Journey to Him

Pilot

بسم الله

( I hope this story gets an ending...please enjoy since it was fun writing it!)

THE SUN  was shining through the slim trees and the leaves shuffled along the cool breeze. The beige walls were old and the dry clay had cracked. The chaotically grown purple,red and yellow flowers were brightening and looked as if they did not belong, yet they strangely did. As Safia was taking in their familiar outyard she smiled as she remembered when Asiyah, her mother, first bought her candy. She had felt the sweetness explode into her mouth just to later on vanish. So she begged for another one, then another one until Asiyah feared her daughter was going to get diabetes. Safia chuckled as she remembered the worried and slightly astonished expression of her mother and her own stubborn pleads. Those were the times, where there was no cancer diagnosis and no heart aches everytime her mother could not sleep at night. Those were simply the good times, she thought and forced her tear to dry out.

Safia knew that she was being ungrateful.

Allah had given her a mother, Amal did not have a mother yet she had one and she was still pouting like that. She felt even more ashamed since her Lord was fully aware of her ungrateful thoughts, yet she still found herself struggling to push them away. Maybe taking a walk will clear my thoughts from the evil shaytan? she thought and decided to go to the corner shop that was just around the block. Safia knew that milk and egg was about to get finished and she had to make pancakes for dinner later on in the evening. It was twelve o'clock now but after maghrib, was not a good time to go grocery shopping.

Just the other day auntie Zeyneb had told Asiyah of yet another rape attack. The girl was even younger than her only daughter! Safia was not a coward and she believed that if she was to ever be attacked, that she had a great chance to run away. She was rather quick for her age. Yet, she knew that she shouldn't push her luck, so why go grocery shopping later and risk her innocence when she could do it now?

Someone was ringing the bell.

After some seconds she heard her uncle Karim shout " it's me" in their native language. Safia went to the door after putting her long pants and long shirt. Safia did not wear a scarf since Asiyah said that she was still too young. Safia did not agree, she was 14 of age but she figured that listening to her mother would be more pleasing to Allah. If Asiyah passed away, safia would only have Allah and nobody else, so she figured that pleasing Him would be extra important. Maybe others did not understand, but safia was scared of Allah abandoning her the most.The pain would be..unbearable.

So she had to please Him,

Always.

Safia opened the door and her earlier gloominess disappeared when she saw her handsome Uncle Karim. He gave her a toothy grin which automatically pulled Safia into a big smile. She smiled even bigger when he had brought candy. The very same ones that she tried for the first time.

"Assalama alaikum wa rahmtullahi wa barakatuhu!" Karim almost shouted with joy. he always gave a sincere salaam that caused Safia's heart to soften. After Allah, she would at least have Karim. She assumed Allah wanted to prove that to her by making him visit at such a odd time, and a thursday at that! Uncle Karim was a fisher and thursdays were always the busiest day on his schedules. Sometimes if he did come, he came around isha time. But if it was too late, he came the next day on a friday with candy.

Safia looked at her uncle thoughtfully after looking at the big candy packet.

"Does this mean i will not be getting candy tomorrow? If that's the case, you can give me this tomorrow instead." Safia returned the big packet of candy rather reluctantly. She loved fridays and fridays without candy would not be the same. Uncle Karim looked at her with a mysterious smile. As if he knew something, she did not.

"You are just like him." He finally said and Safia could identify the slightly sad tone in his voice and warm smile. Safia did not know who he was exactly, maybe it was a close friend of his or maybe it was her dead father? Safia shrugged her shoulders. If it was either of them she would not be flattered.

How could she when she did not know either of them?

How could she be flattered for being just like someone she did not know..

"He was a good man." Uncle Karim continued and when Safia sighed he attentively gazed at her expression.

"Why? You don't believe it to be true? has the kids said certain stuff again?"

Safia shook her head violently. The last thing she wanted was for Uncle Karim to scare the neighbouring kids. He was too tall and muscular.

"No! it just...that...Sometimes....Uncle Karim says nice stuff, that may not be true." Safia whispered loud enough for Uncle Karim to hear. Her cheeks blossomed red.

"You are right, but sometimes.." He stopped and forced her to look at him. " Good people can come in the form of bad people, and sometimes bad people can come in the form of good people." Safia didn't understand the logic behind Uncle Karim words so she just decided to forget about them. Yet strangely, the words kept repeating in her head. After Uncle Karim promised Safia she would get twice as much candy tomorrow, Safia finally accepted the candy bag and went to check up on her mother after he left. Uncle Karim actually came to check up on Asiyah, but he never wanted to meet her. They all tell safia that it's out of respect to her mom( so she doesn't have to cover up while sick), but Safia thought otherwise.

Uncle Karim couldn't kiss her mom or hug her, like Safia could when Asiyah was in pain. From the way he speaks of her, he probably did not trust himself to hold back from doing such if he ever visited! Safia knew he cared strongly for her mom, so she thought that this must be the real reason. Knowing her mother Asiyah, she assumed that she did not demande Uncle Karim to meet her because she was aldo scared.

Scared of telling him to never let her go..

They were god-fearing people Safia realized and so she spoke to Allah in her toughts. Pleading, begging that her mother gets cured and gets married to Uncle Karim. Safia loved them so much and she did in fact long for a father figure.

Secretly.