Some sophisticated young men were sitting in a very large and luxurious living room. It had two huge brown sofa sets with milk-colored stripes. There were triple staircases — one on the left, one on the right, and one in the center. On one side stood an elegant Chinese table, and on another side a large TV. The living room was furnished with everything necessary, to the extent that if I were to start describing it fully, we might finish the whole book right here in the living room. Just looking at the place, you could easily tell that a fortune was poured into it.
They sat in silence; no one spoke. Their faces looked as if they had received news of death. They were extremely handsome, like Arabs — very fair-skinned and closely resembling each other. One glance at all of them and you would know they were siblings. But the two sitting on the double-seater sofa looked even more alike, as if cut from the same mold. They had long noses, large eyes, and surprisingly, both of the two seated on that sofa had ash-colored irises. The ones beside them had light green eyes, and one had black eyes. Their eyes were large and stunning. They had soft red lips and smooth black beards laying neatly on their jaws. Three of them had short beards, and all of them had long hair flowing down their backs like women.
A stunning young man descended from the center staircase, saying, “Come on DON, you haven’t prepared yet. Aryan, Aiman, Yusuf, Ahmad — what are you all waiting for?”
(I said to myself: So these white guys understand Hausa!)
DON lifted his eyes — he was the one with the light-green eyes — and said, “I’m preparing to go, Khalid.”
Khalid said, “Preparing to go to Nigeria, right? Or have you forgotten Hisham’s wedding is tomorrow?”
DON shook his head. “I’m not going,” he said, heading for the left staircase.
Immediately Khalid turned to block his path. Yusuf stood up and held him back.
Angrily Khalid said, “Yusuf, let me go!”
Yusuf lifted his eyes — he also had large, beautiful light-green eyes — and said, “No, Khalid, I won’t let you go. You know if you follow him, words will turn into trouble. You know how Prince is — once he speaks, that’s final. He never changes his decision. That’s why we changed his name from Prince Safras to DON. When he speaks, it’s done.”
“Please Yusuf, leave me. Today DON must change his mind,” Khalid insisted. “He must go to Hisham’s wedding. We all grew up together; we are one.”
One of the boys sitting on the sofa stood up and said, “Well, I’m not going either.” He walked toward the left staircase.
Yusuf turned sharply and stared at him. “What is this, Aryan? What is wrong with all of you?”
Another stood up and said, “You know there’s no difference between me and Aryan. If he does something, I do it too. If he doesn’t, I won’t. We were born together, and we do everything together.” He also walked toward the right staircase.
Ahmad burst into laughter. “Honestly, Aryan and Aiman are troublesome! DON is trying to put out fire, and they’re trying to light their own!”
Yusuf turned to Ahmad. “This is not funny at all. If you all behave like this then except for Hisham, no one deserves such disrespect. We grew up together. We do everything together even though we don’t share the same father.”
“Let’s go and talk to DON first,” Yusuf added. “Then we’ll find Aryan. He’s the real problem. If Aryan agrees to go, Aiman will follow. He always does whatever Aryan does.”
Khalid started walking. “Today DON has really annoyed me!”
Ahmad quickly covered his mouth. “Stop! Let’s go talk to them calmly. We’re seeking peace, not a fight.”
They climbed the staircase and entered one of the most elegant living rooms — everything was pure white, even the curtains. There was a large sofa set and a huge plasma TV. The only sound was the AC humming. They went straight to the bedroom.
“Subhanallah, Glory be to God, I’ve seen paradise on earth,” Yusuf whispered. The room held huge sofa sets, a small table in the center, and a massive bed big enough for ten people. On the left was the dressing-room door, beside it the toilet. The room was richly furnished.
DON was lying on the giant bed, wearing only trousers, his muscular chest uncovered, with shiny dark chest hair. His arm muscles looked as if they might burst like those of a mighty warrior. He heard Khalid and Yusuf enter but didn’t bother to look.
Yusuf walked to the curtain, pulled it aside, and revealed a glass door leading to an elegant balcony with a canopy, chairs, a small table, and a tiny sky-blue pool like a bath.
“DON, please wake up, we want to talk,” Yusuf said.
DON stayed silent.
Khalid climbed onto the bed. “Please, prince, wake up.”
Still no answer.
“Haba big bro, please. This time we don’t want silence. Can you hear us?” Yusuf pleaded.
DON didn’t respond.
Angrily Ahmad said, “Look DON, please don’t say you won’t attend Hisham’s wedding. If you do that, you’re being unfair. Hisham is our blood!”
DON hissed loudly. “When you’re done with your speech, get out of my room. You’re disturbing me.”
Khalid snapped, “We won’t leave! You must go to the wedding. If you won’t, then choose — either you go with us, or stay here alone.”
DON replied, “Honestly, I enjoy living alone.”
They continued talking until they got tired and left. DON picked up a remote, pointed it at the door, pressed it, and the door locked itself. He turned to face the balcony.
