Chapter Fifteen – Warmth of consolation
“So you see kids, that’s why it’s so important to have people in life who you love, just for the sake of Allah. You love them, just because you know that they obey Allah and the Messenger (SAW). You love them when you see them praying, reciting Quran and saying dhikr. You love them when they remind you to do these good things. These are the people who will take us to Jannah with them. Those are our real family-“
Saba was going to continue with what she said until she heard sobbing from the audience. She looked up, immediately realizing who it was. When she did she saw Zayaan standing up while wiping away his tears. She honestly didn’t think her ‘talk’ was so powerful to make someone cry. No, it wasn’t just her words that had made him cry. She’d noticed his sad eyes even when he’d entered the orphanage but she thought she was mistaken. The truth doesn’t suppose so, Saba thought as she looked at him turning his back to her and heading towards the gate. She wanted to call him but she’d lost sight of him behind the gate before she could.
She quickly told the kids that she was going to be back before standing up and briskly walking towards the gate. She awfully wanted to know what was wrong and it was as though she couldn’t help her feet as she walked. Alas, when she’d reached the gate, she saw the black Tesla driving away at her higher speed than normal. Saba sighed at the sight and stayed near the gate lost in thoughts until the car made a turn and she no longer saw it.
Saba wondered about what could have gone wrong and remembered something he’d told her before. The day she’d talked about facing hardships.
“My mother runs a café and it’s going through major losses these days. Your reminder benefitted me a lot.”
He had said with a smile that day. He didn’t speak much as he’d lessened the talking with her from the day he’d realized that it wasn’t encouraged in Islam to do so. But she’d seen him bring cakes from the café for the kids and saw the logo on them. Saba made a decision the moment she realized that she knew which café it was. Little did she know that it wasn’t the losses that was bothering Zayaan. It was the lack of compassion from his parents and their ridicule towards his faith.
Saba found herself catching a bus to go to the café after she was done with advising the kids. She wanted to find out what was wrong and perhaps even suggest what can be done better to improve the café. She remembered a few times she’d visited the café with her friends and even searched up some ideas on the internet for happening recipes that can be introduced in the café. At the same time, Saba wondered why she was going the extra mile….literally too.
She couldn’t figure out an answer to that question even after she’d reached the stop that will lead her to the café. It took her a while to get to the café with the help of her GPS. Within a few minutes, she was at the door of ‘The Grind’ café. It was a medium sized café boasting its large windows through which the tables were seen. Alas, most of the tables were seen empty when Saba had gone there in such a fine evening.
Saba stared at the place in front of her for a while before opening the door to enter. The café was practically empty as she walked in. The girl at the counter welcomed her in with a jolly smile and she smiled back. She went to the counter to see the tag on her chest that said Katie. Saba used that as an opportunity to know what was going wrong at the café.
“Hi Katie, I’d like to order one Americano please.” Saba asked politely.
“One Americano coming right up!” Katie said as she entered the order on the computer in front of her and she herself stood up to go to the machine sitting on the counter behind her.
“Are you short on staff today?” Saba asked, leaning on the counter.
“Uh….yes! But please feel free to order anything you like.” Katie said with a fixed smile. Saba smiled back.
“I heard that you are getting very less customers lately…” Saba said, darting a look around the café.
“Yeah it has been this way for a few days. But we are-“
Katie’s voice cut off with a start as the door behind her opened with a thud and a woman came out.
“They said they can’t give us a discount for the renovation! Can you believe this Farooq?!” the woman screamed out merely glancing at the counter as she failed to see that there was a customer standing there. She walked past Saba and stood in the middle of the café before letting out a sigh speaking out loud again.
“This is all Zayaan’s fault! If he’d agreed to marry Aleesha we wouldn’t have been in this much trouble. But no! He had to grow that beard and show the world that he follows a damn religion to shoo everyone away from him. And now I bet he is determined to get you fired from your job by declining Mr. Mathew’s son. Can’t believe he is our son!” the woman said in utter frustration and Saba looked at her from the back in wonder. The woman heard a dialogue from the other end of the call and said she would call back later as she walked out of the café. Saba couldn’t help but keep looking at that woman as she tried to process what she had just heard.
Zayaan’s marriage? He had never said anything about it. The very idea made Saba’s heart sink for a reason she wasn’t sure and didn’t even want to think about. For that very reason, she was somewhat glad to know that he had turned down the marriage. But knowing that the woman she just saw was his mother and how she was talking about him, her heart remained heavy. It felt even heavier as she remembered how Zayaan was sobbing this morning, when she talked about love for the sake of Allah and about the importance of having people around who could remind him of Allah. Seeing how his mother was talking, Saba could imagine the kind of conversations Zayaan must have had to drive him to that point. She felt a lump in her throat as she thought of how hurt he must have been.
