~Hooriyah

On this cloudy morning there were growing patches of blue, the sort of hue that is soft and bright at the same time. Though beneath the sheet of cloud was a grey blanket that deepened to steel, the leading edge was a brilliant white, as if it was the pages of a new book ready for any curious eye like mine. This day could bring rain or sunshine. And I was expecting both, along with a beautiful rainbow!

Marching along the wide aisles of the mall with me, Alizeh sighed with frustration for one last time.

"If it was a choice between shopping and diving into a swimming pool full of cold vomit, I would take the vomit. I'd simply tie my hair back, get in a bathing suit and dive right in amongst the chunky bits." She complained.

A cringed look danced through my face. She is nasty!

"Every single time I visit the mall, I have to try on fifty different outfits and it literally sucks man!" Alizeh rolled her eyes with anger while picking up another beautifully designed gown to try it on herself for the umpteenth time!

"Wait a second." An exquisite masterwork caught my eye, suddenly.

"Well, now you should try this! It will certainly look perfect on you!" I picked up a flawlessly embroidered, purple gown from the rack and handed it over to Alizeh.

Her eyes glittered with shock and ecstasy simultaneously as if this was the one she was waiting for.

She quickly grabbed the gown and hurriedly went in the try room. When she came back, she looked incredibly pretty. She twirled around happily while I gave her a thumps up declaring it to be 100 percent perfect!

We finally headed off towards an elegant jewelry shop. A beautiful charming necklace attracted me towards itself. The delicate pattern and the sparkling stonework was enough to leave everyone in an awe. The tiny pearls and purple crystals were twinkling so flawlessly that it was impossible for me to remove my gaze from it.

It was the most beautiful necklace I had ever seen in my life.

"Hello madam, how can I help you?" A beautiful lady interrupted.

"What's the price of this necklace?" I asked.

"It's 5000 rupees only, Ma'am."

I gulped. It was really expensive! But I wanted to buy a gift for Alizeh as I didn't get time to buy more gifts back in Murree, for Alizeh and her family.

"Any discount?" I mustered up some courage to speak.

"Yes, we are offering 20 percent discount on all of our necklaces!" The lady smiled widely.

I sighed with relief. Alizeh was busy buying her own stuff, so I took out the money and paid it without any delay.

The lady packed the necklace in a beautiful rectangular red velvet box and handed it over to me. I smiled gratefully.

Time flied like an eagle, and I helped Alizeh in buying some more stuff. I had finally bought some beautiful gifts for Alizeh's parents. Now I was partially satisfied.

Because there was still one gift left to be bought. A gift for a special person!

Dying out of hunger, we both decided to pay a visit to the food court. The scrumptious aroma of numerous types of fast foods filled our nostrils, ready to drive us insane!

"Alizeh, why don't you sit here and order whatever you think will be good for our taste buds, till then I will have a look at one or two more shops before we leave." I asked.

"Yeah, sure! I'll order. You go!" Alizeh nodded.

Satisfied, I finally stood up to leave the food court and started hunting for something special for someone special!

"What's the most precious thing that could be gifted to your beloved one?"

I kept on asking myself for several times trying to think really hard.

Although knowing each and everything about him, I was still unaware about his likes and dislikes.

"What if he dislikes it?" I asked myself while examining each and every thing in the gift shop.

It was getting really difficult for me to decide the best gift for Shahveer. I started panicking! Until my gaze eventually fell on a nearby shop which was named as ......

"The Mus'haf Store'

It was an Islamic bookstore where lots and lots of beautifully designed Quran Pak and books for Ahadith were available.

" What else could be more perfect than the Quran itself?" I mumbled under my breath realizing how beautifully Allah had helped me in deciding the most precious gift for the most precious person in the world!

"Whenever he will recite it, Allah will bless me with His uncountable blessings! Whenever he will kiss it, Allah will bestow His Eternal Love upon me! Whenever he will act according to what's written in the Quran, Allah will raise my position in the eye of His mankind!" I smiled while imagining things which appeared to be extremely beautiful, but little did I know, that indeed it was just an imagination! Not a reality.

"He is going to love this, indeed!" I assured myself.

An exquisite velvet covered Quran Pak designed with intricate Arabic patterns was resting flawlessly on the
shelf,which was an absolute treat for every eye!

Without letting any second thought waver through my mind, I quickly purchased it which was actually the most beautiful Quran I had ever seen in my entire life!
The shopkeeper happily placed the Quran inside a beautiful metallic off white box and handed it over to me.

"I believe he is going to be very lucky for whom Allah had chosen you to bless him with such a beautiful gift!" The shopkeeper smiled from ear to ear.

"Its actually me who is going to be the lucky one!" I grinned while taking the box from the counter leaving the shopkeeper totally confused.

After stuffing our stomachs with scrumptious lunch, both of us prepared ourselves to leave as it was getting late and Mrs. Shehroze had already instructed Alizeh to come back before Maghrib.

The driver quickly ignited the engine and the car sped off like an aero plane towards the mansion.

