Yours, Eternally

Eid Celebrations

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Zoha

"I..." I sat back in my seat, overwhelmed by Talha's confession of his feelings for me.

I stared out of the window at our family home in Lahore, blinking rapidly. I was in a bit of a daze, not sure how to feel. Once upon a time, Abdul Rehman had also told me that he loved me, but he hadn't even been patient for a year. The moment there was an opportunity, he found a second wife and left me.

I knew, without a doubt, that Talha was not going to do that. He was a much better person that Abdul Rehman could ever be, but that fear wasn't leaving my heart. I didn't want to feel broken again. It was a horrible feeling.

Talha was staring at me, thoughtfully. "You are under no pressure to reply, Zoha." He repeated.

I looked at him. "I...I do have feelings for you, Talha, but to be honest I have no idea how deep they are, and I am a little uncertain about expressing them right now. I don't want to say the wrong thing and hurt you, Talha, but I haven't really figured out these feelings yet, so please just give me some time." 

He nodded. "Of course. As I said, no pressure from my side." 

I put my hand on his. "Thank you. And this is why I have no doubt that whatever my feelings are right now, they will eventually turn into love. In Sha Allah." 

We smiled at each other for a few seconds.

"Let's go." He pulled the car out of the driveway. 

"Where are we going?" I asked, curiously.

"We are going to celebrate our first Eid together." He said as we drove down the streets of Defence.

There was a lot of traffic as we left Defence, as the whole city seemed to be heading out to celebrate Eid. People were dressed up, men were walking down the streets in crisp shalwar kameez suits, kids were happily dragging their parents to shops to buy snacks with their Eidi. It was a beautiful atmosphere, and I was happy that I was in Lahore to celebrate it.

After an almost hour long drive (due to traffic), we pulled up in front of a dull looking large building. A sign in Urdu read: Umeed Yateem Khana (Hope Orphanage). Underneath it was a logo of a major Pakistani charity, that was well known for supporting children in need. 

I looked at Talha surprised as he got out of the car. I got out as well, and was further surprised when he walked over to the car boot. As I went to stand beside him, my eyes widened. The car boot was full of gift bags and food items.

"When we are celebrating something, especially religious festivals, it is important to remember the needy." He whispered, grabbing bags. "Allah has blessed us with a lot, Alhumdulillah, and we must use our own blessings to help others. And what kid doesn't like new clothes and stuff on Eid, especially?" 

I was blown away by his mentality. This was an incredible way to spend Eid. Sure, it is okay to celebrate with dates and by going out, but I loved the idea of bringing smiles to faces of orphans even more. Every child deserved happiness.

"Marina Khalla, who spends a few months in Lahore each year, comes here and do voluntary work on regular basis, which is how we got familiar with this place." Talha explained as we carried the gifts inside, helped by the guard at the gate. 

We met Zeenat Aunty, the woman in charge, sat and chatted with her for a while, before she took us to a common area, which was busy with kids of all ages. Some were sitting playing with toys, some where seemingly doing homework, while others were just running and chasing each other around.