Winged Dreams

Chapter 25: A Twisted Concept

1st January, 2016
(No new year wishes, please! This is seen as imitating the disbelievers for such celebrations have no place in Islam. And Allah knows best.)

And do not weaken in pursuit of the enemy. If you should be suffering - so are they suffering as you are suffering, but you expect from Allah that which they expect not. And Allah is ever Knowing and Wise.

[Surah Nisa]

Chapter 25:

A Twisted Concept

Asif walked to his car, his long strides matching the state of his heart. No, hope wasn't really his favourite word right now. He didn't exactly know who was the most deserving of his current rage.

He was furious that his mom spoke to Fareeda and tossed the question at her.

He was angry at the reply he knew Simran's mum would utter, but wasn't prepared for.

He was enraged at his sister, through whom he was introduced to the girl whose thoughts filled his heart with grief.

He was mad at the universe that conspired against him, ignited the spark of hope only to put it off with thunderstorms and peltering rain.

But lastly, as he slammed the door of his car shut, revved the engine and sped on the city roads way above the limit, he realized he really wasn't angry at anyone but himself.

He hated the fact that he had allowed himself to be so easily driven by someone who wasn't meant to be in his life. People always said that every person you stumbled upon in life was for a reason. Had he known that stumbling upon Simran would cause him this level of grief, he'd prefer to shield himself from the meeting.

He was at that point in life where he regretted meeting Simran, getting to know her through his sister, tasting the cakes she baked and ultimately, he regretted falling in love with her.

Angry tears clouded his vision at the thought. The overly optimistic, excessively energetic Asif, who didn't know what giving up felt like for he always had wackiest yet practical solutions, regretted meeting the girl he eventually fell in love with.

Yes, he really had lost all hope. He was tired of fighting from months, working towards the future that was just a step away and now he was giving up.

Slamming the brakes and stopping by the side of the highway, he clutched the steering wheel and let out an exasperated sigh.

God! He was so sick of this.

Jumping out of the car and walking to the edge, he looked ahead, gazing absent mindedly at the trees. Surrounded by his own thoughts, his eyes fell on a young couple by a hut, with the husband holding a child who was less that two years old. They were buying corn from the roadside vendor beside their house and despite the ragged look they sported, their faces were as rich as ever. The fact that they had no solid walls to live in, no materialistic goods to show off did not falter their smile.

Yes, love couldn't feed you your next meal, but looking at the couple, it wasn't hard to decipher that as long as they had each other, they'd be able to live in any circumstance. They had the currency of love, and they didn't care that it couldn't buy them materialistic goods. Together, they had something far more precious.

Asif's heart clenched as the man sat his child on his shoulder and holding the wife's hand, they stepped inside their little world, laughing at something the kid babbled.

He hadn't felt poorer than he did at the moment.

Standing under the open sky, the sound of the rustling of trees as company, Asif no more felt angry.