Menu

Chance

chance cover

Alaya tried to find out who was helping her in a number of ways. Somewhere in the corner of her head, she could not help but think that it was just one person sending help her way. Subconsciously she had even concluded who it might be but she started to ask around just to validate her assumptions.

She had asked Jia about who had kept the medicine on her table.

“Well that was…that was…that was me!!” Jia had said hesitantly while eyeing someone behind her back. Alaya gave a sudden look to her back but could not find anyone there. She suspiciously turned in that direction and looked around but could not find anyone.

Next, she had asked the kind old driver of hers.

“Well dear I heard that you were stuck with a bad driver in a taxi. So it only befits me to help you since I too am a father of 3 daughters. Hehe….” the driver said with a laugh and Alaya forced a laugh too.

Finally Alaya asked around the office as well but as she heard their answers, it appeared to Alaya that she was in fact being miraculously helped. But that was ridiculous! There had to be someone! The one she has been assuming it was!!! She had to find out.

Raphael’s POV

Raphael found it hilarious to see Alaya questioning people around her about who was helping her. He wickedly thought of writing a mysterious letter to her in the name of a Jinn explaining how he loved her and all that. It surprised him how joyful how his soul became even when he thought about her. But he would soon come out of those emotions, thinking of the distance between them. It would hurt him way too much every single time that all his smiles would disappear as though they would never come back. He considered ending his relationship with Laana multiple times but couldn’t bring himself to do it due to his circumstances. He thought of telling Alaya why he was not able to go back to her multiple times but he knew that it would only lead to harm if he did that. He would be disrespecting marriage itself if he did so. He did not want to be an example of a bad husband even though he did not have the best wife. He wanted to be someone who does things the way Allah pleases. And he wanted to show to Alaya how beautiful the obedience to Allah could be. He could not help but make dua to Allah to increase Alaya in guidance, since the day he realized that she didn’t pray while she was at work. It hurt him to know that she was so far away from deen. He prayed with all his heart for her to be one of those that the Most Merciful loves.

**

One day, Raphael woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He squeezed his eyes and narrowly opened them, reaching out to his phone on the side table. He heard Laana’s voice from the other side.

“Hey babe….I’m off to Manhattan on the work trip I told you about. Won’t be back for about a week. I told Jia to make you breakfast. Love ya! Bye!” Laana said and ended the call without giving Raphael a chance to speak. Raphael looked at the screen and sighed. Being used to the two-faced behavior of Laana, he just went back to sleep, not being able to care any less about what he heard. But then his phone rang again.

“I got it Laana I got it! You are going to Manhattan and I’m here in Boston. That much is clear enough!” Raphael shouted into the speaker in irritation.

“Well….it isn’t about Manhattan or Boston. I just called to tell you that your Rover is pretty fine now and it’s ready to hit the road.” said John, the guy who was repairing Raphael’s Range Rover after Laana had almost crashed right into a house.

“Oh John its only you. Great news buddy. I’m gonna pay you right away for this. Can you by any chance bring it back to Boston?” Raphael requested.

“Yes of course…it will be there by noon.” John said and Raphael thanked him. He was content that the first car that he bought with his hard-earned money was now fully repaired. In that contentment, he didn’t realize the consequences of bringing that car back home.

Alaya’s POV

That day, Alaya was back from work early. Her boss was holding an annual function that night and thus all employees were sent back early to get ready for the night’s function. Alaya could say that the function was more like a prom the way her co-workers were asking her about her date. She just smiled shyly without saying anything while she had Raphael’s name in her mind.

Alaya was ready for the function by 8 that night. As she wore a red maxi with a red and black striped hijab in front of the mirror, Alaya remembered the night she tricked everyone in her family just to go to the prom. She laughed at the immature decision that she made. But her intention was still not immature to her in her view. She did the right thing running away. If she hadn’t, she’d probably be married to that scoundrel Layaan and getting ready to have baby showers or something. Nop! She would never regret running away.

Nonetheless she did wish she could speak to her family members. She tried to imagine them. It worried her to bits to realize how concerned they would be about her. They’d have probably called the police by now. She seriously wondered why they hadn’t reached her by now. Was it that the police nowadays were lousy? Or was she really a genius in sneaking away? Either way Alaya could not bring herself to think more about her family. Because the more she did, the more she would see the wrong she did. She NEVER wants anything to be said as her mistake. Not realizing that that’s the biggest mistake she could ever make.

**

At around 8:10 PM, Alaya told Jia that she was leaving. Jia said yes but just as Alaya was going to step out of the house, she called out.

“Alaya! I really don’t think the driver is home by now. He leaves at 8 you know?” Jia said, coming out from the dining room.

“You cant be serious! I thought he’d be here all day.” said Alaya.

“He doesn’t.” Jia said. Just then, they both heard a car come to life from the outside.

“Oh! Guess he is there. Maybe he heard about you.” Jia said the last sentence with a sly smile and a wink. Not being able to comprehend what that meant, Alaya walked out of the house.

Before Alaya could walk any further, she stopped in her tracks as she saw a black Range Rover at a distance in place of the usual car she normally travelled in. Happy feelings filled her heart as she walked closer to it. She knew that a dear memory was coming back to her but she wasn’t able to make it clear. As she went besides it she looked towards the driver’s seat. But she couldn’t see the inside because of the black window. So she got in the car and sat down. As she did, she remembered a night where she was saved and she sat in a car and saw a Range Rover just like this one come back to life. It sounded like that too. This must be that man’s car!

Alaya gave a sudden look to the rear view mirror. But he could not see the driver’s face because of the angle. She had to know. She just had to know!

“Who are you?!” Alaya asked, out of the blue. Alaya heard a familiar sigh, before she heard the answer.

“Its me….Alaya.” the man said and she saw him catching her eyes in the mirror. And all of a sudden, Alaya found the missing puzzle piece of reality that she had been searching for such a long time.

chance cover

Raphael stood to his feet and turned to the balcony on the right of his room. As he walked towards it, he still kept thinking about Alaya. He started thinking about how his life changed over the years as he passed the opened curtain on either side of the glass door that lead to the balcony. He froze for a moment when the cold breeze from the outside touched him as he stepped out in the balcony. But then he started walking into the cold, as he accepted the fact that perhaps he was not meant to have the comfort of warmth in any aspect of his life.

As he held on to the railing and thought back at his life, the many ups and downs that he went through came rushing to his mind. His mother’s death on the day he graduated from school made it the worst day of his life. He knew that if he was able to afford to get further treatment for his mother, she would have lived a little longer by Allah’s Will. That thought triggered him to build the life he had been planning all his life. In hope of doing things for his father that he could not do for his mother. As a result, he opened up a motor vehicle wash and repair garage right by the small space behind his house. He had very little hope that it would work out but remembered his mother’s words about hopelessness.

“Hopelessness is only from shaithaan, son. Stay away from it as much as possible. And if you do feel that something is impossible, just look up and make dua to Allah. For whatever you need. Allah will make it come true if that in fact is best for you. Put your trust in Him in whatever you do, Raphael. And stay in touch with His Word. It will give you strength.” his mother had said to him the day before she died. Those words stick to him because those were one of the last things he heard from his mother. As a result he started thinking more about it. And as weird as it felt in the beginning, he started calling on Allah whenever he needed something. He started reciting the Quran more often. And to his surprise, he did feel strong whenever he spent time with those Words. And he began to see the fruits of his labour sooner than he thought.

His plan to open a garage became a huge success. He knew how to do the job due to his early career in a garage far away from home. Many people started bringing their vehicles to him because of the cheap price he asks for and because of his honesty. Soon, he had a business of his own and realized he needed help to attend to the many vehicles that parked into the garage. He hired a couple of young men from the neighborhood who were interested and knew how to do the work. Many more voluntarily came to work with him because of how they saw his business growing.

An year later when he had enough money, he invested in opening a retail shop in the neighborhood as he saw that there were no shops nearby the area and people had to walk far to get the basic groceries. Once again, he started it small and then it grew like a rapid fire. Soon, he owned a mall in a more developed area of the city along with the shop he ran in his home street.

He started many other businesses in a similar manner and soon, many other businessmen started signing contracts with him. Even people from abroad heard about a growing young businessman in a small town in Cairo. His business expanded as he made partnerships with other businessmen from abroad and a few years down the line, he lost count of the many people he was running his business with. He found himself travelling, buying estates to live with his father and his many assistants managing his jobs for him. Every day, he takes a moment to look what’s all around him and just thank Allah. Because he knew deep down inside that it was only by Allah’s Will that he became successful. And what he saw in his huge business was the answer to his duas.

Raphael looked up at the sky full of stars as he remembered Allah. The stars reminded him of an ayah of the Quran where Allah takes an oath by the placement of the stars. And through that oath Allah compares the Quran to the stars. As though to say that the Quran guides a person through the dark journey of life. Just like how the stars show which way to go for a person who travels in the night.

As usual, a deep happiness filled his heart as he thought about an ayah from the Quran. Over the years, Raphael has had a growing love for that Book. He loves to recite it, memorize it and learn more about it. Whenever he does learn something new, he loved to share it. Especially with those he adored the most. Till now, he only shared his knowledge with his father. But there was someone else’s name always in the corner of his heart whenever he thought of sharing an ayah. That was none other than Alaya.

