Dear Diary

Friends

Hafiz and Oumar sat across each other on the table, the latter trying so much to suppress his laughter but he was unable to.

“This is a serious matter for goodness sake” Hafiz said already annoyed at his behavior.

“I am sorry; you know i have the bad habit of laughing even at serious things”

“I know. I am waiting to see you laugh at your funeral”

“My ghost will, you just won’t see it Mr Romeo” Omar laughed before finally putting on a serious face.

“Did you tell her?” He asked Hafiz.

Hafiz sank deeper into his chair before he shook his head negatively. "No"

“hmmm” both of them retreated to their individual thinking space. As friends, they always shared each other’s plights and sorrows, it was clear that they were thinking of a possible next step.

“I think you should tell her” Oumar spoke first.

“No, that's a bad idea. I cannot.”

"But why?"

“I know of the walls she had built around her heart, and i know best that she is not ready to love again”

“You mean to say, she's still holding on to the love of the past?”

“Yes” Hafiz Nodded.

"Are you sure that's the only reason holding you back?"

"What other reasons could I possibly have?"

"Your wife, maybe you are holding on to that love too."

"You know that I am not."

"Well, by law you are still married to her. We both know that."

"Trust me, my wife is not the reason. As far as that is concerned you know that our divorce will surely come. I just don't want us to start fighting for our daughter's custody. So, Aliyah is the only reason I am holding back, if she's not ready to fall in love, I won't push her."

“In that case, I can say that she’s stuck in a quicksand of her past. Will you stand by the shores and watch her drown? If truly you love her then, help her move on. Help her love again and prove to her that a heart can still love even after it has been broken."

“Its not that easy, is it?” Hafiz said with a hint of self doubt in his voice.

“I know you, and i know you can achieve whatever goal you set to achieve. So why are you scared of that little girl?”

“I don't know either. Love makes me soft in front of her, I feel nervous and vulnerable when I look into her eyes. You see, Its been hard pretending to be strong and shielding the feelings. Sometimes, I feel like giving in to my heart, but then I remember all that she had been trough and then I hide my feelings behind a hard concrete bossy face”

“You know what? Sometimes you talk like a fool.” Oumar said slapping his own face with his palm in a pretended disappointment.

“Knowing her past should not push you away from her, the things you know should motivate you to make her happy and set her free from the cage she created for herself.”

“Set her free, set her free, set her free.” Hafiz said repeatedly as he pondered over those words.

“Remember this my friend, your salvation lies in her freedom, and the only solace to the chaos in your heart is her love. Neither hiding it nor running away from it will save you”

“Well then, I’ll wait for the right time” Hafiz said.

“No man, sometimes you have to create the right time but if you choose to hide, let’s see how long your heart can hold back." Oumar added.