Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim
(In the name of Allah, the beneficent and the merciful)

FARAH

We laugh, we cry. Sometimes we feel like giving up, finding ourselves in an unfortunate predicament. When it's too much to handle, we feel like hurting ourselves or doing something out of character. Such things lead us to shut out the people dear to us, chasing away those who are good to us. One thing to keep in mind is that no matter the hardship, sorrow, or any dilemma, we should have faith in Allah and know that Allah is with us. Whatever we're going through will come to pass someday, Insha Allah. Such is life.

The room was a bit dark, the open windows being the only light reflecting into the room, making the white ceiling visible. A dim lamp lay on the left side of the bed, making the room more composed.

"Sis Farah"

Pulling the duvet to the brim of my eyes, I readjusted my sleeping position, completely ignoring my sister's call.

"Sis Farah... Aren't you going to work today? Mom said you should come down for breakfast." She yelled again. Ya Allah.

Lunging my hands towards the nightstand, I managed to land them on my phone. Peeling my eyes a little, I jerked up in shock seeing 7:30 on the mobile screen.

Subhanallah, 7:30! I'm almost late for work.

"Coming," I shouted, not sure if she even heard me.

I made my way to the bathroom in a fast stride, tripping along the way. I felt my body react to the hot water, soothing through every joint. The shower didn't last long, remembering I was close to being late. I couldn't wash my hair due to the time ticking away. Wearing a black long-sleeve gown, I topped it with a sandy-colored coat. I'm not a makeup person, so I applied a little powder and lipstick, making sure I collected the required things I needed. I wore my hijab while exiting the room.

"Farah, I sent Yasmin to call you. What took you so long?" Mom started as soon as she saw me coming down. Taking the seat facing her, I took a fresh plate and placed two slices of bread, and prepared my tea.

"Mom, I drifted off," I said back while munching on my breakfast, which I couldn't finish. I kissed my mom's cheeks and Yasmin's.

"Take care of yourself, Farah," she said when I was halfway through the door.

"Insha Allah, Mom. Bye Yasmin."

"Bye, sis."

I love my mom more than anything. Our dad passed away when Yasmin was 2 years old. Our mom took care of us. She's always there for us whenever we are in some situation. I love my family.

***

I made my way towards my desk and bumped into my colleague.

"Morning, Precious," I greeted cheerfully, placing my bag on my desk.

"Where have you been? The boss has been looking for you. I tried calling you, but you weren't picking up," she said, her face crinkled in worry. I had a feeling something was up.

"Sorry, my phone was in silent mode." Fishing out my phone from the bag, I changed it back to ring mode.

"Go meet him before he throws a tantrum," she said, moving back to her seat.

I know he will.

My knuckles folded into a light fist. I knocked on his office door with some files in my other hand.

"Come in," his deep voice reverberated through the hard wooden door. As usual, his face was croaked in a frown.

"Good morning, sir," I greeted, putting on a fake smile and placing the files beside the pile of documents in front of him.

"What's good about the morning?" he said back, his attention still on whatever he was working on. He said nothing for like five minutes, completely ignoring me. I almost thought he forgot that I was still standing there, and my legs were already killing me.

"Call this number and schedule a meeting with him," he said finally, looking up. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes.

"Anything else, sir?" I asked, taking the note from his outstretched hand. He waved his hand dismissing me.

"Okay, sir," I muttered, getting out of his office and closing the door with a slight thud. I hope he didn't hear it.

"I hope the boss didn't snap at you," Precious asked. I just shrugged, knowing how the boss is. Sometimes I think he's being forced to work.

After working for the day, feeling exhausted, I packed my things, bid Precious goodbye, and left, not before making sure the boss didn't need anything and warning me to always be at work on time.

It's not that I usually come late to work; it's just today.

***

"Assalamu Alaikum," I muttered, stepping my foot inside the house.

"Wa Alaikum Salaam," Yasmin answered, who was seated on the couch reading a book I assumed.

"Welcome back, sis Farah," she spoke up, side-hugging me. I squatted beside her and plopped my legs on the center table.

"Where is Mom?" I inquired, removing the coat from my body.

"She's in the kitchen."

I took five minutes of rest before strolling to my room, freshening up together with Wudhu, and conducted my Namaz. Ya Allah, protect me and my family.

"What's delicious that you're cooking, Mom?" Mom was in the kitchen as always; the kitchen is one of her comfort zones.

"Rice with vegetable sauce." A smile made its way to my lips. Rice is one of my favorite foods.

"Hmm... I can smell the aroma." Taking the spoon nearest to me, I tasted it. A moan left my mouth. Delicious. My mom's food is the best; you can never eat her food without wanting more.

"Okay, go and wait in the dining room. Food will be done in a few minutes," she told me, stirring the food.

"Okay, Mom." I kissed her cheeks and walked back to the dining room, sitting close to Yasmin.

"How's school, my little sister?" I asked, pinching her chin, which made her wince in pain.

"Sis Farah, must you pinch my chin?" she held her chin, "School is just fine," and then she started telling me about her college, as it was her first day.

"Masha Allah, Yasmin. Papa will be proud of you. Keep it up." Just then, Mom placed the food on the dining table.

"Let me serve," Yasmin jerked up, taking the serving spoon from Mom and serving everyone. We prayed before eating. Alhamdulillah, thank you Allah for giving us food and shelter.

***

Later, when we were done eating, we sat down in the living room chatting and reminiscing about our old memories. Suddenly, the room echoed with the sound of the telephone ringing. Mom went for it, leaving us to our talks.

"Assalamu Alaikum," Mom greeted. The next thing we heard was her yelling.

"Khadija, is that you! It's been a long time. How are you doing?" she said enthusiastically.

"Tomorrow? OK, Insha Allah, we will be expecting you. Allah Hafiz," and she hung up, the smile not leaving her face.

"Girls, Aunt Khadija and her husband are coming tomorrow," she announced merrily. Yasmin started jumping up and down.

"Insha Allah," I answered.

Aunt Khadija is Mom's closest friend. They attended the same school and have been friends since then. Aunt Khadija's husband is also Papa's good friend. Even after Papa's death, they still kept the relationship. A few years back, they left the city and we lost contact. Uncle Abdallah, Aunt Khadija's husband, has a company, Abdallah Enterprise, where I am currently working. They transport goods to different countries. From what we heard from Mom, they have one son, whom we've never met before, maybe because he's been living abroad since his high school days.

•••

Assalamu Alaikum

So how was the first chapter?

This is my first Muslim story; I hope you will enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it.