He was surprised when he saw her after almost a decade. The first thought that came to his mind was that she looked so much more beautiful in a hijab and a modest dress. He wondered if Alaya too had learned more about Islam and turned towards Allah. He didn’t get to know that since they did not get to have many interactions till now.

Raphael’s chest tightened at the thought that their situation does not allow them to have a close conversation. If only….if only he hadn’t heard about Alaya’s engagement when he had gone to search for her in New York a few weeks ago. If only he didn’t hear that she was happy about it. If only he didn’t have to come back to Boston, and be forced to marry Laana under the circumstances he was in. Perhaps he would have gotten back with Alaya, if Laana was out of the picture. It didn’t appear to Raphael that Alaya was married. If she was, why would she be here in Boston? He wished he knew. He wished he could find out. But he knew that the best thing he could do right now was to be patient. He didn’t want anyone to point fingers at Alaya with the accusations of having an affair with a married man. So he wouldn’t take a chance of that happening. And he wouldn’t let Alaya take even a single step down that road either.

There was sadness in Raphael’s heart as he laid in bed that night. He knew Laana was having an affair with another man since a few days after their marriage. As much as it hurt to realize that his wife was cheating on him, the fact that he got to see Alaya after he’d become hopeless of seeing her again gave a reason for his heart to beat with happiness. And the fact that she asked whether he was happy, made him smile after a time as long as forever. He started fantasizing what a life with Alaya would be like. But he brushed the thoughts off his mind remembering that he had to stay away from her as much as possible. He swore to himself that he would not get involved in any of Alaya’s affairs until Allah showed both of them a way of getting out of this difficult situation.

But it was quite the opposite that began to happen. Though Raphael still kept a distance and barely gave Alaya a chance to see him, he was all ears to anything that he would hear about Alaya from Jia or Laana. A few days after the encounter they had, Raphael heard from Jia that Alaya was not doing well.

“It was I think the fish she ate last night. She kept vomiting this whole morning. I searched for a medicine from the first aid box but could not find anything suitable. I told her to go to the doctor but she said she would be fine and went to work. I called her just now and she said felt dizzy but won’t skip work. I really think she shouldn’t be working.” Jia said in all desperation. The way she talked made Raphael realize how close Alaya became even with Jia while Laana won’t show even a bit of respect for her. Admiring Alaya’s humbleness, Raphael quickly thought of how he could help her. He found out the name of the company Alaya was working for through Jia and got to know that he knew the owner pretty well. He called that partner of his and requested him to give Alaya an early leave. Then, he sent a car to the office with a driver to pick up Alaya. Before the car even left the house, he searched for some medicine from his room and kept them on Alaya’s study table.

That was the beginning of the series of help Raphael began to send Alaya’s way. A few days after Alaya got well, he heard that she got stuck in a taxi with a man who harassed her verbally on her way to work. Raphael at once arranged a trusted driver just for Alaya without letting her know that it was he who did it. Then he heard that Alaya was in need of a personal computer to do some extra work even from home. Raphael contacted one of her co-workers to lend her a loan to buy a laptop. Then he heard that Alaya wanted to learn how to drive. Within a few days, Alaya found a friend on the road who offered her an admission into her brother’s driving school.

Alaya’s POV

Alaya was stunned by the affairs of her life. She paused moment by moment to think what in the world was going on. She was getting everything she needed and wanted just at the time she wished for it. Was she being helped by a fairy godmother or something?

She didn’t have the facts to know that she was being helped by someone who loved her. And he was helping her unintentionally with a heart on a purpose. 

****************************************

“Then I swear by the setting of the stars. And indeed, it is an oath – if you could know – [most] great.  Indeed its a noble Quran” 

Quran 56:75-77

chance cover

Thoughts jumbled up in Alaya’s mind as she contemplated on how to make the most of this opportunity that she got with Raphael. What should she tell him in this intense moment? Should she tell him about the long term love and admiration she had for him? Should she ask him why he got married to a woman like Laana? Whether he had forgotten about her? Whether he ever missed her? Whether he still wishes he could be with her?

Every single question that came to Alaya’s mind gave her a beeping red signal of it not being a good one. But she knew she had to say something too. Before it was too late. Before the moment got too awkward for her to say anything. And just as she saw Raphael taking a step forward, she uttered.

“Are you happy…..Raphael?” she ended up saying. And it took her by absolute surprise that she said something so selfless. It sounded dramatic too. But it was just right. Alaya kept looking at Raphael with her heart almost trying to beat out of her chest waiting for a response. But to her dismay, she saw him waiting for a short while and starting to walk away. Without looking back at her. Alaya felt her heart sinking as she saw Raphael going upstairs to his room. She couldn’t make anything out from the side of his face due to his fast pace. He ran the flight of stairs, reached his room and closed the door behind him. Alaya let out the breath she’d been holding at the sight.

Raphael’s POV

Raphael shut the door behind him and walked towards his bed in the same pace. He sat on the king-size bed and took his face to his hands. He saw her face the moment he closed his eyes. Her attractive gaze with her hazel eyes. Her cheeks that would turn red when she laughed joyfully. Her perfect smile that would take away all his worries. He felt so close to her at that moment and yet so far. His heart ached when he realized that was the reality of not just this moment, but his whole life though he wanted otherwise so desperately.

He had missed her. From the moment she was out of his sight when she got on that train from years ago, to this very moment. He had waited. Just in that station, hoping she would peak out through that door and give the slightest of clue that he was special to her. Just how she was so special to him. Just how much she meant to him.

He had lived a life full of hardships. From the accident of his parents, to having to work at a young age while going to school, to facing all the bullies in school. He never thought he would ever want to talk to anyone besides his parents. He kept himself away from everyone knowing for sure that none of them had anything to offer him except insults and pain.

And then he’d met the girl on the street. He didn’t think they’d end up becoming friends when he reached up to her to return what was hers. He thought she’d just take the paper and walk away from him like everyone else to save herself from being humiliated. But to his surprise, she didn’t. She actually replied to his question with such innocence and genuineness.

It took Raphael to get to the night to realize that he had actually smiled a full smile in quite a long time at that moment he spoke to her. He had laid in bed and thought about it all night. He could not help but picture that girl’s face. And he ended up scratching her name on his small study table that night using his compass. Every time he sat to study, he’d see the name ‘Alaya’ along with a heart. It was so not like him. But he could not deny even to himself that he wanted to see and meet her more and more.

So he did. And his heart danced the day he realized that even Alaya was making excuses to meet and talk to him. He felt so at peace every time he spoke to her. He felt strong when she encouraged him. He knew that even if everything fell apart, he’d be okay if he had her.

He wanted to tell her. He took so many steps to confess his feelings for her. But couldn’t bring himself to do it, thinking of all the bullies who would go after her if he got associated with her in that way. They were already eyeing them on the bench they’d sit together and his worry about it was only growing. He knew that he would never be able to forgive himself if she got subjected to insults because of him.

Nonetheless he could not stand the idea of losing her to someone else either. As a result, he started working harder than ever before. He got to know from her that her father will only like someone of a higher class and he was determined to reach up to that level. As he worked, he had the dream of building a future together with her. He had so many hopes of being with her that it got almost impossible for him to think about his future without her in it.

But then came the day that shook his heart with fear and pain. He’d overheard a conversation that her friends were having and got to know that she was leaving. He went home in utter sadness and hopelessness. For a moment he wanted to return to his old state but got encouraged when he saw a sketch she had given her.

He ran to the station with the sketch as an excuse, with his heart paining in his chest with every beat. He looked around the station and in the train taking wide steps while feeling his eyes welling up. Then he saw her at a distance. He knew from the look on her face that she wanted to see him too. With a glimmer of hope he’d gone to her and spoke with her. He almost said that he loved her. But could not bring himself to do it, when he realized that she was leaving without even informing him. He would be informed, if he was in fact important to her wouldn’t he? But then again who was he compared to her? They are from two different worlds. How could he have thought that a girl like Alaya would like him? It was only he who was dreaming. Maybe all Alaya had for him was sympathy. He was the one who mistook her kindness for something else. But he just wished she knew. Knew the feelings that he was hiding in his chest just for her. Knew how much it hurt him to see her go. Knew how painful loneliness would be for him from that day, after she had shown him how beautiful of a life lies beyond that.

But none of that came true. He could do nothing but stand there as she said her goodbye and got on the train. She had looked at him even after the train went. But he could not make a single gesture because of how numb he felt due to the pain building up in his chest. He wished all happiness for her, knowing that his love was lost into thin air. Little had Raphael known, that it would come back to his life like a breeze.

chance cover

Alaya had her eyes wide opened, as she saw the man in front of her. The first thing that came to her mind as she saw that face was the sketch she’d made a few weeks ago. The face in front of her was the exact same face on her sketch. The handsome face, the attractive green eyes and the eyebrows that gave him a bold look. The dark brown hair reminded her of a picture she saw much more recently than that sketch. Soon she realized that it was a picture from a magazine and within a split second, her breath caught in her throat when she realized who stood so close right in front of her.

It was none other than Raphael. The boy that was so different from the other boys that Alaya has ever met. The boy for whom she fell for even before she could fully comprehend what love meant. The boy that she had left behind without confessing her feelings to him. And there he was once again. Looking right into her eyes as clueless of what to say as she was. It was hard for Alaya to comprehend the emotions that hid behind his eyes. She wasn’t sure if he was pained or surprised to see her.

