The window cleaner

A shot at glory

The words of Busayna had pumped Ramlah up and she was bent on easing the weight in her mind. It was a calm morning as Mahir woke up smiling gleefully at his foster mom.

" Pray to the Lord that your brother doesn't reject my feeling of love towards him . " Said Ramlah to Mahir as she bathed him in the tub. The infant smiled innocently and made so jibberish noises.

" I will take that as a yes, to my request." She said with a smile and washed him tenderly.

As soon as she was done bathing the baby . She dressed him up and asked one of the maids to look after him while she bathed and dressed up to. She wasn't going for a Fashion parade.thus there was little need for her to dress in her best dress. She wore a black gown and tied a white scarf over her head. Her black loafers were modest and so was her hand bag and perfumes. She looked at herself in the mirror and contemplated on applying Make up before abandoning the plan to do so.

" Lets be on our way ." She said and picked up Mahir in her hand before heading for the facility. There was no more rooms to hide emotions. She was going to tell Siin her mind and accept whatsoever decision he spoke to her.

However she hoped for the best as she leveraged on her beauty and youthfulness. She knew quite well how beautiful she was and was still very much young. She accessed herself to be in the perfect age group for Siin to pick a wife. She also felt that Since Siin was tall. Her average height would compliment his tallness and they would be perfect for each other.All these thoughts _ she had brewed in her mind to boost her self confidence thus providing her the necessary courage to take on her task at hand.

Soon , she and Mahir had arrived at the facility and she hearded straight to Siins office and knocked on the door.

" Yes please . Come in." Said Siin who had just heard a knock on his door. Ramlah slowly pushed open the door and was met with the full gaze of Siin.

" Good morning Doctor Siin." She sturttered and walked slowly Towers his Table with the infant her hand.

" Ramlah . It's a surprise to see the both of you. Welcome , please have a sit. " Said Siin as he sat upright on his chair.

" Thank you very much doctor. How was your night ." She said as she sat on a chair that faced Sins Desk.

" Work is fine . How is Mahir. Please bring him over here. It's been a while I saw my little bro. " Said Siin with a warm smile .

" I'm also sure little sheikh has missed you to." She said and smiled mildly while she passed the child to Siin.

" Definitely I know he has. How have you been Ramlah. Hope you enjoying your new work. Some people here almost hate me for taking away an angel like you." Said Siin as he stood up and took the baby in his hands.

" Is that so. They should be Happy for me . Promotions would always come and people would always accept it. I'm not a fan of stagnation." She said with a smile.

" It's always good to keep moving forward. You are right on that. Hope everyone is okay. Hope Mahir is not Sick. ?" Said Siin as he examined the child's temperature with the back of his Palm.

"Not at all sir . We are all doing fine. It's just that most days staying at home takes its toll on me. I miss the facility and wanted to come in on a low key . I felt I should come and say Hi to you and also thank you for changing my life. " She said with a smile and bowed her head toward the ground in Shyness.

" Oh dear I understand your pain. You are always welcome here .And like I said , there's no need to keep on thanking me . You are perfect for the job and it's not as if you were choosen without due observation. You deserve every penny the Sheikh pays you ." Said Siin as played with the child in his arm.

" I'm grateful Doctor Siin." She said and smiled. The office was silent for a while until the cry of Mahir broke the Silence.

" He is hungry. Let me feed him some milk." Said Ramlah as she stood up to take the child Siin.

" Sure. You know males eat almost thrice as much as female babies. " Said Siin and giggled lightly as he passed the baby to her.

" Oh my god. Aren't those just legends and superstition. I don't think they have roots in science. She said with a smile and ceased the opportunity to admire Siins handsomeness.

" Well . There is always an element of truth in what the ancestors say. They may have over exaggerated their points, but a good man to it remains valid." Said Siin with a smile on his face.

" I haven't nursed a female baby yet. But when I do , I will be sure to watch out for her eating habits and make the comparisons." Said Ramlah, who had began to have a rethink on her mission to the facility. She felt her courage was failing her and perhaps, just perhaps , it was trying to save her from shame and rejection.

" Oh my God. I can't be the one to ask a guy out. Where is the dignity in it." She thought in her mind as she fed the child. Amidst the awkward silence that filled the office.

