a smile, and I smiled back. Bruno stood up and lovingly kissed her, wishing her a good morning. The landing was smooth, and our security team had already prepared everything to take us to the yacht, where Mahjub was with his siblings and friends.

My star had coordinated with the entire family about our arrival. From what we understood, Mahjub was somewhere with Hope, trying to talk to her, which made us happy. Carol had managed to organize everything with everyone, leaving only Bruno to talk to Gustavo, who still seemed uncertain about being here.

As soon as we exited the aircraft, our security informed us, to our surprise, that Gustavo had arrived a few minutes earlier. This delighted Carol, and we watched her walk ahead, removing her hijab. I noticed Bruno seemed more uncomfortable with our wife's exposure than I did. Smiling, I placed a hand on his shoulder. I was wearing my keffiyeh and thobe, looking like a sheikh, but I started thinking I should have worn shorts and a button-down shirt instead.

"Quite extravagant, to be honest, more like an ocean liner than a yacht…" I said, placing my hand on Carol's waist.

As soon as I stepped onto the yacht, Laís appeared with Henrique, who seemed quite worried. If I didn't know my daughter, I'd be sure she was responsible for that expression.

"Babi, what are you doing here?" she asked, concerned.

Our arrival was still a surprise to those on the yacht.

"Well, it's your brother's birthday, or did I get the date wrong?" I said, laughing, receiving her hug and a kiss on my cheek.

"Yes, it is... but... is everything okay?" I smiled at my daughter's concern for her brother.

"Yes, everything is fine. I need you to keep Hope away from Mahjub, ask her to prepare him for our visit…" I said to my daughter.

"They aren't here; they went for a walk and should be back later!" Henrique informed us, glancing from me to Bruno.

Henrique greeted me and pointed towards Bruno, who was coming right behind.

“The third door on the left is Mahjub's room; the front cabin is vacant,” my daughter said, still worried. “You won’t punish him anymore, will you, Dad?”

“No, princess, I came to get your brother and take him to where he belongs. He has already endured what he deserved, and I want to make peace with my youngest son…” I was interrupted by a heartfelt hug from Laís.

“Allah heard my prayers, I’m so happy about this.” I kissed her cheek and felt her arms release me. “I’ll let my brothers know you’ve arrived.”

I watched her walk away, phone in hand, and I was sure she would do something to ease my approach to Mahjub. Even though I hadn’t spoken to him for a few years, I always knew what was happening, either from my Star and Bruno or from his siblings, who always mentioned one thing or another.

We spent the whole day with my children, and when we looked toward the horizon, we saw our son approaching. It wasn't time to talk to him yet, so we returned to the resort to have dinner with Pietra's parents and Gustavo and his wife, who were already staying there.

We orchestrated everything so that tomorrow we could give my son one last gift.

In the early morning, we returned to the yacht, and as we approached the door of his cabin, we could hear the sound of water. He must be purifying himself. I looked at my watch and noticed that I was starting to be late for Salah, so I stepped away from the door, and we entered the front cabin.

I looked at the bed and felt anxious about its size. I was sure that at some point I would end up on the floor with Bruno being as sprawling as he is.

I smiled at the thought and took off my saccade, leaving Carolina and Bruno in the room as they went back to bed. I went to purify myself to begin my first prayer of the day. With my heart focused on the principles of our religion, I asked for forgiveness for all the harm I had done to my son when, in my anger, I thought it was the right thing to do. I felt an immense joy expanding in my chest, and before I finished my prayer, I sensed the presence of my Star praying behind me. When I finished, I looked up to see Bruno, wearing only his underwear, lying on the bed with a ridiculous smile.

“Let’s play odd or even; the winner gets to sleep with my Goddess!” he whispered.

My star rose from her saccade with a smile on her face, shaking her head. I stood up and helped my wife off the prayer mat and toward the suitcase she had prepared for me and Bruno. That’s why I saw my muscular wife’s body still lying there in just her underwear.