With her heart racing within her chest, Alaya involuntarily gave a light smile to the man who was looking at her intently. It didn’t occur to her why Raphael would be standing at that door at that time. All she could care about was she got to see him once again. But it didn’t take long for reality to hit Alaya when she heard Laana’s voice from behind Raphael.

“Who is it babe?” Laana asked, tying her hair into a bun reaching up to Raphael. Alaya’s smile faded as Laana stood next to Raphael. Just as she was about to reach a conclusion that made her weak in the knees, Laana spoke again.

“Oh its only you Alaya! Raphael, this is the girl who is living with us for rent. Alaya, this is Raphael, my husband.” Laana said and an uneasy silence fell between them. Alaya looked at Raphael as she felt her heart sink. She tried to find any ounce of emotion from that poker face that might be hidden just for her. But she failed when he spoke.

“Nice to meet you Alaya. Hope you find everything comfortable. You’d have to sign an agreement with us. Not because we have trust issues with you but because we’ve been cheated on a lot these days. I will get all the papers ready for tonight. Laana, would you explain the agreement, negotiate with her on the amount she would pay and make her sign? I have an online conference to attend tonight.” Raphael said, looking at his wife. Alaya looked at him shocked at the unusually calm voice as he spoke about her. It was as though he didn’t even know her. As though she was a complete stranger to him. But how could that be? It mustn’t be that he didn’t recognize her. Her face went through little to no change from her childhood. And he probably knows that she is an Egyptian girl from New York through his wife. AND her name is Alaya! He must know her!

But Alaya was in doubt about it when Laana assured him that she would do as he said and she gave him a peck on the cheek. Alaya felt uneasy when she saw Raphael giving Laana a tight smile. Alaya knew deep inside that it couldn’t have meant much but it was still a smile. Raphael turned his back to both of them without even looking back at Alaya. This disturbed her more than she expected.

“Quite a busy man he is. But he always makes sure he gives me his time. He cant even help it anyway, lol!” Laana said with a laugh. Alaya could not help but cross her eyebrows at her. She quickly walked inside the house towards her room upstairs.

The moment she reached the room, she got inside and slammed the door behind her. She walked in her fast pace, kept her handbag on the study table and began to take off her shawl deciding to change and be in the moment as much as possible. But she kept imagining Raphael’s face even as she was undoing her shawl. She could not help but picture the seriousness on his face as he looked at her and the smile he showed to Laana. The last words that Laana said to her kept echoing in her head. When she finally took off her shawl and dropped it on her shoulder, her smooth hair automatically undid as well. Alaya pressed her hands flat on the table as she took deep breaths.

She took her look at her reflection on the mirror. Her crooked eyebrows could affirm anyone that she was sad, despite the fact that it was not what she wanted. Why should she be sad? Over a man who she didn’t even talk to for years? Was it the fact that it was her ‘first love.’? Was it the fact that she loved him at one point and she thought he loved her too but now it appeared that she was completely unimportant to him? Or was it the fact that Laana was trying to show off her relationship with Raphael just too much to make her jealous?

No matter what it was, Alaya knew that the emotions that were harboring in her heart at the moment were unhealthy. They were in fact destructive. Never in her entire life did Alaya think that she would be jealous of any girl because of a man. No! This wasn’t her. This shouldn’t be. She had to make her thoughts right. So what if Raphael is married to Laana? His marriage had to happen one day or the other. What was she expecting? For him to come back to her like some Romeo who was brave enough to face her father? When she was the one who left him behind without saying anything about wanting to get back together? She would be a fool if she thought about that even once.

Instead, she should take this as a chance to forget about Raphael altogether. That was it! Perhaps it was destined for her to forget Raphael. And it was destined that she would meet someone even better than him who would love her just as much if not more. That was it!

Alaya promised herself right from that moment to come to terms with the fact that she had lost Raphael. For life. And though that was a difficult thing for her to digest, she decided to do so. For peace of her own heart. For the hope of living the life that she dreamt of.

For a few days, that was easy for Alaya to do. Particularly because of the fact that she barely saw Raphael though they lived under the same roof. Raphael would usually be at work till late at night and even when he was home, he’d usually be in his room. Of course Laana used that as an opportunity to make Alaya jealous by saying that he was tired because of the time they’d spent together.

But Alaya found that hard to believe. It didn’t seem to her that there was a meaningful relationship between Laana and Raphael. Alaya saw them having dinner together a couple of nights within a month and even when they sat together, there was a silence. It won’t be far from the truth to say that Alaya never saw Raphael’s full smile even once since she started seeing him in that house. It reminded her of how he was in school before they were friends. It seemed as though he was lonely all over again. Alaya wondered about that in her heart promising herself not to talk to anyone about it. But ended up asking the maid in the house about Raphael’s behavior. To her surprise, she got to know that Raphael and Laana had gotten married just a few weeks ago.

“I never saw him smile either though a man should be happiest during the early days of marriage. He appears to be a very serious man. To be honest I feel that he is irritated by Laana’s constant demands to get stuff. She would criticize him for having secret charity funds that he starts anonymously in different parts of the state to help poor people.” Jia said, while working on the steak on the stove as Alaya chopped away the vegetables on the other counter.

“Where is his father?” Alaya asked, remembering Raphael’s interview from the magazine.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen his father ever even though I have been in this house working for Raphael for the past 3 years. But he does occasionally go somewhere to meet his father. From the hearsay, I think his father is very sick. Laana gets mad even when he talks about his father.” Jia explained and Alaya was lost in thoughts. She felt sad in her heart when she realized how difficult of a life Raphael was living. And more so to realize that he wasn’t loved, the way he deserved to be. She felt anger towards Laana in her heart as well but tried to control her emotions as she let out a sigh.

That wasn’t the only new thing Alaya learned about Raphael. As the days passed, Alaya realized that Raphael was extremely punctual with his prayers. Alaya hadn’t seen this side of Raphael in the past, though he talked about Allah and His Messenger (SAW) as things that his Mama taught him. It didn’t even suit an intelligent person like Raphael to be serious about a religion in Alaya’s eyes. Perhaps he was holding onto it, to hold onto the memories of his mother, Alaya thought.

But Alaya soon realized that it was more than that, when she heard Raphael advising even Laana to pray, knowing for sure that she would reject. She made fun of him for giving such advice too. But Raphael kept advising her, quoting some ayahs from the Quran as well. It took Alaya by surprise to know that Raphael knew the meanings of those ayahs as well. She was in fact moved by one of the advices that he gave.

“Why shouldn’t we pray? It’s the One Who created us who commanded us to pray. He is the One Who Knows us more than we know ourselves. He is the One Who Knows what is the absolute best for us. If you are so sure of your fate, why do you fear your death? Why don’t you wish for it if you are sure that you will be ok even after it?” Alaya overheard a conversation Raphael had with Laana.

“Lets not start with this all over again Raphael. I come from a Muslim family but I simply don’t believe in all this nonsense.” Laana said angrily.

“Before you call it nonsense, make sure you’ve had a proper look at the Quran for yourself. Instead of listening what your athiest friends are saying. When was the last time you tried to learn something about the Quran? If you never even tried to search what it holds, how could you close-mindedly pass a judgement on it?” Raphael asked. His last question made Alaya think. Even her thoughts were quite the same as Laana’s. But unlike Laana who cursed even at the reasonable question Raphael asked and left, Alaya wanted to learn more from Raphael. But did not have the courage to go to him, when she saw him sighing and looking down with perhaps the sadness that his wife was simply not listening to him.

That night, Laana had gone out all dressed up. Alaya saw her leaving as the moment she left was when Alaya came out from the dining room into the living room. It seemed to Alaya that she was going to a party seeing the way she was dressed. The short sleeved knee length glittery dress made Alaya wince. Though she liked the pale colour of the dress, she wasn’t sure she’d be comfortable with a dress of such a length. She wondered if Raphael would be happy with his wife wearing such a dress. Thinking about it, Alaya made her way into the living room. It was then that Raphael came back home from work that night. He came in through the open door looking at is phone as Alaya watched him walk by.

“Jia have you seen Laan…” Raphael stopped the moment his eyes met Alaya’s. A moment of silence passed as it happened. But Alaya spoke, comprehending what Raphael was going to ask.

“Laana just left. I think she has gone to a party.” Alaya said.

“Oh….” Raphael said, with a pained look on his face. He looked at the screen on his phone and got lost in thoughts. At this point, Alaya was sure that not only was Laana disrespectful to Raphael in front of him. She was probably lying to him too. Alaya was hurt as she looked at Raphael’s changing expressions. With a rough sigh, he turned his back to Alaya. She felt a rush inside her as she saw his fast footsteps. Within a few seconds, Alaya called out involuntarily.

“Raphael…” Alaya called. Raphael stopped on his track but didn’t look back. As Alaya looked down, she saw his fist clench. That sight made Alaya feel a pain in her chest as she felt the grief that Raphael was trying to conceal.

chance cover

Alaya could not help but think about that voice throughout the day. The voice inevitably kept echoing in her ears. Shivers go down her spine as she even imagines that voice. And she had an irritable urge to ask Laana who that could have been. But how obnoxious would she be if she did? For all she knew it could be her husband. She better stop daydreaming about other people’s spouses before she gets under someone’s skin.