" So Doctor Siin. How is life as a surgeon going. All this while you were busy cleaning windows on the streets of Sharjah, people were dying from the absence of your gifted hands. " Said Ramlah after a taking a deep breath to ease her nerve.

" I feel so much happier than I ever felt in my life. I have been a surgeon since my days at Congo. When I fled the war. I left my credentials behind. My dear ,you know it's always life first. I had to flee for my dear life and left every other thing behind." Said Siin with an air of seriousness.

" Oh may the good Lord be praised for sparing your life. I can't to start to imagine what our lives would have been without your presence. " Said Ramlah as looked at Siin and smiled warmly.

" I had to eat and survive without certificates no one would believe I was a surgeon. So the only job I could get was that of a window cleaner and I did it with passion. I always work hard on matters that put food on my table no matter her shabby they are. There's honor in labor and no honor in begging and stealing. " Said Siin as smiled at Ramlah. His smile made her happy and she felt at ease.

" Siin." She said and for the first time since she had Came. She found the strength to maintain her full gaze on his.

" Yes Ramlah. I'm with you ." Said Siin , I'm wait for what was to follow.

" I wanted to tell you that... I wanted to tell you that, that I am forever indebted to your kindness. " Said Ramlah and bowed her head in self_dissapointment.

" Ramlah you are a good girl with a heart of Gold. I have heard your stories countless times from a lot of people. And they all hard good things to say about you. All I did was give you what you deserve and I believe the best is yet to come for you. " Said Siin in humble tone.

" Thank you . " She said and sat silently trying to find the courage to execute her task, a few minutes later and she couldn't bring herself to saying what she had came down to say thus she decided to call it a day and count her blessings.

" I will like to pay a visit to Doctor Allen and Zaynaba before I go. We will have to be on our way now." She said and flashed a smile that fell short in masking her sadness.

" Ramlah are you alright. You suddenly look Sick ." Said Siin as he examined her fallen face with his gaze.

" I am fine Doctor Siin. Maybe I just feel tired or I may be having mild symptoms of a fever . " She said and looked straight into his eyes hoping he could read the meaning of their moistness. She soon realised Siin was a master surgeon and not a master at deciphering a lady's emotions.

" Then I think you may need some rest and better still a lab check to see what's going on in your system. " Said Siin with much care and concern.

" What's going on in my system is this penchant I feel for you." She thought in her mind before speaking:

" Yes. I need to get some rest. I'm fine really . If it gets serious I can always call you my super doctor. " She said and managed to express a hearty smile.

" I'm always available to serve humanity. " Said Siin and chuckled lightly.

" Doctor Siin." Said Ramlah in an emotional tone.

" Yes Lady Ramlah. " Answered Siin.

" You are really a nice man with a caring heart. The woman in your life is really so lucky to have you. " Said Ramlah in a emotional voice and lowered her head to infant on her hands.

" Oh really. I will take that as a compliment. Thank you very much. I also believe that the man in your life is a lucky man as you are a rare gem amongst many women. " Said Siin , with a flattering smile that was humble and majestic.

" There is no man in my life. " She thought and smiled without saying a word.

" I will be on my way to see Doctor Allen. Me and Mahir are looking forward to hosting you at our home. You can always come by when you are less busy. " Said Ramlah in Shaky voice that sprouted from the deep sadness in her heart. She had failed to execute her mission and it hurt her a lot.

" It will be my honor to do so. Maybe over the weekend when I'm less busy . I will pay you two a visit. " Said Siin with a warm smile on his face.

" Less I forget.here is a little something I got for you. Please it's an inexpensive gift. It's a perfume called dagger . Kindly accept it as a token of my gratitude." Said Ramlah and took out a dagger shaped perfume from her bag.

" Oh that's so thoughtful of you my dear . However I don't know what I have done for you that has provoked so much gratitude. I will have to decline the gift for it's reason and not because of it's value. " Said Siin in humble tone.

" Forgive me then. It's a slip of tongue. Kindly accept my humble gift as a token of my sincere friendship to you." Said Ramlah as she stood and stretched the dagger shaped scent to Siin.

