FIVE YEARS LATER.

"ALRIGHT COMRADES! LINE UP!"

Almost immediately, the three standing in front of the one giving instructions—or cadets as the person likes to call them all assembled in a straight line. They tried to feign a serious expression—only to fail as they began to snicker between themselves, finding the entire ordeal amusing.

The instructor, as she likes to call herself swiftly turned around to glare at them—making them zip their lips shut almost instantly. She cleared her throat, making sure there were no trace of smile on their faces whatsoever before she continued.

"You're all welcomed to your first term in Iyalawo's Academy of Violence!" Her lips stretched into a mischievous smile when she said that, already thinking of countless people they will terrorize in the name of being Iyalawo's minions. "Ama, you're already in your second year..." Farrah—the ten-year-old threw a glance at one of her cadets—her younger and five –year-old sister, Amatullah.

Amatullah offered her the cheekiest grins out there that so much resembles Yasmeen. It was honestly a bit alarming how much she resembles her mother. She's her exact carbon copy—and that goes in all ways, even her mischievousness.

Under no circumstance shall you allow her cute smile to fool you—because you will regret it. She's probably the Iyalawo's minion amongst her siblings.

And boy was Farrah proud of her.

Was it mentioned that she's already turned to Yasmeen's minion too? If you don't know what actually happened to the family, you would swear Yasmeen is Farrah's mother. At this point, even the girl believed so too and they are yet to tell her the truth. Her childhood memories had been distorted into her believing that Yasmeen's is her mother.

Asad and Yasmeen made a decision to tell her the truth when she's older. As for now, she doesn't need to know who and how her mother truly is—as well as the things her grandmother did.

She's way too young to understand things like that. And they wouldn't subject her to it.

"—As for Iman and Ihsan, this is your first year so you're welcome!" Farrah then shifted her three-year-old twin sisters—the youngest in the family so far.

Yes, Yasmeen and Asad have four daughters.

You can imagine how many times Asad wanted to pull out his hair having four mini versions of Yasmeen. It takes him back to the moment when the twins were born—the scene is still comical and fresh in the memories of everyone there.

"Congratulations, Mr. Asad. Your wife has safely been delivered off. Both she and your daughters are in a good condition."

The grin that was masking his face when he was told the news at first disappeared at the mention of 'daughters'. "You say what?" He questioned, eyes slightly widened and facial expression perturbed.

Don't get him wrong, of course they knew they were having twins they just decided to let the gender be a surprise.

And boy was he surprised.

Female daughters are a blessing—he knows that especially after having two already. Farrah and Ama have his heart completely—of course, Yasmeen already owns it too. Having two more was good news.

His only worry was them turning out to be like Yasmeen.

How would he cope being with five different versions of her? There's the original one, Farrah version, Amatuallah version, Iman version and Ihsan version too.

Five against one.

"La haula wa la quwwata illa billah." He muttered, shaking his head as he already began to pity himself. He could already see how they will make him want to dig up his grave—three are already hard to handle. Five will definitely send him to an early grave.

Nonetheless, he was still as excited as he was scared. After all, he's a father of four now. He and Yasmeen have four, beautiful kids? How could he not be thankful?

"Alhamdullilah."

Iman and Ihsan exchanged a look, before they giggled despite not fully understanding what their elder sisters are talking about. They simply know that if those two are involved, it will be a fun experience. And well, that's their light way of addressing the troubles they cause.

And boy do they cause quite a lot.

Farrah parted her lips to continue, by going over their set of rules. How she knows about Iyalawo you wonder? It's easy. She's been with Yasmeen for over five years now. She was bound to pick up things from her—and Iyalawo is one of it.

The village witch responsible for everything.

However, before she could continue, the voice of someone she admittedly loves whole heartily, yet scared of at the same time reached her ears.

"FARRAH!"

She swallowed thickly, her eyes instantly wide at the sound of her father's voice. She could tell there was trouble from his tone. And almost immediately, she found herself putting her innocent look as she swiveled around to look at him—hiding the cling film she'd picked up as her baton.

"Yes, Abi?" Her lips stretched into a cute smile, hoping it would get her out of whatever trouble she'd found herself in.

