The whole ride back home in the tuk tuk is a spinning haze. Before I know it, I am ringing my house doorbell. Mama is standing at the threshold, beaming at me, like she already knew what happened.
"Salaams mama"
"Walaikum salam, darling. Come come, you must be very hungry! I cooked your favorite battered prawn dish today and saved a whole bowl for you before Arshaq could wolf it down."
As if on cue, my stomach rumbles. I sigh blissfully. How is it that all mothers know exactly how you're feeling at the right moment and have the right cure for it at the tip of their hands?
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Inside, my brother Arshaq is having a fist fight with my first brother in law, Hisham. "You're gonna lose anyway, Arshaq, just give up already," I say.
Arshaq makes fake sounds of struggle, like he's really using all his strength to put Hisham's fist down. Strength of which he claims he's got due to those mornings he goes to the gym.
In a few seconds however, Hisham defeats Arshaq and I hoot in response.
"Told ya!" I exclaim, gleefully.
"Piss off," Arshaq says, riled up.
Arshaq is only sixteen and he has already started taking his body seriously. Dad and mom had an argument regarding this last month. Mom thinks that Arshaq is too young to be going to the gym and working out. Arshaq is always her little boy and she thinks he should be reading ladybird books, eating loads of healthy stuff and drinking pure cow milk instead. She even attempted to throw away all Arshaq's protein shakes, but dad kept buying more and more, so she knew it was a hopeless case. Dad on the other hand thinks all men must be in shape, regardless of their age. He's that cool dad who goes big on muscles, abs and all that stuff. Maybe like Dwayne Johnson.
Nonetheless, everyone at home knew that Arshaq going to the gym wasn't a big deal anyway. He's been working out for over three months now and he's still the lanky, skinny scrawny little brother. No big muscles, just brown flesh. If you tell him that, he'll throw his cricket bat right at your head. Trust me, he never misses.
After cleaning the plate off the delicious prawn, my dad comes into the dining hall and smiles at me.
"So, darlia, should I ask you what happened at the interview today or do you want to stay quiet about it as usual?" he asks.
"The interview," I say, groaning and dropping my head into my hands. I'm already starting to get a headache from trying to work out how on earth I was accepted into Innovations.
"That bad?" dad asks, grimacing.
"Actually, I got the job" I say, sounding wary.
Dad stares at me. "FOR REAL?!" he asks, sounding both shocked and awed at the same time. I nod in response and say, "Yeah, at Innovations...crazy, right?"
"At INNOVATIONS?!" Dad is beyond awed now. "You mean, the Innovations?" When I nod again, dad jumps and screams to the whole house.
"YA ALLAH, SHE GOT THE JOB!! MY DARLIA GOT THE JOB!!! At Innovations!" he almost squeals. It would have been hilarious and I would have been rolling on the floor laughing at his excitement, had I not been so shocked myself.
I sigh loudly. I'm already guessing how the rest of my family will react now.
Mom comes looking stupefied and teary eyed into the hall with a dish scrubber in her hands. She hugs me (with the dish scrubber still in her hands, mind you) and says, sobbing "Aw my little baby, I knew you'd succeed soon." My mom is The Emotionalist. Like, always.
I hear something drop in Arshaq's room and he shouts, "OHH MY GOODNESS DID DAHLIA REALLY GET EMPLOYED AT LAST?! THE SUN IS GOING TO RISE FROM THE WEST." Ah, The Absurdist.
Hisham grins and congratulates me. He's the Realist, just so you know.
Dad has called my two sisters, Safaa and Aaliya and they run down the stairs, excited. "My heart is pounding so hard, help!!" Aaliya says, clutching her chest. The Cardiologist. Actually the real cardiologist of our family is her husband, Adil, my second brother in law. But whatever.
By the time Safaa has settled down after jumping and screaming saying this must all be a big joke (she's The Dramatist), I'm terribly exhausted. It takes me a long while to explain to my family that yes, after two years I did get a job, and that too at Innovations. They're all super happy for me but I'm starting to have a bad feeling about this already... Maybe there's a reason why I'm called The Pessimist?
It takes a while for everyone to relax and I go into my room to call Adeeba. Maybe I shouldn't roast her after all...I did get a job, thanks to her. Adeeba picks up on the first ring and before I could have a chance to say salaam, she screams, "WHAT HAPPENED YOU LITTLE CHOCOLATE CHIP WAFFLE?! WHY ON EARTH COULDN'T YOU ANSWER MY WRETCHED CALLS?!"
"Assalamu Alaikum Adeeba, I only came home a while ago, chillax." I say, laughing.
"Oh...Walaikum salam" Adeeba says. "Uh so WHAT happened?! Spill."
"I..uh. Got the job," I say, bracing myself for an ear splitting scream I know will come in a second.
"OH MY ALLAH," Adeeba screams. "I'm coming to your place right now, munchkin!" and she cuts the line.
To say I've got weirdly overdramatic people in my life would be an understatement.
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I'm lying in bed with Adeeba next to me (both having filled our stomachs with the many waffles, brownies and ice cream Adeeba brought home to "celebrate the greatest achievement of the year") when the email from Mrs. Lenuka comes in. It's about my first writing job and I feel butterflies in my stomach. I show it to Adeeba and she grins, "You go girl!"
"All feels too fast and I don't know...sudden, you know. I hope this goes on well." I admit to her.
"Oh please, Dahlia, it's just a job, not your marriage or something." she says, rolling her eyes. "Did you do Istikhaara?" she asks and when I nod, she continues. "Then there's nothing to worry. Say bismillah and start your work tonight. No one's gonna die, just live a little, red velvet."
Maybe Adeeba is right. This is just a new job and I do worry too much about nothing sometimes. What could possibly even go wrong? I nod and thank Adeeba for her words of encouragement, feeling relieved.
Allah knows what I'd do without this woman.
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After Adeeba has left, I start writing. I put in my best effort, use all the knowledge I've learnt about writing and attracting readers, all the experience I've gained through being involved with public readers. I re read my words a million times and perfect it before sending the finished article to Mrs. Lenuka. I am just hoping Mrs. Lenuka doesn't regret her decision now.
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The month that proceeds the day I got my job goes on smoothly and calmly.
It was pretty much plain sailing, with Mrs. Lenuka sending me the information and me writing an attractive article based on it. At the end of the month, when I receive my first paycheck, I forget all about my insecurities and worries. Having a big amount of money that belonged only to me felt surreal. After buying my family and Adeeba a few gifts, I put the remaining cash in the bank. Maybe everything will turn out great after all.
My life was going well and everything was calm and perfect,
but that lasted only for a month and ten days more.
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Extremely sorry for the delay and thanks to all my readers for the love and support. Please keep in mind that I've just started my story and there's a long way to go. Things might go very sluggish but it'll get better. Thank you for being patient and encouraging, it means the world to me.
P.s- Next update might come out tomorrow or theday after, In sha Allah
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Beyond the Bounds of Possibility
SpiritualI didn't know it was possible, didn't know it'd happen, didn't know I would fall for him. But then again, I didn't know most things about life until Allah showed me that anything is possible for Him, even ones we think are beyond the bounds of possi...