That night, Alaya went to sleep early for a couple of reasons. One was of course to experience sleep on her new comfy bed and another was to get away from the thoughts that was disturbing her. At this point, she wasn’t just thinking about the voice from Laana’s phone but also about her family. She looked at her phone as she remembered each and every one of them. She’d changed her number just on her way to the subway to get to Boston. Alaya didn’t regret doing that because if she hadn’t done so, her call list and inbox must have been flooded by now. And her mother will have used her ‘tactics’ to convince her to go back to New York. That thought removed any wish in her heart to even talk to any one of her family members.

Alaya fell into a deep sleep as she was thinking about all that has happened in her life in just the past 24 hours. Somewhere in the corner of her head, there were thoughts of Raphael for some unknown reason. She didn’t know how long it took for her to completely escape reality deep into her dreams.

**

A fulfilling happiness filled Alaya’s heart as she ran across the lavender field. She felt as though she was in an 80s love story as she realized that a man was running right behind her calling out to her and laughing. She did look back at him through her laughter but only caught a glimpse of his off-white shirt and black jeans. Though she did not know for sure who it was, she knew that it was someone who loved her. She knew that it was someone who would never hurt her. And she was just running away from him jokingly. The feelings of love only deepened as she heard him from behind her calling her and telling her to wait ever so lovingly. As she realized whose voice it was so clearly, she heard that was shouting out her name in a sudden fearful manner. When she was just about to look back, she felt a hard push on her left arm. Alaya went rolling down the field for a few feet. When she stopped, she looked at where she was. To her horror the man who followed her was now on lying on with his face down on the ground, which had all its flowers replaced with sharp thorns. Alaya got up to her feet and ran towards the man with all the happiness in her heart replaced with worry and grief. When she reached him, she knelt down and ran a hand through his hair. She slowly turned his face up and shouted out when she saw his bloodied face.

**

Alaya got up with a start when she woke up from her dream. Her heart was thumping against her chest and she felt breathless. What did she just see? What was that dream all about? She hadn’t even seen a horror movie last night for her to see a dream of that sort. Who was that man? Wait….this isn’t the first time she is asking that question to herself. Could that be the man from her dream from way back in the day? She had figured out his name in her dream but she just couldn’t remember at the moment. Whoever that was, he must love her a lot. He sacrificed his life for her. Did she see that dream because such a man does exist for her? Is there really a man who loves her a lot? Who could do anything for her? Who would take the thorns just for her?

Alaya felt a pain in her chest as she thought about it. Wait just wait! What is up with her? It was just a damn dream. If she wasn’t watching movies recently, she was still daydreaming of a man who would ‘save’ her on this journey to her new life. Daydreams don’t take long to make their way into real dreams do they? It couldn’t have meant anything. She is just deluding herself. Alaya remembered Asma’s words as she thought about it. Life isn’t a frigging movie. There wasn’t a charming prince who was going to save her. She was the only one who could save herself at this point. Right! She should never forget that. It was just her raging hormones that led to this dream. Nothing else. The quicker she realized that, the better.

Alaya felt much better as a result of that small ‘positive self-talk.’ She tried to sleep but couldn’t bring herself to do so. Alaya was reminded of the countless times Asma had told her to listen to Quran whenever she felt down. Alaya had downloaded some short surahs on her phone due to Asma insisting on it. She thought of playing one of those as she went through her playlist. But ended up listening to music and her mind on went on an entire field trip on her memory lane with Raphael as she heard the love song. She knew it was the same as pressing a ‘self-destruct’ button to think more about whether or not Raphael might love her or not but did not know what to do to help her heart. As a result, Alaya had a restless night.

Nonetheless, the next day Alaya wakes up, freshens up and prays fajr in a rush as usual since she woke up late. She didn’t feel sleepy after fajr so she had to wait, sitting in her bed on an empty stomach until she was sure Laana would be awake. She heard Laana’s humming voice at around 9AM and immediately headed for the door. But she opened it and came out as though even she’d woken up a few minutes ago. When Alaya saw Laana, she was still in her pyjamas and yawning. But Laana showed a hypocritical smile at her and invited her for breakfast.

It was a maid who prepared breakfast and set the long dining table at Laana’s ‘command’. Alaya noticed that she was quite bossy with the maid as well and the Chinese girl’s face clearly showed that she didn’t like Laana either. Alaya smiled at her to let her know that they both were in the same boat.

“So Alaya, where have you planned to apply for a job?” Laana asked as the maid went after serving the breakfast.

“Haven’t decided yet. Do you know a good place?” Alaya asked, not expecting much of a help.

“Well….my husband owns a huge business. There is a vacancy in one of his branches always because they are just so many. So I guess there will be. But I don’t think you stand much of a chance in the company…you see my husband likes everything to be perfect. Therefore he told all his employees to only hire those with proper qualifications. There would rarely be anyone with just the A levels and no experience even at the reception. So….better luck with other places though. At the McDonalds perhaps?” Laana said, giving Alaya a look that burned her with rage. Who needs your help anyway Mrs. Little Perfect? Kudos to you and your rich husband and the huge business. She was going to find a job way far away from all of it.

And that’s exactly what Alaya did. She started searching for vacancies in different companies starting from that day. And she applied to multiple of them with the little help from Laana and much help from the maid at home when Laana had gone to work. Within just a few days, Alaya got a call for an interview for the job she wanted the most. The post of an administrative officer with an 8-5 job. If she did get this job, her life would be set. She began to dream of how she would finally settle down with her own family with a job of that sort.

She went to the interview after a lot of practice in front of the mirror along with the same hopes and dreams. She always had this thing of doing well if she thought well about it. She was nervous about the interview even on her way to it. But because of her hope of building a new future for her own self, she killed it. She came back home, swelled with pride finally realizing that she had something to show off about. She was planning an entire script in her head on how to rub it off on Laana’s face just as Laana did to her all this time. But her plan reversed, as she saw Laana too excited to listen to anyone when Alaya reached home. Laana grabbed her by the arms the moment she entered through the door.

“My husband coming back early from his business trip! Alaya you’ve got to help me with the decorations to welcome him. You said you were sort of an artist weren’t you? He likes artistic stuff. So do help me. I want everything to look perfect…..I want…” and then came a list of things Laana wanted to come to be within the next week. Alaya was taken aback with Laana’s attitude. It was less like she was welcoming her husband and more like she was welcoming a celebrity who was a stranger to her. Alaya soon realized that she wanted to show off her relationship with her husband as well. She was planning to throw an entire party with all her friends and colleagues invited just because he was coming back.

Alaya felt sympathy for him, as she started working on the plan she made to transform the huge living room into a party hall a week from that day. It must be difficult to live with someone who refuses to connect emotionally and artificially shows to others what isn’t true of the relationship. Or maybe he had the same kind of mindset as Laana’s and they’d be soul mates. Who knew? It shouldn’t bother Alaya in anyway.

And she didn’t. She didn’t waste her energy in thinking about the marital life of a woman she particularly disliked. As a result, she didn’t even walk out of her room while the party that she arranged was going on just downstairs from her room. She was lost in a gripping story book as an attempt to escape her nervousness for tomorrow as it was her first day at work. She fell asleep while listening to the pop music she heard from outside.

The next day Alaya woke up early and got ready for work. She went to work early and that impressed her boss along with the other employees. She does know how to leave an impression, Alaya thought as she worked away on her computer. Time flew quicker than she thought and it was time to go home before she knew it. Pleased with her job, Alaya got into a taxi to go home. Her excitement about her work almost made her forget that there would be someone else at home as well. Somewhere in the back of her head, she had firmly concluded that he wouldn’t be an important person to her and perhaps she might not even see him. But that was far from truth.

It was close to 6 when Alaya reached her new home. She got off the taxi, closed the door and walked towards the front door. She fixed her knee length black dress that she wore with her shawl of the same colour. She did not like the dress at all but that was the only thing appropriate to go to work in since her wardrobe was full of informal T-shirts. Thinking about what she looked, she rang the doorbell. When no one opened, she rang again. This time, she heard footsteps from inside that she was sure were not of Laana’s or the Chinese maid. The heavy footsteps came and stopped close to the door. Within a split second, the door flew open and Alaya turned ice cold.

chance cover

“So where are you from?” Laana asked as the taxi drove away.

“I’m from Egypt but my family lives in New York.” Alaya said.

“Uh huh? What brings you to Boston?” asked Laana ever so curiously.

“Um….its just…I graduated from high school just a few weeks ago and I’d like apply to a university away from home.” Alaya said, quickly making up a story.

“Oh….so you are an undergraduate?” Laana said, somewhat disappointed.

“Yeah but I….I don’t have a job as of yet but I’ve already applied for one somewhere in….Boston.”

“Oh….nice! So you are staying in Boston only IF it works out?”

“No….it will work out. I mean I have a pretty good resume.”

“Oh…ok.” Laana said, as she crossed her legs arrogantly as she looked away purposely and started searching something from her handbag. Alaya immediately realized that Laana’s sense of pride heightened after knowing how ‘low’ she was. And that Laana was clearly trying to show off by checking her gold wrist watch and the conversation that she carried further.

“I will actually need to ask my husband about whether to keep you or not. We don’t usually accept people who are unemployed but let’s see what he says. He has gone for a business meeting to Malay and won’t be back for weeks….” Laana said, with her cheeks literally swelled with pride. Alaya wanted to get off that car then and there though it was moving. She wanted to be anywhere but away from that woman. She was already so done with Layaan’s show off. She can’t take anyone talking about their luxury. Especially not with the intention of putting her down.

