Jamal and his daughter, Amina, shared an incredible bond. Tragically, Jamal passed away when Amina was only five years old. At his funeral, Amina decided to give her father one last hug, and what happened next left everyone in shock.
Jamal was born into an impoverished family in Ethiopia, where his parents dreamed of breaking free from the cycle of generational poverty. Sadly, they passed away before they could achieve their dreams. Determined to change his destiny, Jamal worked tirelessly to create a better future. Despite his hard work, his dreams remained elusive…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
To make ends meet, he worked on construction sites and later started selling injera and dorowot by the roadside. He also took up night shifts at factories to support his food business. After his night shift, he would head straight to his small shop and work tirelessly throughout the day without rest or sleep, selling his products.
On one of these days at the shop, Jamal encountered Nia. What struck him first about her was her beautiful dark skin, then her enchanting eyes and cheerful smile. Nia would come every day at the same time to buy injera. It went on like this for a few weeks, and before Jamal knew it, he fell head over heels for her. Nia and Jamal quickly became close friends, but Jamal yearned for more—he wanted Nia in his life and couldn’t wait to tell her how he truly felt.
One day, when a heavy storm was predicted, it seemed like fate had given him just that opportunity. That day, Jamal made only a little food, so he had to apologize to customers who came after everything got sold out. However, he kept Nia’s injera aside, hoping she would show up. It must have been his lucky day because she came just after a few minutes.
As Jamal served her food, it suddenly began to rain. He was in a panic because he had to quickly pack up his cooking equipment and lock everything up before the rain ruined it. Money was tight for him, so any unplanned spending would be out of reach at the moment. To his surprise, Nia helped him pack up. With the two of them, it took only a few minutes, but by the time they were done, they were already drenched.
Jamal apologized profusely to Nia, but she waved it away with a soft smile. They took cover at the bus stop and talked for hours as the rain pelted down. As Jamal and Nia conversed, he could no longer contain his feelings. He finally confessed that he loved her and wanted her in his life. Nia paused for a moment, overcome by emotion, then with a warm smile on her face, she said, “What took you so long? I’ve been dreaming of this moment.” With those words, their relationship began to take shape and soon blossomed into something beautiful.
Most days, Nia would join Jamal on the street to sell food. Their love was a thing of beauty, and it drew customers to their small food business. Nia also helped spread the word about Jamal’s culinary talent, which further increased their customer base. Jamal’s business took a major turn for the better when he was contracted to provide catering services for a conference. This order gave Jamal an opportunity to showcase his culinary skills and demonstrate the quality of his services, leading to more orders in the future. Profits soon rolled in, and within a few months, Jamal was able to open his small shop.
Jamal considered Nia his lucky charm, and his love for her deepened. As Jamal’s business grew rapidly, his relationship with Nia progressed even faster. It was as if the lovers had a premonition they would spend only a little time together. In just eight months, they moved in together, and within four months, they were married. The couple was eager to start a family, but despite their best efforts and medical reassurances that everything was all right, they were unable to conceive. Nia was troubled, and many times she would stay up all night crying. Jamal would wake up, sigh deeply, and assure her that they would have children of their own someday.
He was actually right. Two years later, Nia became pregnant, and the couple was overjoyed. Nia’s pregnancy was smooth sailing, and in due time, the happy couple welcomed a baby girl whom they named Amina. The girl was beautiful; she had her mother’s dreamy eyes and her father’s arched brows. It was as if the baby took all that time to come to them so that she could be flawless.
A few years were all it took for Amina’s parents to realize that their daughter was a genius. By the age of three, she could already read well and had strong math skills. Amina was hungry for knowledge, and her parents indulged her. This trio was a perfect team—they did everything together and were truly happy.
