Naila's Apartment - Afternoon
Naila was doing what she did best: sleeping on the couch. The afternoon sun streamed through the windows, casting warm light across her peaceful face. She was dreaming about ice cream, as usual.
Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light.
Naila stirred. "Hmm... five more minutes..."
Another flash. Brighter this time.
Naila opened one eye. "What's happening...?"
A figure appeared in the middle of the room. It was a young girl, maybe twelve years old, with long black hair and big brown eyes. She was wearing a silver jacket that shimmered strangely, and she had a device on her wrist that was glowing.
Naila stared at her. "Who are you? And how did you get in here?"
The girl smiled brightly. "Hi, Mama! It's me! Lyne! Your daughter! From the future!"
Naila blinked. "My... what?"
"Your daughter! From the future! I'm a time traveler!"
Naila sat up slowly. "I'm too tired for this."
"It's okay, Mama! I'll explain everything!"
***
Naila's Apartment - 10 Minutes Later
Naila was sitting on the couch, still half-asleep, trying to process what she was hearing.
Lyne was bouncing around the room, examining everything with curiosity.
"So, let me get this straight," Naila said slowly. "You're my daughter. From the future. And you're a time traveler."
"Yes! Exactly!"
"And you came to visit me. In the present."
"Yes!"
Naila rubbed her temples. "Why?"
Lyne's face lit up. "Because I wanted to meet you when you were young! And also because there's something I need to tell you!"
"Something?"
Lyne's expression became serious. "Mama... there's something you need to know about your future."
Naila felt a knot form in her stomach. "What is it?"
Lyne took a deep breath. "In the future... you get married. A lot."
Naila blinked. "What?"
"You get married and divorced. Over and over again."
"How many times?"
Lyne winced. "A hundred times."
Silence.
Naila stared at her. "A hundred times?"
"Yes."
"A hundred marriages?!"
"Technically, a hundred marriages and ninety-nine divorces. The hundredth one is still ongoing."
Naila's eye twitched. "You're joking, right?"
"I'm not joking, Mama. You're kind of famous for it in the future. They call you the 'Serial Bride.'"73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWSFqfeboM
Naila stood up. Her face was a mixture of shock and disbelief.
"A hundred marriages," she repeated. "A hundred."
Lyne nodded. "Yes, Mama."
"Who were these people?!"
"All kinds of people! There was a chef, a pilot, a professional gamer, three billionaires, a magician, and one very confused yoga instructor."
"A YOGA INSTRUCTOR?!"
"Yes, Mama. He was very flexible."
Naila grabbed a pillow and threw it at Lyne.
"DON'T JOKE AROUND, YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!"
Lyne dodged the pillow. "I'm not joking, Mama! It's true!"
"IT CANNOT BE TRUE!"
"It IS true! Your wedding albums take up an entire room!"
Naila collapsed back onto the couch. "I can't. I can't process this."
Lyne sat beside her. "I know it's a lot, Mama. But I came here to warn you."
"Warn me?!"
"Yes! You need to be more careful about who you marry!"
"But I haven't even thought about marriage yet! I'm too lazy to get married!"
"That's what you think now. But apparently, you get really into it later."
Naila buried her face in her hands. "I'm going to have a hundred marriages. A hundred."
"And a hundred beautiful wedding dresses! They're all in the museum!"
"THERE'S A MUSEUM?!"
"Yes, Mama! You're very famous!"
Naila screamed into her pillow.
***
Naila's Apartment - 20 Minutes Later
Fatimah, Chima, Wony, and Alice burst through the door.
"Naila! We heard screaming! What happened?!"
They stopped when they saw Lyne.
Alice's eyes went wide. "Who's the kid?"
Naila was still screaming into her pillow.
Lyne smiled. "Hi, everyone! I'm Lyne! I'm Naila's daughter! From the future!"
Dead silence.
Chima blinked. "Your... what?"
"My daughter! From the future!"
Wony stared. "Is this a joke?"
"No! I'm a time traveler! I came to warn Mama about her future!"
Alice was already filming. "THIS IS INCREDIBLE! A TIME TRAVELER!"
Fatimah stepped forward. "Okay, okay. Explain. Slowly."
Lyne explained everything: the time travel, the hundred marriages, the museum, and everything.
When she finished, the room was silent.
Chima broke the silence. "A hundred marriages. Naila has a hundred marriages."
Lyne nodded. "Yes."
"That's... a lot."
"I know. That's why I came to warn her."
Wony was calculating. "That means she has roughly ninety-nine ex-husbands."
"Actually, some of them remarried her later. So there are more exes than marriages."
"That's... mathematically impressive."
Alice was losing her mind. "NAILA! THE LAZY ONE! HAS A HUNDRED EX-HUSBANDS!"
"I'M RIGHT HERE!" Naila shouted.
"This is the greatest thing I've ever heard!"73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hPvvn0I3D
Lyne looked at her mother seriously. "Mama, you need to be more careful. The reason you get divorced so many times is because you keep marrying people without really getting to know them."
Naila looked up. "What?"
"The first one was because he didn't like cats. The second one was because he was allergic to your favorite blanket. The third one was because he always chewed too loudly."
"That's... that's so petty!"
"I know! But you kept marrying people on a whim! You just woke up one day and decided to get married!"
"THAT'S SO OUT OF CHARACTER!"
"Apparently you change in the future."
Chima was laughing hysterically. "NAILA! YOU BECOME A SERIAL MONOGAMIST!"
"I'M NOT A SERIAL MONOGAMIST!"
"You literally get married a hundred times!"
"THAT'S THE SAME PERSON!"
"No, it's not! It's a hundred different people!"
Naila screamed again.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVe32aZk4n
Lyne stood up. "Okay, Mama. I need to go back now. But please, promise me you'll be more careful about marriage!"
Naila grabbed her arm. "Wait! You can't just leave! I have so many questions!"
"I can't stay too long. Time travel rules."
"WHAT RULES?!"
"You're not supposed to interfere with the past too much. I'm already breaking the rules by telling you this."
"But—"
Lyne smiled. "I love you, Mama. And I'm proud of you. Even if you do have a hundred ex-husbands."
"I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE A HUNDRED EX-HUSBANDS!"
"That's what you think now!"
Lyne pressed a button on her wrist device. She started to glow.
"Goodbye, Mama! I'll see you in the future!"
"WAIT—"
Lyne disappeared in a flash of light.
Naila stared at the empty space where her future daughter had been standing.
"I'm going to have a hundred ex-husbands," she whispered.
Alice patted her shoulder. "It's okay, Naila. I'll be your maid of honor for all of them."
"THAT'S NOT HELPING!"
Chima laughed. "This is the best day ever."
"I hate all of you."
"We know."
Naila collapsed back onto the couch.
But somewhere in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder...
Who was going to be husband number one?73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOgWZ8mIkp
and then Add to home screen.