Transcendence (A Muslim-Christian Story)

Chapter 30: Sing

After lunch, I went to the guestroom with Isa for his afternoon nap. After he drifted to sleep, I made my way back to the living room, to find only Elizabeth there.

She sees me and gives me a sympathetic smile and gestures me to sit beside her. I oblige.

"Your son is asleep?"

"Yes, he is." I reply with a smile.

She pauses. "He's a very sweet boy. Sebastian is full of praises for him." She says, taking hold of my hand and giving a reassuring squeeze. I realise that Sebastian has probably told her by now.

"I know. Isa's just as fond of him, if not more. He can't stop talking about him at home." I say with a chuckle, shaking my head.

"You can reach for me whenever you want, okay, my dear?" She says, not letting go of my hand.

"Thank you, Elizabeth. It means a lot to me." And I give her a genuine smile.

"Okay, Ameerah, tell me something about yourself. What do you do in your free time? Any hobbies? Any hidden talents?" She says with a wink.

Just then Mrs. Rodriguez comes in with a tray of freshly brewed tea.

"I don't have any hobbies in particular, and most definitely no hidden talents whatsoever." I say, laughing with a shake of my head.

"Oh no, Ma'am! Miss here sings very sweetly, I assure you. I heard her singing her son to sleep" Mrs. Rodriguez chimes in.

"Is that so, Ameerah?" Elizabeth asks me with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Oh no, no! She's most definitely mistaken. Besides I wasn't even singing, I was just reciting a prayer!"

"Let me be the judge of it. You have to sing for me!"

"Please! Don't make me!" I give her a pleading look.

"I'm one of the most influential businesswoman, and I'm very good at persuasion. Defeat is a word that does not exist in my dictionary. So, Ameerah, will it be the easy way or the hard way, the choice is yours to make." She says, smirking at me.

So this is where Sebastian inherited his stubbornness from, now, isn't it? I laugh shaking my head.

"Well, if you're so eager to induce conductive deafness to yourself, I'll gladly oblige with your request." I say, winking at her.

"Ughh, medical jargon" She says, rolling her eyes and then laughing. "Well?"

"I don't know many songs though. Umm... let me think of one... Oh yes, I got one. Ahem..." I clear my throat and start;

"You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name

You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You'll learn things you never knew, you never knew

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind"

I raise my head to see her with her brows arched, eyes wide, and jaw open, staring in disbelief.  And then I hear the sound of claps from behind me. I turn to see it's Henry, Sebastian and Mrs. Rodriguez. "Crap." I silently whisper to myself and lower my head in shame.

Elizabeth takes hold of my hand and says, "That was incredible! I love it! You sing so beautifully! You could make a career out of it, if ever being a doctor no longer appeals to you, that is..." and chuckles.

I say a small "Thank you!" still overcome with shame.

We all then sit around a table in the front lawn, chatting about random topics, and sipping tea yet again. Apparently, Elizabeth has a strong tea addiction and never misses any opportunity to have tea.

Mrs. Rodriguez comes and informs me that Isa has woken up. I excuse myself and make my way back to the guestroom.

Isa, now with his renewed energy, captures everyone's attention with his cute and funny antics.

We all have an early dinner and finally it's time to part ways.

"We had a lovely time with you and your son, Ameerah! Thank you, dear for joining us." Elizabeth says with a smile.

"We both had a lovely time too with you and Henry. I hope to see you soon. If you both aren't engaged in any prior commitment, how does lunch on Sunday sound to you?"

"Oh honey, we'd love to enjoy your company again, but we're leaving London in a few days and it's a four hour journey to our home. I think we won't be able to make it. But, that means you'll join us at our residence the next time with Sebastian. Sebastian's brother will be coming anytime soon and we'd like you to have lunch with the whole family. I want him to meet Isa as well. Please, do come with Sebastian."

"Oh, umm, I wouldn't want to intrude in your family get-together. Maybe some other time." I say with a polite smile.

"Oh you wouldn't be intruding at all, in fact, Sebastian seems more at ease with your company, so please do join us."

I raise my brows at Sebastian, gesturing him to give me his opinion. He nods and gives me a smile.

"Thank you, Elizabeth. I'll try to make it."

"Brilliant!" She says and smiles.

We finally say our goodbyes and head home. I tried convincing Sebastian to let me just ride a cab but he refused, and now he'll drop us and then come back home to his parents.