Unfortunately, this joy was short-lived. On Amina’s fifth birthday, a terrifying incident occurred. The family was playing indoor games when Jamal suddenly collapsed. In response, Amina frantically held him tightly and kept shouting, “Dad, wake up!” Fortunately, he regained awareness after a few minutes. Nia attributed the fainting episode to stress and assumed it wouldn’t happen again, but just a week later, Jamal collapsed again.
After these frightening fainting episodes, the couple went to the hospital so Jamal could be examined. There, they found out that he was dying. Poor Jamal was diagnosed with a terminal illness and immediately kept under medical observation. Jamal’s health deteriorated irrevocably as each day passed. Nia, however, kept this from Amina and told her Jamal needed to be at the hospital for some special reasons. Despite her young age, Amina sensed that her father was ill. After all, she often went with her mother to visit him at the hospital, and she could tell that something wasn’t right. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Little Amina was frustrated by her mother’s attempts to shield her from the truth. Jamal wanted his daughter to be aware of the gravity of his condition so he could prepare her for what was to come, but in his weakened state, there was little he could do about it. One afternoon, as Nia fed Jamal in the hospital room, Amina suddenly took her father’s hands and, with a hint of fear in her voice, she asked, “Papa, are you dying?”
Nia stared at the young girl incredulously. Jamal, however, stopped her from going off on the innocent child, and with tears in his eyes, he said, “Yes, baby. Papa is. Papa can no longer be with you.” In response, Amina kissed her dad’s tears, then she held his hands and placed them on her chest. “Papa, you will always be with me, right here in my heart.”
After this incident, Nia brought Amina to visit her father every day. With Amina’s presence, Jamal seemed to find a renewed sense of life. However, his health continued to decline rapidly. Despite this heartbreaking situation, Amina remained strong and bravely held back her tears whenever her father experienced seizures or coughed up blood.
Soon enough, it became clear to everyone that Jamal didn’t have much time left. Nia refused to accept that her husband wouldn’t fight for his life.
“Why have you decided to leave us?” Nia asked tearfully one day as she saw her husband lying lifelessly on the hospital bed. “You promised to be there always, to love me forever. Why can’t you fight?” she asked angrily. Jamal pulled her back with the little strength he had left, hugged her, and told her he was sorry. But Nia slipped out of his grasp and ran out with angry tears blinding her vision.
After Nia left, Amina spent the whole day with her dad, refusing anyone entrance into his room. Amina hugged her father tightly, and they both wept. In their hearts, they said goodbye. Jamal died peacefully in his sleep the next day.
When Nia learned of her husband’s death, she was inconsolable. She was filled with regret and was angry at herself. She wished she had told him a proper goodbye and that she would never stop loving him nor get married to another man. Amina, on the other hand, felt at peace; all the beautiful conversations she had with her dad helped her gain closure. Nia wouldn’t stop crying even at his funeral. Amina was sad but dry-eyed.
Just before Jamal’s coffin was lowered, Amina felt an impulse to hug her beloved father one last time. She asked her mother if she could hug him in his coffin, and the young woman consented, seeing no harm in the act. Everyone looked on pitifully as Amina stepped into the coffin and hugged her father for several minutes that felt like ages. Tears streamed down the little girl’s cheeks and dampened her father’s burial clothes. Amina whispered sweet nothings into her dad’s ear and gave him one last kiss on the forehead.
Then something quite shocking happened. To the guests’ dismay, a dove suddenly flew into the cemetery and perched on Jamal’s chest. The dove gently pecked Amina, causing her lips to stretch into a smile. The adults shook with fear, and some funeral guests screamed in disbelief. Even Nia was unsettled, unsure of what to make of it. But Amina knew that doves represented peace and love, so she took this rare occurrence as her father’s way of showing his love for her one last time.
Years later, Amina shared stories with her children and grandchildren about the incredible bond she and her father shared. She recounted how a dove perched on her
father’s chest and pecked her—a symbol of the enduring love between them. Amina’s kids and grandkids also believed that the dove’s presence symbolized the love Amina and her father shared.
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