Noor

I sat on a swing, in a very beautiful garden, eating a very sugary candy floss. Soft breeze blew against my hair. Then he came. Bloodshot eyes and a black hoodie holding up a gun to my head. I screamed, letting every inch of voice inside me out.

The trigger was pulled. He had a grin on his face as I fell into a black pit. So dark.

"Noor!" I was shaken vigorously but I kept walking through the darkness to find a ray of light.

"Noora?" He called out as I instantly opened my eyes. I shrieked running my fingers around my tummy to check if I was really shot.

Pheww..just another nightmare.

"Nooriyyy! It's morning, even the birds are awake, wake up now" his voice full of enthusiasm.

I couldn't sleep the whole night because of my nightmares and when I couldn't get a glimpse of sleep, I sauntered downstairs to the kitchen. I ended up finishing a whole jar of ice cream.

"Noora, are you fine?" He asked noticing my weird behavior.

I never told anyone about my nightmares. Mama found out when I used to wake up in the middle of the night with a loud screeching sound.

"Ta'ad...What do you have against my sweet sleep" I said with a fake audible yawn. I could hear the chiming sound of my bracelet as I rubbed my eyes, clearing my sleep away.  I thought of the kindhearted man that took the trouble of returning it to me.

I scratched my scalp and tried to undo the knots in my messy hair. I need to visit a saloon soon.

"It's my last day here..." he spoke with a blank expression. "We should go out somewhere. Just Noora and Sa'ad, like old times" he spoke and my eyes snapped open instantly.

"What about school?" I asked

"Aunt said you can miss school for a day..." he said with his killer smile. The one that could make your heart do a flip. "Wear something nice, please not pink. Blue will do. Now get up, you're ruining my schedule for the day"

I had a quick shower, then picked out a blue Abaya from the untouched section of my wardrobe. It looked very beautiful, too beautiful to be worn.

I wore it, even though I knew I was going to be getting a lot of stares today.

It Sa'ad's last day before they shift. And I'm going to make this day extremely memorable for the both of us.

I skipped downstairs as fast as I could with this heavy dress, and saw Sa'ad wearing a royal blue shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

I hastily ate breakfast, then we snapped the first selfie of the day.

Just as I stepped into his car, I realized he is going to drive, but I kept my mouth shut.

"Uncle Alee's new Porsche!" I exclaimed. "Did you steal it from him?" I asked scrunching my nose.

"No no...he gave it to me willingly" he laughed.

For the first time, I think I trust him driving.

He switched on the ignition and passed me a paper. It was written in his, very bad handwriting

Noora & Ta'ad's fun day!

I smiled at the heading then read through the whole schedule. "We have a lot to do today"

I noticed one of his buttons open, and I offered to help him with the button, because he's driving. Just as I pushed the small button into the slit opening, I noticed something on his chin.

"Sa'ad, there's something on your face" I said looking intently at his chin.

"Where?" He dusted his face with his palms, trying to remove whatever it was on his face

When I looked closely, it wasn't any crumb of bread.

"Oh Allah! Sa'ad! You've grown a beard?" I exclaimed, noticing the small batch of hair that sprawled on his chin and the sides of his face, giving him a very cute sideburn.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly, and fixed his eyes on the road. But I could see his cheeks tinted bright pink

Ar-rey! Sa'ad is blushing.

The car came to a halt with me thinking of how boys blush, I thought it was a girl thing. Right?

He brought out a gigantic picnic basket from the back seat, which I had absolutely no idea where it came from, and walked into the park.

The morning sun shone over my face as I stepped out of the car. I felt the moisture from the grassy knoll against my soft feet.

Wait!

Where are my shoes?

I looked underneath seats, nothing.

How could I possibly forget my shoes at home. Am I now going to walk barefooted for the rest of the day? 

Am I really mentally unstable? Or is it that I am aging or what? How can a normal person, step out of his house, after reaching his destination, then realizes he didn't wear his footwear? How?

"Uhm Sa'ad" he turned, holding the large basket with one hand.  I couldn't miss how his biceps bulged as he flenched his fists against the wooden handle.