Asad made his presence known as he strolled into the living room, where the four were having their 'Swearing In' ceremony as Farrah likes to call it. This girl truly took the whole thing seriously.

The swearing oath was, 'I swear to abide by Iyalawo's rules for violence and disrupt everyone's peace. We don't want peace; we will never want peace. We want violence, always!'. And that was it.

He strode towards his eldest daughter with strong, and confident strides—his expression solemn—one that he always sports when he wants to scold her. It had her swallowing thickly, because it showed she won't be able to get out of this easily.

Once he was standing in front of her, he narrowed his eyes at her and then went on to scold. "What are you teaching your siblings, young lady?" Allah knows how many times he had tried to get this girl to drop this whole Iyalawo thing.

He would blame Yasmeen for the whole thing honestly. Why did she have to teach the little girl such a thing?

Farrah had a phase in school where whenever her teacher did something to her, she rebukes by doing something mischievous. When she gets scolded, her exact response was, "I don't want peace, I want violence."

So yes, that earned her an earful of scolding from Asad and Yasmeen—though the latter couldn't exactly stand a chance in that case. It's her fault Farrah picked up that attitude. She chooses to be good cop instead.

When Asad becomes the bad cop by kids, she pacified them and lightly scolds them too. They balance it like that though sometimes, they switch roles.

"We...uhm...we just wanted to play. Right, Ama?" She turned around to look at her sister for excuse, only to be met with an empty space. Her lips instantly curled upwards into a snarl, already knowing what happened.

Ama ditched her.

Just like Yasmeen, that mischievous kid knows how to run from situations. Even better than Yasmeen, the five-year-old knew how to weasel her way out of situations without one realizing it.

As long as you'll take your eyes off her for a brief second, that's it. And it's the same then too. She left her sisters to fend on their own. She wouldn't stand there and be scolded too. No thank you.

She knew her cute face wouldn't work on Asad. It can work on Yasmeen, but not him so why bother?

Having accepted she's alone in this, Farrah hesitantly looked at her father again before hastily looking down. "I'm sorry, Abi." She's well aware that he has stopped her from infesting her siblings brain with such nonsense, but it makes her want to do it even more.

At least, until he shows up with that look.

Asad simply glared at her for a few seconds more, before he sighed. "If I see you doing that again, zan bata miki rai. Kina jina?" It's not like he likes being the bad cop too—but if he doesn't correct his kids, who would?

Yasmeen could, but she's only the bad cop when extreme need comes. Else, she enjoys being everyone's favorite parent.

Farrah pressed her lips together, then nodded—her eyes welling up with tears. It gets like that every time he scolds her, she always ends up running to a corner somewhere and bawling her eyes out.

"Words, Farrah." He wouldn't take that nod of hers.

She cleared her throat. "Yes, Abi."

Now convinced, he released another sigh. "Good." He mumbled. "Now go and pray, it's time for Zuhr prayers. Hurry up."

Wordlessly, she simply nodded—reached out to take her twin sister's hands and took them with her off to do as he ordered. She would no doubt cry her eyes out first before praying. The twins too had kept quiet, realizing their father's expression as that 'I'm not joking with you' one. So, they kept shut and didn't make a fuss.

With the two gone, Asad's shoulders slumped slightly as she flicked his eyes close for a brief second.

"Parenting's hard, huh?"

His lips stretched into a small smile having heard the voice of the one person that always manages to lift his mood. Turning around to look at his wife and the mother of his children, he shook his head tiredly. "Tell me about it."

When he had Farrah, he had a hard time raising her alone—though his grandmother and sister helped—at least, while she was still alive. He still did most of it alone though, because he wanted to be there for his daughter.

The sleepless nights he stayed up and the effort it took to raise a child alone wasn't easy. But, every time Farrah smiles at him, it makes all the struggles worth it. For his daughter, he would do it again, and again.

It's why sometimes it's hard for him to scold her like that, but for the sake of the woman she'll turn out to be in the future, he needed to correct her and her siblings too. They are all his responsibility, their responsibility and they both try their best to do.

It's just he didn't expect parenthood to be this hard.

