Believers of Paradise

A R Z A A N

      The sun was heating up the wind as I kicked the ball towards one of my best friends. He stopped it under his feet, trying to avoid all the people of the opponent team with his arm stopping them from the stealing the ball. I counted the seven seconds it took to pass the ball to one of our team members until it passed the goal line. That was for sure a game changer.

      We all cheered and patted each other on the backs. The game was won. We were the winner. Like pretty much every time. My team members and I went up to each other to start talking.

"Great job today," one of them said.

"Thanks, you too," I smiled. Some of the players from the opponent team passed by, passing us a death glare.

"Let's not forget, Arzaan," my cousin, Kadir, who was a player of the team that lost, started to tell me. "The more a person laughs, the more he will cry later,"

My eyes kind of narrowed and I shook it off with my buddy because we both knew that no matter how hard they tried, we will always win. "Yeah, Kadir," I smirked. "We'll see," Kadir was annoying all the time anyways. Especially since I lived in the same house as him. I watched him walking away with a friend of his.

      All my friends parted their own ways as I was about to go in the direction towards my house. It only took a few minutes from this area of the neighbourhood to reach my home. So I took a few steps through the narrow path between the dirt walls of the area. This place was different than where I lived.

      "Arzaan," I heard my name being called. I instantly knew it was my brother, Rizwan. Turning around, I grinned at him as he came up to me.

     "What brings you here, bhai?" I asked.

      "Just came to run an errand. Game is done?"

     "Yeah, just heading home now,"

      "I'll give you company,"

     For some reason, at times, bhai acted like he was my father rather than my brother who is only a year older than me. I wanted him to be my friend more that just a family member. That relationship that is supposed to be there between siblings, just isn't.

The birds up in the sky sang tunes as bhai and I walked down the marketplace where shops were placed on both sides in a line. They sold things like clothes, grocery items, handmade crafts and those kinds of things. I have never been a fan of shopping around here. I never actually found something I liked.

We entered our neighbourhood. This place was a lot cleaner than where my friends and I go to play everyday. There was more space here, yet no one was allowed to do much here because it was said to be a 'respected area'. I never really knew what that meant. But the houses here were more expensive and definitely bigger.

Bhai and I were about to step in the house when uncle Rafi came in sight.

      "What do we have here? Both of the boys coming late again?" Uncle Rafi said as he leaned on the door frame, preventing us from going inside.

      I looked at bhai, almost about to roll my eyes, but I knew he found that disrespectful so I kept my annoyance inside. Why is this time of the day considered 'late'?

      Bhai cleared his throat and responded. "We're sorry, uncle. I had to get some work done though. And—"

      "And you?" Uncle waited for my response.

     "I was playing," I muttered.

     Uncle did this chuckle sort of thing. "Where will all this playing get you?" He asked more seriously. "Arzaan, Rizwan, you will both be adults soon. You need to work to be successful,"

      "Says you," I muttered under my breath. I looked at bhai and he gave me a death glare.

      "What did you say?"

     "Nothing," I brushed against uncle and headed to my room. "And for your information you son was playing, too," I added in, talking about Kadir.

Since Kadir was his only son, uncle Rafi acted like he was the only one that mattered in the house. Even though he always told other people that bhai and I meant equally to him. Uncle Rafi was that person who didn't mind lying just to fit in society.

     I didn't like that man. He always pretended to be a role model but everyone in this neighbourhood knows that the only reason he even has the money he does is because my dad passed it on to him. Uncle Rafi wasn't even my real uncle. He just pretended to be. And I hated that.

     When I was in my room, I walked over to a table that was set in a corner. The surface was covered in random books and papers, with too many items to name. My hands worked by itself as I fumbled through the papers, moving them away and finding the picture that I looked at every single day of my life. Picking it up, I eyed the photo as my eyes got familiar with what it contained.

A picture of my father. Along side him was a little girl. Abba was grinning and he didn't look very ready for the picture, yet it was clicked. It was a memory from his travelling that he did number of years before. The girl in the picture was also in a happy mood like abba, as if enjoying every second of this time.

I ran my hand on the image, my fingers brushing against my father in it. It was then that I felt a light touch on my right shoulder.

"I really miss him," I said, already knowing it was bhai who was there.

"Me too, Arzaan," Bhai's voice said. "But every night when you look out the window to the stars, you know Abba's looking down at you,"

"Hmm," I didn't know what to say. Then turning around to bhai, I asked "Why did he have to go? And leave us with someone like uncle Rafi?" I looked away.

     I heard bhai walking away and sitting on the bed. "Abba didn't make himself go, Arzaan. We just get put into life situations like this,"

"Why do things like this only happen with us, bhai?"

"Arzaan, Rizwan," I heard uncle Rafi, yelling.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Come here and help me find my papers," his voice boomed.

Bhai sighed. "Be right back,"

I nodded and he left. Looking back at the picture I held in my hands, I longed until the day my dad would show up. Even though I knew that once someone leaves the world, they can't come back.

One thing I knew for sure, I want to leave this place someday. And I knew it was going to be soon.

—————————

05/25/2018