"And if you are in doubt about what we have sent down upon our servant (Muhammad), then produce a surah the like there of and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful."
[Surah Al-Baqarah | Verse 23]
***
Being a medical student isn't easy. It comes with lots of hard work and striving. And on top of that when you are anything but shy, it becomes more difficult. And Rida was one of them. She had struggled to do her BSc, and now that her studies were almost over, she was trying her best to get some luck in the work she would chose.
She looked at her sister, Faiza, who was busy doing her history answers.
"What's there so difficult in that?" Rida asked walking towards her while taking a seat and Faiza looked at her sister, glaring.
"You haven't done my subjects,, so you won't know." She said frustrated both because of the answer and her sister, who was enjoying her last days of college while she just started with her first year.
"I wouldn't know? For your kind information, I am a science student and science is much more difficult than arts, or whatever your subjects are." Rida said taking a sip from her chocolate shake.
Rida always wanted to take up literature, because she found peace in those rather than physics and maths and when she had suggested this thing to her mother, her mother was astonished to know that her daughter wanted to take up a career in literature, after struggling for two years in science. Her mom had suggested that she keep literature as her side business and continue her career with science stream. She had nevertheless had nodded her head for her mother, with her heart bleeding and was now doing BSc, and had almost completed her studies, with just one semester left.
"Hey that's mine." She said taking the chocolate shake away while Rida, came back from her thoughts rolling her eyes at her annoying sister.
"And every student finds their faculty difficult." Faiza said and Rida smirked at her sister.
"Yeah yeah, I know. Now you study." She said and deep down she herself knew that not every child had the same mental ability.
Some children were smart enough to excel in everything including their career while some children lacked this ability of excelling in life. And there were some just like her, who would excel in career but not in life.
"CAN'T YOU SHUT UP?" Rida heard her father's voice and she sighed. She turned to Faiza who now had cotton buds in her ears.
Her family wasn't like any other family, who would have understanding among them. Her parents lacked that quality. Her mother was the understanding one in their relationship. Their ideas collided with each other resulting in fights. And this fights had a huge impact on Rida's life. The once bubble carefree girl was all lost and stressed because of her family problems.
She walked down her room to see her mother and father still arguing. She sighed and walked inside the living room.
"Can't you'll stop fighting for once?" She asked defeated almost on the verge of crying.
"You don't speak in between." Her father shouted at her and that built anger in her.
"I WILL SPEAK. EVERYDAY ITS THE SAME STORY. YOU COME HOME AND THEN YOU AND MOM FIGHT." She yelled taking sharp breath feeling a pain in her chest while tears running down her face.
"Mom at least you understand." she turned to her mother while her mother was on the verge of crying.
"How much Rida? How much? It's the same for the past 24 years." Her Mom said tears spilling her eyes and Rida couldn't stop the tears running down my face.
Rida knew her mother had suffered a lot. Her mom had told her how her mother in-law would torture her, when her father was abroad due to his work. After knowing about his mother, her father had taken her abroad too and Rida and Faiza were born there. When Rida's grandfather had died, her father had left his work avriae and had shifted back to India and that was when her parents had started fighting. There were a lot of times, when they were almost ready for a divorce, but it was Rida who had kept them together, till today but now she herself didn't knew if she would be able to do it, because she had enough of it.
She walked away from there, not able to handle the daily drama. She walked inside her room and closed the door and started crying.
She was barely 10 years old from the day she started witnessing her parent's fight. Most of the time her sister would be asleep but Rida would look at them fight always. She would always cry in the end looking at their extreme level of fights.
But there were some days too when she loved being with her family. Some days when her parents wouldn't fight and would be that typical romantic husband and wife and she always wished them to be the same but she knew that wasn't possible and that was their age difference that brought them misunderstanding. Her mother was 10 years younger to her father and that resulted in the clash of their thinking.
She had her head in between her legs, trying to suppress her tears and the pain in her heart, but nothing worked. This pain didn't leave her and she was fine it. Sometimes she felt that it would be better dying but then she wasn't ready to face Allah yet and that was the reason she would work hard on her Imaan.
