Light Upon Light

#2 The Journey

Assalamualaikum!

Hope you're all doing well. Here's another update after ages :P

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#2 The Journey

Once my departure was planned, time just flew by and I found myself boarding the flight that was going to take me to Hyderabad. To say I was sad would be an understatement. I was beyond miserable.

I couldn't help but shed a few tears while we were on the way to the airport. A little consolation came when my Dad hugged me goodbye. After everything that happened, I had a small fear that he would hate me. But his embrace reassured me.

"Be good Princess," he had whispered in my ears.

Samir was also there for me. I didn't say goodbye or look my Mom's way even when she called my name repeatedly. My younger brother Safwan was the happiest in my family. It hurt a little when he danced around gleefully on hearing that I am being sent to our hometown.

I wanted to cry and sob and wail. And if I could have done that without looking like a total idiot in public, I would have. It is said that people see flashes of their life go past right before they die. For me, my life in Dubai was ending (albeit temporarily) and I couldn't help but reminisce all my memories as far as I could remember. Sixteen is too young an age to feel nostalgic.

The day before I was allowed to hang out with my friends for one last time. At first we all made a promise of not shedding a single tear drop. We had a grand time gadding about our favorite malls and shoving junk food down and shopping till we couldn't anymore. It was when we were all back at my home, enjoying one last sleepover together that the waterworks started.

Amna was the first one to break down. Then Jenifer and Priya followed. And I couldn't hold back my own tears. I had also cried when Zidan and I had a chat. He promised to Skype me as much as he could along with the others.

All I seemed to do was cry and all I could think of doing was cry even more. So pathetic.

Some people were pretty happy with my transfer though. One girl in particular, Ifrah. She held this never ending grudge against me ever since she found out that her ex cheated on her with me. Not my fault that he found me more attractive. Ever since then, she's always been trying to butt into my relationships and love life in general. It was downright annoying really.

She had the nerve to actually congratulate me on my Facebook status announcing my journey. But I had really amazing friends.

Suffice to say, her inbox is filled with hate mail.

And she could only say Allah wouldn't forgive me. Filthy hypocrite. As if she was a saint.

The nearly four hour journey ended and with it ended the luxury of U. A. E. I was told that my Dawud Chacha (paternal uncle) would take me with him for the rest of the journey. Salimabad was still miles away. Not even an airport there, I had to take a flight and then a train or road trip to the damn place.

I was looking around from the arrivals lounge for my Chacha. It has been two years since I last came here. And the one person I really connected with was my cousin Samar. Son to my Phuppi (paternal aunt), he was a pretty cool dude. He was in his tenth grade back then. He's in is twelfth grade now, probably studying hard to join India's population of engineers.

"Oi Jujuu!"

That yell, I'd recognize it even if I were hard of hearing. Only one person calls me that way and he does that because it annoys me. I only like being addressed as Junaina or Juni. But that God damned idiot!