A Rainy Miracle

Ever met someone who is not afraid of breaking barriers? A rule breaker perhaps. Well, I have. The day when my consciousness has learned the meaning of these instilled barriers. Barriers of our eastern society. Belonging to a country where social norms have a grip on the lives of people. It’s hard to survive with a thought of your own.

She is a person with an independent thought. A person who is kind yet fierce as well. She has the elements of fire and ice in her. I have often met her. She is my inside, my best friend. She is my comfort zone. The story begins with a fire lit up in her whole existence.

Ana is tired and exhausted. The exams are taking a toll on her. It is Thursday evening of hot June 2022. A weather, a country like Pakistan has to go through with much heat and less relief. Yet a light breeze today seems like blessing. The college exams are not easy to digest. The hardest ones are the questions of Psychology. The fifty questions, more like a diluted puzzle makes her think as to why she has picked this subject.

The actual test which Ana is unaware of is ready to knock at her door this weekend. She is in her bedroom trying to understand how to get through these confusing psychological questions. The phone rings. The bell seems like a threat. Perhaps to Ana whose brain cells are already active due to the dearest subject she regrets having taken. Nobody is picking and the shrieking ring is like a hammer in her head. She leaves her desk hitting it hard and runs to the living room. The house is empty. Her mum and dad are enjoying their afternoon tea in the garden and her little sister Fian is on the swing, absorbed in her own world.

She picks the call and a heavy voice of her mum’s sister, aunt Tani is on the other side. Her voice hits Ana’s ears like someone has punched her. She is annoyed for being kept waiting.

“Where is your mum, why you all don’t pick the call?” She has exploded and poor Ana has to suffer the first blow.

“Aunt, they are all outside, I’ll call mum, hold on.” She runs outside angry and frustrated and with a scowling face glaring at her mum like a little angry wolf. Her mum looks at her face and laughs.

“What’s wrong with you, child, why are you going red with so much anger?” She almost gets up as if something has gone wrong with her daughter.

“Aunt Tani is on call, she is furious, yelling like hell, why I am the one to listen to her exploding voice.” Ana speaks with much force. All her nerves are tensed.

“It’s alright, calm down, your mum will handle it.” Her dad finally takes the charge of relaxing Ana’s frustrated mind.

Her mum goes inside and Ana sits at mum’s place looking into her dad’s relaxed eyes. Why he is always so relaxed? She has often admired him for his calmness and positivity which somehow is less in her than her dad.

“What’s wrong, what’s disturbing you? He questions her with much concern.

“Dad, why I have to take Psychology, it’s so confusing, I feel like a psychic myself.” She clasps her hands annoyingly with a long face. She looks a like dull flower who has not been watered for long.

“Child, never ever run from challenges. They are there to make you strong. After the exams you’ll have your holidays, and then we’ll go to the north, to Gilgit perhaps, and you’ll forget these frustrated moments. But now is the time to work hard. If you don’t, your results will not be good. Your holidays will be a stressed one. It will destroy your joy. Don’t you think?

Ana ponders for a while and realizes that her father is right like always. He always wins the game. She is too sensitive and emotional. She has to work hard. In fact, she wants a good holiday with her family. Her energy is being restored by her father’s words.

She smiles at him and runs back to her room. Her father slightly laughs at her innocence and foolish emotions. Yet, he likes the way she shares with him what disturbs her at any moment.

Meanwhile, the call ends after 10 to 15 minutes. Mrs. Kafi looks worried after a long chat with her sister. Her expressions are shadowing her bright face. She slowly walks outside to the garden, perhaps trying to inhale some fresh air and relax.

It seems that Mr. Kafi has another face to cheer up. She looks at his face lost in some thought and gets worried.

“What happened dear, is Tani alright? He tries to keep a casual tone. Not to make his wife more worried.

She prefers the silence for almost two minutes and then looking in her husband curious eyes decides to speak.

“Tani called … she says there is a good young man, a suitable match for Ana. Better meet them…” She speaks still lost in some thought.

The frowning face of Mr. Kafi seems like he disapproves the second he hears about it. He is silent for a second and then speaks his heart out.

“I don’t know why Tani doesn’t realize that she is studying. She has to focus on her career than marriages and stuff. I don’t know how hard it will affect Ana. She is already struggling to get hold on her exams. She is sensitive too.”

He pauses and then tries to think of a way to deal with it.

