Wafa,

I want to tell you something today. It happened long, long ago, around the time you were diagnosed, but I could never bring myself to tell you this before. Back then, the visits hadn't begun, and when they did, it was our happy time-- I didn't want to talk of sad things then. So, to the story.

It was twelve years ago-- July or August, probably. You haven't been to school for weeks now. There were rumours-- people were talking in hushed tones, our friends stopped their conversations midway whenever I walked in... I was getting really suspicious. I asked someone, and she said that you had fever and leg pain. The same thing that I've been hearing from everyone. And then, I heard someone mention Vellore and right away I knew... I wasn't dumb, not to know what could take someone to Vellore. At that time, Naji and I were staying at my father's house because our parents were away for Mom's treatment and our aunts were more than happy to take care of us, shocked as they were by Mom's sickness. Cancer wasn't as common back then, and it wasn't as curable either... So, naturally, I was upset and terrified- two of my loved ones, gravely ill at the same time, one in Bangalore and the other at Vellore. I was in quite a state-- I hardly spoke to anyone and once when the Principal came to the class to talk about a scholarship exam, I broke down, to everyone's astonishment. My emotions were all over the place.

 So, one such day-- it was the weekend, I believe-- I was simply sitting and praying silently. I prayed for Mom and I prayed for you. It was one of the most sincere prayers of my entire life. When I was so engrossed in my prayer, suddenly I was startled by a voice: "Hey, what are you doing?" It was our neighbour's grandson, just back home for the summer vacation. His family was settled in Dubai, he didn't have any local friends and the only people around who were in the same age group were my cousin and I- both girls. Even my older cousins were mostly girls  but he always hanged out at my grandma's place. He was always fighting with his elder sister, so he preferred our company, I guess. His name was Zain but everyone called him Janu. I didn't know him much, he was always shouting and yelling before.

So I'm surprised-- this boy talking to me suddenly. I tell him that I'm praying. He doesn't stop there. 'What are you praying for? Do you always pray to God? I don't pray to God at all...' It was the first time that I'm hearing of someone who doesn't pray to God. A twelve-year-old at that. I tell him about you. And he tells me the possibilities. 'Fever and pain in the leg can mean a lot of things, you know. It needn't necessarily be cancer.' He then tells me that a few months ago, his hand had been completely paralyzed and look at him now, he's alright. The same can happen to my friend. She maybe sick, but she'll be fine soon. Why should I be so upset and worried? And then he tells me that my aunt wants me downstairs and that he's going. Before he leaves, he adds, "I'll pray for your friend." 

That was the beginning of a brief and short-lived friendship. I have seen him just once since that summer and I don't know what he is doing right now or whether he remembers this conversation. But that summer, along with my cousin, he tried to make me forget my worries. We were always playing BINGO or Name-place-animals-things or that game (I don't know what it's called) where two players have three marbles each that they move around until one of them has all their marbles in a row... They were always trying to divert my mind. We-- my aunts included-- made fun of him because in our place, Janu is a female name and the people we know of with that name were mostly old women! He had the habit of saying 'Okay'all the time so we called him O.K. Janu, because we have a famous political activist named C.K. Janu... He didn't know to read or write in Malayalam and we all took turns teaching him how to write his name (Janu not Zain). And whenever others weren't around, he would ask me about you. 

You remember that beautiful bracelet that you gave me on friendship day? I always wore it back then, and one day, on the way back from school, I lost it. I was beyond consolation that day- I wouldn't be allowed to go all the way back to the bus-stop in the evening, and so, there was no way I could look for it till next morning but the longer I waited, the lesser my chance of finding it. When Janu came that day, he saw me upset. He combed the whole place twice and failed to find the bracelet ( I couldn't find it either) but the gesture meant a lot to me. 

I mean, he didn't know you, but he prayed for you, when he hardly ever prayed for himself. But then, you leave that affect on many, Wafa. Every time I tell someone about you, they all end up crying, though they never knew you personally. They pray for you, and for your family and loved ones. 

I could never thank any of them personally so I wanted to thank them all with this post. Thank you, Janu. Thank you, dear sister-in-law. Thank you, friends who ask me about Wafu. Thank you, dear, dear readers who always support me with their prayers for my friend. May Allah reward you all.