Natural Mystic

On friday November 12th of 1999, a beautiful baby girl named Ubaida was born to Ahmed's family. She had beautiful big brown eyes, tight coils for hair. Dark brown skin that glows when the sun hits it, and shimmers like gold when her lovely mother massages it with shea butter. Her father, Assani, was a hard working accountant who earned a good living to take proper care of his family. While her mother, Sherika, worked as an elementary school teacher. The total combination of their household income was around $180,000 per year, which meant that they could afford to live comfortably even after having their newborn daughter. Sherika was born with a weak heart as a child, so got sick often and sometimes even bed ridden. When Ubaida was around five years old her mother was admitted to the hospital due to her heart and passed away. This was a devastating event for the newly formed Ahmed’s family, but was very hard on Assani. He had to start performing the duties that his late wife used to do, to keep some things that Ubaida knew as normal going on to reduce the effects on her death on their daughter.

One faithful day on his way to pick Ubaida from elementary school when she was ten years old, Assani got into a car accident and was rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, he lost too much blood and was pronounced dead on arrival to the emergency room. At this point in her life, Ubaida Ahmed had become an orphan with nowhere to go or no one to turn to, because the relatives of his parents refused to take her in. She was placed in the care of foster parents to receive education and daily meals necessary to continue living. Woefully, this would become one of the most traumatic periods in the life of this ten year girl. Ubaida was constantly beaten, sexually assaulted, and neglected with no food on a daily basis. This became something that she thought of as a normal adolescence life that every american child experiences.

At age 15, Ubaida didn’t think much of herself as a person, or someone worth showing compassion to, so she decided to join a sports team. She tried to join the track team but her foster parents didn't approve, so she decided to join the soccer team. That request was also shut down. Finally, she was allowed to join the gymnastics team after her foster parents deemed it would not affect them since they thought of it as an individual sport. While she was participating in this sport, she made a friend named Amanda. Amanda was from a small low class family with good virtues and manners. She kept seeing bruises and cuts on Ubaida's body in the changing room on a daily basis, so she asked her about it. She told Amanda about everything that's been happening to since she was taken in by the foster parents at age 10 with the most unruffled look and attitude. Being slightly thrown off by Amanda's reaction; because she thought everything that has been happening to her was normal and thought nothing of it. The Friday before one of their gymnastics meets, Amanda begged her parents to contact Ubaida’s foster parents to have a sleepover with her, and they surprisingly agreed. At dinner time, they all sat around a big dinner table and started enjoying their meal. Due to this being the first time Ubaida has experienced a complete family after becoming an orphan, was reminded of the family she used to have before everything perished. Without realising it, she started crying uncontrollably at the dinner table. Amanda’s parents Gina and Joshuah grew very concerned about her tears and tried to console her. She finally told them everything that has been happening to her since she was taken in by her foster parents and they called the police.

The Foster parents were immediately arrested and taken into custody. The police advised the Edwards family to take Ubaida to the hospital for checkups, both physically and mentally. Both students had to sit out for the next gymnastics meet because of their newly developed circumstance. Amanda's parents decided to take her in for the next 2 weeks until a proper foster home was found for her to reside. Once Ubaida realised that there’s a positive chance she will be living with another foster family with the possibility that everything that has happened to her might happen again, she ran away from the Edwards family. The family notified police immediately, and spent days searching for her. Since she did not have a cell phone, it was difficult getting in contact or tracking her.

A few days after running away, Ubaida ran out of money that she received from living with the Edwards family and became homeless. She began to beg for money on the side of the roads and outside of store entrances. Usually, she was able to get enough money daily for some food and sometimes had enough money left over for a motel room to spend the night. However, most of the time she slept on benches at the bus station, slept under bridges, or just found a place where she didn't feel threatened to rest for the night. One day while she was wondering, she came across a nice neighbourhood which was probably an area occupied by wealthy individuals. She noticed that one lawn was unkempt, gross, dirty, and had long weeds grown in front. So she decided to knock on the door. After ringing the doorbell 5 times, a frail elderly man opened the door. She asked if she could mow his lawn, cut his trees, and clean the front of his house in exchange for some food and water. The old man agreed and walked her to the tools needed to get the job done. She put everything together and started doing the work she requested to do. After she was done cleaning, the old man told her that he had no food to offer her. At first she was very angry with the old man's reply, so she asked for some water instead. “I will be taking you to the supermarket to get some supplies to cook because I don't have ingredients to cook with”, he said. He asks her if she's good at cooking and can drive. Ubaida replied, “I'm a very good cook, but no one has ever taught me how to drive before”. The old man drove to the nearest Food Lion and got some ingredients that she could cook with. was really happy about the old man's gesture, so decided to make one of her mother's signature home cooked meals. The old man was so happy with the home cooked meal, he gave her some clean clothes and showed her a bathroom to take a shower since she was dirty. She thanked the old man and left his house cleaner than she found it.