She got up and walked inside the washroom to do her ablution. She tied her hair and wrapped a hijab around her head and started praying. The tears wouldn't stop and she did nothing to stop them because she was crying in front of the most merciful. She did not had the energy to make Dua and all she could do was cry, cry loud and loud until no tears escaped her eyes.
She sat there on the prayer for almost an hour. She looked up at the time to see it almost time for dinner but she wasn't hungry. She got up and sat down on her bed when she noticed her phone beeping.
She took her phone, no emotions on her face, to see a message from Rehan.
Today dinner at Mr Sayed's place. -Rehan
What colour black or blue? -Rehan
Hey, You there? -Rehan
Rida. -Rehan
Rida. -Rehan
Ridaaaaaa -Rehan
You are scaring me. What's wrong Rida? Why aren't you coming online? -Rehan
Did I do anything wrong? -Rehan
At least pick up my call and talk to me! -Rehan
She couldn't hold back the small smile that made its way on her lips. With a smile on her face she replied,
Idiot, I was busy and that's the reason I couldn't come online. -Rida
You didn't had to make such scenes. ¦|-Rida
She replied and waited to his message that did not even take a second.
Finally, you online. I was so scared. -Rehan
She smiled looking at the message but couldn't help rolling her eyes.
Aren't you going for the dinner yet? -Rida
She asked and kept her phone aside to go to the washroom to wash her face. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red. Her nose was pink. Her lips had just gotten a little big, that would usually happen whenever she would be sad or hurt.
She washed her face, splashing water on her face several times, erasing every bad moment of the day. She wiped her face and walked out, taking her phone to see three messages from Rehan.
It's just 6:30 here. -Rehan
Hey where did you disappear? -Rehan
Riiiiidaaaaaaaaaaaaa...... -Rehan
She rolled her eyes at his text and replied back.
Ya Allah, do you have patience. I was in the washroom, washing my face. -Rida
She sent and he instantly saw the message and she knew well that he would be rubbing his neck in embarrassment.
So what? You could have just told me and then should have disappeared. Why leave me hanging? -Rehan
He sent and she looked at the message for a few seconds understanding him.
What? Are you mad? -Rida
She asked smiling a little.
Never mind. Now tell me black or blue? -Rehan
Isn't that obvious? -Rida
So black it is! -Rehan
But what's that for? -Rida
My shirt for today's dinner. -Rehan
Don't worry, try as much as you want, no one is gonna be impressed. -Rida
Ahh people are already impressed by me;) -Rehan
As if! -Rida
I was thinking, if Mr Sayed has a daughter, I'll just marry her and get settled here. -Rehan
All the very best for your bakwaas idea. -Rida
Hey that's not bakwaas. -Rehan
The worst I have ever heard of! -Rida
Whatever. -Rehan
Whatever. -Rida
So what did you do today? -Rehan
Nothing much. Was just at Safa's place. Gosh they are so happy. Alhamdulillah. -Rida
Alhamdulillah. May Allah always keep them happy. -Rehan
Ameen. -Rida
Can I call you? -Rehan
Why so? -Rida
So that I can hit you-_- -Rehan
Lol. Wait a second. -Rida
Okay. -Rehan
She walked out in the balcony wrapping a hijab around her head. She waited for few seconds before she saw his face appearing on her screen. She smiled and received the call.
"Assalamualaikum." Both of them greeted together and Rida giggled.
"Walaikumassalam." Both said at the same time.
There was a slight pause and they both did not speak, enjoying each others silence.
"How's you?" He asked her breaking the comfortable silence between them.
"Alhamdulillah I'm doing good, you?" She asked smiling a little and she could feel him smiling too.
"Alhamdulillah." He said and she nodded her head but later hit her own head.
"How's everyone there?" He asked and her breath hitched remembering the event that took place a moment before.
"Alhamdulillah everyone's doing great." She said with great difficulty.
"Alhamdulillah." He said and she waited for him to say something but did not so she rolled her eyes,
"Why are we being so formal?" She asked taking a seat on the chair while playing with her hijab.
"Yeah, even I was thinking the same. Why am I being so formal with you?" He asked and she could feel his grin.
"Yeah big man." She said sticking at tongue out at him.
