Road to Jannah

Chapter Seven • Wake Me Up When September Ends

I sigh as Harrison helps me into the passenger door of what I know to be not the C400 he's been driving me in all week, but my mum's Ford. She was driving me to the hospital today and Harrison was staying behind so, according to Mama, we could have a "mother and son's day out." Of course, I'd like it more if I didn't even have to go to the consultation in the first place talk less for it to be followed by endless hours doing whatever it is Mama has planned. The only upside to this is that today, I'll finally be free of this plaster and I'll be able to walk properly again.

"Are we there yet?" I ask boredly, almost for the third time since Mama started driving.

"Just about ten minutes more Ahmadi."

"Ugh, I just want to get this over with." I sigh as I run a hand over my face feeling how now, I'm at a risk of becoming a caveman.

My beard was now at the fullest I had ever allowed it to grow and even though I really didn't like the feeling of being so useless that I couldn't even shave myself, I know that I will have to let Harrison help me shave before Monday.

"And then, when I call you my baby boy, you come at me and claim that you're not one when you're now busy whining like a baby." Mama laughs and I know she's kind of right.

"We're here." she finally announces as the car starts gently pulling to a halt.

Mama helps me out and I have no trouble in pulling my leg behind me as I manoeuvred ahead with my seeing stick in one hand and the other hand on Mama's shoulder. She was about a head shorter than me so the position was quite convenient.

The Ophthalmology Department as usual wasn't crowded and we didn't have to wait out before we were let into the doctors office.

"Good morning Mrs Sambo." a loud bellow welcomes us in and I'm sure the owner of this voice must be a huge man with a big round potbelly bulging out under his white lab coat.

"Good morning Dr Majid." Mama returned to him warmly as she helped me sit on one of the chairs.

"Ah and goodmorning to you too young man." he addressed me.

"Morning Doctor." I smile.

"So I believe, you're now able to get on your feet! That's a remarkably fast recovery I must say."

You have Baba to thank for that.

"Yeah, actually he's always been like that." Mama hurriedly answers for me, as if she knew what I was thinking.

"Oh really? Quite remarkable!" the doctor bellows again and I conclude that he just has way too much energy.

"What I'll do now," he continues. "is send you with the nurses and have them remove that cast off your leg."

"Sure, sounds great." I'm very thankful to finally have this thing off of me.

"Good then and in the meantime while you're gone, I'll have a word with your mother about your uhmmm... case."

Even the way he was talking proved that this was a lost cause, it proved that I had no hope whatsoever.

In just a few minutes, the nurses entered the room and the two women I think to be middle aged, kindly guide me out of the office and into an open room I think must have curtains for walls.

I sit upstraight on the bed while keeping my leg atop something I couldn't quite figure out what it was, and let them begin their work.

My mind of course drifts back to what the doctor meant, to what he's currently discussing with mama and even though I really didn't pin my hopes on this, my heart sinks. I didn't need to go back there to know that he was telling my mum that whatever it is they had planned, wasn't going to work out.