Let The Journey Began

Life, what a beautiful yet mysterious thing. As we cross every bridge we feel we know life, we feel we have figured it out but then a new season begins and we know nothing at all. Trying to understand life, trying to find out what it means is useless for life means everything. Sometimes it is about happiness, sometimes it is about sadness, sometimes it is about relationships, sometimes it is about memories, sometimes it is about events and sometimes it is about feelings, it is about everything that involves humans for it was created for a human. But if you are still wondering what it is, let's think of an answer. Life is about everything that is right and that is wrong, it is about every positive and every negative for together they form an equation that has an answer for our happiness and our world.  

A door opened, letting a girl out. She had a bag in her left hand, a set of keys and a mobile phone in her right. She slowly descended the stairs without making any announcements. She peeked in the living room and found it empty, then she walked to the kitchen and found her Ammi. 

"Haajar, you are ready? Come have some breakfast before you leave. Are you going all alone? Should I ask Rahemat to drop you? We both are leaving for work, we can drop you. Eat this and then we will leave together." 

"Okay, Ammi. Sit, let's eat together. Where is uncle?" 

"Valiqa is Haajar down? Did she leave already? Haajar?" Rahemat called from his room before he closed the door and started to walk towards the kitchen. "Oh, you are here. I got a little something for you. Today is your first day at work so I thought a gift would seem good." 

"Thank you, but you did not have to bring one. It is not like I have never been to that place. I have been their intern for as long as I can remember. I am not even sure if they remember I join today." 

"Starting today you will work as a full-time lawyer who will fight for justice. I am sure they remember the day. They are gaining a great lawyer today, they must not forget a day like this. Open and let me know if you like it." 

Haajar turned the box and pulled the tap out. There was another small box was inside the wrapper, she opened it gently and found a bracelet with her name engraved on a small circle. Haajar smiled before pulling it out and tying it around her hand but as one hand was not enough Rahemat helped her to tie it.  "Thank you. I loved it." Rahemat smiled widely before looking at his wife who smiled wider in return, then she looked at her daughter and said," Let's eat fast then it's time to go."

They had their breakfast, took their belonging, locked the door and got in the car. It was a small but pleasant journey, where they talked a little but smiled a lot. The first stop was a tall commercial building that inhabited various offices. Haajar said goodbye and walked out of the car. She walked for a while then before entering the building she turned around and waved at them. In less than five minutes she was entering her office with a colleague. She greeted a few of her coworkers before she started to walk towards her desk but before that she crossed a room that was enveloped with disturbance. Haajar recognised the faces as she took a few steps ahead then she took those steps back and found her two superiors quarrelling.

"You really think I will agree to that!?" Screamed a woman in a polished suit and perfectly braided hair. "What makes you think I will agree to this crap? What makes you think this is right? I do not care how you work, I never intervene in your business but you must do the same. Do not tell me what to do and what not to do. I am not a child." 

"You are not, you are a great lawyer which is why I am telling you to do this," said a man who was standing on the other side of the table. " If not you are definitely losing the case, there is a guaranteed loss here. Do you know how big this case is? Do you have any idea how much this is going to affect our reputation and yours? This is the only way we can save ourselves. "

"I know you do not care about justice, I know that is not what you work for but I work for it. Under no circumstances am I going to sacrifice my principles for a lousy firm."

"Really? Is that what you think of the firm you built? If it is so bad then why don't you leave? Why are you still here?"

"That is for me to understand why I am still here but listen I am not going to compromise. I am going to the court and lose this case with dignity. I am not going home with shame or guilt and that is final. Do whatever you please to do." Turning around she started to walk when she was abruptly stopped.

"You know why you are still here? Why after all those stupid principles you are still allowed to work here? Because Joe is your friend. No one else would have allowed you to stay here after all those losses but you know what is more interesting? You stayed here for a reason too, and that is because you have nowhere else to go. No one wants a lousy lawyer like you who does not know how to win cases! No one wants a burden as big as you. You are nothing but an unsuccessful lawyer who has never contributed to law." 

Alessia turned around and walked furiously towards him. "Insulting my friendship was fine, but insulting my ability as a lawyer? You will pay for that and it starts now. I quit." Haajar looked up at her immediately. "My grand wins have given this firm million of dollars that go in your pocket but now I will see how you keep this firm standing with your small, insignificant wins. Best of luck and by the way, I am taking my intern who was going to be a star lawyer of this firm but you lost her too. Have a great time." She turned around and threw the pen in her hand before leaving the room. Haajar made eye contact with brian before she hurried to pick the pen. "Come Haajar, let's go," said Alessia, "Don't worry I will buy you a new pen with all the wins we are going to have. Come let's start to pack." In a blink of an eye, Haajar lost everything that she was preparing for and found herself in the middle of a spat that was not hers to decide her future. 

A sudden event changed her day but she was not the only one, there was one more who had to face something he had never imagined would be in his fate. Raiyan opened the door of his room and walked into the darkness. He was wearing a white kurta with a white taqiya on his head. He slowly walked to his desk and sat down on the chair. He stared at the wall as the events of the day started to play in his eyes. He saw everything as clear as water, it was not an easy day to forget, for years to come it will haunt him, for it was a nightmare he lived. 

A soft knock at the door announced an arrival before the door opened and Sufyaan entered. "You are back. We lost you after the burial. Where did you go? Is your mom fine?" 

"She is not fine. She did not think she will see her son covered in white one day. When my brother left us she was upset, when baba died she was broken but she stood up again, then when my brother took everything from us, she was devastated but she found her way back but after today I don't think she will recover soon. Sure they had not talked in years. She was really angry at him, she even thought he was a bad person but he was still her son. I have never seen her cry like that before. She is broken and I don't know how to heal her."

"She will heal herself, she is a strong woman. It was sudden and it was her son, of course, she is going to take some time but she will stand up again like she does every time."

"I hope so. I do not know how long I will be able to keep going if she loses it. She is all that I have, I exist because she exists." 

"She will be fine, Raiyan, trust me she will. Mothers are the strongest of the creatures. I did not think my wife would be able to handle the loss of our child but she was so strong. Allah fills their heart with courage just like he fills it with love. Trust him everything will be fine."

"InshaAllah it will be. Did the meeting go well? Oh, thank you for coming to his janaza. I was glad to have you three there."

"This was the least we could do. Why don't you go home and rest? We will take care of everything here. You take care of your mother and yourself. Do not worry about here. Come I will drop you home. Did you eat anything? Let's take some food on the way. Your mom must be hungry as well."

Raiyan and Sufyaan left the building together and started the long journey to his home. He was quiet for the most part of it, replied only when Sufyaan had a question, then he let him be and dropped him home with food in his hand. Sufyaan watched him walk towards the gate and could see the pain in his shadow. He could feel how broken his heart was. He waited until Raiyan entered his house then turning around he drove home. 

Raiyan quietly entered the living room and found his aunts there. His mother had slept without having food and he descended to his room to do the same. He was exhausted because of the day, and because of the turns his life kept taking, so he decided to forget everything for a few hours and get lost in the miracle of sleep. 

***

Yo!

I feel there might be a few questions in your mind so if you want to ask anything go ahead, I will answer as much as the story permits!