The girl who lay on a small bed peacefully sleeping looked nothing short of 18 summers. The room was quaint yet cozy. From the small bed, wooden closet and a cracked mirror which was hung on the wall that the room belonged to a girl who was not born with a silver spoon in the mouth. The wooden door which gave the room a semblance of privacy made a creaking sound and a woman who seemed to be in her mid-forties entered the room with her hands akimbo.
She furiously tapped the young lady who was peacefully asleep. Hayfah groaned before turning her face towards the opposite direction albeit yawning. Her mother yanked the bed sheet she used as a substitute for a duvet off her. "Wake up. You ought to be at school by now yet here you are, lazing around". The woman thundered in a voice which clearly expressed her annoyance.
Hayfah's attempt at greeting her mother proved futile as she was cut short by the angry woman "Dare you not utter a word. I'm not ready to listen to your foul voice, just get off bed this minute." That being said, the woman stomped out of the room.
Hayfah could not control the tears that threatened to fall. She was tired of her Umma’s negative attitude towards her.
'Why can't Umma understand that?’ She wondered. Soon, realization did not dawn on her that was it the first nor will it be the last time her Umma criticized her.
She heaved a sign before getting rid of her nightdress. She wrapped a faded Ankara wrapper round her dainty frame and made way for the bathroom. Knowing she was already late for school, Hayfah wasted no time in taking her bath. On her way back to her room, she met her father who was all set to leave for the marketplace where he sold groceries. “Good morning Abba” she greeted in a voice way too deep for a young and beautiful lady as her. Her father, a tall man, who was just a few weeks shy of his 54th birthday; gazed at her with so much adoration. He was the only member of the family that was not ashamed of Hayfah’s flaws, rather he found it unique.
"Good morning Hayfah, had a great night?" He asked smiling lovingly at his daughter whom he loved so much. The way her mother and other members of their family and society treated her made her his favorite. "How’s your exam going?" He further enquired.
"Yes Abba, Alhamdulillah" He nodded and made his way out of the house.
Once in her room, she sat on the edge of her bed and carefully applied the well-known Baby and Mama petroleum jelly over her skin. It took a speck of powder, kohl and a spritz of perfume to complete her look of the day. She smiled at her reflection on the mirror as she applied some lip balm on her lips.
Her eyes grew as big as saucers when she glanced over at the old wall clock. How could she be so negligent? She stayed up late to study for her examination and that resulted to her waking up very late. She glanced over her bed and stretched the squeezed lines on the sheet before taking a deep breath and muttering a short supplication. She knew better than to annoy her mother who was so engrossed picking out chaffs from a bowl of uncooked beans.
Hayfah stood skeptically on the hall's veranda, fighting a mental battle on whether or not to walk into the hall where examination had already commenced and invigilators were roaming up to ensure the maintenance of silence and decorum as the examination exercise went on. So lost in thoughts, Hayfah hadn’t notice when a tall man ambled towards her, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
Hayfah took a step backward.
"Are you here for the exams?" He asked, the smile on his face deepening. Deep into her breath, Hayfah muttered an 'Innalillahi' and gulped nervously. She knew nothing could stop her from being embarrassed this morning.
She nodded a yes at him, her eyes gazing at anything but him.
"What subject do you offer, Geography?" He asked, a bit eager to hear her speak. ‘I wonder how melodious her voice would be if she’s this pretty’ he thought. Much to his disappointment, Hayfah shook her head.
“Commerce then?” he pressed and yet again he was disappointed when she shook her head in affirmation. “I’m not deaf so I don’t understand sign language. You’ll remain outside till you’re ready to speak. She looked at him with desperation in her eyes; Hayfah knew she could only resist the tears which were threatening to fall for just a few more seconds.
"I offer geography, sir." No matter how hard she tried, her voice was never the type to come out low and soft. Something in his heart shook, was the girl standing in front of him really the one that spoke? Muffled giggles could be heard coming from the examination hall and Hayfah knew the laughter was at her expense. Slowly, the tears cascaded down her cheeks and she immediately used her hijab to shield the man standing in front of her from seeing her at her weakest point.
"Adyan!” a voice bellowed “What's happening over there? Why is she out here?" the invigilator asked. “Take this” he added, narrowing his attention to Hayfah. She hastily took both the question paper and answering sheet from him. Hayfah sat down and ruefully smiled at her best friend who was by her side flashing her a melancholic look. She looked down at the words written on the paper and set to write. She had always been passionate about her studies.
Hayfah and Fareeha were walking side by side towards the school gate. Both girls were so engrossed in their streams of thought. Hayfah was the first to snap out of her trance when her petite frame slammed against something solid, or someone. It wasn’t just any random person but the man she had an encounter with earlier that morning, the man called Adyan. Seeing as the man had no intention of stepping out of her friend’s way, Fareeha made up an excuse, leaving her best friend at the mercy of a stranger.
"Look...What would I say? You're the most beautiful lady I’ve ever seen." Hayfah gasped, shocked at the man’s audacity. When their eyes locked, Adyan softly smiled at her and that made her tense nerves calm. She looked in his eyes and was baffled to see the sincerity she hadn’t seen in most men. She smiled back at him and Adyan could bet his life that when she did, the world fell away. It was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Without saying a word she turned to leave.
“I don’t live around here and I’ll be leaving tomorrow” Adyan uttered, making her stop on her tracks “May I know your name please” he asked, suddenly losing interest in leaving the following day. She gently nodded her head, turning down his request. In seconds, he had his thumb and index finger brought together to show her how little telling him her name would mean to her but Hayfah still did not budge.
"I'm begging you please, should I kneel down so you could know how sincere I am?" His knees broke and were moving south when Hayfah let out a gasp and he stopped midway.
Hayfah gazed at him with tears welling up her eyes. This stranger standing right before her was the first male, aside from the ones in her family to ever listen to her manlike voice and yet care to talk to her again, to gaze at her with adoration, to make her inside burst with so much pride. Indeed his gesture made her feel a sense of self-worth. For no apparent reason, Hayfah found her mind convincing her that indeed the stranger before her was not like other men who approached her in the past, he had no intentions of mocking her.
“Hayfah’’ she spoke reluctantly. “Hayfah Talha Muhammad.” She gave him her full name. Without waiting to listen to his next words, Hayfah left leaving Adyan dumbfounded. It took him a while to snap out of his reverie and by God he was captivated by the girl. She was the most enchanting human being he had ever come across.
