The Light and Calm in My Eyes
I am gonna save you the trouble of reading all of it and give it to you now. I am getting married đ InâshaâAllah (God Willing) in the next few days. You have to wonder how all of this might have happened in such a short time. The honest truth? I still canât understand how. All I can say is, Alhamdulillah (All praise and thanks be to Allah). But the fact that it did, I am happy. Itâs like a switch wen-âŚ. No. At this point I donât wanna talk about me. In fact, letâs talk about my love who struck me with awe. I owe it to Allah for eternity for rescuing me through her. She came to my life exactly when I had almost lost all hope.
When I tell you she is the best thing to happen to me, it would be an understatement. Her character caught me like the sweet, warm aroma from a nearby bakery when itâs raining outside on a Thursday evening. The fragrant smell of vanilla, butter and caramel, all coming through the misty air from the rain. I could describe our encounter like so:
As I was walking down the road under an umbrella in the rain, I didnât know where I was going and almost walked into a ditch. But when she opened the doors of her bakery, all those sweet aroma from the pastries and confectionaries took my attention away. So much so, that I had to stop, appreciate her art and passion, and had to turn back to go in her bakery, just to see who could create such a masterpiece. Thatâs when I had to walk into her shop, and take a seat. As I sat on the chair, next to the glass wall and seeing the rain pour down, she came to me and asked what I would like. When I turned my head to see whoâd speak with such a soft and precious voice, I was struck with awe. And behold, the artist of the masterpiece was right in front of me. I couldnât fathom her beauty, and truly she was the best creation of Allah that I had seen to date. And all praise be to Allah for creating such a human being. As she waited for my order with a smile and blush, I knew I wouldnât know what to choose. So, I asked her to surprise me. She gave a faint smile, perhaps a smirk, and noted what I had ordered.
As I waited and waited, I couldnât help but be more curious. Her charm, her beauty, her care, her subtleties, all that I had seen just made me that impatient. Every second that passed felt like a full minute, as I couldnât wait for her to bring my order. A few minutes pass, and there she appears. Holding a mug full of a hot beverage. The steam was just the right amount, but the fragrance it gave? Let me tell you⌠I could smell the love and care she put into making that one cup of hot chocolate. She asked if she could place it on my table, and I asked her if she could stay. She smiled and stayed with me and she asked âWould you like to share this with someone?â. And I couldnât help but say âYes, with youâ. She blushed and put the warm mug between us. As I reached for the mug, wrapping it with my cold hands from the rain, the warmth just filled me up with joy. But my hands were trembling. And as observant as she was, she brought her hands out from the pockets in her apron, and wrapped them over mine. Her warmth exceeded that of the mug, but was more satisfying and relieving. As she struck a conversation, I wanted her to keep her warm, soft hands wrapped over mine.
We talked from here to there. About anything and everything. Her smile and joy was something to behold. I could feel that she felt the scars on my face, but I couldnât help but feel the scars on her arms. There was a brief silence, a brief pause. But, all that we could express was our gratitude to Allah, for bringing us this close and planning it this far. At the end, we still laughed and chuckled, only to realize the hot chocolate had gone cold. We broke out laughing and smiling. But we knew, at the end of that evening, we would be there for each other. The visit was worth it, every second of it. As the rain stopped pouring and the city was calm, she prepared the shop â ready for the next day. I had stayed behind to help her out, because what sane man would let her do all this by herself. She flipped the sign to âClosedâ and switched off the lights. We both walked out and closed the door. The next evening came, and one right after. I made sure that I would visit her bakery, all the evening that come after.
â The End