182 - Mahjub Al-Makki

*Mahjub Al-Makki*

We left home early; I managed to evade Hope and Pietra, who were wandering around Henrique’s mansion garden. Luckily, I convinced her to go back to her room. I was awakened by a message from my brother-in-law telling me where I should go.

Samir had already said that Matthew and another senator were under surveillance. Everything indicated that they had bribed a hangar employee to sabotage the aircraft, intending to kill Mr. Lira, now the country’s president. We only needed to find them alive to take office.

We were in the vast area of the dense forest. There were several rescue teams, and it was evident how exhausted they were from the relentless search. They were having coffee and discussing the chances of still finding them alive after a week.

Most still believe that if they survived the crash, they must be severely injured and close to death, while the other part of the rescue teams believes we are searching for dead bodies.

I really want to believe that Allah has not taken the gift of life from their lungs and that they are still alive. Seeing Pietra suffering as she has in recent days worries us even more, especially since she has been living recklessly.

I started walking toward where my parents were talking to some of the search leaders and noticed Henrique approaching from behind me.

“Mahjub, I think it’s better if you go with Henrique; it will be good for them to see someone familiar!” my father Hassan says.

"Are you not coming?" I asked them, curious.

I observed my two fathers, who were wearing jeans and sweatshirts to protect themselves from the light rain falling on our heads. I see them shake their heads, and my father Hassan goes to a coffee machine and serves himself.

"No, it's time for you to start caring about your friends and being where they are," he says, sweetening his coffee.

"He's lying, son; it's because he's old!" *Babi*, Bruno says, also serving himself some coffee.

I roll my eyes at their sense of humor. I've never seen two older men tease each other so much.

"Let's go, Mahjub. They've found the plane..." Henrique says, looking at the communicator in his hand.

We looked at each other, happy with the news. I smile at the possibility that this nightmare could end today and that I can return to the preparations for my wedding with Hope. Many things were already organized; we just needed our friends by our side. I hope they are well so we can have our wedding.

I nod and leave my two elderly fathers, accompanied by our security and some men from my brother-in-law's team.

There were a few men accompanying us, and I thank Allah for wearing jeans and sneakers; if I were in a thobe, I would have fallen many times by now. The ground is covered with moss and leaves, making it hard to see a safe path.

"How do you feel about the wedding approaching?" Henrique asks.

He starts a conversation after a while of silence. We had been walking for at least an hour and were not even close to reaching the wreckage they had found.

"Anxious to be able to say she belongs to me." I smile like a love-struck fool.

"I felt the same way before marrying your sister!" he says, and I start to laugh.

"So anxious that you went to sleep at my parents' house, right?" I say, laughing.

“But it’s something we can’t control. Look at the two of you…” Henrique says, pointing to a mud puddle in front of me, which I avoid. “It’s hard to stay away, isn’t it?”

I nod and scratch my beard. 

“You must understand how I feel. I spent four years trying to find a way to redeem myself for what happened…”

We talk the entire way about some of the things I faced alone during my “exile.” Eventually, we begin to see light breaking through the dense forest, and then we spot the jet. It’s quite destroyed, missing one of the engines and the tail, completely wrecked.

We run towards the wreckage and find a huge mess. The seats are mostly gone, and near the cockpit, we see blankets. Amid the commotion we cause, Guilherme raises his head.

“Thank Allah!” I say.

Finally, we rescued them. Guilherme’s father was much more debilitated, with a fractured leg and several broken ribs. He complained of pain as soon as the men touched any part of his body. After all, he is no longer young, at sixty-nine, his bones are certainly frail.

Unfortunately, the pilot did not survive; a tree trunk had impaled him. It seems he might have died long before they hit the ground. Thankfully, Guilherme and his father are alright, considering the impact seemed very violent.

“What happened, Guilherme?” I ask as we settle him into the helicopter.

“It was crazy. We were talking, and then there was a huge explosion. The cabin depressurized, and I was thrown against the wall. My father, who was strapped in, got tossed around. I think that’s what kept him alive…”

I see him sigh and try to look at his father, who fell asleep after taking a dose of morphine.

After all the commotion at the hospital and the consultation to clear up any doubts about a possible pregnancy, we returned to the family. I felt at ease watching Hope while she was in the bathroom taking the test. I felt a bit anxious because I know she wants to continue her ballet, at least until her contract ends.

I know she doesn’t want a baby right now, especially since she is at the peak of her career as a ballerina. I don’t want our marriage or who she will become by marrying me to take away the shine from what she loves to do.

We have time to have our children, and I know that when she is ready, it will happen. Just to be sure, Hope took a blood test, and to our surprise, she had a slight anemia, which made me quite worried.