In God's Hand (Islam based) (Completed)

ONE

Dear Diary,

It's today. We'll be moving from New York to Singapore - forever. I don't know what to feel about it. Mama is very excited though. She said I will love it there, but I don't know - I don't know anyone there. I've never met any of my relatives since I was born and Mama never really talks about them. I heard the weather is very hot and there's only 2 kind of weather. It's either sunny or rainy. I would rather stay here by myself than move to a foreign country. I hope I can survive there.

Love,
S.H.

------
Sofea

"Sofea please do me a favor and smile when you meet them. They are afterall your relatives," Aida Harrison said to her daughter.

Sofea rolled her eyes and pulled her backpack strap tighter to her chest. Even though she's already 21 years old, she still looked like a high school student with her backpack and her two ponytails. She shook her bangs out of her eyes and bit her lips from snapping at her mother.

The moment she stepped on Singapore soil, she could feel the heat despite in an air-conditioned room. She couldn't help feel a bit self-conscious as she had on a thick sweatshirt and she could feel perspire trickled down her forehead and neck. She wondered how long can she endure this shift.

Pulling her baggages from the conveyor belt, Sofea looked out for her mother's baggages as well. When she saw a large black suitcase which belong to her late father, she pushed past some passengers who were waiting for their baggages and reached out to the bag.

Suddenly she missed her footing and lost her balance, screaming. People around her watched in shock as she fell on the surveyor belt yet nobody came to help. Some even laughed at her. In embarrassement, she quickly scrambled up and grabbed her mother's suitcase. Putting it on the trolley together with her baggages, she sighed in annoyance.

Her mother looked at her apologetically and help her pushed the trolley.

"Thanks for the help everyone," Sofea mumbled sarcastically as she walked away.

Aida bit a laugh and they strolled out into the exit of arrival hall. Aida looked around for a familiar face, and she found him standing at the end of the crowd with a big smile on his lips. He waved at them and pushed past the crowd to greet them.

"Assalamualaikum Aida!" (Peace be upon you, Aida)

"Wa'alaikumsalam brother." (Peace be upon you too brother.)

Aida cringed at Sofea's surprised face at the exchange between her and her big brother. Aida kissed his hand and hugged her brother as her tears threatens to fall from her eyes. She took a deep breath, but she failed to calm herself especially when her brother started sobbing in front of her. So both of them stood hugging each other, crying and unaware of the unwanted attention.

Sofea cleared her throat as she stood with her hands folded over her chest. "Excuse me. Can you explain to me why I didn't know you had a brother?"

Aida pulled away from his brother as she wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks. She laughed nervously as she glanced between the two. "Sofea, this is your uncle, Uncle Aidil. Abang (big brother) Aidil, this is my daughter, Sofea."

"Assalamualaikum Sofea. How are you?"

Sofea stood unmoved, frowning at both of the siblings in front of her. She had no idea how to reply to her uncle's greeting, so she shrugged and turned to her mother.

Aida knew she should have told Sofea before they came here. But she couldn't bring herself to talk about her family to Sofea especially after 22 years of the silent treatment.