Chapter Seven

Sometimes accidents happen in life. Perhaps they have to do with the person's carelessness, or... they were meant to happen. Accidents are normality, something you couldn't avoid. Now, all Amal needed to do was to get this message across to her parents and Usman. 

Sana- after Amal had told her everything- had, though, scolded her a bit about being careful and keeping her head on while driving- eventually cooled down. Mothers can't stay angry for long-  but it wasn't Sana Amal was worried about either. 

It was Usman.

Half an hour of trying to convince her mother to talk to Usman because she was certain that he would kill her had turned to waste. Sana absolutely refused- being a woman who firmly believed that her children should take responsibility for any mistakes they made. It was one of her small attempts at trying to prepare her children for getting out into the harsh world- where you need to be responsible for whatever you do.

Thus, Amal ended up in Usman's room- a tray of snacks with her. Usman, surprised to see Amal bringing in such stuff (and smiling politely this whole time) guessed that something was wrong. Amal eventually- after having him promise that he wouldn't scold her or get angry- told him.

Did Usman freak out? Well... yes. He ran out at once to check on his car, though perhaps it wasn't as bad as he had expected, for though he did glare and warn Amal never to take his car again, even advising Sana that Amal should be banned from driving completely- he did eventually cool down.

Finally getting back to her room, Amal closed the door behind her and collapsed on the bed, burying her face in the pillow. Sensing her distress, Eddie snuggled closer to her and Amal tilted her head, stroking his head.

"Life is weird, Ed," she muttered, not sure what she was distressed about- was it the accident? No, Amal wasn't the type of person to worry herself over things that had passed. ( Even though the owner of the Black Ferrari arriving when Amal was putting the note on his car was extremely embarrassing) Perhaps she did not want to admit it, but she knew that it was because of Asma that she felt this way.

A sigh escaped her lips and she looked at Eddie- purring as he blinked at her. "Of course," she muttered, "Being a cat must be easy, right? You don't need to worry about people, accidents, and- and marriages."

Eddie purred loudly in response and in spite of herself, Amal smiled, turning around. "I guess you're right. Life isn't that complicated... we make it that way." She paused for a bit, a faraway expression in her eyes, "I just wish..." she inhaled slowly, "-that I wasn't such a coward."

That night, Amal wrote in her blog:

Humans are weak, we falter. Perhaps the courage to do what your heart tells you to and what your Rabb demands of you, is something that one has to achieve. If I advise you to always do the right thing- I would be calling myself a hypocrite, for haven't I faltered so many times? Hasn't my courage failed me till I stare back at adversity, unable to do anything?