“So you think it’s better to reject the offer straight forwardly?” Mrs. Kafi seems a little annoyed by such decision.

“So you think we should invite them and put our child into some kind of situation she may not be able to digest it well? Mr. Kafi throws his question to his wife with the same force.

It looks like a football match is about to start.

Mrs. Kafi, who was about to say something, prefers staying quiet.

“Look dear, if we’ll invite them, they will ask for Ana. And if we tell Ana, she will certainly get disturbed, and I am afraid that her performance in exams might get affected by it.”

Mr. Kafi tries to put his justification as powerfully as possible. Though his wife has decided to hold her honor and win this argument. The actual reason behind this determination is that she does not like to let down her sister. She wants her husband to handle this situation tactfully rather than carelessly throwing it away.

She is not wrong. They need to be nice to the relatives, they can’t straight away deny them. After much thought and giving courage to himself, he fiercely looks in his wife’s eyes.

“Invite them.” He gets up and is about to leave when Mrs. Kafi stops him with her tender voice.

“When should I call them?”

“Choose whichever day you feel is right, and see when Ana… is free.” He says with a pain in his voice.

She is just twenty two, and it is a cruel to let her go through all this, especially when this is the right time for her to focus on her career.

At the dinner table Ana’s parents quietly dig themselves in the food in front of them. The meatballs and stew as always are delicious and Ana and her sister Fian are having their joyous talk while enjoying the food. Yet Ana is noticing her parents are not in a mood to even look at them.

She thinks they may have argued over something and are not speaking to each other, as it sometimes has happened before. She takes it as something casual. Yet her senses are sending her a warning sign. But she tries not to bother about it as she has an important exam tomorrow. Her dad’s words keep circling in her mind. She has to do well in the exams to have a better holiday afterwards.

Her dad however has been in a process of constant thinking. He has two options. Either not to tell Ana at all about these unexpected guests and let her meet them as a usual matter. Though it has some drawback. As Ana is the one they are coming to see, their detailed view of her may disturb her.

Whereas if he tells her, she will ruin the rest of the days in anger and anxiety. She is like that. She loves to focus on her career, not the one who will go for marriages in her twenties.

He decides to let her face the situation, she herself will get the hint. He is calm now and has faith in her daughter, that she is strong to defend herself over such situations. This is what he wants from her, to be strong because this may go on now.

*

The exam goes well as Ana fortunately has prepared hard and most of the question have been within her grip. She seems happy as she chats after the exam with her friends. Only one more left and then the 2 months summer holidays will be full of fun.

Meanwhile, Ana has also applied for studying abroad on scholarship because of her good grades and her outstanding academic achievements. It makes her eligible for the UK scholarship. Her dad has all his hopes that she will get one. In fact, he prays it happens to avoid her daughter getting into marriage stuff so early.

At home, Mrs. Kafi calls her sister and ask the contact details to contact the people who approached her. They are from her in laws and have seen Ana on a wedding which Ana’s family has attended last month.

Ana is a pretty girl with thin features and a fair complexion. Her smile enlightens her features more. As for her sister Fian, who is one year younger than her, has more strong features, though she is also attractive with her matured face.

Friday happens to be the last day of her exam. The guests agree to visit them and meet the family on this day. They, according to Aunt Tani, are wealthy people with a grand business of their own. Two brothers and parents in total. They live in Islamabad like Ana’s family.

In college Ana is done with her English exam and is all cheered up. Perhaps she and her friends are at the café enjoying a little party they have arranged for themselves before going to the long summer holidays. Ana is too excited because all she has in her mind is that she will be travelling to the north with her family. She has always liked the north of her country.

It’s about three in the afternoon when she returns home. And is surprised by a delicious smell of Kebabs from the kitchen. Usually her mum do not cook at this time. But she is, and it really is a big question mark in Ana’s mind.

“Mom what are you cooking, why at this time? She throws all the questions at her mother in one go. Perhaps, even the exams are finished, her mind is still working as the speed of light.

“Some guests are coming in the evening, just making something with the tea. Have you eaten? The boiled rice and chicken is in the fridge. If you want to.” Mrs. Kafi asked her daughter without looking at her. She seems a little hesitant to do so. She knows Ana’s

suspicious eyes will not rest with this brief explanation.

“No we had a little party at the college café, I am not hungry.” She speaks in a low but aggressive tone and goes straight to her room to change. Fian is home as she has no exam today. She is in the first year of her college whereas Ana in the second.