Yasmeen offered him a warm smile, as she straightened her spine from where she leaned by the door and traipsed towards him. Once she was close enough, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him back a small pat.

"You're doing so well." She mumbled, her head on his torso while his arms wrapped around her—his head on hers. "You know that, right?"

Sometimes, she genuinely feels like he doesn't give himself enough credit. She's been with him long enough to tell what he's feeling, and how he perceives himself sometimes. He thinks he isn't doing a good job as a father, and as husband too, but to be honest, he's doing pretty well.

Asad simply sighed in response to her words. He wasn't sure whether to believe her because he knows she could say that just to make him feel better. These days, he doesn't feel like he's doing a good job.

It gets like that sometimes, despite doing this parenting thing for years. The doubt and the worry is still there.

Am I doing this right?

Am I making the right decisions?

What if I end up doing the wrong thing?

Especially when it comes to Farrah, he wonders time with number whether he made the right decision by not telling her about Iris. She still questions every once in a while where her aunt, Tauhida is.

Their response has always been, 'She went somewhere far. But, you'll see her soon'.

Every time he says that though, guilt eats him up. No one warned him about this side of parenting. The part where you need to tell white lies for your kids for their own good.

Yasmeen's lips slanted downwards into a small frown, before she pulled back slightly so she can look at him. Her expression turned solemn, not liking the look on his face. "You are doing a good job, you know that, right?"

Asad looked away, but she placed a hand on the side of his face and turned his face so he's looking at her. She wouldn't allow him to wallow in self-doubt—not when she can help him.

Once he was looking at her again, she went on to speak. "—you are doing a very good job, and deep down you know that too. Our kids all adore you. You did nothing wrong by trying to set them down the right path—that only shows you love and care about them. The one on the way will love you too, I know it." She took one of his hands and placed it on her bump.

Yes, baby number five and their last child, is on the way.

This time, they checked the gender and finally! They are having a boy.

The elation Asad felt the way the gender was revealed was beyond that they'd seen before. He even shed tears of happiness because in his words 'I will no longer be a loner in that house'.

How could he not feel that way? Sometimes, the girls all get huddled up for a 'girls' night only' and leave him all alone. The few times he tries to get in, the twins force him to play Princess and Tea parties.

He never tried to play again. Not since Ama tried to put makeup on him.

He carried his slippers and walked out on them—letting them know that he will never join again. So, you can imagine his happiness to finally having a boy in the house. He's finally getting a partner?

How can he not cry?

Six years of wahala finally comes to an end now that he won't be alone.

As if to certify his mother's words, the baby chose to kick at that moment, making them both grin. Allahu akbar! That feeling always brings out such emotion out of them both. How beautiful is Allah's creation that a baby yet to be born kicks in their mother's belly? The feeling was extraordinary.

"See?" Yasmeen looked up from where both their hands was on her belly as her warm, and loving eyes met his. "Even our son agrees. He loves you already."

Asad's grin didn't waver. "Alhamdullilah." He thought internally, as he showered blessings upon Yasmeen in his mind. He truly couldn't ask for a better spouse. She's everything he wants, and more.

Getting on his knees, he pressed a kiss on her tummy, and then mumbled, "I love you too champ." Yet again, the baby kicked earning a chuckle from them both. With both their hands still on her tummy, Asad got on his feet and leaned down to peck her lips. "I love you so damn much, baby Mama."

Yasmeen grinned back, her happiness unmatched. "I love you too, baby daddy."

~*~

"The past few years have been one heck of a—oh, sorry, there are kids here." He cleared his throat, looking away from the parents that glared at him. "---Uhm, as I was saying. The past few years have been a rollercoaster but all of us being here today is a symbol of how far we've come. It's a symbol of love, friendship, and family. Our pasts weren't exactly the best, and neither of us here is perfect—but we all try to be better than we are before. So, cheers to growth, and a beautiful future together!" Rafael raised a toast, his lips stretched into a grin.

"Cheers!" A chorus came from the adults as they all raised their various drinks in the air.

From the side, the sound of the kids chatters and laughter filled the air, as they ran around playing various games while some sat on their table set aside for them just within the adults' eye.

