"Grab the orange juice-"

"Nani, I don't think we need orange juice."

"Quiet, Zara. Every road trip needs orange juice."

No one can argue with that.

Zara raised her hands defensively, moving away to pack up a few boxes of orange juice in a reusable bag. An impatient honk of a car perked up her ears. Leaving the boxes, Zara hurriedly settled the midnight blue scarf around her face. Then she held as many bags as she could.

"Dawood's here, Nani! I'll get the luggage placed." Since there was no response, Zara sighed heftily. "Nani, where are you now?"

She looked around the hallway for any sight of Nani, but Nani had just in a second, whooshed into thin air. At least it seemed like that.

"Zara- you keep going, I think I left the box of Betty Crocker's Pancake mix!"

This was a road trip. At the most, five hours long. It was not like they had an integrated oven inside the car for baking.

"Nani..." Zara squeezed her eyes shut. She inwardly wished to say: 'Nani, we're just going to Islamabad. Not to Mars. We won't run out of edible resources to fill our appetites and we certainly do not need Betty Crocker's Pancake mix.'

"And, my answer to your clouded-mind which seems to be fogged reason being you can not look at other things in life except for writing." Nani Samira appeared her bag propped up on her shoulder. She was ready on the go. "So my reason is that on this trip of ours, one might as well make pancakes for breakfast! No?"

Zara, though exhausted, nodded compliantly. "Yes... Nani. Whatever you find reasonable."

Zara then pushed open the door with her elbow for her hands were full, and walked outside to the car porch, dragging the bags with her. The rose-patterned suitcase and the small purse and were Zara's luggage. The rest of the three small bags and a reusable bag filled with the essential orange juice supply and two big suitcases- were yours truly, Nani Samira's.

"Woah- that much?" Dawood stepped out of the three-rowed car, his brows arched and his hazel eyes widened in amusement. Zara ran a gaze over him, her eyes once again pulled up to the classic grey, fedora hat propped on his bright brown curly locks.

"What on earth are you wearing?" The question blurted out of her mouth. It was not out of judgment but amusement.

Dawood took a couple of bags from her hands into his with his lips parting out into a proud smile. "Why? You don't like it?"

Like it?

Stifling a chuckle, Zara folded her arms. "Oh, it's..." She looked over the sky, trying to catch words from the clouds. She wanted to give him an idea of how totally absurd it looked on the matter of fact that they were just going to Islamabad not Europe- yet in a kind fashion.

"You don't like it, do you?" Dawood sighed.

"Umm... it'll take time getting used to," Zara smiled sheepishly, choosing not to lie nor to say the truth.

"Well then, squad! Let's hit the road," Nani Samira came out, pushing the key into her grand house's door and locking it up for Allah knows how long this journey would take.

Nani Samirq passed the two of them, but not without throwing a look at Dawood's hat before she shook her head indignantly, lifting her classy sunglasses to her eyes.

"The nerve of fashion nowadays," Nani commented, swinging her bag over her shoulder and walking to the car. "Who wears hats on a road trip?"

Dawood stared after Nani Samira. "Exactly what did she mean by..."

"Let's just get going, na?" Zara cut him off, pulling him by the arm to the car.

They settled themselves in the car after Dawood had pushed in the luggage in the bunk of the car (hardly, but surely!) with the background filled with Nani's constant utterings. She informed him that the 'orange-juice carton' should be placed in with care.

Thus, Dawood pushed his elbow at it till it was tucked in straightly atop the other suitcases. However, it bounced back due to that space having been occupied by Nani's small, lavender box. It was acclaimed by the lady herself that it was filled with her collection of essential oils in case she would want to continue making her perfumes for her online business 'Spray the Halal way!'

Dawood, inhaling for patience, pulled the lavender bag out then placed the carton at the front, then put the essential oil box back in. Just when he thought this hustle and bustle was over Nani announced she needed to check if the essential oils haven't turned over and leaked out, because it just can not ever be known about oils-they flow anywhere!

Meanwhile, Zara peeked inside her purse, rummaging for the folder she had kept securely in it. Taking it out she cursorily looked it over, completely oblivious to the background voices of Dawood politely conveying to Nani Samira that 'They should get going because it was getting late.'

To which Nani argued back that 'This was important. Her business' life depended on it!'

Dawood had no other say, and watched over the lady with kind quietness, handing over the essential oils box.

As if that wasn't it, a cry of pleasure from the Fourth Member of the Squad called out to all of them. "Asalamualaikum, everybody!"

Eshaal had suddenly appeared beside Dawood behind the car, peeking her head from the opened backspace, enforcing Samira who sat in the middle row, and Zara who was settled on the passenger's seat to crane their necks around just to see her.

"I'm coming with you all, right? You see, my close friend's nikkah is in five days in Islamabad. That I'm thinking why not? Because my best friend, her husband, and grandmother are going to Islamabad and just go on this adventure together, na?" Eshaal's eyes filtered with eagerness,  propping up her bright yellow bag on her shoulder.

Dawood shook his head. "No-"

"I told you that you were coming, Eshaal... remember? Last night?" Zara smiled fondly.

"Awww, Zara! You're the best friend ever!" Eshaal rushed off to the car side opposite to Nani's and slipped inside with a hefty, pleasant sigh.

Dawood stood there, behind the car blinking into an abyss as if he had just not listened to that. Eshaal. Was. Coming. He could foresee a pitying ride for his ears throughout this journey.

Even after pushing the car's bunker down, Dawood stood there for a minute, or two to gain his composure back. He then walked to the driver's seat, closing the door beside him, and settled down with his seatbelt pushed into its juncture.

"Here we go then," Zara said pleasantly, turning to smile at the others.

"Let's recite the traveling dua then," Nani said out loud.

"Glory be to Him Who has subjected these to our use, for we could never have accomplished this by ourselves. And to our Lord, surely we must return."

Zara laid her head back, watching the gate pull over by the guard before the car drove out to warm, autumn-lit neighborhood street.

With the sunlight cascading down on the windscreen, Zara felt her eyes flutter as she took out these words in motion with the others' lips simultaneously. How true were the words?

Wherever you go in this world, by the end of your life, truly, you have to return to Allah.

This world was spacious as Allah has created it to be. The distance was what parted loved ones, yet by the end, whether it seems that the travelers were meant to cross paths, or not... by the end their destination was the same. Their destination was to Allah.

Thus, she wondered if by the end of this journey, would she, or would she not meet Musa? Suppose that even if she would not- even if it just was not meant to be... she could always make dua to see her brother under the shades of Jannah. Someday.

____

Lit streets blanked further into the unknown walls that stood before him.

Was it solid? Was it air? Was it fluid?

What if... he thought, reaching out for the bricked wall, mindlessly letting his hand rub on it, what if it was just cold stone? Meant to be?

Life was just meant to have a cold-stoned wall in front of him.

Asalamualaykum!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's soon to be taking a wild turn!

- e . a