"Here."

Asma strolled towards her mother, "When is Phu returning from her Umrah?"

"In shaa Allah, the day after tomorrow," Jesima replied, adjusting Asma's hijab to properly sit on her bosom. "Do you want me to put a pin here?"

"No, it's okay," Asma replied as the door of the changing room opened, and in walked Samra, her hand holding the soft material of her long gown. "Asma, Sadaf's waiting for you."

"I am going, Khala. I came to change my dress, this heavy clothing doesn't adjust with me," she informed, looking at herself in the mirror. Her maroon gharara lay on the bed, and she was clad in a lavender kurta and pants.

Together they left the small room and came out, at once they were met with Ahmed carrying a tray full of bowls containing ice creams. "I was searching for you," He said to his wife, and bowed down, "These are for my darling."

"Thanks, Amy!" Asma said, taking a bowl of the dessert in her hand. "The engagement preparations are very nice," she complimented him. "You and Samad have done a good job at it."

"Jazakallahu Khairan, pray for my daughter to have a blessed life."

"You needn't have to ask," Asma nodded as she shifted the ice cream bowl in one hand, and with the other, she wheeled herself in search of her best friend. The engagement was over an hour ago and the feast was going on. Everybody was eating and laughing. The boys of the house were serving food and helping around.

"Asma, Asma, " Fathima's son Hamdan ran towards her, " You are eating ice cream without me."

Asma stopped, her face broke into a grin, "I am not eating."

"You have it in your hand."

"I am yet to eat, dear," Asma expressed moving close to him, " I won't eat without sharing it with you."

"You are generous, Asma," the boy said while his dreamy eyes landed on her hand.

"Hmm-mm," Asma smiled mischievously, taking a spoonful of ice cream and moving toward the boy's face, he happily opened his mouth but to his dismay, she snuck it into his nose.

"Asma," he groaned.

"Boy, I am not generous. I am evil," she laughed, quickly turning her wheels, "And you look like a joker."

"You aren't going to get away with this," the boy called out, wiping the ice cream with the back of his hand and running behind her.

Asma tried her best to wheel herself fast but her hands couldn't work as fast as Hamdan's legs and the spread-out tables and chairs weren't helping. The small boys and girls sitting on the chairs started laughing at the scenario. Just when she thought she was going to get caught, muscular fingers grabbed her wheelchair and started running. "Fill me in, what's going on?" Asad yelled out.

"I put ice cream on Hamdan's face."

"Woah! You touched the wrong bush," He whispered closely to her ear, pushing the wheelchair inside the building and making her laugh out loud.

It wasn't just a building. It was his office. It's where he and his twin worked - an organization, running an NGO, and helping orphan children around the world.

For the engagement, they brought children from across the city to have fun and feast.

They went inside the meeting room filled with children and Asad briskly closed the door.

"Phew! That one was close!" He exclaimed, looking around, his eyebrows knitting together seeing a few of the children sitting around Saad.

"What's going on here?" Asma asked, her wide grin slowly vanishing and making her completely forget about the escape run she and Asad had just taken.

It was becoming a thing now, Saad thought as he viewed her curious self wheeling towards him. It was becoming a thing now for her to be in places he wanted to be alone. But Asma's company didn't unnerve him. It was a good thing after all.

"What's happening here?" Asma asked once again.

Saad looked at the ten-year-old girl and her little brother, and the girl moved closer to her brother. Asma could say they were siblings with the similarities in their faces. "Lucy here is feeling low."

"Low as in?" Asma questioned slowly, by then she was adjacent to the small tween. The girl shook her head in a no, her eyes glistening.

Asma didn't know what took over her as she surprised everyone present by taking the girl in her arms and she started patting the latter's shoulders lovingly, "Hey! Don't cry," she whispered soothingly.

"I miss my parents," Lucy cried.

Asma's gaze flickered to her brother and the boy was frightened. He didn't know how to react to his sister's cries. "You are scaring the little boy, Lucy. You should be strong for him."

Hearing that, Lucy stiffened. She broke the hug and wiped her eyes. "You okay, Lucy?" the little boy asked at once.

"Yes, Jonas. I am," Lucy replied, drying her eyes.

Silence engulfed them for a brief moment. Asma was the one who shrugged it off by whispering, "I am an orphan too."

"Saad said he is also an orphan."

Lucy's voice broke Asma's trance. As her surroundings registered, she realized she whispered her feelings aloud and the teardrop that had fallen from her left eye became a testament.

As she wiped her eyes, she glanced at Saad, his face expressionless. Asma's lips twitched up and she smiled, she had seen far worse than this, her smile was something constant amongst it all.

"How come you are happy?" Lucy further questioned, her eyes on Asma's wheelchair.

"Lucy!" Asad gasped, everybody turned to him, finally giving heed to his presence.

"It's okay, Asad," Asma breathed, "A disability is very small in front of our blessings, Lucy."

"Blessings?"

"No matter how many things or people we lose, we will still have so much to be thankful for," Asma put forth with a smile, "Most of the time, a beating heart, functioning organs, a ceiling above her head, good clothes to wear, clean water to drink, and food on our plate makes us be the richest person on this earth."

Lucy silently listened, her pupils dilating. "Do you not miss your parents? Don't you think things would have been different if they had been alive?"

Asma's emerald green irises secreted moisture. "I do," She said, looking up and controlling her tears," I still have my mother with me."

Someone knocked on the door, no one was in their senses to hear it so Asad begrudgingly peeled his gaze away from Asma, his heart in shambles, and went to answer the door. He opened the door and Jesima walked in searching for Asma but she halted in her steps when her daughter started talking. Asma's back was to her mother so she couldn't see her.

"A day doesn't go without making me realize that I don't have the hand of my father above my head. I have never seen him, Lucy. He passed away before I was even born. I have missed him in every stepping stone of my life but do you know what I crave?"

"To go visit the places he lived and even visit him in his grave, touch the gravel of sand, and feel his presence. For so long I have heard stories of him, I want to testify to his presence too. Tell him I am his daughter. Call him Abba."

"Asma!"

Hearing Jesima's voice she jerked up, she quickly wiped her eyes, "That's why I say when you have joys on your plate, you enjoy. Go, go play with the kids outside."

Lucy nodded, taking her brother's hand, she ran outside.

Jesima walked up to her daughter with deliberate steps and put a hand over her shoulders. "I am so sorry."

"No, Mamma. Look I am happy," Asma smiled widely, the world of her irises showing a whole different scene.

"No, no, you are not," Jesima kneeled, taking Asma in her arms.

Asma wrapped her hands around her mother and when she looked up, she saw Asad. She could never picture Asad as someone who could cry but his eyes were glazed and his face was red. She didn't know why, seeing him, she felt like crying too.

It's okay to cry too.

And as she closed her eyes, basking in the warmth of her mother, her emotions started to spill.

She has never cried as much as she cried that day.

Aashiq's thoughts in Tears of Love:

Asma wants to call him Abba! 💔