"I'm big man. I am elder to you." He said and she rolled her eyes.
"Just by 8 months." She said and he laughed.
"8 months is almost a year." He exclaimed and she huffed.
"Whatever it is I don't care. You are just 8 months older nothing much." She said smiling a little.
"Oh, you should respect me, you know." He said and she raised her eyebrow.
"Now what do you want me to do? Should I start calling you ji?" She asked narrowing her eyes.
"Of course, you should." He said and her eyes widen in shock.
"As if I will." She said stomping her foot and she heard him chuckle.
"Chhooti bacchii." He said and she huffed.
"Oh Budhao enough. Okay I'll give you respect okay?" She said and he started coughing.
"I cannot gulp such a big news, can anyone hand me a glass of water?" He said chuckling and she rolled her eyes.
"Done with your melodrama?" She asked and he made a sound.
"Ouch, you hurt me." He said and she ginned.
"I'm glad, I did." She said.
"Aren't you going to the dinner?" She asked looking at the time and counting the different.
"I just told you it's 6:30 here." He said and she smiled sheepishly.
"Oh yeah I forgot." She said.
"You are so eager to see me settled." He said and she very well knew he would be smirking.
"Keep your dreams to yourself. No one's gonna give you their daughter." She said smirking.
"Oh is it?" He asked in a challenging tone and she nodded her head before replying,
"It is." She said grinning.
"And what if I get married?" He asked and she thought for a few seconds.
"Then I pity your wife." She said giggling.
"Very funny." He said rolling his eyes.
"I know right. Thanks." She said making him more pissed.
"How's mom? Say my salaam to her." He said and she thought back to her.
"She is doing great, Alhamdulillah. Sure will say, Walaikumassalam." She said with a sad smile on her face.
"Listen, jack is here for some work. I'll text you back later, okay?" He said and she nodded her head.
"Okay?" He asked again and she rolled her eyes.
"Not okay." She said.
"Okay then, Allah Hafiz." He said grinning and she smiled.
"Allah Hafiz. Take care." She said and was about to end the call when she heard him.
"You too."
She waited a few seconds before ending the call. She smiled remembering him. She closed her and she could see his smiling face. She still remembered the first time they had actually met.
"Mom I'm leaving." I yelled and taking my bag I made my way out of the house.
I started walking on the footpath with my head hung low and my arms crossed around me, holding my school bag. My higher secondary was just 15 minutes away from my place, so I always preferred walking. I looked at my right, to see the playground empty. I looked in the corner to see some young boys of 10-12 years leaving. It was always the same routine for them and to me. They would leave by this time while I would be walking to my school.
"Assalamualaikum di." I heard a boy named Safwan greeting me.
"Walaikumassalam. How's you?" I asked smiling at him and he smiled back at me.
"Alhamdulillah I'm doing great and you?" He asked me and I nodded my head before replying,
"Alhamdulillah good. Hey Mark." I smiled at mark who was standing with Safwan and he smiled at me.
"Hey sissy." He shook hands with me making me grin.
"Done with practice?" I asked and they nodded their head.
"Yeah, going to school." Safwan said and mark groaned and I rolled my eyes.
"I just hate school." Mark said making me and Safwan giggle.
"You have to be educated to be a big person." I said and he nodded his head before replying,
"That's the only reason I study." He said and I looked at him in surprise.
"Now shall we leave, we'll be late." Safwan said looking at mark and he nodded his head.
"Yeah sure. Bye Di." Mark said and I smiled at them.
"Assalamualaikum di." Safwan said smiling at me.
"Walaikumassalam Safwan. Bye mark." I said and they started walking in the other direction and I again lowered my head making my way towards my school.
I reached my school, greeting every known person I knew on my way to my class. I entered my class, and looked around to see my friends sitting in a circle behind my seat.
I walked and kept my bag on my place and tried looking at the things they were looking.
"Assalamualaikum." Mira, my friend greeted me and everyone turned to me.
"Walaikumassalam, what's going on here?" I asked and that's when my eyes fell on the magazine that was kept open on the bench, making me sigh.
"Never mind you'll continue." I said before they could tell me anything.
"But this time it's actually a surprising news." One of my classmate said and I turned to her with a boring look.
