Chapter 3 — Graduation

Hayfah woke up feeling exceptionally happy that morning; it was the day of her graduation. She was finally one step closer to achieving her goal of becoming an educated lady. With a smile on her face, she angled her gaze towards her sister, who was still asleep.

Hayfah climbed off her bed and ambled to where Amna was sleeping on her new mattress, the one she had bought for herself, with her own money, because she could not sleep with Amna anymore. Hayfah patted her pillow, which caused Amna to let out a groan. ‘She obviously didn’t go to bed early,’ Amna thought, smiling to herself. Hayfah stood by the mattress in the hope that her sister would wake up so they could say their morning prayer together, but much to her disappointment, Amna didn’t.

"Addah Amna, you should wake up. The Imam has finished praying. We don't want to be late," Hayfah spoke casting her gaze to their wall clock.

"What's the meaning of this, Hayfah? Can't you pray alone? Must we pray together?" Amna yelled, glaring at her sister, who was not ready to give up.

"Please Addah, today is my graduation. Won’t you celebrate with me?" Just the thought of being a graduate made Hayfah unbelievably happy.

“Who cares if today is your graduation? Why are you disturbing me over a common secondary school graduation? I won’t go with you. It'll be too embarrassing if my friends see us together. Some of them don’t even know we’re related, so leave me alone,” Amna hissed before covering her face with the sheet she used as a duvet.

Hayfah remained tranquil even though, deep down, her fragile heart was shattering into tiny shards. She had expected to receive at least an ounce of love from her family on her special day. No matter how fake or how little, she craved their affection. She sat on the carpeted floor for a few minutes, letting everything her sister had said sink in before standing back up. She vowed that no matter what anyone said to her, she was going to make the best of this day. She was going to enjoy herself and not let any of their hurtful words get to her.

She glumly trudged to the toilet to perform her ablution, then went back to their room. She brought out her red prayer carpet, the one her Abba’s sister had given to her as a souvenir when she returned from Makkah.

She finished her prayer, recited the Azhkar, and was reciting the Holy Book (Al Qur'an), when Amna woke up. She shot Hayfah a glare and sauntered out of the room. By the time Amna was back in the room, Hayfah was already done reciting the Qur’an and was sitting quietly on her bed. A feeling of uneasiness settled heavily on her chest. She was tense about her impending graduation.

Amna was done praying and was reciting when Hayfah moved closer and placed her head on Amna’s left shoulder. Much to Hayfah’s surprise, her sister didn’t yell at her, nor did she shrug her head off.

“What’s wrong?” Amna asked as soon as she was done with her Azkhar.

“I need your help. Don’t say no please,” Hayfah answered nervously, fiddling with her fingers.

"Go on.”

A smile tugged up Hayfah's lips. She hadn't expected her sister to succumb so easily to her plea. With the smile etched on her beautiful face, she explained, "Addah, I want you to help me with my outfit, see how I'll look in it."

Without uttering a word, Amna flopped on her mattress, giving Hayfah a pointed look. “Go and take your bath. I'll wait for you," She stated, typing away on her phone.

Hayfah bathed quickly, afraid to take too much of her sister’s time. She wore her brand-new peach gown, which was long and wavy with sparkling stones embroidered on it. Her Abba had given it to her a few weeks before her graduation as an early graduation present.

"How do I look, Addah?" she asked, twirling nervously around their small room.

Amna looked up from her phone, and she couldn’t take her eyes off Hayfah. People had always said that Hayfah was beautiful and graceful, but Amna had never agreed until that moment. Indeed, her sister was the epitome of beauty. She looked breathtaking in her new dress. ‘Just like a princess,’ Amna thought.

"You don't look bad.” Amna scrutinized her sister one more time. “I pity the guys that'll fall for you instantly, before hearing you speak.”

Hayfah shrugged off her sister’s last words and muttered a thank you before taking everything she needed and hurriedly exiting the room.

She met Abba at the door. He gave her a puzzled look, but she greeted him with a hearty smile, "Good morning Abba, it's my graduation day."

Abba could see just how much happiness was bursting out of his sweet girl. His face lit up; he was glad she was happy. "Masha Allah, I'm so happy, Hayfah. Congratulations. May Allah see you through, may you be successful in life, and may Allah bless you with a righteous spouse and obedient children," Abba spoke, giving her shoulder a gentle pat.

Hayfah felt happy. She needed this love, this support, especially on her big day. "Thank you so much, Abba. Ameen to all your prayers. I feel blessed," Hayfah spoke, the smile not leaving her face. She sauntered to their iron door, but suddenly halted. "Abba, will you be there? Please, I need at least one person from my family. I know no one else will come. Will you?" she begged, her head hanging low, her voice sounding coarser than usual.