But then again she has very little choice at the moment. She barely knows how to handle herself away from her family. She doesn’t know a thing of this world. And this is the reason why she thought herself to be lucky the minute she met Laana….So no. Letting go off Laana was not a choice. She had to keep up with her, until she can find another place to live. Until she has a job and enough money for herself. Until she is fully independent and can deal with any situation that arises just like she has always dreamed.

“I will try my best to find a job and pay you an amount that won’t disappoint you.” Alaya said with confidence.

“That’s what we’d like to hear.” Laana said with a firm nod. A cuss word came to Alaya’s mind but she brushed it off with a smile.

***

After a quiet 1 hour ride, their taxi arrived at a beautiful neighborhood. As Alaya got out of the taxi along with Laana, she saw huge houses with perfectly mowed lawns and colourful gardens. The house that Laana showed to be her husband’s was much bigger than the rest and was close to being a two storey mansion with its huge white walls and large portico. As Alaya got in, she saw that the roof of the house was higher than she’d expected. A big chandelier hung from the middle of the ceiling of the living room that was decorated with black and white furniture. Laana led Alaya upstairs to her room. The room’s size reminded Alaya of her trip to a 5 star resort with her family and the room that she saw there.

“This is the finest room that we have for guests. We do expect a high price for this one. But as I said before, we can only negotiate after I have a talk with my husband. For now why don’t you go in, freshen up and get ready for lunch?” Laana said.

“That’ll be fine. Thank you Laana. Tell me the price as soon as possible.” Alaya said, entering her new room.

“Will do.” Laana said with a smile and left Alaya to her room. Alaya closed the door and took a good look around the room. The queen size bed, the red sponge sofas and the branded air conditioners all seemed like from her dreams. She wouldn’t be surprised if there was a drawer under her bed that was full of chocolates and candy. Alaya squeaked with happiness and excitement. She ran to the bed and jumped right onto it. It felt softer and bumpier than she thought. All she could do was smile as she lay on bed and looked at the spotless ceiling. She felt as if she was the luckiest girl in the whole world. She didn’t realize that it was all by the blessings of Allah. And that Allah gives blessings as a test. To see if she does her best to do good using those blessings.

A while later she heard a voice from outside. As she got up and listened carefully, she realized that it was Laana’s voice. It didn’t take long for her to realize that Laana was talking on her phone and the speaker was on. With curiosity getting the best of her, Alaya dared to listen even more closely. She went near the door of her new room and opened it just slightly. To her luck, she saw that Laana was standing right in front of her door holding onto the railing of the staircase speaking on the phone.

“I can’t believe you are saying this!! Why in the world should we keep her? At a price that she wants?! I was thinking of throwing her away even while in the car when I got to know that the **** doesn’t have a job.” Laana shouted, turning into a completely different woman from what Alaya knew. As a rage started building up in Alaya’s heart, she heard a man’s voice from the speaker of Laana’s phone.

“Chill out Laana. There is no harm in helping anyone. From what you have said, I’m sure she is in need of help. So we should, when we can. Allah will only help us when we help others.” the man said. His voice made goose bumps on Alaya’s skin. The voice should have been a complete strange voice to her but for some reason, she felt that she had known that voice forever.

“Pffftt…..whatever! Bye!” Laana was about to click the phone. But then again the man spoke.

“Wait….where is the girl from? What’s her name?” the man asked.

“I believe she said she was from Egypt but her family lives in New York. Her name is Alaya.” Laana said and a silence dropped between them all of a sudden. Alaya waited for a response from that man. And so did Laana. After a few seconds, Laana said ‘hello’ and the phone clicked. Alaya’s forehead wrinkled as she heard the click. What just happened? Did the man on phone know her? Even if he did, why did he have to click the phone in a rush? What brought the sudden change in that unknown voice?

chance cover

Alaya kept looking at the still body lying on the floor about 10 feet away from her until she lost sight of it because of the crowd that surrounded it. Her heart was still thumping against her chest as the scene of the accident kept replaying in the eyes of her mind. She could hear the people were talking about him. But she could not pay attention to what they were talking about. Until some men moved away all of a sudden. As Alaya looked carefully, she saw a pool of blood oozing out of the man’s head. She felt dizzy immediately though she saw it from far away. She stood up and turned to walk away from the scene. But just then, she heard two people having a conversation near her.

“Who was that? Do you happen to know the guy?” an old man asked.

“Yeah….I think he is that hotelier guy from the Lightspeed businesses.” another elderly man answered.

Alaya did not look back at them until she heard the last words from the second man. Those two men were western and complete strangers to Alaya. The moment she looked, even they went in a hurry to help the victim of the accident. But Alaya didn’t go in that direction knowing that there was little she could do to help with a lot of blood in front of her.

**

Alaya spent about an hour and a half on a bench of the subway away from the scene. Though she was away, she could not get rid of her thoughts. She could not help but think about how the incident happened. She kept wondering what must have happened to that man. With the kind of injury he had, Alaya doubted that he will survive. But there wasn’t hearsay about a death in the subway either so she wasn’t so sure. She could not help but think about what she heard from the two men either. That the victim of the accident was the hotelier from Lightspeed businesses. Every time those words echoed in her head, she was reminded of what Layaan’s father had said. About the hotelier of Lightspeed business trying to cheat other businesses and how the company was fined because of it. Could it be that the CEO of the company, aka Raphael fired him? And he was attempting suicide because of it?

Alaya continued to wonder about it even when she got on her train to Boston. But quickly forgot about it as she started to see the scenery she was in, passing right by her. It gave her the signal that she was turning her back to the life she has lived up to this point. She gave herself cheers with a smile as the train left the station. After that point, she stopped thinking about everything that was bothering her. The fact that her family must have found out by now and how worried they might be. The fact that turning her back on a ‘noble’ family like Layaan’s might do to the integrity of her family in the traditional community they lived in. The fact that she may not be trusted for marriage ever again because she was running away from one just for her ‘freedom.’ With all of it, she decided not to think about the accident she saw and neither about Raphael. The past should stay in the past. Now it’s time for her to embrace the future. Alaya told herself as a random western guy smiled at her as he walked past her. Who knows what the future might bring? Alaya thought as she saw him disappear between the seats.

**

After a ride of a few hours, Alaya finally got off the train in Boston subway with a heart full of excitement and feelings of anxiety. She tried hard to tell herself that it was just her excitement that was making her hands and feet so cold. She looked around at the people walking, being sure of where they were headed, unlike her. She literally had no idea where she would go. The thought reminded her of the plan she made. She quickly took out her small notebook from her handbag. She looked at the things she would do after reaching Boston.

“Find a place to stay for rent.” was what was written right below. But then again how would she find a place? Maybe she could find it online? Alaya thought and started browsing using her phone. Just then, she heard a woman talking on the phone.

“Yes darling don’t you worry! Before you are back we will have someone who could stay for rent with us. Everything is just going to be ok.” the woman who was walking ahead of her spoke with her phone on her ear. She wore a white top and a blue pencil skirt with her black Gucci bag hanging on her hand. Her straightened black hair hung freely as she cat walked with her heels tapping on the subway floor.

“I’ll manage everything I promise you. Love you. Bye.” she said and she clicked the phone. Alaya followed her knowing that this was her opportunity. But didn’t have the courage to call her until they were both walking out of the subway. As Alaya saw the woman catching a taxi and holding the knob of its door, she called out.

“Excuse me ma’m!” Alaya said, catching up to her. The woman turned around and Alaya saw her face for the first time. She had an oval face with long eyelashes heavy with mascara. Her lips shined with a light brown lip gloss and she must have taken her time with those eye wings. She had a similar complexion of skin to Alaya’s and that made Alaya close to sure that she had to be an Egyptian girl or atleast from somewhere around the Arabian Peninsula.

“Yes?” she asked in an artificially ‘sweet’ tone.

“Um….I was just…I just heard that you need someone who could stay for rent. I could! And I will pay as well.” Alaya said the last sentence as she was thinking of getting a job. Just then she realized the stupidity of what she said. Of course she had to pay if she stayed for rent. She sure hoped she wouldn’t be rejected for her foolishness.

“You will? That’s great! Where are you from and how long are you going to stay?” the woman asked with excitement.

“U…Um…” Alaya stuttered and she chuckled.

“Oh well! We can’t discuss business on the road can we? Are you new here? If you are we can both take this taxi to reach my home and we can have a chat. How about that?” she asked.

“Yeah…that’d be great!” Alaya said.

“Hop in then. Oh! And my name is Laana.” Laana held out her hand for Alaya as she came close to her.

“Alaya.” Alaya held that hand and introduced herself with a smile. Guess the new life she’d planned to make for herself isn’t that bad at all. Alaya thought to herself. 

 

chance cover

Mahmood and Waleeda waited anxiously for the future son-in-law to come and meet their daughter after the rough encounter they’d had. But a couple of weeks went by without any visit or call from them. Mahmood was too ashamed to call them on his own as he viewed what Alaya did as a total ‘disgrace.’

Alaya on the other hand was not sure how to feel about what was going on. She was actually quite busy with her final A level exams to be thinking about her future marriage. At times while studying, she’d think what kind of a mentality Layaan must have to marry her while she was still a school girl. Not the kind she’d like for sure. Nonetheless Alaya was worried about her parents. No matter how much she despised them for what they had planned for her it still bothered her to see them worried. She hated herself for feeling that way but she couldn’t help it. She secretly wished for Layaan to come back faster so that his father could pay her father’s debts and she could flee away from them in peace.

