After Ahmed regained consciousness, his body was still trembling. He sat in front of his father and Haruki, his voice broken as he said:
"I... I don't believe you... Show me the pictures!"
His father and Haruki exchanged mischievous glances, then burst out laughing. Muhammad, Ahmed's father, said in a light tone, but hiding the weight of secrets behind it:
"If we show you the pictures, what will you give us in return?"
Ahmed swallowed with difficulty and shouted in agitation:
"I'll do what you tell me... anything!"
The two laughed louder, and shook their heads in agreement.
They then arrived at the family home, where Fawzia, Ahmed's mother, welcomed them with an affectionate smile. She shook Haruki's hand with respect, as if she had known him for a long time. Ahmed turned to his father, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets:
"Mother... you know Mr. Haruki?!"
His father answered him calmly:
"Yes, my son."
Ahmed trembled more, he felt as if his heart was being stabbed with a knife. He stammered as he mumbled:
"And Mother... she knows you are a gang leader?"
Haruki smiled and answered in place of his friend:
"Of course, she knows everything."
Ahmed felt as if a bullet had pierced his chest. He froze in his place, unable to speak.
At that moment, his mother entered carrying a generous feast: Yemeni biryani with its scent of spices wafting, soft white shafut, dark Yemeni coffee whose aroma embraced the air, and traditional sweets that adorned the table. Everyone sat down, and Ahmed sat among them in a daze.
Muhammad began the conversation seriously:
"Now, Ahmed... we must talk about the matter of your marriage to Misaki."
Ahmed trembled more, he looked at all of them and said:
"Is this marriage serious... or just a joke?!"
Haruki smiled and said calmly:
"It is very serious."
Ahmed shouted, remembering:
"Then... show me the pictures!"
They handed him a small box, and Ahmed opened it with trembling hands, to find dozens of pictures inside. Pictures of him with Misaki when they were children, laughing together, playing together, and even pictures of him bathing next to her in his childhood, more than fifty pictures.
Ahmed froze in his place, his eyes widening with every picture, while his father, mother, and Haruki burst into laughter. His father said as he patted his shoulder:
"You promised, my son, if we show you the pictures... you will do what we want."
Haruki smiled widely and added:
"And what we want is clear... marry Misaki."
The laughter of the three rose even more, while Ahmed sat in the middle of them as if he had fallen into a nightmare. He whispered in deep fear:
"But... but I'm a Muslim! I can't..."
His mother interrupted him, laughing with tears of joy in her eyes:
"My son... Mr. Haruki and his family are Muslims. And their gang is also Muslim."
Ahmed shattered even more, as if every word fell on him like a heavy stone. He stared at all of them in a daze,
then whispered to himself:
"Will... will I really find myself marrying Misaki?!"