Abba smiled lopsidedly. He looked at her sympathetically; he knew that she wanted them to be there for her. "Hayfah, my dear, I have work to do, but Insha Allah, they will be there," he said, a warm smile playing on his lips.

Hayfah just nodded her head and walked out of the house with a heavy heart. She knew they weren’t going to be present. With a sigh, she smiled and walked off.

***

The graduation ceremony was over. Students were taking pictures, graduation caps scattered on the ground. The graduates were excitedly chatting with family, laughing hysterically, and posing and taking pictures with family and significant others. Everyone seemed delighted and thrilled.

Everyone except for Hayfah, who was sitting on a long bench in front of the hall where the graduation ceremony took place. Fareeha had begged her to come and take pictures with her friends, but she expressed her lack of interest. She sat quietly, clenching the gift she was given in her palm. ‘What’s taking Fareeha so long?’ she wondered. She was already so eager to go home.

"Assalamu Alaikum," a voice jolted her out of her reverie. She had been deep in thought, disappointed with her family for not turning up at her graduation ceremony.

Her gaze slowly shifted to the person who was now sitting next to her. By God, it was a pleasant surprise. ‘Didn’t he say he was leaving earlier?’

"I know, you’re wondering why I'm still here, right? I came for you. You left me so suddenly that day, without hearing me out. You seemed a bit dazed, and that kept me awake, wondering. You seemed afraid. Were you?" he asked, slowly scrutinizing her face, his eyes fixed on her lips. The pink lipstick made them look exquisite. Hayfah smiled before shifting her gaze to the gifts lying on her lap.

"You did great. You're brilliant. I wish you could meet my father; he loves girls that are enthusiastic about their education," he spoke with enthusiasm, the wide grin on her face give him hope. “Beauty with brains.” He winked, and that made her chuckle. He looked cute when he winked. How she smiled made him happy; the smile itself was an endearment. He kept looking at her until she looked away.

They kept chatting laconically. Adyan did all the talking while she only gave one-word responses. “Why aren’t you taking pictures?” he asked, “Where’s your family?”

“They couldn’t make it,” came her short response. "And as for the pictures, I don't want to," she added, grimacing.

"Since you don't want to take some with your friends, will you consider taking some with your new friend? It's good to take pictures on your graduation day, for history. It’s such a memorable day. You're no longer a small babe." He chuckled, and she found it appealing.

She hesitated at first, but after much persuasion, she moved closer for a selfie. Adyan had had to beg her before she agreed to let him take a picture of her, but she looked beautiful in the pictures, and they made him fall for her. They meant a lot to him, and he intended never to part with them.

He was showing her the pictures when Fareeha intruded on their conversation. Adyan groaned in disappointment, his moment had just been ruined.

Hayfah bade him goodbye, a charming smile on her face. Then she stopped in her tracks and turned at him. "You have to keep those pictures for me. I'll ask for them when next I see you. And Thank you,” she said with an enormous smile on her face before sauntering off. A triumphant smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he sauntered to where his car was parked and hopped in. He had come for her, and she had made his day memorable.

***

Hayfah and Amna were in their room. She had been smiling since she came home, thoughts of Adyan never leaving her mind. Her anger towards her family for not attending her graduation was long forgotten. So what if they weren’t there? The stranger had been there to cheer her up.

Her family not being there for her on her graduation day didn’t bother her because he had been there for her. He had made her smile more than she had in weeks. He had made her graduation unforgettable.

"Hayfah, who was that guy I saw you with? What's his name?" Amna asked, putting her phone under her pillow. She had been thinking about Adyan since she saw them together.

"What guy? I was not with any guys," Hayfah answered, lying on her bed. She closed her eyes; his face never left her mind. How his perfectly sewn grey-coloured gezna perfectly fit his body. How his Zanna Bukar was carefully and beautifully placed on his trimmed curly black hair. His eyes, lips, nose—everything about him was perfect. What she was feeling was quite alien to her; it was a feeling she had never experienced before.

"Don't be stupid. I saw you sitting on a bench with a handsome guy. I was at your school; my friend invited me for his brother's graduation.”

"Oh, so you were there but didn’t bother to look for me. Do you know how much I craved the presence of my loved ones? The guy you saw me with was only asking me a question. I don’t know him. He was a guest, just as you were," Hayfah fumed, clearly annoyed. She suddenly felt really bad.

Ignoring Amna, she closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep, his face the last thing in her mind. Indeed, the day had been a memorable one.