Perhaps her fate was written according to her wishes and everything started falling into places perfectly well. Layaan visited her again, just on the day she’d finished her last exam. As soon as they arrived on a surprise visit Mahmood started apologizing for what happened ‘ages’ ago. This time Alaya’s eyeballs went almost to the very back of her eyes as Layaan repeatedly started saying ‘its ok uncle’ as though a victim of a murder came back to life to forgive the criminal.

“Well Mahmood we were actually kinda busy with some business. That’s what took us long from coming back. As a matter of fact we had a lot to attend to even today but Layaan kept insisting on coming. Hehe……” Ahmed said during that day’s meeting and everyone laughed except for Alaya.

“I think we should let them take a small walk in the garden in our backyard. What do you say Layaan?” Mahmood asked and Alaya’s eyes widened.

“Well yeah that’d be great! What do you think Alaya?” Layaan looked at Alaya and gave her a light wink which made her want to puke. Just then Asma came out of the blue to apparently safe her life.

“Dad I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s not good for a girl and a boy to chat in private even though they may be fiancées.” Asma just dropped it and everyone was brought to silence. Except for Layaan’s father.

“We don’t believe in these old-fashioned religious traditions. We live in a much more civilized world nowadays. It’d be foolish to still hold onto those things in such a free society.” Ahmed said.

“Well uh…” as Mahmood was about to speak, Waleeda joined them.

“But we don’t let go off our traditions. If any good might come out of the marriage of these two children, it would only be by the Will of Allah. So we better do things the way it pleases Allah.” Waleeda said and Mahmood whispered her name. Waleeda glared at him.

Ahmed was about to give a harsh response to them but was stopped when Layaan held his hand. Layaan gave him a pleading look and he nodded his head with an upset look.

“Ok then, we better do things the way it pleases Allah.” Ahmed said and Alaya had the brightest smile. She did not agree with a thing that her mother said. She would be the first to rebuke those ‘traditions.’ But not right now. Not when it’s actually saving her from something she hated to do. She would have agreed to speak and meet privately with any man but not with a self-obsessed spoilt brat.

**

Then began a series of meetings at Alaya’s house the ‘traditional’ way. Layaan had no choice but to talk to Alaya in the presence of both of their fathers. They talked and asked about each other. Through that Alaya got to know that Layaan’s mother has also passed away. She got a little emotional at that but was shocked when Layaan himself turned it into a joke saying that she will not have the burden of having a ‘mother-in-law.’ How cruel can be a man who could make a joke out of his mother’s death? Alaya thought that she would not find anything that made her any angrier than that. But then again it was Layaan she was talking to. She was fed up of listening about the fountain in front of their mansion in California. And the imported wardrobe that he has. And the brands of cars that he likes to have. AND the expensive perfume that he wears. There was literally no end to the luxury he owned. She even realized that Layaan had planned to not send her to work or seek a career because she ‘might be attracted to other people’ besides him. The first time she heard it she thought Layaan was abiding by one of the ‘traditions’ that he and his father were so against, but it didn’t take long for Alaya to realize that Layaan was one of those men who was afraid of his wife getting way ahead of him.

“But Alaya can take her own initiative in doing something good don’t you think? Like she’s a pretty good artist. She can do that work even from home.” Asma, who after some point started joining those conversations for a reason Alaya did not know spoke when he’d said such a thing.

“Oh yeah but in my view, a wife’s job is just to stay home.” Layaan said and at that point, Alaya barely held herself back from throwing a punch on his face.

Days were gloomy for Alaya with those daily meetings. But eventually she heard the news she wanted to hear. Layaan’s father decided to have an engagement party a month before marriage. And not only that. The rich father also promised that he will ‘help’ her father with whatever he needed before the engagement. Alaya literally jumped for joy on that as she shared the news with Lilly.

With her excitement building up inside her, Alaya could barely hide it. Even her younger brother Faaris who kept quiet for matters regarding her marriage due to the frequent glares from Waleeda saw that as yet again another opportunity to make fun of her sister. But it would go away as soon as Alaya put her hand on his small face and pushed him into his room. Her father was of course happy about the marriage and Liam was as usual neutral regarding the affairs of his in-laws. But there was a friction going on between Asma and Waleeda. It took Alaya a countless number of attempts of spying on them to figure out what was going on.

“Mom please think about it once again with dad. Its just not right. Layaan is not a good person for Alaya. You know clearly how it is.” said a concerned Asma as she spoke to her mom in the kitchen while Alaya listened from outside.

“I know my dear. But there is nothing we can do about it you see? Your dad is very happy that we are paying our debts off. And yes Alaya doesn’t like Layaan yet. But she hasn’t said it either. So we are assuming that she will like him after marriage and Layaan will change for Alaya. He loves Alaya a lot you know?” said Waleeda, slowly moving into her daydreams. She too sounded quite pleased that the debts were being paid off. But Alaya realized at that moment that the only person who was unhappy along with her was Asma. She sighed angrily and started to walk out. Alaya attempted to move before it was too late but she failed. Asma caught her on sight as she was just about to leave. Their eyes locked and Alaya saw a pain in her sister’s eyes for her. She did not know what to feel or say about it. So she kept looking for a short while then starting to walk away. She realized that she just gave Asma the impression that she’d just had a heartbreak of knowing how her parents were ‘using’ her. Knowing how she can’t escape the situation and all that. Little does Asma know! Alaya thought as she entered her room and subconsciously closed the door quite dramatically. She should get an Oscar for that performance! She thought as she walked into the room. But no longer did she get into her room that she heard a knock on her door. She opened it and saw Asma. Asma quickly got into the room and locked the door. Alaya looked at her, puzzled.

“Look Alaya I know that this is quite shocking. I don’t like mom and dad’s decision for you either. I’m trying to talk them out of it but they are just not listening. They are both saying that you are not saying anything so it should be fine. Say something! Tell them that you don’t like the guy and they will listen. I promise!” Asma said as though she was pleading. Alaya sighed.

“Too late! I already made up my mind.” Alaya said.

“To marry Layaan?!”

“No you silly! I wouldn’t be marrying him even though he’d be the last man on earth. But I’ve made up my mind to take a chance and change my life once and for all!”

“And how is that?”

“You’ll see, soon!” Alaya said the last word with a wink and aimed to go to the bathroom. Asma kept looking at her trying to figure out what she meant. As Alaya praised herself for her talent of making people curious, Asma called her out.

“Alaya…..are you planning to run away?” Asma asked. Alaya’s eyes widened and her heart started pounding.

“How did you….what the hell are you talking about?!” Alaya blurted out.

“I don’t know. But that’s a fantasy you have always had and you shared it with me when I was as stupid.” Asma said, observing her sister carefully.

“Well no….its nothing of that sort really!” Alaya tried to laugh but couldn’t. Asma crossed her arms.

“I hope that’s true. But if you are planning to do such a thing then let me tell you. Life isn’t a frigging movie Alaya! You won’t be rescued by a charming prince when you face a difficulty. You have to face it yourself! Did you hear me? You have to face it YOURSELF! There is no one going to be around. You wont get to whine. And even if you do there will be no one to listen. Do you even know what it means to be financially independent? To make a living? To save money for survival and not just for make-up and clothes? For God’s sake Alaya!” Asma said and Alaya felt as though she was getting punches on her face. Asma was right. What was she going to do all on her own?

“And to leave mom and dad like that….haven’t they done absolutely nothing for you to just leave them for your so called freedom? What is this except for sheer stupidity?” Asma said and Alaya just kept on listening.

“So decide for yourself……before it’s too late. I can only help so much.” Asma said and turned her back. Alaya could not do anything but look as her sister left. Her words echoed in her mind. Does she even know what it means to be financially independent? Does she know what it means to make a living? To save money for survival? Alaya thought hard. But it didn’t take long for her mind to give a positive answer. Of course she does! If she was given a chance to do all of it, she would. And she absolutely would. She wouldn’t be stopped. Not this time.

Alaya thought of calling Lilly. But she didn’t. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She wanted to master the idea of being ‘independent.’ And for some reason, running away from everyone around her was her definition of becoming ‘independent.’ She didn’t realize that it was cowardice to run away from problems instead of facing them. That she is losing the game if she doesn’t know how to convince the people around her and thus is running away from them. That bravery is in embracing life as it is and finding solutions to the problems around an individual himself or herself.

Hence this time she started making her own plan. Without even the help of Lilly. She took out a paper and pen and started writing. First, she would wait for the engagement party to end. Then she would go to her room and pack everything. And make sure that she has extras of everything she’ll need on the way. She will grab her wallet with her 2 year savings of pocket money. The money she had made her think of how stupid she was when she decided to move to another country. But then again she didn’t stay in those negative thoughts. Instead, she decided to go to Boston, which she could afford. The day after the engagement, she’d wake up at 4. She’d pack everything and sneak out through the window. She’d grab a taxi and reach the subway. And from there, she’d catch the train to Boston.

Alaya highly doubted whether she could go according to the plan the day she made it. But she was awake at 4, on the day after her engagement. She packed everything according to plan. But did not have the heart to leave, until she’d seen everyone’s faces. Her eyes welled up with tears as she looked at her parents sleeping soundly. She had a look at Faaris who was snoring and drooling in his deep sleep. She had a look at Asma who was sleeping with Maaiz, as Liam was out on a business trip that day. She said her goodbyes and wrote a letter for everyone. A letter that said that she is leaving. Saying that no one needed to be worried as she will be safe with the money that she has. She left the letter on the table in the living room and left according to plan.

