RUNNING

Chapter Twenty

"Live in this world like a traveller."...

Their journey continued in silence until Afnan overtakes Maraya's car and hoot the horn to greet her friend.
"Is that your friend who just left now?" Ahmad asked
"Yes."
"Where is she heading?"
"Lagos."
"Really?" He wanted to know more about her but he doesn't want his sister to read different meaning to his questions.
"Hmmm." She knows her brother is not ladies guy so she guess he was only curious because she is her friend.
"So she stays in Lagos too?"
"I already said that."
"Are you guys in the same department?"
"Same department, same level and same room." Afnan snaps.
"Wow! You never mentioned about her."
"Well you hardly have the time to listen to me."
"You know how busy I used to be, I have the company to run, my online course and of course my spiritual life."
"Don't go there again brother, you can't be too busy that you can't make out time for your family."
"I do make time for you, we always have our Sunday's outing together, am always home before Magrib and here I am as a good brother taking my lovely sister home."
"The Sunday that you always go along with your laptops, you retire to bed after Isha'i and you always keeps me waiting for hours before coming to pick me."
"But I still come." He emphasized.
"You better start practicing before you get married because your wife will need your attention and she will get angry whenever you keep her waiting." Not that Ahmad ever show interest in marriage but she is well aware her mother is already considering some eligible sisters for him which she is going to bring up soon.
"Now that you mentioned it, so my sister is already in love without telling me."
"Who says I am in love?"
"Why else would you jump at the marriage proposal if you have not been dreaming of it all along?"
"Well...", she don't have an answer to that. She don't want to admit to Ahmad too that she is in love with Abubakar. "Why don't you talk about your own marriage proposals instead of concerning yourself about mine?"
"What are you talking about? My marriage proposals?"
" I guess you have no idea about what is going on?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Do I need to answer that?" She pretend as if she is trying to focus on the road. She knows the best way to divert her brother's attention is to bring up marriage issue, her brother has never talk to her about any woman he is interested in nor has he ever show interest in any.
Whenever they went on social outing he tried as much to avoid talking about women. Their mother always appreciate his bashfulness until she grew tired of it recently and Afnan at a point has seen her mother expressing concern about her brother lack of interest in marriage and they had both suggested making some arrangement to meet with some of their family friends who have ladies of marriageable age.
It is a common thing in their family to assist the younger ones in choosing righteous spouses but they never impose their choice on any of them. As a child, their parents always tell them about what one should look for in a spouse and what should always be the priority. They made them realise that marriage should not be temporary relationship but a relationship that last not only in this world but in the next so it is important to choose people you can be comfortable with and not just being solely concern about transient characters alone.
Ahmad smiles at himself as he watches his sister, he won't be surprise if his mother decide to start matchmaking for him, he knows she is very good at that because she has done so for many of their cousins, she was even the one that arrange their aunt marriage and alhamdulillah most of the marriage she matchmake has successful stories so he is not doubting her. However, he plans to start family when he thirty years because he believed by that time he would have achieve more in both his career and spiritual life so he decide to tell his parents about his plan whenever they bring up marriage issue.

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"That was the car she saw now." Maraya thought to herself and she looked ahead to see Afnan who hoot her horn in greetings, she smiles to herself.
She thought about all the changes that has happened to her since Afnan came into her life. Their relationship has given her a new meaning to life and different direction on what to pursue.
However, she knows that it is still important to run but not toward transient world rather ones goal should be towards the eternal life. She is learning to live life at a time realizing that every moment of life is a gift and test that can be for you or against you.
Maraya knows that she still have a long way and so many things to catch up with, she still cannot recite the Qur'an on her own but she is determined to learn it next semester with Afnan. She has already resolve to start using hijab too though she has not discuss it with anyone, she hoped her family will support her and she has decided to learn and follow her religion irrespective of what others think and want because she knows that in the end, it is not between her and man but she and her God.

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Short chapter, I guess? Don't worry I will make it up next time in sha Allah.
I love you all
@ umayra