She Believed

Chapter 4

"Asalamualaikum Papa", I hugged him.

"Walaikumsalam! How are you, Beta?" he said kissing my cheek.

"I am fine Papa. How are you?" I asked looking at Papa's weak form. He had huge dark circles under his eyes and was not looking fine.

"I am fine, Alhamdulillah. Go call your Mama and Zaira", he said brushing me off.

I let it go and called Mama and Zaira and then went straight to Zaira and I's room. The room looks as if a hurricane has passed through it. My things are scattered all around the room because my flight is after a week and I am finishing packing for college. After an hour or so, the room looks a bit representable and Zaira comes in.

"Api, Papa is calling for you. He wants to talk to you"

"Okay, give me a minute, I'll just finish cleaning this first", I said pointing to my closet.

"No! No! No! You leave, I'll clean it", she said, pushing me through the door.

"Okay calm down! I'm leaving!"

I walk into the living room to see mama and papa talking. "Mama, Papa? You wanted to talk?

"Yes, sit with us?"

I sit down in front of them.

"You have grown up Adeeb. I miss the little Adeeba."

"Oh yes I have. But you have your little Zaira, don't you?"

"Yes yes, of course. My precious princesses. How are the preparations for college going?"

"I have bought everything that I'll need and I have almost finished packing. The flight is next week and I don't know if I'll ever be prepared enough to leave my family and go to college" I said, eyes down casted.

"I don't think me and your Mama will ever be prepared enough to let you go. But you have to, don't you? This is your dream. Something you have worked so hard for. Don't think that I don't know that the wallpaper of your phone and laptop is that of MIT and that you watched the live broadcast of the launch of the Falcon Heavy throughout the night. I know how much this means to you and a person is meant to make sacrifices for something that he loves."

"I know. I know. But I'll miss you guys a lot", I say with tears in my eyes. Oh My Allah, what is up with my eyes these days!

"We will miss you as well. But you my dear are our pride. We are so proud of you", Mama gets up hugging me tightly.

Papa gets up and joins the hug. "Take care of yourself there and remember we trust you and the decisions you make"

My heart swells with joy and happiness from his words.

"Family hug without the most important person of the family? This is not fair!" Zaira says and joins the hug.

This is what true joy is like. These people around me are my most prized possessions and I will never let them down. I can do anything for them and I know that so can they.

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A week later

"Are you sure that you packed everything? You did not forget anything, did you?", Mama asks with worry laden eyes.

"Yes, I did. Don't worry, please. Just pray to Allah. I'll reach safely, okay?" I assure her.

We are standing outside the Srinagar Airport and I am bidding my goodbyes. Trust me it is the most difficult thing to do. Oh Allah! Stop crying Adeeba, will you? This is something you should be happy about! Think about college life or just stop think about everything. Don't think about how your family members look ten years older than they actually are. Don't think about how sick Papa looks. Don't think about the wrinkles on Mama's face. Don't think about Zaira's bloodshot eyes. Don't think.

"Hey Api, can I tell you something?"

I just nod.

"First off, if whatever I am saying doesn't make any sense forget that I said anything because you know how bad I am at this stuff. I just wanted to say that Api, I love you so much and I will miss you a lot. You are my role model. How you prioritize Allah over everything and balance your Deen and Duniya just amazes me and I want to follow your footsteps. I want to be just like you. Thank you for always being there for me. I know you will always have my back and be assured that I will not hesitate to do anything for you, Api"

I hug her tight and whisper in her ear, "I think you are really good at speaking. Why don't you join the public speaking club at school after I am gone?"

She gasps and looks at me like I am an alien, "This is all you have got to say after my heartfelt speech? I, Zaira Chirag, officially declare you incapable of speaking about anything other than school to you younger sister."

"Oh shut up. Study hard when I am gone. Even though I won't be here, I know that you are a responsible person and will always remember what I have told you"

Zaira narrows her eyes.

"And yeah, I love you too, sissy bear"

I turn to my parents who were looking at us all amused and glassy eyed.

"Adeeb, always remember, 'Khuda hai tumhara, Khuda hi rahega'. Even though we won't be there with you, Allah is omnipresent. If you will believe in that, you will never feel lonely. And also, don't you ever forget your Deen and always prioritize Allah over everything, like you have until now."

I nod, "I will never let you guys down. I know you trust me, Mama and Papa and I will always respect that."

"We know you will, Beta. We know you will. May Allah bless you and help you, always", Mama adds. Looking up at the sky, she says, "Ya Allah, we trust your daughter with you. Please take care of her."

With unshed tears in my eyes, I bid my family one last goodbye and whisper under my breath, "Fiamanillah"

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A/N:

Salam guys!

How is everyone doing? I am sorry that I haven't update in a while. I was busy with school, so... Tomorrow my admission decision for MIT will be out. Guys please pray for me! I am so nervous rn.

What do you think about this chapter?

Any guesses about Adeeba's major? I will be revealing that tomorrow.

Please leave a like if you liked the chapter, trust me it'll encourage me a lot.

Thank you and Allah Hafiz!