" Oh well then. Sincere friendship is something I would never pass on. I will gladly collect your gift for that reason. " Said Siin and joyfully took the gift from her. He had grew up without been used to getting gifts thus it always gladdened his heart when someone thought of him worthy to receive their gift.

" Thank you for accepting my gift. I will take my leave now. " Said Ramlah and turned to take her leave.

" Wait .let me work you out . It's my pleasure to receive such a beautiful gift from you. You don't know how much it means to mean. I am grateful ." Said Siin as walked towards Ramlah who stood as if petrified by his presence.

" You.. you are welcome." She sturttered as her breath hightened in tension that his proximity had brought her.

" After you my lady." He said and signalled the the to the door.

" Yes. Sure " She said and walked towards the door while he followed.

Ramlah hadn't been pleased with her self for failing to execute her major manifest aim of coming. but the sweet words that Siin had spoken to her really made her feel on top of the world. She felt that it was a good start and soon she would find the courage to tell him all about her feelings for him. She headed straight to the cafeteria to Search for Zaynaba as it was her favorite spot to rest when she wasn't cleaning. She was still approaching the cafeteria when she heard Zaynabas voice hailing out to her.

" All hail the Lady Ramlah. To what do we owe this royal visitation. " Said Zaynaba as she ran towards her best friend and held her in a warm embrace.

" Oh Zaynaba . I have missed you so much. Your leave seemed like forever. I'm just glad you are back. I get bored at that mansion sometimes. " Said Ramlah as the two friends walked to take their seats.

" Oh Ramlah you know very much that I hadn't seen my parents in a while. They were at tears at my departure. They wanted me to stay for another week. " Said Zaynaba and burst into giggles.

" Oh how Emotional it was for them. I know they miss you very much. But to pay the bills , one must have to leave home at a point or another. I also want to pay parents a visit. I haven't seen them all through this week." Said Ramlah with a smile to her friend.

" How is little Mahir doing. See how healthy and Chubby he looks. You are really doing a good job as his carer. " Said Zaynaba who had held the boy in her hands.

" Mahir is doing good.i mostly forget that he is not my biological son. I'm so attached to him just as if I gave birth to him." Said Ramlah and chuckled.

" Hmm. Wait till you pass through the pain of labor. Then I will believe what you say. " Said Zaynaba with a teasing tone to her words.

" Hahaha.thats a story for another day. Well my dear how have you been doing.have you been able to pay up your brother's tuition fees. " Said Ramlah to her friend who was engulfed in the infants cuteness.

" Not yet. But I have made lots of progress. It's not easy being the bread winner of the family. There are lots of things to spend on and my salary falls short. But glory be to the good lord. We aren't we were yersterday. Life gets better by the moment. " Said Zaynaba as she made faces at Mahir that made him laugh heartily.

" Oh Zaynaba I feel bad for you. I have been thinking of asking the Sheikh of getting you a better paying job in his towers but I do not want to push my luck as I haven't bonded too much with him yet. Kindly hold on here for a while I promise I will get you a better job Soon. Here is three hundred Dollars. I saved it specifically for you." Said Ramlah as she gave her friend an envelope. Which she hard took from her bag.

" What! Ramlah this is too much please. How can you give me so much money when you have responsibilities your self. " Said Zaynaba who took a break from her the infant to pay more attention to her friend.

" Please take it and pay off what's left of your brothers tuition loan. The Sheikh pays me very well and gives me lots of tips. The problems of my family are unending and if I choose to pay my attention towards their needs alone, I way have little for myself and my friends. I haven't saved much but I want you to have this please. " Said Ramlah as shoved the envelope into the hands of her friend who couldn't help but burst into tears.

" This money is almost twice my salary. You are indeed very kind. I don't deserve a friend like you. " Said Zaynaba and sobbed in happiness.

" Why do you say such demeaning things about yourself. You are quick to forget that if it wasn't for you. Me and my family would still be in the slums toiling for our daily bread. You changed my life for good. I feel ashamed of what I am doing for you. You deserve more. Please don't ever say that again." Said Ramlah and hugged the side of her friend.

" Thank you very much Ramlah. May the good Lord bless you and reward you in ten folds.im very grateful. This really means a lot to me." Said Zaynaba and smiled in joy.