"Thank you so much Hoor! I don't know how would I have even shopped in Pakistan without your assistance!" Alizeh shook her head with amazement.

"Well, it's not that difficult to shop in Pakistan" I giggled.

"It would have been, if you were not there with me!" She thanked me while laying her head peacefully on my shoulder. That's what Iman used to do when she wanted to express her love to me.

I was really missing her!

But Alizeh was just like Iman to me! She was my sister from another mother!

She had remained in contact with me throughout these 18 years. We used to communicate every week. She used to share every single detail of her lifestyle,family ,education, graduation and what not! I used to share my daily routine, my studies and every other thing with her, secretly wanting her to tell me a bit more about her brother!

She was my one and only best friend, and that too, since childhood. I loved her to the moon and back!

Finally, the car stopped in front of the main entrance, and the driver carried our shopping bags towards the lounge.

As soon as we entered the lounge, Alizeh started shouting like a small kid.

"Mama, Baba, I am here! Your queen has completed her shopping with the help of her best friend!"

I chuckled. A pure melodrama, she was!

Mrs. Shehroze and Mr.Shehroze came downstairs while laughing at their daughter.

"Come on princess, now show us what you are going to wear tomorrow at your bridal shower!" Mrs. Shehroze sat down on the couch while rubbing her hands with excitement.

Alizeh hurriedly took out her beautifully packed purple gown from the bag and displayed it in front of her mother leaving her awestruck!

"Oh God Alizeh, I can't believe that you could buy such a beautiful dress for yourself! Since when did your fashion sense become so fantastic?" Mrs. Shehroze caressed the beautiful stonework while still staring the gown with amazement.

I chuckled.

"Its not my choice Mama! Hooriyah picked it up for me." Alizeh smiled widely.

Mrs. Shehroze patted my cheeks with happiness.

"Without any doubt, your choices always turn out to be the best Hoor!" She smiled.

"Ofcourse! Shahveer Bhayi is the best!"
Alizeh giggled while I gasped her with horror. Mr and Mrs. Shehroze looked at each other with immense happiness and their eyes twinkled with ecstasy while they tried to hide a grin which was secretly dancing through their lips.

"Uh... Uncle, Aunty, I have bought something for you! " I quickly tried to escape from this awkward situation which was not interpretable at all!

"Oh dear, You shouldn't have done that! You are just like our daughter, what was the need?" Mr. Shehroze complained.

"But why? Doesn't Alizeh buy things for you two?" I giggled.

"Of course, she does but___"

"Then there should certainly be no problem right? If you consider me as your daughter. And if you don't, then____" I paused while interrupting Mrs. Shehroze, feigning disappointment.

"You are our beloved daughter Hoor! Please don't be mad on us!" Mr. Shehroze apologized.

I got up happily and one by one unpacked the gifts.

"So, this shawl is for you, Aunty! I hope you are going to enjoy its warmth in December, once you go back to Manchester." I chuckled.

I took out a gracefully embroidered maroon shawl which was dazzling with white pearls flawlessly.

"Truly, I haven't seen any fabric more beautiful than this ,ever in my life!" Mrs. Shehroze hugged me happily when I wrapped the shawl excitedly around her shoulders.

"This is for you uncle!" I carefully took out a portrait which displayed a beautiful work of calligraphy.

Baba used to tell me how much Mr. Shehroze was fond of calligraphy.

Mr. Shehroze was more than elated to see the artwork. The happiness could be seen through his twinkling eyes.

"And Baba asked me to give this to you!" I brought a beautiful, warm pakhtoon cap from my room, and presented it to Mr. Shehroze.

"Your father never forgets to cheer his buddy up! " Mr. Shehroze quickly wore the cap and started taking selfies.

I laughed hysterically. He was really cool!

"And this is for you Alizeh! Your wedding gift!" I displayed the rectangular box in front of her leaving her surprised.

"What is it? When did you buy it?" Alizeh asked surprisedly.

"Open it!" I instructed.

She opened the box and her eyes widened with amazement as she took out that beautiful necklace from the box.

"It is so beautiful, Hoor!" Alizeh smiled with pure love.

Without wasting any second, she hugged me tightly while kissing my cheeks.

"Hooriyah! This is the most beautiful gift of my life! " She added.

It is one of the most beautiful feelings in the world when the people you love, approve and admire the tiny efforts you do for them. It is that type of love which is unconditional!
Although these gifts were not that expensive or branded, something they were extremely habitual of, but still they were so grateful and happy that my heart overflowed with ecstasy at that moment. Grateful people always held a special place and respect in my heart.

And that's what Almighty Allah loves too!

Only one approval was left. And that was from Shahveer.
I prayed with the depth of my heart that may he loves this precious present which I had bought for him with so much love and affection.

Everyone was busy talking and laughing while admiring Alizeh's shopping while Shahveer was nowhere to be seen.

I excused myself as I was dying to give that present to him. I finally stood up and decided to go upstairs towards his room.

A gentle knock was all I dared to give on his door and waited for like fifteen seconds until his annoyed voice entered my ears,

"Come in!" He was perhaps busy doing something. Maybe it wasn't the right time to disturb him.