"Yeah, which celebrity got hooked this time? Or which actor is handsome?" I asked and they turned the magazine towards me and I cared least to look at it.
"See this." Mira said the magazine still in her hand, while pointing to a page.
The most youngest business man to be reaching heights of success.
I read the headline that covered the entire page. I glanced at the man who looked almost my age smiling in the picture.
"Whatever it is." I said and shrugged my shoulder and turning around I sat down on my seat.
"Why are you like this Rida?" I heard Mira, who took a seat besides me.
"Like what?" I asked looking at her confused and she pointed to my face.
"Like a duffer." She said and I rolled my eyes at her.
"What did I do? " I asked taking out the book of the first lecture, physics.
"You don't know how to enjoy life." She said and I glanced at her with a smile.
"I enjoy my life, but my enjoyment and your enjoyment is a whole different thing." I said and Mira rolled her eyes at me.
"Oh really? How do you enjoy life? You don't have a crush. You don't like someone. You don't glance at any boys. You don't have a boyfriend. How do you enjoy life? Tell me." She asked me and I turned to her with a small smile on my face.
"This aren't the only things for enjoyment. I have a family I enjoy with. I have my friends I enjoy with and they are more than enough for me." I said and Mira rolled her eyes at me.
"Whatever. I don't understand your point of enjoyment." She said and I smiled, because no one did actually understand me except for my mother. And there were some days her mother herself didn't understand her daughter and she didn't blame her because she had kept herself that way and she was happy being that way.
"Rida, see Rohan." Mira pushed me on my shoulder when I was about to open my book making me roll my eyes at her.
"So what? This is his class too so he will be here." I said finally opening the book of the homework that the teacher had given to the class before leaving the class yesterday.
"He is so cute." She said with a dreamy look in her eyes and I giggled shaking my head.
"Get over him, it's almost half a year left for school to end and you are crushing over him since the start of higher secondary." I said trying my level best to solve that one problem that I knew I wouldn't be able to do.
"But still he is so good looking. With that physic, height, jawline, smile. Oh gosh." Mira said and I turned to her slapping her on her shoulder.
"Astagfirullah Mira, we shouldn't be looking at a non mahram." I said and she narrowed her eyes at me.
"Astagfirullah." Mira murmured and pulled her own book out and opened the same page of the homework groaning.
"I just cannot solve this problem and it's barely 5 minutes for the lecture to start." Mira said and I nodded my head trying to solve the problem.
"Miss D'Souza is gonna fire us bad." I said tensed groaning while chewing my nails, cancelling the entire problem.
"Excuse me." We both looked up at the voice of Rohan, who was smiling at us.
"Hey Rohan." Mira said and I smiled at him before getting to the point, asking him about the problem.
"Did you solve this problem?" I asked showing him the problem and he shook his head.
"So do not disturb us." I said annoyed and Mira smacked my head making me wince.
"Don't mind her Rohan, she is just pissed that she is unable to complete the problem." Mira said and I eyed her looking at her efforts to talk to him.
I turned around and continued trying to solve when I heard Rohan say,
"Of course she is the scholar of the class." Rohan said and I raised my eyebrow at him in a challenging way.
"Look who is saying." I scoffed and Rohan grinned at me making me roll my eyes at him.
"Of course the scholar of our class." Mira said and I glared at her and before I could come back to her the bell had rang, and everyone sat down on their respective class.
The teacher entered the class, and everyone were whispering about the difficult sum that couldn't be done by anyone. She started teaching, turning around writing the derivation on the board and everyone did a silent dance because the teacher had actually forgotten about the homework.
"You never know, she might just check it in the end." I whispered and Mira glared at me before whispering,
"At least talk positive sometime." Mira said making me smile sheepishly at her.
"Sorry, but she is just like that. I cannot help." I said and she nodded her head with a tensed look.
"So class, I'll be taking extra class today. Anyone has any problem?" The teacher asked and I groaned a small groan not letting the teacher understand.
"Ma'am, I have to inform my parents." A girl named Tina said, standing up and the teacher nodded before replying,
"Do not worry. I'll be calling up each and everyone's parent to inform them." She said and some boys from behind groaned making the teacher to glare at them.