**

Alaya’s heart was pounding against her chest as she found herself on the subway at 5 in the morning. There were all kinds of people in the station. This was the first time she felt so far away from everyone she knew and when she felt so out of place. But she needed to be strong. Alaya told herself. And pulled up a fierce look on her face as she sat on the bench.

As Alaya was looking at the empty railway in front of her, she saw a man walking towards it. She only saw him from behind and she saw that he wore a baggy shirt. Either the shirt was baggy or he was too skinny. Alaya wasn’t sure. But she was sure that he wasn’t doing well. He walked quite slowly towards the railway and stood just by it. Then just as he heard a train coming, he clenched his fist. Alaya saw him step on the railway and just as Alaya was about to shout out, the train came at full speed and hit him. Seeing the first split second of the tragedy Alaya closed her eyes tight as she screamed. But she slowly opened her eyes, as she heard people talking. She saw the man lying on the floor, way on the other side of the station and people began surrounding him. Who was he? What did he just do? Was he out of his mind? Alaya could not help but think.

chance cover

Alaya could not believe what she was hearing. Layaan’s father fought against Raphael’s business? Because Raphael apparently ‘stole’ to grow his business?!

“Is this all true?” Alaya asked, out of the blue as the men were shaking their heads as though to ‘sympathize’ the business they were talking about.

“Well yes Alaya. All of it happened just a week ago. The hotelier who managed all hotels of the company was badly coning another company to eventually take over it. But thankfully the small company’s manager had a talk with me and we fought against them. The CEO of the Lightspeed businesses wouldn’t take the blame on himself and put the blame on the manager of the department. Nonetheless, he was fined handsomely despite the great mind tricks he attempted to play….” Ahmed explained.

“Pfftt……do you call them great mind tricks dad? He almost got himself in jail. And you would know him Alaya. He studied with us in the same school. Remember the guy who was called the spouse of the cow? Well that’s the guy. How in the world do you think a guy like that could build such a huge business all on his own except by coning? I’d say, we better watch out for him dad. God knows how many more people he has cheated.” Layaan said.

“Oh!” Alaya said and could not help but look down. When she did, she didn’t realize that Layaan exchanged sly smiles with his father.

She thought about what Layaan was saying though. But found it so hard to believe. How could Raphael, whom she saw to be the most responsible and honest of people, be accused of such treachery? He used to be one who used to feed the boys in the neighborhood, though he was starving. He used to be the one who refused to take the extra coin that a shopkeeper had given by mistake. He used to be kind to even the stray animals he found on the road. He literally wouldn’t even hurt a fly!

“This is a misunderstanding!” Alaya said out loud subconsciously. When she realized she just said it, she looked up and saw the smiles on everyone’s faces fading.

“What do you mean Alaya?” Mahmood asked.

“Dad, I’ve known Raphael….the owner of that business. He could not have done such a thing.” Alaya said with confidence.

“How can you be so sure Alaya?” Layaan asked, with his eyes narrowed.

“I just know it!” Alaya said in her firm voice.

“Does this mean that you are accusing us of lying, Alaya?” asked Ahmed in a serious tone. As Mahmood was about to speak nervously in defense, Alaya spoke.

“No I did not mean that. But I am saying that you may be mistaken. Maybe it wasn’t Raphael’s fault at all. Maybe he did not know what that manager was up to.” Alaya said. She surprised herself by how much she defended someone she’d love so long ago. It kind of scared her too.

Alaya saw disturbed looks on Layaan’s and his dad’s faces. As she was just about to think about why, Ahmed stood up.

“Mahmood….I think we better get going as we do feel that we are not so welcome here.” Ahmed said and Mahmood stood up with a desperate look.

“No please don’t say that. Forgive Alaya….she just gets curious sometimes. She didn’t mean to say that you were lying. Please do come back!” Mahmood followed the father son pair towards the door. Alaya felt a rage inside her when she heard her father begging them. Why in the world was he doing that? He didn’t have to beg to anyone! For anything! Especially not in one of her cases!!!

“We will come back once you have taught your daughter some manners. Right now we have to go. See you later.” Ahmed said and closed the door as he stepped out with his son.

Alaya stood up with her teeth gritted. She got even madder when her father kept staring at the door in despair. Why was he behaving the way he is? She never saw him like this before.

“Dad what are you doing? If they say they don’t want us then so be it! You don’t need to plead to them. I don’t like them anyway!” Alaya said.

“Watch your mouth Alaya. You don’t know what you are talking about!” said Waleeda who came into the scene along with Asma.

“All I know is we don’t have to fall to anyone’s feet for anything. They are not doing us a favour in anyway.” Alaya said.

“You don’t know what they are doing for us and besides…..why were you talking about some other boy in front of your fiancée, that too defending him against your father-in-law?” Waleeda asked.

“Well….I was just defending someone who could be innocent.”

“Could be? Since when did you start trusting strangers over the people who are here with you?”

“Th…that’s not the point. The point is you are trying to impress the wrong kind of people and that’s simply not right!!!” Alaya’s voice rose and her mother called her out at the top of her lungs. At that Mahmood called Waleeda and Alaya could not stand to be there. She just walked past her mother and her sister who stood there without saying anything.

It was quite in the house for the rest of the day. Alaya did not even come out for dinner. Mahmood did tell Waleeda to call her but she didn’t attempt to do it. After a late dinner, Waleeda sat on a sofa in the living room, lost in thoughts. Mahmood joined her and sat next to her while later. Waleeda took a look at his sad face.

“Is Ahmed going to come back to us with Layaan?” Waleeda asked.

“I think he will. He is a man of his word and won’t stop until Layaan and Alaya got married.” Mahmood said. Waleeda let out a sigh.

“Do you think Layaan is the right person for Alaya?” Waleeda said. Mahmood looked at her with a start.

“I did fight with Alaya for talking back to Ahmed today. But I do agree with what she said. They are a real show off.” Waleeda said.

“But we can’t afford to lose contact with Ahmed’s family Waleeda and you know it. There is a mortgage that we are not able to pay off for years. The interest is only building up. We could end up on a street if we don’t pay them in the next 3 months. If only……if only I listened to Asma when she told me not to buy a house on an interest-based loan. She told me to obey Allah, save a little along with Liam to buy a house. And I refused. And now we don’t have any choice but to marry Alaya off with Layaan. Ahmed agreed to help us on that condition.” Mahmood said, covering his face. He didn’t realize that Alaya was standing right behind them, listening to the conversation. She’d come to talk to them about how she felt about Layaan but now she wouldn’t be able to. She was disgusted like never before as she thought of how her parents were thinking of her like an object they could sell and earn money from.

“What’s happened cannot be changed. Allah will show us a way out. Maybe what I’m thinking is wrong. First impressions aren’t always right. Perhaps Layaan is a good match for Alaya and she will start liking him the more they meet up.” Waleeda said and Alaya just could not stay there. She turned her back to them and walked back into their room. She didn’t know that by doing that, she missed an important part of the conversation.

“But if she doesn’t like him, we mustn’t force her to marry him either. If I do that I will be a terrible father. I would rather live on street delivering a newspaper rather than living my whole life in regret of marrying my daughter to the wrong man.” Mahmood said.

“You are right Mahmood. We must do what’s right for Alaya.” Waleeda said and kept a hand on Mahmood’s shoulder to show her support on that decision.

Meanwhile Alaya went to her room and immediately picked up her phone to call Lilly. It took her only around a minute to explain it to her friend.

“This outrageous Lilly I seriously can’t believe my parents are doing this to me!” Alaya said grabbing a part of her bed sheet with her clenched fist as she sat on her bed.

“Well it’s not hard for me to believe. This is what I’ve been warning you of, Ally. Now there is no doubt that you have to go according to the other plan.” Lilly said and it calmed Alaya down as she thought of that ‘fear factor’ plan. She wanted to say yes on impulse but something stopped her.

“But…..Lilly. I cant leave my family like that in debt.”

“Tsk tsk….C’mon Alaya not again! Don’t you see what those people are doing to you?”

“I do…..but I don’t have the heart to hurt them on intention. I want to help them somehow.”

“Well then get married to a guy you hate just to pay off their debts. No need to think of the plan I told you about.” Lilly said and all of a sudden, Alaya’s face lit up.

“Or…..we can do both!” Alaya exclaimed.

“How?”

“I could get Layaan’s father to pay off my father’s debts and then runaway on the day of our marriage!” Alaya almost squeaked with the last words.

“Whoa! That’s my genius buddy right there! And it’d be a total pleasure for me and Neil to help you sneak out. OMG I’m so excited Alaya. Where do you wanna go?”

“Let’s see. Mhmm….” Alaya closed her eyes and got off her bed. She thought of all the amazing places she wanted to go to as she walked towards the window of her room with the help of the narrow vision she saw from in-between her eyelashes.

“Hello? You there Alaya?” Lilly asked and Alaya opened her eyes. Just as she was about to say she cant decide, she saw a page of a magazine from the corner of her eyes. It was an ad of Malaysian Airlines.

“Malaysia! I wanna go to Malaysia.” Alaya said calmly, quite pleased with the decision she made all of sudden for some unknown reason.