A week later, after begging for her daily meals, she came to say hi to the old man. She rang the doorbell and Mr Gerald opened the door. He welcomed her in with a smile, and asked her to come in for some chilled water. While they were making their way into the living room, the old man collapsed. Ubaida called 911 and tended to old man Gerald. With the little knowledge he had about resuscitation, she performed CPR until the EMT arrived to care for old man Gerald. After Mr. Gerald became conscious, the EMT advised Ubaida to stay with him until he was fully capable of taking care of himself. The old man agreed and gave Ubaida a room and some clothes. She cleaned the house and made dinner. After dinner Mr. Gerald asked her about her parents, and why she always looked dirty. She told him about her past,parents, foster home, and her friend Amanda. She started crying after she realised she left the only other family she had without saying goodbye or thanking them. Mr. Gerald asked if she would like to live with him for a while, and she accepted the offer. “But in return you will have to go back and tell the Edwards family that you are doing well,'' said the old man. The next day, the old man drove her to The Edward's house. When they got there, Amanda was mowing the lawn with her father Mr. Joshuah. Immediately after recognizing her, she let out a happy relief scream and ran towards Ubaida to hug her. The rest of the Edwar's family joined in right after, and invited them into their house.

After being served some water, she introduced the old man and confessed what he's done for her and is willing to do. The Edwards family forgave her and extended the offer of living with them again. “I would like to take care of this old man for a while as my gratitude for his kindness,'' she said. They said their goodbyes. In the car ride back home, Ubaida asked Mr. Gerald about his family and his past. He said, “I was married to a beautiful young woman right out of college at age 22. We had three beautiful babies. Two Handsome boys and one pretty little girl. My wife passed away when I was 50, 20 years ago. My two sons died on the battlefield as Marines with no wives or kids. And as for my daughter, she's on her humanitarian trip for residency to become a doctor. She replied, “Well that’s some hard life changing events to take in all at once”. After they arrived, she asked what was one of his wife's Favourite dishes to make. He said “steak au poivre with mashed potatoes, and a slice of Apple pie for desert”.Heading to the old man's wishes, she made the dish and they enjoyed dinner together.

On November 12, after Ubaida’s 16th birthday rowed around, Mr. Gerald surprised her with adoption papers, a driver's learning permit class ticket, and a savings account with the balance of $20,000. Being a stunt of words, she hugged because she had no other way of expressing her gratitude and feelings. A few months later, the old man suffered a fatal heart attack and passed away. Ubaida was finally able to meet his daughter Josephine, who inherited the rest Mr. Gerald's wealth. Josephine promised to pay her college tuition once the time.While she was cleaning the old man's Room, she found a little black notebook. This notebook had old man’s wishes, experiences, goals, and funtimes written in it.She asked his daughter if she could keep this little black notebook to continue old man girls wishes. One of old man Gerald wishes was to open an elderly home where he and parents with no kids to take care of them can live. have fun, and have a peaceful end to their lives.

After high school, she got accepted to Dartmouth College inNew Hampshire and majored in psychology and cardiology. Once she graduated Dartmouth with her bachelor's degree, she used the $20000 old man geral left for her and opened an early home for elderly for that couldn’t take care of them at home. She also opened a big Foster home where she took in kids or individuals who had nowhere to go to give them a stepping stool and a second chance at life. Ubaida became one of the best cardiologists in the United State, and an individual that her foster children considered as family. When she was 29, she met a young man named David. After dating for about 2 1/2 years, they decided to take their relationship to the next level and settle. They had a beautiful baby girl 9 months later, and a year later had a bouncing baby boy who they named after her father, Assani. This small family lived a very long life full of happiness, cheerfulness, and kindness to the people around them.