"What's wrong there?" The teacher asked making everyone turn to the backbenchers, who shook their head making us groan on not getting any piece of drama, that could have wasted her and as well as our time.
"She might have fought with Sir Mahesh and that's the reason she is pissed." I said making Mira giggle.
From the day we had entered higher secondary, we always had heard that our physics teacher miss D'Souza and our P.T sir Mr Mahesh had a affair, even though he was married with a kid. I wasn't ready to believe that thing until and unless I had actually seen them talk, that was her blushing and he, smiling. And that doubt was also confirmed by our class when they had seen them play, leg fight underneath the table, during the camp.
The class continued, and almost half of the class was asleep including me for all she did was blabber the derivation, that did not settle in anyone's mind even a ounce. The bell rang making me sit straight, grinning. After reminding us again of the so called 'extra class' she left our class and even we headed to our next class, that was English. My favourite language.
We walked down to our next class, talking about whether this time the teacher would come or just like every time she would forget about the class.
"How about we call her?" I suggested earning a death glare from most of the people.
"This is the only class, we get free and even here you want to call the teacher?" Rohan said and I narrowed my eyes at him and almost everyone nodded their head.
"Yeah Rida, sit down and enjoy." Mira said and pulled me, making me sit while I huffed.
This was the story every time. The teacher was old enough to forget things and that's the reason most of our English class would be full of enjoyment and gossips.
"So what are we doing?" Aman asked keeping all our books aside and everyone started thinking.
"How about some game?" Mira said and everyone raised their eyebrow.
"Which game?" I asked turning to her and everyone started thinking.
"How about name, place, animal, thing?" Sakina said and everyone nodded their head taking their seats, while opening the last page of the English book.
"Okay let me start." Sakina said and she said 'A' and closed her mouth with her hand and we all yelled stopped.
"It's D." She said and I started writing down.
"Okay done." I yelled first and looked around to see everyone nodding one by one.
"Okay name." Sakina said looking at her book.
"Danish" Mira said smiling.
"Diya." Rohan said smirking at everyone.
"Divya." Aman said sighing looking at Rohan and he looked surprised.
"Close enough." Sakina said and looked at her book and glared at Aman,
"Couldn't you choose some other name? Divya it is." She said hitting Aman making him wince and we all giggled.
"Rida your turn." Rohan said and I looked at my name and giggled.
"Diana." I said and everyone laughed.
"Princess Diana, huh?" Mira said and I chuckled nodding my head.
The game continued till the end of the lecture, making us fight and argue over silly things. The bell rang and we all groaned but laughed for we had enjoyed a lecture after a lot of time!
The rest of the day went by quickly and in the last lecture, we were all torn out and were ready to be at our home to have some good food and a restful sleep but then the physics teacher entered and reminded us about the class making everyone groan.
"Ma'am what about our food?" Mira asked and I looked at her, shocked at her boldness.
"Don't worry I have arranged snacks for you'll." She said and everyone nodded their head, heading to the canteen to have free food.
I sat in my class not interested in the food, only thinking about my precious sleep.
"Rida, aren't you eating something?" I looked up at the voice of Rohan who had a samosa in his hand and I shook my head.
"No, I don't eat such stuffs. I don't like them." I said and he glared at me.
"That's just an excuse. Here have this." He said extending me his samosa and I shook my head.
"I genuinely don't need it, Rohan. Thanks though." I said smiling and he looked at me for a few seconds before smiling back.
"No problem at all." He said and was about to open his mouth to say something when Mira entered and he looked at her and slowly walked back to his seat making me giggle.
"What was he talking about?" Mira asked eyeing me and I rolled my eyes at him.
"Nothing was just asking me about my food." I said pretending to look into my book for I knew what was about to come.
"See this is what I was talking about, I'm telling you, he likes you." She said and I looked up at her glaring at her.
"Not again Mira, please." I said folding my hands and she pushed my hand and said,
"I'm serious Rida. Okay you don't believe me?" She asked and I shook my head at her.
"Okay look at this. Whenever we talk he just makes lame excuses and walk off while when you are talking he smiles at you. Whenever we tell him to do something he just shrugs it off but whenever you tell, he is all ready. Don't you find this things enough to prove that he likes you?" She asked and I rolled my eyes with a smile on my face.