Let us all pray to Allah, then, to give us the strength we need to stand up for that which is right. Our human selves may get scared of all of the wrong things- but with repentance and with the desire to turn back to Allah, we can correct ourselves.

~~~

"Really? You got no call?" Amal asked.

"None," Usman confirmed and Amal tilted her head, frowning. "The damage must not have been that big," he added.

"It looked pretty bad though," Amal muttered, a bit confused.

Shrugging, Amal got up and made her way to her mother's room, finding Sana sitting on her bed. Jumping into the bed next to her, Amal put an arm around her mother and closed her eyes, resting her head on her mother's shoulder.

Sana tutted, hitting Amal's head lightly, "What is all this love for, huh? Is there something that you want?"

"Mama!" Amal said, peering up at her mother, horrified, "Are you saying that I only express my love for you when I want something? Astaghfirullah, I would never!"

Sana laughed, "Alright, alright, I was only messing with you... though really, is there something that you-"

"Mama!"

Sana laughed, a comfortable silence falling between the two as Amal closed her eyes again. After a short pause, Sana spoke up, "Mrs. Ahmed called."

Amal sat up suddenly, her eyes widening as she faced her mother.

A bit amused at Amal's reaction, Sana went on, "She said that he's agreed to the meeting as well. I'm thinking about inviting them over on Thursday."

Amal felt her heartbeat increasing considerably as she stared at her mother, horrified. "Thursday? This Thursday?" When Sana nodded, Amal's eyes widened even more, "But... today is Monday! No, no, that's too early."

"I don't think we should drag it too much," Sana said, " And your father agreed that Thursday is good as well."

Still, in a bit of a daze, Amal felt something turning in her stomach. Okay, thinking about it was scary enough- but it actually happening now... suddenly, Amal felt like hiding somewhere.

"It will be fine, Insha'Allah," Sana consoled, patting Amal's arm. Amal glanced at her mother, her mother's soft tone calming her down a bit.

"It's scary though," Amal muttered, resting her head on her mother's arm again.

"It will be a little scary," Sana agreed, "But you've been doing istikhara, haven't you? Anyways, we will all be there with you so you don't need to worry."

Amal nodded, her heart still pumping a bit uneasily. She closed her eyes, not saying anything for a couple of minutes. Suddenly, a thought hit her and Amal sat up again, facing her mother.

"Mama- I just realized, the only thing I know about the guy is that he is Mrs. Ahmed's nephew."

Sana blinked- internally sighing. "The realization finally hit you, then?" she asked, feigning sweetness, "I was wondering when your head would come back to the earth and start thinking about these things. You're always up in the clouds."

Amal grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Ai, it didn't get real until now. Who is he, anyway?"

"Well, his name is Zahid. He is a year younger than Usman, studied in the U.K. He has his own law firm-"

"A lawyer? He's a lawyer?" Amal asked, clearly surprised. Though she tried not to be too biased, the lack of justice in the country did not put the lawyers in too high a regard in Amal's eyes.

Sana nodded, sensing why her daughter was surprised. "It's not what you're thinking, though. The only reason he became a lawyer was so he could fight for justice, Mrs. Ahmed said- he's very firm about that."

Amal nodded, slightly intrigued.

"Do you want me to ask Mrs. Ahmed for a picture?" Sana asked, eyeing Amal, "She said she'd send one if I want but we both agreed that this custom was sorta..."

"Messed up, I know," Amal agreed, "It's not like I'll know his character by looking at his picture. Anyways, I decided a long time ago that a person's appearance wasn't going to affect my decision."

Sana smiled, her heart swelling with pride. "I had a feeling you'd say that," she said.

"Anyways," Sana said after a short pause, a bit hesitatingly, "He has a bit of past as well."

Amal blinked, frowning, "A past?"

Sana nodded, her expression grave, "I- I don't know the details, but his parents and his uncle- Mrs. Ahmed's husband- died in an accident when he was younger." Amal's eyes widened as she stared at her mother, stunned. "Mrs. Ahmed raised him on her own- she is the only family he has."

Sana looked at her daughter, waiting for questions- but none came. Amal was strangely silent, still trying to process what her mother had told her. Her too human of a heart clenched inside her chest- feeling empathy for a person she hadn't even met yet. Or... so she thought. 

~~~

"This Thursday? That early?" Zahid said, turning towards his aunt, surprised.

"It's still three days away, and I think Thursday is perfectly fine," Mrs. Ahmed shrugged.

Mentally sighing, Zahid sat next to his aunt on the sofa. A couple of minutes ticked by, both sitting silently before Zahid cleared his throat. "Khala..." he began, a bit cautiously, "I don't think you told me anything about her..."

"Ah," Mrs. Ahmed said, raising a brow- a knowing smirk on her face, "Finally interested now, are we?"

If she had expected Zahid to get embarrassed, she had failed, for Zahid simply shrugged, " If I am meeting her, I should know something about her, right?"

"Ai, it's no fun teasing you," Mrs. Ahmed muttered, shaking her head. "Well, her name is Amal. She is twenty- three. She's pretty active in the masjid volunteer work since she is taking a gap year from her studies."

"A gap year?" Zahid asked, "Why?"

"I think she completed her bachelor's and wanted to take a break before doing her Masters. She majored in Journalism- and well, she is friendly and sweet. She has come over a couple of times as well," Mrs. Ahmed said, and Zahid nodded.

After a short pause, Mrs. Ahmed turned back to her phone. Zahid spoke up again, feigning nonchalance, "Does she drive?"

Mrs. Ahmed looked up, nodding, "Who doesn't in this day and age?" she said, and Zahid nodded.

Point.

The note that was still in his coat pocket flashed in his brain and Zahid tried again, "Is she uhh- good at driving? I mean- does she get into accidents and such often?" he asked.

Mrs. Ahmed looked up, frowning, "Zahid, by your questions, one would assume that you're hiring a driver!"

Zahid's ear tinted pink as he chuckled nervously, shrugging. Staring at him inquisitively for a couple of seconds- Mrs. Ahmed opened her mouth to say something, when, as if on cue- her phone rang, taking her attention.

As she attended the call, Zahid let out a sigh of relief, sinking into his seat.

There was something seriously wrong with him, because for some reason or another- Zahid had this unconventional desire to know if the girl who had written that note was... well, her.

As Mrs. Ahmed ended the call, Zahid leaned forward in his seat, giving it another shot, "Usman only has one sister, right?" 

Assalamualaykum!

Things are finally progressing now, aren't they? 

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.
Jazakillah.