{"id":396,"date":"2026-03-18T04:58:56","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T04:58:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vibhashah.com\/?page_id=396"},"modified":"2026-03-18T04:58:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T04:58:56","slug":"chapter-31-looking-ahead","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vibhashah.com\/?page_id=396","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 31 : Looking Ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cNothing but the best for my girl!<\/strong>\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t want to go to school. I want to help Mohammed and his brothers in the house.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahmad sat upon his mattress as Chief Naseer woke him up after his morning round with Aisha in the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aisha lounged next to him, but he ignored her. Rebecca had explained to him how Aisha had worked hard to find him. He liked her and the way she took care of him, but Ahmad felt too overwhelmed. He hated the school and the hard work that Chief Naseer expected of him and Mohammed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMohammed is also going to school with you,\u201d said Chief Naseer making up his mind. \u201cYou both can help earn and get the house ready after you come back from school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand anything in school,\u201d Ahmad mumbled, frowning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Though he liked the people here, he missed his carefree days in the mountains. He felt so stupid in school where kids younger than him knew so much more and seemed to laugh at him. \u201cAisha is going to be spending some extra time with you to help you catch up. You\u2019re smart; you\u2019ll learn,\u201d  Chief Nasser encouraged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahmad looked up at Aisha, who was smiling patiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAbba,\u201d Ahmad articulated this word, knowing how much it meant to Chief Naseer though it still felt so weird to him. \u201cWhy don\u2019t I learn only from Aisha and not go to school as there\u2019s so much work to be done here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, Ahmad. It\u2019s important to attend school. I\u2019ll tell Mohammed to get ready too. Come on, get up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grudgingly Ahmad stood up, knowing fully well how futile it was to discuss this further. The thought of having Mohammed with him in school was encouraging. Maybe together they both could teach a few things to the kids in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he ran to Safia to get his breakfast of the buttery dates, he knew Mohammed was not going to like this at all. He had so much responsibility on his head with running his independent house, take care of his brothers and sisters, and to look after his mom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was another four months later that they all came by again. For a wedding. Shahzad and Zeina\u2019s wedding!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rebecca, Ismail and Phil found themselves winging their way to Pakistan once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

               \u201cIt\u2019s lovely to be back,\u201d Rebecca cheered joyfully, eager to see the chief and his family and friends again. Her leg was perfectly healthy except for a barely recognizable bend, which she called her medal for her time here. They were sitting in the same old car, and Rafiki had been delighted to see them again as were they to see him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow\u2019s Ahmad doing?\u201d was Rebecca\u2019s first question after they settled down for the long ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe early days were difficult for Ahmad and Mohammad, but Adnan has helped the boys a lot. The effects of the brainwashing on these impressionable youngsters will take some time to clear. It\u2019s hard for them to adjust, but the therapy Clooney arranged for them, plus being among a loving family, makes me hopeful that they\u2019ll turn around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \u201cI can imagine the culture shock!\u201d Ismail added. \u201cEducation will help them out of their radical mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \u201cThey aren\u2019t ready for a regular school yet and are homeschooled to catch up with their level. We tried, but they kept getting in trouble. Zeina\u2019s school is doing wonders, and now they have two buildings, one for boys and one for girls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Zeina\u2019s marriage was a shock for them all. Because of the school, Zeina and Shahzad had kept their communication on and one thing had led to another. Zeina had finally decided to drop out of school and focus on the community that she liked with a person she had gotten to love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \u201cAhmad loves to read, Safia told me. So, I have bought a lot of books he will enjoy. And I have an Xbox for everyone to enjoy. If that doesn\u2019t get him out of his radical mind, I don\u2019t know what will,\u201d Rebecca teased, blinking at Ismail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \u201cLet\u2019s hope he doesn\u2019t swap one addiction for another,\u201d Phil said laughingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

             \u201cHis family keeps a very watchful eye on Ahmad, and every step he takes,\u201d Rebecca smiled. \u201cI trust they\u2019ll monitor his time spent on games.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

               \u201cI keep up with the news and see that there are still insurgent attacks,\u201d Ismail reported. \u201cSchools, certain mosques, and security posts are targets for their bombs. All this despite the tribal councils keeping a keen eye on terrorist activities. The chief has his hands full!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \u201cUnfortunately, terrorism doesn\u2019t recognize borders,\u201d Phil sighed. Recent activity in his own country had him worried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rebecca recognized his concern and put her arm around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose of us who value independence must strive to work towards the preservation of peace and freedom, even during the bleakest of times,\u201d Rebecca vowed, finishing his sentence for him.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

               \u201cShahzad has added the solar panel business to his portfolio, and Adnan takes care of the office after school. Shahzad has promised to make him a partner if he completes college, and he has agreed!\u201d Rebecca summarized, trying  to lighten the mood; she was too happy to be depressed by negatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \u201cIt was a real shocker to hear that Mullah Shaheen survived,\u201d Phil said. \u201cHis body was riddled with bullets!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \u201cHe can\u2019t speak or walk or do anything for himself…if you call that survival or just fruits for his villainy!\u201d Rebecca replied with a shiver. \u201cBut the best news is that Gulnoor is now cancer-free. She has been given land on the farm and enjoys life there with her boys and her brother! She\u2019s so enterprising and makes pickles and jams that Fiaz-ul-Muhabat markets in Peshawar and Islamabad. The demand is so large that she has engaged other women on the farm to help. Is that a success story or what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \u201cAmazing!\u201d Ismail replied. \u201cI wonder what happened to Sheikh Sahib and his wife Zakiya; I asked Zeina once, and she said the Saudis dealt with them. It seems the kingdom does not encourage radicals; they\u2019re afraid they could turn on the royal family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \u201cBut what I find most amazing is the wedding!\u201d Phil remarked. \u201cI never thought Zeina\u2019s resignation from school would amount to this. I\u2019m so happy for them. Shahzad and I have kept in touch, but he never mentioned a thing about the upcoming nuptials! When I got the invite, I was shocked, though that\u2019s an understatement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \u201cYes, who would have thought?\u201d said Rebecca. \u201cI should have read the signs; I guess I was just too involved with my own stuff. They make a gorgeous couple, don\u2019t they?\u201d     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                She held out her phone to show Phil and Ismail the most recent picture of Shahzad and Zeina looking ecstatic. On the ring finger of Rebecca\u2019s left hand, the diamond flashed as it caught the light. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \u201cHmm…that must have cost you a fortune, buddy,\u201d Ismail teased as he laughed and pointed at the sparkly diamond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

       Phil lovingly gazed lovingly at his fianc\u00e9e and replied, \u201cNothing but the best for my girl!\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cNothing but the best for my girl!\u201d \u201cNo, I don\u2019t want to go to school. I want to help Mohammed and his brothers in the house.\u201d Ahmad sat upon his mattress as Chief Naseer woke him up after his morning round with Aisha in the mountain. Aisha lounged next to him, but he ignored her. … Continue reading Chapter 31 : Looking Ahead<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-396","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vibhashah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vibhashah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vibhashah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vibhashah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vibhashah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=396"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vibhashah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":397,"href":"https:\/\/vibhashah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/396\/revisions\/397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vibhashah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}