Chapter XXX. An utterance on his lips

The summer of 1989 AD

Marwan is nine years old.

Alara is in her 38th year.

The news came from Istanbul. Uncle Fouad’s health is not the finest. He is caught between life and death at the hospital. He’s still young. He just celebrated his 38th birthday. Death, however, is unconcerned with reconstruction. He passed away from an incurable illness. Years ago, his wife passed away. He struggles to take care of his only daughter. Nubia, seven years old.

He worries about dying in this circumstance since he has no idea what will happen to the girl in this nation without a father, mother, or brother to care for her after him. His only choice is his sister Alara since her husband Sardar is a kind, wealthy guy with whom Nubia would lead a respectable life. In the hopes that she will be assured following his impending passing, it is vital to try.

As soon as she received the phone call, she boarded the first plane to Istanbul, taking Marwan with her. The caller from the hospital is serious. “His condition is very serious, madam. The doctors said he might not live until tomorrow.”

She hurries against time to get there, going straight from the airport to the hospital.

God bless, at least he was still alive as the nurse led her to his room.

She turned to see Nubia, who was holding her father’s hand and standing by the bed.

 Light wheat skin tone, silky-smooth black hair, eyes the same shade of blue as her father’s, a little nose, big cheeks, and a small mouth painted in the shape of raspberries;

She still has the same Ottoman beauty, but there seems to be a strong Pharaoh-like influence in her facial characteristics, making her look more like a hybrid of the two.

-Do not be concerned, dear brother; I promise to you that I will take care of Nubia’s upbringing and treat her like I would my son in the unfortunate event that something was to happen to you.

He struggled to open his eyes, smiled, grabbed Nubia’s hand, sighed, and shook his head. The respirator prevented him from speaking, but he wanted to say, “Thank God you are here; you arrived before my death.”

“Don’t worry, brother, you’ll be alright. I’ll go to the doctor to check on you”, Alara said while holding his other hand.

She left the room. Fouad looked at Marwan. The latter got closer to the bed, shyly, not knowing how to console him. He grabbed his uncle’s hand and smiled at him. The uncle wanted to say something to them, but the respirator prevented him. He motioned for him to remove it from his mouth, and this is what Marwan did.

He could hardly speak, breathing hard,

Eagerly and fearfully, the father said: Son, Marwan, I may die at any moment, so you have to listen carefully to what I am going to say, Nubia my daughter, she will need you, be noble with her as your father is, as your grandfather Hassan was, Nubia is in your custody, do not let harm happen to her.

-I will guard her uncle, don’t worry about this; I will keep her safe. This is a promise and a covenant, and as long as I live, I won’t betray it.

The youngster shook his head with the youthful excitement of a child while maintaining serious features.

The uncle began to breathe his last as he pulled his hands tighter around theirs. Nubia rushed outside to get help but could only make it a short distance before turning around. The doctor quickly arrived and started the resuscitation procedure.

Marwan stands stunned, afraid of what he sees.

He had never witnessed the fear of death before, he was still holding his uncle’s hand, staring at his lips, as if he were waiting for a last word he wanted to hear, moving without a sound, as if he was trying to say something more!

It was over in a matter of seconds. The good, kind, honorable, and heroic Uncle Fouad passed away.

He passed away, and it is enough for him to feel proud of himself for not kissing the troops’, invaders’, or the shame’s foreheads on the page of his writings.

He looked at the door, Nubia was crying alone there, she had just begun a journey to be orphaned, without a father or a mother, he left his maternal uncle’s hand and rushed to her, holding her hand, I will be a father, a brother and a friend to you, and I will not break my promise to my uncle as long as I live.

He bit his lip and glanced back at the bed. The boy’s features had changed, and he appeared to be searching by casting his eyes a few meters into the distance.

He nodded his head while humming to himself.

” I will follow your instructions; I will find it, I will safeguard Nubia, and I won’t ever disappoint you.”