"I left my shoes at home" I spoke, looking everywhere but his eyes.

He didn't say anything, instead he placed the basket on the well trimmed grass, walked over to the car truck and brought out a pair of slippers.

He didn't ask me how I forgot to wear shoes, nor did he get angry at me because I almost ruined our day. He understands me so much, he knows I don't do most things in my right state of mind.

And that is the best thing about him that I love.

He doesn't ask, he understands.

*** ***

Forty five minutes later, sitting cross legged on a polka dotted mat, under a big Neem tree, making a nice henna pattern on my palm, by nice I mean trying to draw a perfect heart shape, and eating apples simultaneously. Sa'ad sliced the apples with a small knife, and fed me.

"Ouch, you bit my thumb" he whined like a four year old.

Memories of how he used to feed me everyday when I was admitted to the hospital a few years ago. I had gone completely crazy. When people come around me, or talk to me, then I completely lose it. It was one of the worst phase of my life.

Alhamdulillah, now I live normally, no mental illness. No fright upon seeing people beside me.

"Now who's gonna put henna on my other hand" I said with a pout.

After five minutes of persuasion, he agreed and drew a football on my palm, along with his name- Sa'ad, in bold.  Well, it's better than nothing.

Did I forget to mention Sa'ad's drawing skills. Beyond perfect.

He then packed everything and put it back into the car truck and we walked to a nearby masjid to pray Zuhr salat.

"Now we are heading to the mall to buy you a pair of sandals, sandals only! I know how girls behave when they go to a mall, so sandals only, we wouldn't want to spend the whole day there" he spoke, turning the ignition on.

My feet in his slippers were like a ship sailing on an ocean. It's not like his shoes are that big, it just that my feet's are small, I still buy shoes from the children's section.

Arriving at the mall, we went straight to the shoe store and we brought the first shoe I tried on. But on coming out from the store, I noticed the jewelry shop adjacent. I tugged at his arm and dragged him in, whispering "Window shopping"

*****

Rayhaan

I took safiyyah out today, to the park. She has been staying at the hospital for almost six months now, and knowing she might not live for more than a month, I thought she might want to have some fun. For a while. I wheeled her chair along with her oxygen.

She wore a pink frock, and she had her magical wand with her, something she keeps with her all the time. She says her father gave it to her, and told her to keep it with her all the time. Speaking of her father, he is a very selfish person who doesn't care a bit about his daughter's health.

He mother juggled with the bills, being a divorcée and with only a teaching job, all she could afford was half the bills. She's a woman with high dignity, she never accepted help from me nor called her husband's family. I paid some of the bills without her knowledge, knowing she'd never accept it.

I called her husband two months ago, when her health deteriorated, not because of the pending bills, but because of safiyyah. I bet she would want to see her father before she...before the due week.

But the weird man never showed up. His father came instead, had long conversation with her mother, then paid the bills in full and left, never coming back.

"Now close your eyes and make a wish!" She beamed holding up her magic wand.

I closed my eyes playing along, and when I opened them, my eyes settled on a beautiful sight.

Noor

She was looking intently at her hands, slowly blowing air from her mouth. When I looked intently, I noticed she was trying to dry henna on her hands

She was indeed beautiful, wearing a blue dress with a matching scarf, her dress was magnificent, not something you'd wear on a normal day. Her face was spotless, so pure

I felt safiyyah tug at the end of my shirt, sitting on a wheelchair.

"Doc Doc, what did you wish for?"

"That, my little princess, is a secret"

****

Hey everyone🙈
I know I disappeared for a long time now, sorry about that. I'll try to update frequently😁

I made some major changes to most of the chapters, and I also gave this story a new title.

Trials of life, is now known as

Trials Of Noor

Sa'ad

   Or

Rayhaan???

Comment on the one you like most😉

Please everyone, tap that little star at the right edge of your screen, done it already? Thanks😊

Please read this awesome book by my big sis, Rhythm and soul, by Safiyyaah

So bye. Have a nice day/night

Husnah🌼