“Here is your order, miss…sorry for what you had to hear. Our boss has been a bit worked up lately.” Saba was forced to turn towards Katie as she kept her order on the counter. Saba smiled back at her as she realized how dedicated Katie was to her workplace. Saba paid for her cup of coffee and was about to leave until an idea struck her.
“Katie….can I have a pen and paper?”
**
It was a cool Saturday night when Zayaan was driving away on a highway in his Tesla. He was on his way to Saba’s house as her father had invited him for a dinner about 4 days ago. It was not unusual for Zayaan to be invited like that by Uncle Sameer. They had bonded over the past 3 months as Zayaan visited him a number of times even after he’d returned the shirt. Most of those visits were however somewhat related to one another. Either because of his promises to Hamadh in having a rematch or getting help from Uncle Sameer for ideas for a new show or just seeking an explanation of an ayah or a hadhith from Uncle Sameer.
But this visit came up completely out of the blue. In his last visit, Uncle Sameer had shared some sources of books and lectures with him through which he could learn and Zayaan found no reason to go back. But Uncle Sameer had called him on that difficult day that he was going through when his parents had lashed out on him. He’d refused to go to dinner that night as he had been emotionally drained the whole day. His parents refused to talk to him or interact with him in any way since that day. Nonetheless within the past 4 days the tension had somewhat subsided as Zayaan’s boss clearly refused keep Mr. Mathew’s son on the interview as he did not find his son capable of delivering a good and productive interview. Mr. Mathew had to back away as Zayaan’s boss wasn’t reasoning with religion as he himself was not muslim. Rather his reasoning was considering the publicity of the show. Mr. Mathew couldn’t fight his boss for longer in fear that a rumor might spread about him and his son. So in the end, he had to leave with his son. Zayaan only thanked Allah when his boss praised him for making a good decision in the first place.
While that calmed his father down, his mother was elated as their barista Katie apparently had come with some exciting new ideas for the café that weren’t costly to manifest themselves either. Within a few days, the café began to be filled with new customers because of the new recipes and the change of setting in the café.
Though his parents were still not talking to him Zayaan was happy for them. And he spoke to them with love as much as he could. But at the end of the day it was exhausting. Thus he decided to join the dinner that night at Saba’s place knowing that he would feel more at home there than his own house. It was the perfect way to spend the weekend.
With a few knocks on the small wooden door, Uncle Sameer opened the door for him with a wide smile as usual. He patted on his shoulder welcoming him into the house as if he were a close relative who hadn’t visited them in a while. He was seated at the dinner table with Uncle Sameer and Hamadh. Saba would usually sit with them for dinner at the edge of the table and would barely speak. Saba was acting a bit different that night. She’d said she would be having dinner later before she went out of the dining room while showing thumbs up to Hamadh. The boy in return had nodded to his sister. Zayaan furrowed his eyebrows as he wondered what was going on between the two. He was a bit disappointed that Saba won’t be having dinner with them. But he shook that thought away and tried to forget the feeling as he knew it would ruin his iman if he let those feelings get him carried away. So he smiled at Uncle Sameer and Hamadh sitting in front of him before saying Bismillah and diving into his dinner. No longer had they started the dinner, Hamadh cleared his throat to get the attention of the two men at the table. Zayaan saw him looking at the door behind him. Zayaan turned around to see Saba abruptly hiding herself behind the wall near the opened door.
“I have something to tell everyone…” Hamadh said, as if he were to make a declaration.
“What is it boy? You’re acting weird tonight…” Zayaan said with a smile, wondering what Saba was going to make him do.
“Um…Its about…..Today I will be talking about the people who remind you of Allah. People who remind you of Allah are the ones who truly love you. Even if those around you….are making things hard for you to do….good things, seek help from Allah. Allah can take you out from any trouble any sadness and any…bis…distress. And He Will enter you into a c….company of people who….do remind you of Allah. That’s a blessing He gives to those…who truly believe. Thank you.” Hamadh said with a bright smile as he ended the speech. Zayaan figured he was reading from a paper on his lap as he kept looking down throughout. Saba squinted her eyes as she realized Hamadh had made it sound like a speech. She’d told him so many times to make it seem like an advice he was giving. But he’d been so used to giving speeches whenever she wrote down anything for him that he didn’t change his tone for this one either. Saba hoped no one in that room is going to doubt that she was the one who actually wanted to say those words in that setting.
“Quite an interesting speech that was Hamadh….inspiring too.” Zayaan praised him as he smiled, while realizing that this ‘speech’ may have been dedicated to him by someone.
“Thanks….sissy made me memorize it within the past 4 days. Actually I memorized it for Wednesday night as you were supposed to be here Uncle Zayaan. But you came tonight hence I read when sissy gave me the signal!” Hamadh said with all excitement as Saba covered her face in shyness. Zayaan ended up laughing lightly at that as he felt a warmth of consoling in his chest for the first time in a long time.
