Life demands attention!

Life demands your attention. It wants you to ponder, to think about it often, to sit down with a cup of tea, in a garden with shiny green grass, and blue skies above and wonder. With a couple of tears, and a heavy heart, it wants you to feel it. It has its own way to deal with you. It has all sorts of tantrums that once in a while, it does throw in your way. It disappoints you, saddens you, scares you, upsets you, wears you out, frustrates you, surprises you, amazes you, toughens you up, weakens you down, brings you bliss and joy, and is finally sucked out of you. It has its own stories to tell you, its own purpose to give you. We all have our times, when we just want a pause, we want life to stop, to just give us a break. These are the times, when we sit and question, “Why is life always like this?”

This is what it wants. It wants you to find the answer, to know the reason, to know the purpose of its existence inside you. Life demands your attention.

Ameerah sat in the library with the half written essay in front of her. Her heart was not at peace. How could her dad do such a thing? She knew her parents were greatly distanced, but such an act was beyond her imagination. Her father’s face came before her eyes repeatedly. His loving and caring face, that she used to kiss so affectionately. Deep in her heart, she still had hope. Hope that one day her dad would come home and apologize and make everything okay. He would give them the love they deserved. The love she still remembered from her childhood. When did she stop being his princess? Did she do something wrong? Did he hate her now? Did she hate him? Maybe she respected him, and now that was lost too. She let out a sigh, and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She had so many wishes trapped inside her tiny heart. She wanted to yell and scream and demand her dad for her share of love. Was it too much to ask? Why was life doing this to her? Was it fair for life to cause so much pain? Does it gain something by making them suffer, by making her mom suffer?

She packed her stuff, and left the library. She sat on a bench, in the tiny garden just outside the cafeteria. Just then, she received Zarak’s call.

“Hey, are you done with your work? Should I come pick you up?” he asked casually.

“No, I didn’t finish, didn’t feel like it. I just want to spend some more time here.”

“Are you sure? Do you feel okay?”

“I am fine, Zarak. Don’t worry about me. You worry a lot,” she laughed lightly.

“Okay, you are laughing. I believe you are fine then. But do tell me when you’re free. I’ll pick you up. I need to spend more time with you.”

“Okay, I will. Love you”

“Love you too, sweetheart. Bye”

After hanging up the call, she just sat there, feeling. She experienced many feelings at the same time. She felt upset, depressed and scared, scared of what the future will be. What will they do now?

She heard a sound and turned to her right. A girl was sitting on the bench next to hers. It was her cell phone. It was the azaan (call to prayer.)

The girl smiled at her. “It’s just a reminder for the prayer.” Ameerah couldn’t help but smile back at her. She was kind of pretty. She wore a black abaya and a grey hijab. “Simple, but pretty,” she thought.

She got up to leave from there. Just then, her left foot caught on something, and she fell. It happened so quickly. She couldn’t quite understand where the tiny rock had come from. She was on the ground, and felt a sharp, shooting pain in her knee. She tried to sit up, and saw blood oozing out of her knee. A tiny, sharp stone had pierced it, and was sticking out of her knee.