Echoes Of The Heart

chapter#8

UMAR'S POINT OF VIEW

So the third time in the month it was my mother's call!

I picked up my phone and said

"Hello!"

"How is my son?" Came the reply.

"Fine. As always" after some usual questions she came to the point.

"Why don't you go meet saira's son Ahmad? You know that he is there in England and he has no one there. And remember to take something as a gift with you." She said in a very worried tune.

Ooooh no! Not again. Every time she calls me she tells me about some of her relative whom I have to go and meet.

So this one was aunt Saira's son, she is my mother's sister and this son of hers is working here as an engineer.

"Ok" was what I said. Instead of a long useless conversion I chose to just let it go.

I picked my car keys and started driving towards the given address. So guess what I so on my way? My boss sitting beside the MASJID wall and crying?

I was taken aback what is she even doing here? I knew that she was up to something related to Islam. But I didn't know that it was something so serious and personal. That feeling was back again. The feeling of guilt.

Wasn't she a Christian? If yes then what is she doing out there? May be she had converted... I just stopped thinking about it. This was not my problem. I had to mind my own business. I could not stop thinking about her on my way. The way she was crying was not of sadness but was out of joy. True happiness, as she had found the treasure of the entire world.

I reached Ahmad's house and parked my car in front of the given house number. It was a really big one. I rang the bell and waited. Someone opened the door very quickly. It seemed like he was waiting for me. He took me to a large sitting room and sat me down. I was still in shock. He had a BEARD. The image that I had of him in mind was totally different. I thought that he would be this really cool and rich guy but he was totally different. He was really rich, I could tell that by his well-furnished house and all the stories that I had heard from mom. He sat next to me on a sofa.

"So did you like England?" He asked with a smile on his face.

"Yes, I love it here. The freedom is refreshing. You know how it is in Pakistan."

"Hahahahahha....That's what I hear from every Pakistani." He looked amused.

"So... Where do you work?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"At the GNC (global news center)." I said felling proud.

"What is your rank?" He inquired.

"I am the assistant of Miss Caroline James. She's the host of the famous show "The hidden truth"." I told all about my job.

"Ooh... Yes I've heard about this show a lot. So is your job hard?" He asked.

"Actually it's not as hard as I thought. The lady is quite weird. She's lost in her own little world. The first day I saw her she was in shorts but now she keeps asking me questions about Islam and I even saw her sitting beside a mosque today, crying and all. I don't know how she got so famous with all her unprofessional attitude." I talked my heart out to him.

"So enough of the talking now let's have dinner." He tried to change the subject.

I had dinner and left an hour later.

It was a disappointing day. I had thought that I might find someone like me in my family, who would be rich and fun to hang out with. But it turned out to be totally opposite.