Everyone was saying the world was going to end. Some say that December is going to be the last day of this universe while some have a strong belief that this is not the end. What I believe is what my faith teaches me, what my religion is. This is not the end. Islam has provided its believers with a proper guideline, proper knowledge and signs of Doomsday, which are all but forgotten by the Muslims or in some cases they prefer to ignore them. I am proud to be a Muslim and I am proud to belong to this religion. Everywhere I go, I see scared faces and thoughts, thoughts that are written on every face. I can read them as clearly as any book is written and sometimes I laugh to myself as how can Muslims have such weakness in their faith. Will 21st of December be the Doomsday? Will we all finish on that day? Nobody has the answer, except HIM. The Christians, the Jews and the Zionists look towards the Mayan Calendar whereas the Muslims have a strong belief in their holy book, The Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah left behind by our last Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.). The Muslims have forgotten their teachings and their rules of life. As the controversy over this matter heightens, only one person was unaffected by all this, one person for whom nothing matters anymore, one person who lives but is dead from inside. That one person is my beautiful, dear Aida. She died the day she lost her father, she has become a soulless life since then.
I have known her since her birth, the day she came into this world and spread her pretty brown eyes, observing everything around her with reverence and admiration. I recall she was especially obsessed with the room lights, her eyes would dart towards them again and again and she would smile. That cherubic smile that would win anyone’s heart Then she looked around at her father, who was beaming at her and her lips curved into her cute baby smile. Her eyes slowly darted to her sleeping mother and then suddenly, she looked into my eyes and we stared at each other, observing and in that moment, we became the best of friends. I blinked, nodded and smiled at her and she had burst into her cherubic laughter which made her father laugh at her in wonder. Subsequently, I have seen her as she grew up. Long, curly waist length light brown hair, laughing brown eyes and beautiful features, I knew one day she would grow up into a beautiful, gorgeous woman. Then, when she turned five she got a gift from her parents, a little baby girl. They named her Rameen. Young as she was, she couldn't resist not loving her younger sis so she used to wet baby Rameen's face with her wet kisses while her parents beamed at her. She was such a sweetheart, nobody could resist not loving her and so I loved her the more each day. As the years passed, I saw her on occasions and she was always so full of life. She was the apple of everyone’s eyes, especially Haashir’s, who was her childhood friend and neighbor. It felt like whenever she entered a room she brought the sunshine with her and so they called her sunshine. She always was so cheerful and happy, you couldn't help being happy with her. Aida became Rameen's guardian as soon as Rameen was old enough and Rameen would always turn towards her older sister for help. She was like a twin sister for her, always understanding her wants and needs. They were a happy family until that fateful day.
It was raining like cats and dogs that day and everyone was running towards the shelters or trying to attain their respective families. Aida, Rameen and their mother were huddled against the heater, trying to warm themselves against the chilly cold weather. The news channels reported of many areas surrounded by water, flood was imminent. All the footage they showed were of water filled downtown areas, people trying to get to safety, their belongings swimming in the waist length water standing in the area and it made them more scared. Everybody was waiting to reach their families, to the safety of their houses. And this family was waiting for their father.
As the hours passed, so did their fear. Slowly, the wait was becoming unbearable and so, their nerves were becoming raw. After twenty-four hours, they saw their father. His lifeless form resting on a slab while the inspector told her mother what had happened. Aida was old enough to understand what had happened but Rameen wasn't. She was scared. Aida hugged her and told her that everything was going to be alright. Her father had died in an accident on the Margalla Road and nobody was able to save him. After the funeral, all the relatives went back to their homes, leaving the grief stricken family alone in such a big house. I never saw Aida's cherubic smile or beautiful, twinkling laughter again. She became quiet, dull and wilted like a dead flower. Their mother worked hard to keep the family together and fulfill the necessities which were a right of Aida and Rameen and I could see the tension and depression taking its toll on her. When Aida graduated, it was the happiest day of our lives for all of us and I could see how happy her mother was. After that, Aida took over the household expenses and problems, not allowing her mother to work anymore. Things were normal again but Aida had changed. I couldn't see the life and sparkle in her eyes anymore; she went through her daily routine like a robot. I knew her mother was worried, her sister was worried too because she wasn't the same Aida.
Aida's twenty-third birthday was approaching, I could hear the whispering and the planning underway in the house but Aida was oblivious to all that, as she was away from home all day so she had no idea. Rameen and her mother were so excited; I could feel the excitement and happiness emanating from them. Slowly, the day finally arrived and Rameen begged Aida to stay home but she wouldn't listen. Rameen managed to keep her home somehow. Later on, when Rameen took her outside, urging her to go shopping with her that the surprise came out. As they re-entered home, there was a blast of birthday wishes and hugs that Aida was flabbergasted. When she got her bearings back, she cut the cake and dutifully played the hostess, not once betraying any emotion. I wondered what it would take to bring back the smile on her face and then I knew what I had to do. That day I understood that she has become stone-cold inside but her life was in her mother and Rameen. Her heart would only beat for these two people in her life, and so that happened.
I had an idea which I was going to implement on her soon but for now, I wanted her to know that her best friend, whom she had looked in the eye at the time of her, was looking over her. I wanted her to know that I would bring her happiness back to her; I would give her the life and happiness that she sought. I would give her the gift that she wanted so badly.
Our destiny is written in the heavens. We have no control over that, only our prayers can change that destiny. Aida was also born with her destiny already written in the heavens, her fate finalized already. Only she and she alone can change her destiny but what she has to change she has no idea. So me, being her fate, her guardian, her destiny, I am not able to change myself but I can make her change it herself so I will do something I have never done before. I will give her what I can and see how she nurtures and protects it with all her life. I will make her change her fate, I will make her change ME and in return, I will change her life, I will teach her how to love, how to trust and how to give love to others. I will make her human again. You must be wondering who I am, why I am so concerned about her.
I am her FATE!
*P.S. I haven't decided as yet where I would fit this chapter but I'm sure this is worth reading.
