Tantalizing Hopes

11. Clearing Clouds

Assalaamu alaikum warahmathullahi wabarakatuhu!

Belated Eid Mubarak! I was wanting to update on Eid but it took longer than I expected. Enjoy your Eid gift 😄

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And whoever fears Allaah - He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allaah - then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allaah will accomplish His purpose. Allaah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent.

[At-Talaq : 2-3]

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"Man, you know that I wouldn't cancel out on our plans if I didn't have a solid reason, right? I've always been the most punctual one in our group; the most reliable!" Head thrown back, and eyes fixed on the vast expanse of the clear blue sky, Ibrahim exhaled through his mouth. One hand holding his phone to his ear and the other planted on his hips, his stance indicated that he was left with no option but to listen to his friend roast him on the other end of the line.

"I get it, but I haven't done it intentionally, and you know it more than anyone else. You've got to understand."

Another moment of silence.

"Dude! Really?" His eyes shut close.

A longer pause.

"Yeah, see you." Hissing, he drew his phone away from his ears only to look up and see the boys watching him with avid interest. Flickers of amusement tickled his cheeks at the sight. They were sprawled around him on the grass after an intense practicing session, and by the looks of it had been entirely taken by the scene unfolding in front of them. He bit back an impulsive grin and fixed them with a serious look instead.

"Oh hello," he waved his hands in the air, "am I enacting a scene of some soap opera here?"

They blinked, but still continued to stare at him, not appearing even the least bit inclined to stop scrutinizing their source of entertainment.

Ibrahim's brows lifted. With a low groan, he rubbed his face, and upon noticing it, Wajid who was the eldest of all the boys rushed to reply. "No, no, it's just that you seemed stressed."

"Yeah." Ibrahim clicked his tongue while placing his phone back into his pocket and hauling himself on to his feet. "It was my friend. He is terribly angry with me." He dusted his back as he prepared himself to tackle the volley of questions he knew was coming his way.

"Why?"

"Because I am not going to meet them. He says I've chosen to train you people over the rest of my friends."

"Why is it so?"

"Does he not like us?"

Ibrahim gave a bark of laughter and ruffled the hair of the boy who posed the second question. "It is nothing of the sort. When we were your age, you know, we used to hang out a lot. My entire group of friends - Sathish, Anil, Riyaz, David, Yusouf - we were very thick. We used to do everything together. Fron playing to pranking to projects to outings - anything you name and we would have done it together. We were inseparable." His face had donned a faraway look. "Back then," he cleared his throat at an attempt to keep his face straight, his hand going behind his neck as he remembered a few embarrassing moments, "there were plenty of things we used to do as friends, but the times have changed now. It is no longer how it used to be. We each have jobs to tend to, families to look after and we've got so many responsibilities that we hardly get the time to do the things we once enjoyed doing."

"So you don't get to meet at all?"

"Not quite. Some of them are even married, some even have kids, so it has become increasingly difficult to relieve ourselves of all our obligations and find a time when we all are free."