Somali Love Stories Ch. 02

The sun rose over the region of Puntland, northeastern Somalia. Ali Abdirashid got up and said his prayers before tending to his father Jalil's goats. The old man had gone to the town of Bosaso on business, the business of selling goats to numerous halal shops mere days before Eid, leaving his only son to take care of the land and the animals. It was just the two of them since Jalil's wife Muno Rahman passed away five years ago. Jalil Abdirashid needn't have worried, for his son Ali knew exactly what to do in his absence. Many things in this life are complicated, but goat herding doesn't have to be one of them. All it requires is patience and a bit of common sense...

Goat herding has been the family business for untold centuries, and Ali Abdirashid could have taught a class on the subject. Six feet two inches tall, lean and athletic, with a smooth shaved head and a slick goatee, Ali is a proud son of Puntland. The rocky, mountainous region that Ali calls home has been the site of much conflict over the years. There was even a time when Puntland residents considered themselves apart from the rest of Somalia. Lately, though, Somalis everywhere have begun to see the light, acknowledging that they are one people, whether residing in Somalia, Somaliland, Puntland, Djibouti or even Ethiopia.

Ali led the goats down the rocky mountain path, steering them toward fertile grounds where the grazing was best. At the age of nineteen, Ali knew the entirety of Puntland like the back of his hand. He'd been born in the environs of Bosaso, and his parents, Jalil Abdirashid and Muno Rahman, were poor farmers just like their parents before them. Ali sat on the grass as the goats grazed peacefully, his alert gaze scanning the landscape for dangers. A lot of people ignore the fact that the lion, the cheetah, the reticulated giraffe, the African bush elephant and the wild dog roam the Somali landscape...

"Wish I were elsewhere," Ali said to himself as he watched the goats under a clear blue sky. Last summer, Ali had a world-changing experience. It all began when his best friend Omar's cousin Khadija Adan visited the town of Bosaso from her hometown of Ottawa, Canada. The tall, slender young woman was twenty two years old and Somali in blood only, that much was clear. Even though Khadija wore the Hijab and a traditional long dress, she carried herself like a foreigner. Khadija stared at people and things like any foreigner would. Even the Somali which Khadija spoke was accented, and filled with English words. At first, Ali disliked Khadija, but found himself entranced by the world she hailed from...

"Ali, my friend, my cousin Khadija is like the sister from another planet," Omar Adan told him, ahead of Khadija's arrival. With his curiosity piqued, Ali made sure that he was around to visit Omar's family when Khadija arrived in Bosaso, having flown in from the Mogadishu Airport. Ali had never met a Somali person who was born outside Somalia before. Ali knew about Somali American celebrities like Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and of supermodel Iman of course, but he'd never met them. For Ali, the chance to meet an authentic foreign-born Somali was the opportunity of a lifetime. He is a simple goat herder, after all...

"The City of Ottawa is big, with tall buildings and trains and buses that take you anywhere you want to go," Khadija said excitedly, and Ali could only smile and nod. Khadija showed Ali pictures of Ottawa, and the seemingly enchanting world in which she grew up. Ali had lived in Puntland his whole life, and was considered bright among the local goatherders because his town's preacher, Imam Ibrahim, taught him how to read and write in Arabic, Somali and French. Ali's knowledge paled in comparison to Khadija's, that's for sure...

"Your world sounds amazing to me, Khadija, why do you bother coming to Puntland?" Ali asked, and for some reason, Khadija shot him a look. Ali hastily apologized, for he hadn't meant to offend her. Life in Somalia is far from easy, with rebel groups stirring trouble left and right, and problems such as food shortages, infrastructure and healthcare issues complicating things for the already embattled population. Ali was fortunate that he lived in the countryside of Puntland, instead of a big metropolitan area like Mogadishu. The big towns and major cities were prime targets for troublemakers...

"I am a Somali woman and this is my land too, Ali," Khadija said angrily, and Ali fell silent, cowed by her irate demeanor. Ali raised his hands in the air and smiled sheepishly, and Khadija frowned then relented. The young woman told him in no uncertain terms that her Somali heritage and Islamic faith were dear to her. Ali was honestly amazed by the romantic notions that Khadija held about life in the land of Somalia. Most Somalis who can escape flee to Europe, America, Canada or even Australia, never to return. What is wrong with this Khadija broad?

"I meant no disrespect earlier, Khadija, it's just that, if I could escape Somalia, I'd never return," Ali said confidently. As Khadija looked at him, Ali talked about North America, or what he knew of it from reading magazines when he could get his hands on them. Like many Africans who'd never set foot in North America, Ali thought life overseas was easy, with money seemingly growing on trees. Khadija was quick to disabuse him of that foolish notion. Ali needed to be brought down to earth toot sweet, and Khadija is the right woman for the job...

"Ali, life isn't perfect in Canada, a lot of white people hate black people, in fact, an innocent Somali brother named Abdi got killed by the police and our people protested to no avail," Khadija said somberly. Ali looked at her, and the sad look on Khadija's beautiful face caused his ire to rise. Ali might be a simple goat herder but he's a proud son of Somalia. Anyone who would bring tears to a Somali woman's eyes is liable to catch a Somali man's fists coming at his jaw. The thought of a Somali brother getting killed by foreigners with impunity irked Ali.

