Confessions of a Muslim Girl

Chapter 21 - Oasis of Bliss

SOWWEE! ^ Happy birthday, my love! Enjoy y'all (:

"Sometimes I wonder if siblings are a blessing or a test." -- Noha Ali, Confessions

Chapter 21

Oasis of Bliss

☻ Noha Ali ☻

            “Noha!” A voice whispers. Sleep still has its heavy cloak of drowsiness wrapped around me.

            “Mm?” I mumble.

            Silence. Then, in a sudden release, a burst of sound. “IT’S EID MORNING!”

            “Ah! What the hell? Rubina! What. Are. You. Doing?” She just grins at me and begins to dance around my room.

            “Allahu-Akbar-U’llahu-Akbar-Ullaahu-Akbar, Laa-Illaha Ill’allah!” She sings, whilst skipping around my room, parting all the curtains on my windows. Sunlight streams through. I guess even the Sun is happy that today is Eid.

            I will myself to sit up in my bed. Looking at Rubina very seriously, I say, “Rubina? I understand today is Eid but why are you dancing around praising Allah and saying that he is the only God?”

            Rubina is quiet for a minute. A small smile creeps up on her face. “You wanna know why?”

            Amused, I nod. She opens her mouth and screams happily, “BECAUSE IT’S EID MORNING!”

            My door swings open and Adam walks in rubbing his eyes. “God, you could hear her from your room too?” I ask, not at all surprised.

            He groans and plops himself down on the foot of my bed. “Yeah. Rubina, if you weren’t praising Allah, I would have made you shut up.”

            Rubina just looks at both of us in disbelief. “Why aren’t you too excited?! It’s EID!”

            “We are excited, Rubina. But we’re also teenagers, whose bodies require a certain number of hours of sleep. We can’t all be hyperactive preteens.”

            My door swings open a second time and Dawud walks in. “Oh God!” I groan. “Adam, if you though Rubina was acting hyper, wait until Dawud gets started.”

            “Noh-Noh! Bina! Dam-Dam! Is today Eid?” He looks unsure.

            Adam nods and pulls him into his lap. “Yeah, buddy. Today is Eid.”

            “Why?” He questions.

            “What do you mean why?” Rubina asks. “It’s E-”

            “Don’t!” Adam and I say at the same time. “Jesus, we get it Rubina. Let’s not go off on a spiel. It’s seven in the morning.”

            “It’s seven?!!” I ask in disbelief. “Namaz doesn’t even start until nine! Why are we up this early?”

            Rubina’s face is full of mischievousness. “BECAUSE IT’S –”

            “Don’t scream it Bina!” Even Dawud has caught on now.

            Mom and Dad must be coming upstairs because we can hear their footsteps on the stairs. “Kids! Get up! We have to make it to namaz on time!”