“Really Alaya? I thought you’d say something like Hollywood or Las Vegas or something. Think about it while you still have time ok?” Lilly said.

“No Lilly. I think I really wanna go. I kind of saw a sign that I should be going there.” Alaya said, taking the magazine in her hand.

Alaya didn’t realize that she made the decision subconsciously. Somewhere in her mind, she knew someone she wanted to see was going to that destination soon, though it did not occur to her at that moment.

**

Passengers filled a Malaysian Airlines plane at around 10:30 that night. A man in a suit who quickly walked through everyone, sat in an economy class seat near a window. As soon as he sat, he dialed a number. After a few rings he began to talk

“Hello Hafiz! Raphael here. I’m coming back to Malay, as I said in the interview. No matter how many people try to cheat and trap us, we are only going to go forward. It’s Allah we put our trust in. There is nothing that can stop us except by His Will. Make that clear to all the employees there. I’ll be there soon In Sha Allah.” Raphael said in a firm voice.  

chance cover

Days passed quickly as Alaya waited impatiently for a new chapter of her life to start. It was either going to be that she liked Layaan enough for her to forget her past love or she was going to want to spit on him if he was still the same guy from her childhood. He used to be a spoilt brat who used to chew on paper just to appear cool to the other kids and he was always going to tell his dad if someone messed with him. Kudos to his dad who was a lawyer back in the day and never saw a fault in his darling son. Any issue of Layaan that would come up will always eventually end with another student’s suspension.

Money does get you wherever you want to, Alaya used to think to herself. She can only imagine the kind of wealth they will have, when she heard her father say that Layaan’s dad owns the equivalent of all the wealth in Egypt. Alaya isn’t sure whether it was an exaggeration or a lie altogether because she never saw Layaan’s father going to an office or anything of that sort from the very beginning. She only heard of him taking up cases and winning them. Perhaps being a lawyer got him the kind of money where he could start a business big, unlike Raphael had told her.

Finally the day had arrived. The day everyone was so eagerly waiting for. Alaya only realized how hopeful their parents were about the whole engagement, the night before.

“Finally…..finally you are going to get married. Oh my darling daughter.” her mother had said during ifthaar with her eyes all teary. Alaya forced a smile on her face while munching on her dates.

“So hard to believe eh Waleeda? It feels like just yesterday when baby Alaya was born and we brought her to our small home in Egypt. Now she is going to go to her in-laws away from us.” her father said and it made Alaya choke. When did her parents become so melodramatic? From which old-fashioned cheesy Egyptian flick did they get those dialogues from? Alaya didn’t even know how to respond to them.

And then there was Asma, who was supposed to be as a ‘supporting role’ to her but she was giving her looks that made Alaya remember the background music that would come when an unexpected villain was making an appearance. She gave her looks even at that ifthaar table, as to ‘blackmail’ her not to show a single sign that she was against the engagement with Layaan. But then again she wasn’t completely against it was she? She’d only know when she gets to see that groom-to-be of hers.

That night, Alaya saw her mom more excited than she ever saw her to be. Alaya was woken up midnight when her mom came to her room with a long-sleeved white dress that would reach up to her ankles.

“Mom what in the world is that?!” Alaya asked with her sleep disappearing as she realized that she was possibly going to wear what she saw in front of her.

“It’s a trending Egyptian dress that I ordered from back home. You could wear this for Layaan tomorrow. He must have seen girls in these kinds of dresses in Egypt so he might like you better if you wear this.” Waleeda said in a dreamy voice that she normally does not use.

“What?!!!”

“Yes he will! Why won’t he when you are such a beautiful girl in whatever you wear anyway?”

“Yes but…what….why should I wear that? I was just thinking of wearing a top and jeans.”

“No! Not in any stretch of the imagination are you wearing such kind of a thing in front of such nobility young lady! You are wearing this with a proper hijab and that is final!” Waleeda said, returning to her normal voice. She said her final verdict and left the room closing the door with a loud sound that gave Alaya a start.

Alaya looked towards the door, with a rage building up inside her. Not once in her life did she wear something against her will to impress a man. Let alone to impress one of her cousins to whom she was going to get engaged supposedly without her approval. No! She was not going to wear a stupid dress for self-acclaimed noble family. How were they noble anyway? Their money?

Alaya screamed those questions at her mom all in her head. But she knew there was little she could do against her parents. Remembering her decision not to go against them until she met Layaan, she let out a sigh to calm herself down. But she ended up whining all over again, thinking how she’d look in that white dress that kind of looked like her uniform from 5th grade. Tomorrow is going to be one long day. She thought as she buried her face on the pillow on her lap.

**

As the clock in Alaya’s room struck 5, she was standing in front of the full length mirror in her room. She wore the white dress that held tight to her waist but was loose from below. She kind of liked the thin black belt at her waist line and how the very end of the skirt of her dress was curled. It isn’t as bad as she thought after all! Alaya said to herself as she fixed the last pin on the top of the black shawl she wore. There! There she was, all ready to be ‘shown off’ to the man her parents were thinking to marry her off to. But they didn’t know that she wasn’t a weak girl hidden in a long dress who’d fall into any trap of theirs. Alaya thought with a sly smile, as she realized that even Layaan would think of her the same. Little does he know!

As Alaya stood in front of the mirror, she heard the sound of a car being parked right outside the house. She ran towards the window to look outside. As she did, she saw a white Mercedes being parked in the parking zone right near her house. Next thing she saw, was an elderly man come out from the driver’s seat in a uniform. The driver opened the back door of the car and another old man came out. The man looked chubby in his black suit. The driver hurried to the other side of the car for the next passenger and opened the door on that side. As Alaya just saw the head of the one coming out of the car, she heard her mom’s voice.

“Alayaaaa! Please come out. Layaan and his dad are here! Where are you?” Waleeda came screaming and asked as she opened the door of her daughter’s room.

“I’m ready mom. Just going to come out.” Alaya said, turning to her mom.

“Oh I see! You were just too eager to look at Layaan that you could not help but look through the window could you? Oh you young souls! I’m sure Layaan is just as impatient as you are! Just come out now and have a proper look at him ok?” Waleeda said, which added to Alaya’s irritation. When her mom left, Alaya clenched her fist. She had another glance out the window and she saw the old driver standing near the car. She realized that the men came in the house and the driver was waiting for them to come out. Who did they think they were? President of the United States or something? What kind of people would treat an old man like that? She’d prefer someone who’d drive a Range Rover all by himself, rather than someone who makes an old man drive a Mercedes for him. Alaya told herself as she began walking out, with her eyebrows crossed. But then she wondered where she got that comparison from. Within seconds, she was reminded of the perfect stranger who had saved her when she needed the most. Then again, her heart began to wonder who that could have been. A familiar name came to her mind when she stepped out of her room. But did not get the time to think about it when her father called out to her.

“Alaya! Come here….meet the one and only, Dr. Layaan Ahmed!” her dad said, as though he was introducing some kind of celebrity. And it did appear to her as such, when the young man in front of her took out his black sunglasses. She was stunned when she saw that face after so many years. Gone were the days when the chauvinistic Layaan Ahmed had chubby cheeks with his front tooth out. He had gone through an entire transformation with his perfect side smile, masculine face shape and a dimple that appeared on one cheek through the thin layer of facial hair he’d grown. No longer could anyone call him Patrick Star from Spongebob Squarepants but rather he had to be compared to Lobster Larry from the cartoon or something. His expanded chest and six-pack abs showed through even the light purple shirt that he tucked loosely into his jeans.

“Ehem……I think you better take a seat, before having a look at Layaan, Alaya my dear.” Mahmood said in a tone that made everyone chuckle, except for Alaya. She was embarrassed and angry at the same time, when she saw a sense of pride on Layaan’s face as he looked her through his laugh. She quickly looked away and walked into the living room with a firm face. She can’t get carried away. Not right now. Not until she knows what’s behind that handsome face. Or else she is walking right into her own destruction. She was not going to make Layaan win anyway. No! She was not one of those girls who would add into the ego of a man who was already so full of himself.

And it showed clearly on Layaan’s face, as he sat on the sofa right in front of her, and looked as though he was going to maneuver her. But in no way was she going to make him succeed, if that was his real intention.

“So…..Layaan my dear. How was your long trip from Egypt to all the way here? Was everything comfortable?” Mahmood asked.

“Well yes uncle. It wasn’t much as dad rented a Mercedes for us to drive around. We stayed at a 5 star hotel just nearby here. It isn’t as good as the hotels that we run I must say.” Layaan said. Alaya could not help but roll her eyes. Was that really necessary to mention, Mr. Rich and untouchable?

“Of course not! There is really no one who could reach up to you in business eh Ahmed? You could have studied business instead of law what do you say? Hehe…” Mahmood laughed as Waleeda and Asma brought some tea and kept them neatly on the table in front of them. They quickly walked away as they had planned so as to give more ‘space’ for the young ‘couple’.

“Law and business go hand in hand if you think of it that way Mahmood. Some people steal money from others to grow their business. The company that I fought against in court the last time did something familiar. It was called Lightspeed Businesses if I remember correctly.” Ahmed said and Alaya looked at him with a start, because of the name she heard in the last sentence. Lightspeed Businesses. Where had she seen that name before? Alaya’s eyes grew wide, as she pictured the name on a paper of a magazine. She caught her breath when she realized she saw the name from an interview. Raphael’s interview!

Load More