I had always wondered who will be waiting for me when I get to the gate of the airport? maybe no one, maybe I will have to just take a taxi home, reminiscing on what would have happened if anyone was waiting for me? sometime I see their faces and be very happy in fact, I will be ecstatic about seeing those faces, had I ever told them that I am happy to see them? I dont remember; hence the story:
They gathered around the gate, the grandfather, the two uncles, the four grandkids (even though three of the grandkids were still tiny and having wings, but they had a shape and a cute look). Once he reached they greeted him, welcoming him to the life at the Isthmus, he was baffled? his eyes are wondering were he is? how did he get there? why is he seeing with both eyes? The light around him almost blinded him, but the shade of the grandfather and the rest of the crowd gave way and he was able to focus. Who are you? he asked, do I know you? where am I? why is it sparkling white? are we above the clouds? or are we in an air-shuttle? they don’t know what an air-shuttle was? it didn’t exist at their time. They told him that we are your immediate family and the rest are gathering over there, but we wanted to greet you first. I am your grandfather, and this is Ibrahim and Ismael your uncles, and the little ones are the two Ali’s, your uncle Khalil’s son, and your aunt Suad miscarried child, as well as Mohammed’s miscarried twins, and these four girls are your sisters that died prematurely, they would love to talk to you and be with you. We are all here waiting, but we are happy to see that all of the family are fine. You are safe the grandfather told him, we will look after you.
First they walked on a thin road with emptiness on either side of it, it was a very long road, he was scared, where are we going he wondered, is this very far away from my mother and father and brothers? why am I not seeing them? can I go back. The grandfather , being the leader of the clan, knew what the boy was thinking about? he held his hands softly and walked beside him, making small talk about life in Isthmus. They reached a palace, but not any palace, its nothing like the palaces he had seen in his life time, it was a place full of light, looks very comfortable, full of glass rooms and many angels flying around attending to their beck and call. He noticed that the grandfather was not very happy, but he didn’t know why? he kept a mental note to ask him later. The others were as cheerful as can be.
They assigned the room for him and told him to relax, but the little cousins insisted to be with him, we are sure he is missing his cousins on earth they said. his eyes adjusted to the light and and he started to see other people around, they do look like his father and his mother. we are the extended family that reached here, the great aunts, the great grandfathers and great grandmothers, the great uncles and the uncles. it was all very confusing, it was a dream he wanted to wake away from. but it was not a dream. it was his reality and he wanted to explore the place. The little ones took his hands, he was always great with children, but these guys are having wings so they carried him around and showed him which room every family member had. They took him outside the palace, maybe he can find any of his friends that raced him to the Isthmus.
They gathered after few days to witness something he didn’t know about, they were all hovering around a whole in the ground, how did we reach here? he was baffled. he saw his mother and father, his aunts and his uncles. He saw all the people that used to come to their house. What are they doing? oh there he is, they are putting him in the ground? why are they covering me with flowers? wow I love it, the smell is so nice, my place looks like paradise on earth! I know why, I have left earth and I am in heaven, thats what he told his grandfather, who smiled and said now that you have seen this, you will be happy with us. We are all waiting for the days that we will see god in heaven. Enjoy your time, and you can go to visit them any time you like, but we only go on a certain day. If you want we can go together.
The little grandkids are having a ball with the new family arrival, and they have eternity to play with him, they are happy as the others had got bored of their nagging, and now they have a fresh arrival who seems to love them from the time he saw them.
He realised that even though his time on earth was short, but the time of his cousins was shorter, and so was the time of his uncles. He also realised that a time is allocated to each soul, and his time had finished, so he was happy that he had a great life there and will be having a great life here.
And so a new angle was born, his name is Habib.