As Yusuf and the others stepped out of DON’s room, they proceeded to Aryan’s room through a corridor and entered another living room identical to DON’s — except…
Description
Description of the Young Men and the Setting
Some sophisticated young men were sitting in a very large and luxurious living room. It had two huge brown sofa sets with milk-colored stripes. There were triple staircases — one on the left, one on the right, and one in the center. On one side stood an elegant Chinese table, and on another side a large TV. The living room was furnished with everything necessary, to the extent that if I were to start describing it fully, we might finish the whole book right here in the living room. Just looking at the place, you could easily tell that a fortune was poured into it.
They sat in silence; no one spoke. Their faces looked as if they had received news of death. They were extremely handsome, like Arabs — very fair-skinned and closely resembling each other. One glance at all of them and you would know they were siblings. But the two sitting on the double-seater sofa looked even more alike, as if cut from the same mold. They had long noses, large eyes, and surprisingly, both of the two seated on that sofa had ash-colored irises. The ones beside them had light green eyes, and one had black eyes. Their eyes were large and stunning. They had soft red lips and smooth black beards laying neatly on their jaws. Three of them had short beards, and all of them had long hair flowing down their backs like women.
A stunning young man descended from the center staircase, saying, “Come on DON, you haven’t prepared yet. Aryan, Aiman, Yusuf, Ahmad — what are you all waiting for?”
(I said to myself: So these white guys understand Hausa!)
DON lifted his eyes — he was the one with the light-green eyes — and said, “I’m preparing to go, Khalid.”
Khalid said, “Preparing to go to Nigeria, right? Or have you forgotten Hisham’s wedding is tomorrow?”
DON shook his head. “I’m not going,” he said, heading for the left staircase.
Immediately Khalid turned to block his path. Yusuf stood up and held him back.
Angrily Khalid said, “Yusuf, let me go!”
Yusuf lifted his eyes — he also had large, beautiful light-green eyes — and said, “No, Khalid, I won’t let you go. You know if you follow him, words will turn into trouble. You know how Prince is — once he speaks, that’s final. He never changes his decision. That’s why we changed his name from Prince Safras to DON. When he speaks, it’s done.”
“Please Yusuf, leave me. Today DON must change his mind,” Khalid insisted. “He must go to Hisham’s wedding. We all grew up together; we are one.”
One of the boys sitting on the sofa stood up and said, “Well, I’m not going either.” He walked toward the left staircase.
Yusuf turned sharply and stared at him. “What is this, Aryan? What is wrong with all of you?”
Another stood up and said, “You know there’s no difference between me and Aryan. If he does something, I do it too. If he doesn’t, I won’t. We were born together, and we do everything together.” He also walked toward the right staircase.
Ahmad burst into laughter. “Honestly, Aryan and Aiman are troublesome! DON is trying to put out fire, and they’re trying to light their own!”
Yusuf turned to Ahmad. “This is not funny at all. If you all behave like this then except for Hisham, no one deserves such disrespect. We grew up together. We do everything together even though we don’t share the same father.”
“Let’s go and talk to DON first,” Yusuf added. “Then we’ll find Aryan. He’s the real problem. If Aryan agrees to go, Aiman will follow. He always does whatever Aryan does.”
Khalid started walking. “Today DON has really annoyed me!”
Ahmad quickly covered his mouth. “Stop! Let’s go talk to them calmly. We’re seeking peace, not a fight.”
They climbed the staircase and entered one of the most elegant living rooms — everything was pure white, even the curtains. There was a large sofa set and a huge plasma TV. The only sound was the AC humming. They went straight to the bedroom.
“Subhanallah, Glory be to God, I’ve seen paradise on earth,” Yusuf whispered. The room held huge sofa sets, a small table in the center, and a massive bed big enough for ten people. On the left was the dressing-room door, beside it the toilet. The room was richly furnished.
DON was lying on the giant bed, wearing only trousers, his muscular chest uncovered, with shiny dark chest hair. His arm muscles looked as if they might burst like those of a mighty warrior. He heard Khalid and Yusuf enter but didn’t bother to look.
Yusuf walked to the curtain, pulled it aside, and revealed a glass door leading to an elegant balcony with a canopy, chairs, a small table, and a tiny sky-blue pool like a bath.
“DON, please wake up, we want to talk,” Yusuf said.
DON stayed silent.
Khalid climbed onto the bed. “Please, prince, wake up.”
Still no answer.
“Haba big bro, please. This time we don’t want silence. Can you hear us?” Yusuf pleaded.
DON didn’t respond.
Angrily Ahmad said, “Look DON, please don’t say you won’t attend Hisham’s wedding. If you do that, you’re being unfair. Hisham is our blood!”
DON hissed loudly. “When you’re done with your speech, get out of my room. You’re disturbing me.”
Khalid snapped, “We won’t leave! You must go to the wedding. If you won’t, then choose — either you go with us, or stay here alone.”
DON replied, “Honestly, I enjoy living alone.”
They continued talking until they got tired and left. DON picked up a remote, pointed it at the door, pressed it, and the door locked itself. He turned to face the balcony.
As Yusuf and the others stepped out of DON’s room, they proceeded to Aryan’s room through a corridor and entered another living room identical to DON’s — except…