I slowly pushed the half opened door with my trembling hands secretly hoping for his mood to be good.

The beautiful capacious room was surrounded with large walls which were painted black, grey and white. It looked really stylish, modern and completely flawless. The long transparent white drapes along with the royal blue ones, danced playfully with the magical cool breeze coming from the the tall windows. Amidst the ceiling, their hanged a beautiful chandelier which was dangling peacefully. Above the crown of the royal bed, there was a huge portrait of Shahveer in which he was looking absolutely stunning! The rest of the walls were covered with few posters of Hollywood and English actors ,actress and singers. Towards my left, there was a large glass table on which there were some empty bottles of something which was hard to be recognized.

One of the bottles was labeled as 'Champagne'.

Now what's a champagne? I asked myself innocently.

If I had known the meaning of champagne before,I would have never stepped in his room again!

There was an antique wooden shelf at the corner of the room in which there were thousands of expensive and branded showpieces, vulgar statues and awful paintings.

I stared them with disbelief as I wasn't expecting such bold things to be present in his room!

I quickly removed my gaze from those paintings as they were not pious at all!

Suddenly his laughter brought me back to my senses.

He was busy chatting with someone through a video call on his laptop.
Ignoring my presence totally, he didn't move an inch to see who had paid a visit in his room.

" Yes of course, and I want you to be the first one out of all, to attend my sister's wedding, I can't wait for the day when you will come to Pakistan!" He smiled while talking to someone whose face wasn't visible from where I stood.

"All of you have to come, convey my message to others too, specially those creepy heads, Melissa, Ryan, Raj. Every single person from my squad should be present on the day of the wedding! Okay?" He laughed.

"Obviously darling, I am going to arrive at Pakistan day after tomorrow. The others will join you on the coming Friday. We're gonna party really hard okay?" A feminine voice with a British accent made me feel extremely uncomfortable.

Was Shahveer talking to a girl?

"Sure Sonya, now if you allow me, there's someone waiting for me outside, will talk to you later dude, bye!" So now he had finally realized that someone was waiting for him.

"Bye" The girl on the other end responded in a seductive way and winked at Shahveer while waving her hand, to which he smiled.

I wanted to puke right away!

Shahveer closed his laptop and turned to have an annoyed glance of the one who had interrupted such a beautiful and important conversation!

"Oh, so it's you! Do you want anything?" He frowned while trying to hide his annoyance. His gaze was glued on the beautiful off white box in my hand.

I mustered up some courage to speak.

"No, I.... I ..... I actually.. I_____,"

"Oh come on now speak up already?" Shahveer interrupted in a rude manner.

Why was he being arrogant?

If he didn't want anyone to interrupt him during his conversation, he shouldn't have allowed me to come inside at the first place!

Trying hard to control my disappointment and not to stammer this time, I finally blurted out,

"I had bought something for you. I hope you like it!" I smiled confidently.

His almost annoyed expressions converted into calmed ones, real quick.

"Oh, and what's that?" He folded his arms around his chest while staring me in the same , unusual manner.

I forwarded the metallic off white box towards him while he stared it with immense amazement.

He took the present and delicately, opened the box. There was a soft red colored silk cloak which had beautifully covered the Holy Book. The moment he started to remove the soft glossy cloak, I quickly blurted out,

"Make sure you have performed ablution before you touch it!"

He stared me with perplexity as if I had said something in a different language.

"Performed what?" He asked while raising one of his eyebrow.

"The ablution! ....... Wudu" I looked at him with nervousness certainly not ready to welcome something which was coming next!

He slowly closed the box with frustration and quietly kept it on the wooden console table which lied beneath his LED TV on which, a boring Hollywood song was being played.

My blood started to boil with resentment. This kind of act was clearly disrespectful!

"I don't know what ablution is! But thanks for whatever is present inside the box. Now if you don't mind, can you kindly excuse me as I have to call some of my important friends from Manchester?" He asked me in what seemed like a not so friendly and extremely arrogant manner.

I gasped him with horror, ignoring his harsh behavior. He didn't even know what ablution was?

Does he even pray ?

I slowly dragged my feet towards the table where the off white box was now resting beautifully, picked it up and quietly placed it on the extreme top of the shelf which was in the corner of the room.

"And what was that for?" Shahveer eyed me curiously while not liking the idea of me keeping something above his shelf without even asking for his permission.

I remained silent for few seconds while looking at the beautiful box with some tears twinkling in my eyes.

"I think it's the most respectful and rightful place for the Holy Quran to be kept!"

"Holy Quran?" Shahveer stared me with astonishment.

"I won't be surprised if you tell me that you don't know what the Holy Quran is! If someone doesn't even know what ablution is, its hard to expect from him that he might also know what the Holy Quran is!"

I threw a taunt straight towards his face while staring him with extreme disappointment and anger and immediately turned back to leave his room, not willing to talk to him again!

If he really had the audacity to be disrespectful like this, I should certainly give a second thought before handing over my heart which was filled with Allah's love, to the one who didn't even know how to respect