It's Destined

Tarik

We leave the orphanage and stop for dinner. I text Khalil what did she say and right when I hit send I regretted it, it make me sound needy and desperate. She'll have to ask you question when can you come over he replies right away. Wow, that's great, I take a deep breath and write can tomorrow work? He doesn't respond right away so I sit there tapping on the table.

"Tarik are you ok?" Sister Laura asks. "Yeah," I mumble. "You didn't touch your food," Brother Joe says. I force myself to start eating to distract myself from how long Kahlil was taking to respond. My phone beeps and I drop my fork. Tomorrow at 3 will work for her. He says. I smile to myself. Ok salaam, I send.

"Tarik, what is going on?" Brother Joe asks me. I couldn't lie to them, I should just tell what was going on. I sigh and explain to them and smiles appear on their face. "We want to meet them," Sister Laura insists. My guidance want to come along to meet your parents I text.

Your parents can come... It's only right, he texts. I sigh, I didn't tell them that my parents were dead, I just don't feel comfortable talking about it. The topic will probably come up when I go there tomorrow with Sister Laura and Brother Joe.

I was up all night playing how I think it's going to go in my head. I pray to God that it will go well.

The next day I kept checking the time but it seemed to go slow. it was only 10 in the morning and the last time I checked the time it was 9:59 which felt like an hour. I pull out the Qu'ran to pass time which honestly it did.

It was 1:00. I pray Zuhr and at around to 2 I start getting ready to leave. We ride separately because Brother Joe and Sister Laura had to go somewhere at 5. We get there and my hands were shaking and my heart was beating unusually fast. I take a deep breath.

I knock on the door and Jay opens it. He salaams us and allows us in. We sit down in the living room. The parents come in salaaming us. Kahlil joins making conversation. I was glad Sister Laura and Brother Joe were fitting in perfectly. "You nerves?" Brother Joe asks. I nod taking deep breath. "Are you guys ready for Yasmin?" Khalil asks standing up. Everyone nods. Sister Laura was very excited to see Yasmin, she kept saying how happy she was to meet her.

Yasmin walks in behind Khalil and sits down next to him. Sister Laura looks at me and smiles. "You are so pretty," she says right away. Yasmin smiles "thanks," she says looking down. It was awkward because no one was speaking. I see Khalil poke Yasmin and she looks up to her brother. She then clears her throat.

"So... I know you practice but how close are you to God?" she questions. "I would say I'm very close... I pray five times a day on time and I read the Qu'ran before going to bed," I say to start off. "What are your plans for the future? Like job, lifestyle, if you want children?" she questions looking at her parents and then the ground. "I want to work with photography, I want a normal lifestyle not too rich or poor... for children, I want my own but I'm planning to adopt an orphan inshallah," I tell her. She looks up and her eyes blooms and a smile forms.

"You want to adopt an orphan?" brother Joe said happily. I didn't tell them about it but I was planning to. I just nod. "So, are they your parents?" she asks. And there was the question I was hoping would never come. I shake my head. She studies me and looks back at Sister Laura and Brother Joe. for a second I thought she was going to ask where are my parents.

"So... do you have any studies?" she asks looking around hoping her parents don't ask questions. I sigh, thank God she didn't ask, but I know I have to tell her eventually when things work out.