Greyscale Angel

The Tea to my Coffee

I needed to change from my daytime maxi into something a little less eye catching. I decided on a full length black maxi with flat silver sandals and a pink hijab with grey floral detail. I applied a thin layer of eye pencil and a lip balm. Underrated, yet neat and presentable. I looked at the time... 6:45 pm There was no more delaying. I left my apartment and called a cab. It would take about 12 minutes by car. I should make it. When I reached the café, I began scanning the room for an Arsenal T-shirt which, if I am not mistaken, is red... right? It didn't take me long to spot the man in the red shirt. He was sitting with his back facing me but he was not alone. He had with him a little boy, who sat facing the door hence, facing me. It wasn't just any little boy, It was that little boy from this afternoon at the park. Rayhaan. Oh fate and its twisted games. Of all the little boys in all of the world...

I began to approach the table slowly, not too much in a hurry. The little boy looked up at me. I saw a glint of recognition in his eyes as he smiled at me and lifted his hand to give a slight wave. I smiled back and saw the man in the red shirt turn around to see what all the smiles were about. Our eyes locked for a moment. I was deeply startled at the intense sea green colour of his eyes. I was so much reminded of the ship ride I had taken across the  Mediterranean.
So fierce, yet so unbelievably calming.
Snap out of it!

He stood up. He was quite tall and lean. He had sharp features and the same sandy brown hair as the little boy. "Malaa'ika?" he asked. I nodded in reply. "Assalamu'alaikum. I'm Amaan. This is my nephew Rayhaan" he said looked back at the little boy. "Wa' alaikum salaam." I responded. He offered me his chair and after I sat, he walked across the table and took the seat next to the little boy who, by now, could not keep his silence anymore. "Rayhaan remembers you! " I laughed at his reference to himself in third person. "I remember Rayhaan too," I responded. Amaan looked on in confusion. He turned to his nephew and then to me. I suspect he was looking for an explanation. "I seen her at the park. She's nice. She didn't take my ball," Rayhaan explained. I expected him to identify me as the weird girl who ran away after giving his nephew a flower. That was not the response though, instead, he was even more confused. "When did you go to the park kid?" he questioned. "I went with uncle Yaseeeeeeeen." the little boy yelled impatiently, "Rayhaan wants ice cream please." He was too adorable, I couldn't help but be smitten with this little boy. "I think we should order," I said to Amaan. He laughed and nodded his head as he called for the waiter. He called the waiter with an "excuse me".( I know this may not seem significant, but it is. You see, Mahatma Gandhi had once said, that a person's true self is revealed in the way he addresses those who are less wealthy than him. )

I ordered a cup of coffee, Amaan ordered tea ( Tea?? ) and a strawberry sundae for Rayhaan.
I was so glad for the little boy's presence. It saved us a lot of awkward silence. Our order came rather quickly and we began indulging in the treats, Rayhaan having a field day with his ice cream. Silence filled the table once more. It was Amaan who spoke up, "So how is the new job going? " I looked up, " It's going really well. Every day is more interesting than the previous one, " I responded. He nodded. I expect he wanted me to say more... like what the job actually was. I wasn't very good at this. Silence once again as the only constant sound at our table was Rayhaan's mmmmmmmms and slurps, he was an absolute mess by now, with splashed of ice cream from his nose to his hair!

Amaan tried again, "your aunt and uncle must be really proud." I almost choked, "I wouldn't know, I suppose so." He was so taken aback by my response. But it was the truth... Just then, his phone began to ring. "Excuse me," he said, before taking the call. I couldn't hear the entire conversation for obvious reasons but his answers went a little something like this:

Wslm, I'm well mum. How are you?
Yes, he's with me...
He went to the park with Yaseen...
No he's too busy with his ice cream.
How's the back pain, any better?
Yes mum I had your chicken for lunch
No I didn't miss lunch, honestly...
Yes it's today... I'm here. .. she's here...
Okay I'll speak to you later...
Love you too...

"That was my mum," he said as he hung up. I nodded slowly... Still unsure of what exactly that call was all about. I couldn't help myself, "Did your mum need something?"
"No, just checking in," he said, sipping the last of his tea.
Checking in... okay...
It was so strange to me that someone would call you without some sort of personal gain. I was not sure whether to be disturbed or to be pleasantly surprised. To have someone make a phone call just to ask how you are... what would that be like?

Amaan told me a little more about his family. He had 2 brothers, one elder and one younger. The elder one, Luqmaan, was Rayhaan's dad and his wife was Laaiqa. His younger brother Yaseen, was the one I had seen at the park. They were a very tight knit family. They all lived together and had at least one meal together every day. I wanted to know more about his world, I wanted to know everything. I just didn't have the words to ask... Ironic, I know.

Amaan insisted on dropping me home. On the way, he gave a little laugh out of the blue and I was thoroughly intrigued. I looked at him with questioning eyes. He caught my expression from the corner of his eye and said, "I've never had a girl sit in the front seat of my car before. This is a first." I could feel my cheeks grow warm and was thankful for the darkness of the night. Little jumping Rayhaan wasn't convinced though and squealed from the back, "But maaa (granny) is a girl and she sits there when you go all the places!" I couldn't help but smile. Amaan cleared his throat, "Um yes, but you know what I mean... " he almost whispered as though it were meant for me alone.

We reached my apartment building around 10 minutes later. Rayhaan had fallen asleep in the back seat. I got out the car door as I heard Amaan say, "Will you be okay going up alone?" I felt a tug at my heart strings... "I'll be just fine," I whispered in response, careful not to wake the sleeping boy, " thank you... Amaan." He smiled when I said his name. He waited for me to get into the building and just like that, drove into the night, taking something of me with him yet leaving something behind... What that something was, I couldn't really tell. Not yet anyways...