In the adult's table, Asad and Yasmeen—the host of the barbecue and small get together were at the head of the table. Accompanied by Zoya and her husband of three years, Rafael and his wife of four years, Imaam and Taslim Abd Al-Rasheed and of course, the guests, Dr. Aslam and Dr. Aisha Abd Al-Rasheed and finally, Sultan Hakeem and Zainab Shamaki.

There was no particular occasion for the get other. But, like Rafael said, it was a celebration of love, family and life. It was the first time they were all getting together like that after everything that happened.

The trio Asad, Rafael, and Zoya were no longer on bad terms. After their support in finding and saving Yasmeen, they all decided to leave the past where it belongs. Rafael and Zoya talked about their past too—and Zoya admitted that indeed their deceased child was his.

She didn't tell him knowing the man would've asked her to abort it.

At the end, it didn't matter since they lost the child anyway.

She could tell he wanted to fix his mistakes by getting together, but they both know they have no such feelings towards each other. So, kindly declined and told him it's time they all lived their lives too.

And so, they did.

They all set out down their various paths—only reaching out to congratulate each other when something good happens, and sympathize when something bad happens. Finally, they all decided to get together and celebrate—their kids ought to know each other too.

They are all one big family after all.

"And of course, to the Senior Captain of Maroudi Airlines..." This time it was Sultan Hakeem that directed to accolade to Senior Capatin Asad. "...congratulations."

"Congratulations..."

"Thank you. Jazakumullah khairan." Six years ago, after Yasmeen graduated from university, Asad and her made the decision of returning to Nigeria to continue their lives there close to their families.

He agreed to work with Maroudi Airlines—and like Sultan Hakeem promised, the salary was higher, and he had more free time with his family. What more could he ask for?

Yasmeen's relationship with her foster was still the same, and it's the same with Nana but well, it's not like people change.

The one that did change though, was Zoya. It's crazy how close she and the woman are. Amina, her best friend and the genesis of her getting together with Asad even complained that she'd forgotten her after meeting Zoya.

That came from the woman who got married and moved all the way to Ibadan, only to be seen once a year.

"Toh Jama'a, Assalamu alaikum, Hajjaju Nusaiba ta faso!"

They all laughed, while Farrah and Ama ran to their aunt of embrace and welcome her. She came late considering she had things she needed to round up too—besides, she's simply visiting Kano and got invited to get together.

It won't be one without her—their very own Iyalawo.

And the kids love her. After all, she's that rich aunty. And boy does she spoil them. Even the twins recognize her too.

Soon enough, laughter and good vibes filled the air—happiness heavy one everyone's expression. At a point, it was Zoya that raised a question that piqued everyone's interest. "So...Asad and Yasmeen," She directed towards the couple that were seated beside each other—Yasmeen's head on her husband's shoulder while he gave her shoulders a small massage. "Tell us, what's you guys secret?"

"Secret?" What secret is she talking about? Yasmeen wondered.

"Yeah...the secret." Zainab picked up, already seeming interested. "The secret you two have, the method...say, formula to what you have? You guys are so cute. There has to be one secret you two are using to stay together forever like this."

"The Formula of Forever?" Asad inquired amusedly, because if he understands this correctly, it's what they mean.

They all nodded furiously, seemingly genuinely interested as if they don't have their own beautiful lives and happy endings.

Asad and Yasmeen shared a look, before chuckling. "There's no formula." Asad waved it off, and Yasmeen nodded in agreement.

She then sighed before she added. "We just take each day as it comes. Our love and family is what got us through from the first chapter, to the last one."

And that was the truth.

In the years she'd been married to Asad, she'd come to see herself and him in the worst. They'd both seen characters in themselves that they didn't realize they had. She realized Asad isn't as perfect as he seemed.

He had his bad sides, and so does she.

It was hard to accept the other part of marriage no one told them about. However, the love they have for each other and their family was what got them through. And now, if they were both asked to make a decision, they would pick each other again, and again.

Like Asad said, his heart was hers to keep. And it was the same for her.

This is their forever...their beautiful forever.

Alhamdullilah.

THE END.