"That's because he is scared of me, and nothing of any other sort." I said and she huffed before saying.
"Fine you are not ready to believe to what I'm saying but when he tells you himself, don't believe him too, okay?" She said and I nodded my head giggling making her pissed.
"Now hurry up, have this thing or miss wouldn't let you have during her class." I said pointing to the can of juice that was placed on the table and she took it angrily.
"Whatever." She said and started drinking quickly for it was almost time for the class.
***
"Damn the class was very long!" Sakina exclaimed after the three hour of heavy blabbering of miss D'Souza.
"Yeah." Rohan said and I yawned almost on the verge of sleeping.
"Okay guys I'll take my leave. I'm almost sleepy." I said and everyone laughed before saying,
"When aren't you sleepy, sustad?" Mira said making me smile sheepishly at them.
"Okay Assalamualaikum." I said and everyone including Rohan replied back making me grin at him.
Within this two years we 5 had been close friends and since Rohan was the only one who was Hindu, he had started picking up some basics about our religions and that was what I liked about him.
I started walking towards my home with my head hung low and my arms around my chest, the usual way when I noticed children playing in the playground. I smiled when I noticed Safwan waving at me from behind the stumps. He was the wicket keeper and I could see a boy of 17-18 playing with them. I was confused because this kids never allowed any other person to play with them.
I looked at the time and it was almost 5:30, the time for Asr Salah.
I was about to turn around when I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I groaned holding my stomach and sitting down on the footpath. I did not understand what happened to me because I couldn't see due to blurred vision.
"Di you okay?" I heard Safwan's voice and I looked up at him nodding a little with a small smile on my face.
"Yeah." I said with a little pain and after sitting for a few seconds I got up feeling a little better.
"Rida di, we are sorry." I heard mark who was on my left. I smiled and ruffled his hair before replying,
"That's no problem mark. You'll can continue playing." I said smiling making him grin.
"I'm sorry ma'am." I heard a manly voice and I turned around to look at the same boy who was playing with them.
"It was no problem." I said with a small smile and he looked at me worriedly.
"I'm genuinely sorry, ma'am. That was purely unintentional." He said rubbing the back of his neck and I nodded my head.
"Rehan bhai, it's okay. Rida di wouldn't slap you. She is a good girl." Mark said and the boy named Rehan, turned to him and then at me.
"Yeah she is the best. She wouldn't scold you." Safwan said and I rolled my eyes at him.
"Is it?" He asked surprised looking between us and a small blush made its way on my face while I lowered my head.
"Yeah it is." Safwan said hugging me and I ruffled his hair, smiling at him.
"Okay then I guess I should leave." Rehan said looking at the wrist watch and the boys looked at him sadly.
"Won't you play more?" The boys asked and I was surprised looking at their question.
"I would have loved too, but it's almost Salah time and I have work to complete." He said smiling at the boys and they nodded their head.
"Okay then Assalamualaikum." Rehan said smiling at the boys and they grinned before replying.
"And I'm very sorry Rida." He said taking my name, making me surprise.
"No problem at all." I said with a small smile on my face and he jogged to the other end of the road, where his car was parked.
"Who was he?" I asked looking at the car, that slowly took it's pace and drove off and I looked at the boys who were looking at me with their mouth ajar.
"What?" I asked when no one replied.
"He is the most youngest business man, Rehan Shaikh." Safwan said and I gawked at him.
"Are you serious?" I said and they nodded their head furiously.
And that's when my brain clicked and I remember the picture in the magazine. He was the same person who was smiling in the picture. But what was he doing here, in the playground with this kids?
"He was so good at playing and he is such a good person." The kids started talking moving away from me, going back to the playground while I started walking towards my home with the thoughts of the youngest business man who had won the hearts of the young children.
So easily.
And after that day, it was a routine. She would walk to her school, and he would play with the young boys. They wouldn't talk to each other, but would smile at each other, until Rida was done with her higher secondary and they did not see each other ever again, until destiny played it's game and let them meet again, but this time maybe forever? Or never again ever?