RUNNING

Chapter Twenty-three

"There is one way that lead to happiness: stop being worried about the things beyond your control."

Maraya smiles as she looked at herself in the mirror, her mother had decide to support her change and the other members of the family are not pressuring her. Today will make one week that she had come home for holiday and the first time she will be visiting Afnan in her house, she had promised to pay her a visit during the holiday and Afnan had called her more than three times since morning just to confirm if she is still coming and when.
She was glad on Afnan's anticipation of her visit, she was even told that the whole family members are waiting to meet her. She wondered how she will be received by Afnan's family, though she know little about her roommate but from her conduct she can inferred that she come from a good Muslim home and undoubtedly kind so she has no reason to be afraid.
She choose to wear the purple gown Afnan once presented to her, after putting on light make up and veil she walked to meet her mother who is relaxing in the garden with her father to bid her farewell.
She met both are parent reading, her father going through newspaper and her mother, a fashion magazine. Both her parents love spending weekends together unless when there is occasion or one travels.
"How do I look mum." She asked smiling like a little girl.
"Wow! You look beautiful." Her mother comment as she assessed her thoroughly. "This gown is lovely, from which store did you get it?"
"Can you believe this is hand make in Nigeria?" She smiled, she remembered what her roommate told her about the dress when she later asked about where to purchase the like, she was herself surprised when Afnan told her that her aunt is a fashion designer and that the gown was one of her numerous designed wares.
"Come closer let me see." Maraya moves close to her mother who carefully scrutinize the gown. "Don't you think design like this will make good sales in the store. If we can just sketch out some figures and different styles it is going to be marvelous." Her mother said in a business like tone. She knows how much her mother love creativity and making money out of it, though she is not creative herself but sometimes she used to collaborate with Small scale or upcoming creative enterprises and promote some of their products.
"Mom, I am invited for lunch in Ikoyi and it's already past one, you know Lagos road." Maraya plead to her mother.
"Okay I know but we have a lot to talk about when you return."
"I've got all that time for you maama." She smiles and clears her throat to draw her father's attention.
"Do I need to tell you how beautiful my princess is?" Her father said lifting his head from the newspaper he is reading, "you are always beautiful my daughter." He added genuinely, he can't deny how happy and proud he felt when Maraya decide to change her lifestyle, though he has little to no time to teach his children about Islam he tried his best to ensure that his children uphold the obligatory act of worship like their five daily prayer, fasting and he make sure to organize general family prayer monthly in which case he invite some Mallams to join them for Quranic recitation.
"I already told Akin to drop you off. Enjoy your lunch dear."
"Thanks dad." Maraya said and walked away, she would have love to drive herself to Afnan's house but for two reasons. One, her car is still with the mechanic, two Afnan promised to drop her home.
"Don't you notice how beautiful she looks with that veil?" Maraya's father asked his wife once he realised their daughter is out of view.
"Of course." She nodded in affirmation.
"I wonder why you were against her in the first place, after all it is not like she is doing something wrong."
"I never said what she is doing is wrong, I just don't want her to become an extremist like my friends' daughter." She argued.
Her husband can clearly recall the issue concerning one of his wife's friend, the daughter had started of with the use of long hijabs after some times she became estranged and isolate herself from her family member and after some time she came home with a man she claimed to love and expresses her wish to marry him, after her family insisted in opposing her wish she decided to marry without their consent and that was the end of her coming home.
"It is indeed sad to recall that but I pray to God to guide her aright, religion never preaches perfection or disobedience to one's parent. In fact, after God, parents should be most respected and family should be greatly treasured. If your faith does not beautify your character then something is definitely wrong with your belief." He tried to explain to his wife.
"I agree with you my husband. But the rate at which youngster nowadays take religious it is as if we their parents are sinners and if we don't adopt their ways we will enter hell fire."
"Well I would not put all the blames on them, we the parents are to be blamed for some of their misconducts."
"How is not that?"
"The truth is that many of us parents are busy making life and money that we spare no time in teaching our children the reality about our religion, the little they grow up knowing is what they were taught in Islamic school which we don't reinforce at home. In the end if they develop interest in knowing more about their religion they find it difficult to turn to their parents because they are not serving as good role model so these poor children are left with no choice but to turn towards religious books or some friends who mostly have only superficial knowledge about religion."
"Hmmm." She replied to her husband, she can't deny the fact that she had never create time to teach her children about the religion but who can blame her, even as a child she was never taught. They were only born Muslims and they grow to know the right and wrong on their own.
"The first school of a child is her home, if a child is being taught the truth about her religion and the parents help in building strong faith in them as a child, every other forms of religious knowledge will only strengthens them and it will not cause them any confusion like it does to many youths nowadays. " he concluded.
"Truly being a good parent is not just about providing our child with best form of western education, we must train them to resists evil forces both in physical and spiritual forms. We must teach them not just how to leave but also the essence of life itself."
"Truly said my dear. We are lucky to be blessed with children who are conscious enough to learn their religion and stay away from evil temptations of today's society."
"It is truly a blessing. Alhamdulillah for that, may Allah continue to guide their steps."
"Ameen. That should always be our prayers for them." He said and shift his attention back to the newspaper he had been reading.