Ali Abdirashid was too young to remember the events of Black Hawk Down, where ferocious Somali warriors caused overconfident American soldiers to get their pale asses out of Somalia, lest they end up buried there. The Somali people are great fighters, and don't bow down to imperial Europeans, or imperial Ethiopians, and they weren't afraid of the supposedly almighty American military machine. The Americans left Somalia, realizing that it was not worth the trouble. A wise decision. While a lot of Americans fear going to Somalia, plenty of Somalis move about in America with impunity. They're slowly taking over all of Minnesota, one street at a time, one town at a time...

"Khadija, I swear by the Halls of Jannah, if I were there, I would have defended our brother Abdi," Ali said proudly. Khadija looked at Ali and smiled. In the City of Ottawa, Khadija led a very different lifestyle. She was in graduate school at Carleton University, intent on getting her MBA, and she also had a cushy job with the Canadian Government. In Ottawa, Somali female achievement often outpaced Somali male achievement. Khadija dated Arab guys and even white guys, but didn't bother with Somali men because she found them lacking in the ambition department. Ali, simple goatherder that he was, had a spark and made an impression on Khadija...

"You're fearless," Khadija said with a shy smile, and she looked at Ali with admiration. That's how it began between the two of them. After initially butting heads, Ali Abdirashid and Khadija Adan became fast friends...and more. Khadija was curious about the rugged beauty of Puntland, and Ali was curious about the beautiful Khadija, so they met each other halfway. The goat herder and the scholar went for long walks on the hills, valleys and deserts of Puntland, and he showed her the beauty of her ancestral homeland...

"I am saving up to move to Mogadishu, I want to work for the Somali Government, I have more education than most of the fellas out here thanks to the Imam," Ali told Khadija as they lay on the grass one afternoon. The goats, three dozen in total, grazed a short distance from them. On that day, Ali was shirtless due to the summer heat. Khadija wore a Hijab, short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, since she's not exactly a stickler for tradition. Ali found Khadija beautiful regardless of what she's wearing...or not wearing.

"I believe in you and your dreams," Khadija said to Ali, and then, surprising the hell out of him, she leaned closer and kissed him. That's right, the Hijab-wearing Somali Canadian Muslim woman kissed the handsome but wild Somali goat herder. Ali kissed Khadija back, recovering from his surprise long enough to gently embrace her. When they came up for air, Khadija looked at Ali and smiled. The two of them exchanged a nervous laugh and then, just like that, they began making love on the soft grass, under the Somali sky...

"You're a unique woman," Ali told Khadija, and as they slipped out of their clothes, he marveled at her beauty. The tall, slender but curvy young Somali Canadian woman was absolutely lovely. Ali caressed Khadija's lovely face, then her breasts, and his hands roamed all over her supple body, not believing his luck. Khadija lay on the soft grass, naked as the day she was born, and Ali proceeded to kiss her lips and throat, while caressing her small but lovely breasts. Ali kissed a path from Khadija's breasts, to her belly, and he stopped at her crotch.

"Go ahead," Khadija said, and she grinned as Ali inhaled her womanly scent, and then buried his face between her legs. Ali's hungry mouth found Khadija's clit and he sucked on her before sliding his fingers into her snatch. Khadija closed her eyes as Ali ate her out. For a man who spends all of his time either at the mosque or tending to his goats, Ali certainly knew his way around the female body. Khadija sighed happily as Ali ate her pussy, and soon she found herself shuddering violently, on the brink of orgasm...

"Delicious," Ali paused to say, and he feasted on Khadija's sweet pussy, loving the way she tasted. Ali continued to lick, probe and tease Khadija's pussy until she came, oozing girly cum all over his face. Ali continued to feast on Khadija, and he marveled as she shrieked in sheer orgasmic delight, like a woman possessed. When Khadija finally came down from cloud nine, Ali gathered her in his arms, then kissed her. Khadija looked at Ali through moist eyes, stunned by what he'd done to her. Ali grinned, and assured Khadija that he was just getting started...

"Fuck me," Khadija said in a sexy, husky voice, as Ali took her on all fours, fucking her with deep, passionate strokes. Khadija groaned as Ali made love to her, gripping her hips and sliding his thick member into her pussy. Khadija cried out with wild abandon, urging Ali to fuck her harder. On the soft grass of the vast Puntland plain, under the clear blue Somali skies, Ali and Khadija had all the privacy in the world to explore their passions. For hours they made love, exploring one another again and again...

"Hmm, Khadija, a woman like you, I'd make you my habibti ( beloved ), if you let me," Ali said softly. Khadija, resting her head on Ali's chest as she lay in his arms, could only smile and purr. She did not answer. After making love and bantering, Ali and Khadija got dressed, and then as night fell, he led the goats back to their corral, located in the Abdirashid compound. Ali walked Khadija back to the Adan household compound, and they hugged tenderly before parting ways.

For Ali Abdirashid, this was the summer of love, thanks to Khadija Adan's visit to Puntland. The young Somali goat herder had fallen in love with the Somali Canadian scholar, but while she cared for him deeply, she could not envision a life with him. Khadija and Ali came from different worlds. At the end of the summer, Khadija and Ali parted ways, promising to keep in touch, even though both of them knew that promise would not be kept by either party. Khadija returned to the City of Ottawa, and ended up marrying a white man who'd converted to Islam. Ali achieved his goal of moving to Mogadishu, where he became a cleric for the Somali Government. He met a wonderful Somali lady named Yasmin and they got married. First love is always unforgettable, but it need not last forever. Life teaches all lovebirds that lesson in the end...