Blue ✓

♠ fourteen ♠

"Assalamu Alaikum!" She exclaimed loudly into the kitchen as the dawn of Eid passed. "Eid Mubarak!"

Ammi laughed from near the stove, where Aiyla could hear the sizzling frying away the savouries. "Wa alaikumus salam! Eid Mubarak to you too." She paused, looking her up and down. "My! What a beautiful dress you're wearing! MaShaAllah!"

Aiyla laughed, twirling in her nightgown. "I must look like a princess."

"No. You look like a Hurul-Ein." Suhayl entered with the comment. "The bath's free."

"Okay."

Their Eid wasn't the hustle bustle of far and close relatives, nor a booming party of close friends. Rather it was a calm family day, with a delightful breakfast, going to Eid Salah and a walk around the parks and town centre until lunch, which they'd spend at a restaurant of choice.

After that, Suhayl went off with some of his friends, and Aiyla alongside Ammi went around the neighbours' houses wishing them all a happy Eid. Aiyla found she hadn't miraculously begun to enjoy company even after not being part of it for more than half the year.

By the time Maghrib had entered, they'd all returned home.

♕

"Here you go!" After they both forced Ammi to wear to try out the new Abaya – which she, mind you, loved – Suhayl placed a package on her lap.

They were all sitting on the floor of her bedroom, exchanging the gifts. Swallowing her excitement, she carefully unwrapped it until she felt hardback underneath her fingers. A book? She touched over the front cover, finger smoothing over the bumps and notches.

"A braille book?!" She exclaimed.

"Uh-uh." Suhayl grunted. "Read what it is."

Aiyla had become quite proficient in reading braille by now. "The. Holy. Qur'an." She read out slowly. Her eyebrows furrowed. The translation? They have it in braille. She opened the Qur'an and felt some of the pages. It was completely unfamiliar.

"Suhayl..."

"It's Arabic braille." Suhayl explained, placing another sheet under her fingers.

"I don't know the braille for Arabic letters." She frowned.

"I know, here. See the sheet I just gave you, that has the braille for the Arabic letters. We can go through it together if you want?"

Aiyla gave him beaming smile. "That would be amazing!" She gushed. "I didn't even know they had braille for the Qur'an."

"It was recently released."

"Jazakallah Khair, Suhayl, and Ammi!"

She could feel Suhayl grinning back at her before loudly asking for his own gift.

She placed the Qur'an atop her side table gently, and calmly awaited Suhayl's reaction to his own gift.

She wasn't disappointed.

"You got it after all! Jazakillah khair, Ammi, Appi!" He exclaimed, bouncing in his place.

Aiyla smiled back, amused. She had told her to buy his the 'Saladdin the Animated' series after hearing him talk about it. Only a fool would miss the longing tone in his voice. They didn't have any laptop or computer he could watch on, but Suhayl will probably take it over to his friend's house to watch them.

She was rather surprised when Ammi actually went and bought them. But then again, Ammi was probably very happy to buy it out of sheer relief that he didn't take the usual racer or boxer as his role model like the rest of his age-mates.

"I'm glad you like it so much," Ammi started.

"I love it!"

"...but you're allowed to watch only one episode a week."

Suhayl faltered. "B-buuut...!"

"No. I'm going to hold onto it and give you an episode when you go to Imran's place."

Suhayl pouted. "Fine..."

Then Ammi turned towards her. "I haven't given you your present yet."

Aiyla blinked. "The Qur'an-"

"-Is from Suhayl." Ammi took a deep breath. "I've talking to Dr. Mohammed. He's an ophthalmologist at a private surgery. You know the one near the Highgate Road?"

Aiyla felt something cold drip down her back. Pieces realigning together. A private surgery? Not NHS. How much-

"Ammi-" She interrupted, "Dr. Smith said the chances were very low. Then, why-"

"Because I'm not giving up until we've tried everything. And the quality of medical care at NHS is mediocre at best."

"Even so, a private surgery-"

Ammi hugged her, tight. "You're my daughter, my child, my baby. How can I possibly leave you to a dark world when there are chances of recovery?"

Aiyla felt dizzy. She didn't want. She's never. She didn't want to be a burden anymore. Yet, she's becoming even more of burden than ever.

"Ammi, how much-"

"Shh, it doesn't matter how much. I'll gladly pay even millions if it means you get to see again." She kissed both her eyelids one after the other. "Do you accept?"

What could she do to that, except nod.