Ana lies down to just read a book after taking a cold shower which relieves her nerves like a chilled drink in summer. She has been reading a lot of Paula Coelho these days. The wisdom, the meditative art really inspires her. She has read most of his works. While reading, she falls asleep. In a dream she sees that she is standing in a dark room with many voices coming from behind her. Yet she cannot see the people. Also, there is a door right in front of her, from where a little light is coming. She runs towards it yet in the dark can’t find the door knob. The voices are becoming louder in the dark room. She struggles desperately to find the knob. And then when her desperateness rises to extreme, her hand touches a button and the door opens with an amazing scenery her eyes can’t resist.

Ana wakes up with a sudden shock and runs out of the room. Her mum and dad are sitting in the living while Fian is watching some food show on TV.

“You look so pale, have you seen a ghost.” Fian asks half smiling half curious.

“No I haven’t, just woke up.” She says while looking at her mom and dad.

“Dad who are these guests that are going to visit us this evening.” She asks with flames coming out of her eyes.

Her dad understands that she has reached the point where she now has an idea as to what’s going on.

“Child come let’s take a walk outside, it’s really pleasant.” Her dad gets up and take her outside levelling her strangled hairs.

Ana stays quiet and frowns at her father.

Her dad takes a deep breath and prepare himself to speak.

“They are coming for you. They are your Aunt’s relatives. They saw you at a wedding we attended last month. Don’t worry it’s just a casual meeting with the family. You always have a choice, and I am with you. Just stay calm and be nice for your dad, right Ana?

Ana keeps the silence. Something is going on in her mind. There is a battle inside her. On one side is her ambition, she wants to dive into the world of literature, for this she has applied for a scholarship. On the other side are these guests and her parents. Above all that dream is flashing like a spotlight in her head. She is trying to find the meaning of it. She knows there is a sign otherwise it is quite rare she has dreams like this. Finally, she takes a deep breath.

“I’ll try to be nice, but you know me dad what I have to do I will do.’’ She fiercely answers like fire and walks away.

It is seven in the evening when the bell rings at the main gate. Ana’s dad welcomes the guest in his home with all necessary courtesy.

Strangely the dark clouds have gathered and there is a low roar of thunder in the skies. Mr. Kafi looks up and smiles. Perhaps he understands something and a strange peace comes on his face.

The boy's parents have only come to visit this time. They all are seated. Ana with her dad. Fian with her mom. Fian also knows why they are here. But she is not the one who cares a lot about such things. She is not sensitive at all.

“What are you doing Ana these days? The boy’s mom, a fashionable lady with lots of makeup loaded on her face asks in the politest manner.

“Studying at college.” Ana says with a fake smile on her face. But her eyes have flames which cannot be ignored.

“Oh I see, my son has done MBA from Quaid-e-Azam University, he has recently graduated. Now he will be taking care of our family business.” The lady seems to have so much pride in telling so. As for her husband, he remains submissive towards his wife.

Ana again pass a fake smile whereas her dad is trying to control himself. This to him, is not a right way to talk to a girl who doesn’t have any idea of their family business.

“Ana will you fetch some water for me.” Mr. Kafi commanded her.

She is relieved and is about to go in the kitchen when the phone rings. Ana is irritated. She assumes it’s her Aunt Tani who started with all this. Meanwhile, Mrs. Kafi is trying hard to be on her best manners and protecting her sister’s honor. Fian, on the other hand is only waiting for the tea to be served.

“Hello.” Ana said in a forceful voice.

"Hi, Good Afternoon, this is Andy from Scholarships for UK 2022-23. I like to inform you that your application has been accepted. Please check your email for details and get back to us. Thank you. Have a nice day.” The caller after Ana thanks him for informing, shuts the call.

Ana’s hands shiver as she puts down the receiver of the phone.

In excitement, her reactions are coming quick. The clouds outside roar in full like a command being given to the clouds to send rain. Ana runs to the living room where finally the tea is being served with a light chat going on.

“Dad, I have been selected for the UK scholarship. I am going to UK to study.” She jumped with joy and her father laughs with a relief. His face glows like sun shining with full bloom.

As for Mrs. Kafi, the frown is there on her face and her sister’s relatives seem speechless. The kebabs are on pause in their hands like someone has stopped the video.

The miracle has happened, the rain is here, and the door of light has been opened.