Puranay Rastay ✓

chapter ‣ 8

Aqib thought it was best for us to pack a single suitcase so we could travel light. I didn't mind, so the night before we hoped to leave, we did our packing together.

"How often have you been to the Northern Areas?" Aqib asked, handing me a small first aid pouch that I squeezed into one side of the suitcase.

"A few times. Some summers Papa had us come to Murree first before we would head to Abbottabad or Skardu," I confessed, sitting and folding my new pajamas as he went over to the wardrobe to bring his clothes. "But it's been a while. I think the last time we went was two years ago."

"Really?" He asked. I nodded, grinning.

Watching Aqib neatly fold his essentials and tuck them into the bag, I recalled how the last trip to Murree had been right after Kainat's ninth grade exams. She hadn't performed as good as she wanted to, so Papa had taken us to Kashmir to get Kainat's mind off the impending result day. Phopo had come with us on that trip, which wasn't a first, but usually she would encourage us to go on summer trips as a nuclear family, rather than tagging along. That trip ended up being one of the best trips of my life because of how much fun we had.

I smiled fondly at the memory and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

My time with my family had been nothing but full of love, happiness and ease. Twenty two and a half years of being surrounded by encouraging, nourishing and affectionate people had made me one of the most fortunate people in the world, which scared me sometimes. It made me fear how perhaps there might be a limit to the worldly happiness that I would receive, how perhaps my happiness may come to an end at a point in my life when I need it most.

Astaghfirullah, what am I thinking!

I stood up, hoping to drop the doubts like they were dust on my clothes. It was unfair of me to think that the One who made me hadn't chosen the best course of life for me. It was unfair to put a limit to the blessings bestowed on me by Al-Wasi, The Boundless. He was the only One who could decide how much rehma to bless on someone, whether it be one or infinite. No one could question His decree because the human mind could never comprehend His wisdom and perfection.

I couldn't allow myself to be hopeless no matter how bleak the situation looked.

"I'm looking forward to this trip. You, me, and the beautiful Skardu mountains," Aqib commented, making me laugh.

"I'm pretty sure Shangrila is a popular tourist destination."

"Yeah, but you'll be the only one I'll know there." He slid his shaving kit in one of the suitcase pockets. "We'll have fun."

"What makes you think I'm any fun?"

"Just a hunch." He shrugged.

"Okay, but I'm not going to force myself to meet your expectations," I informed him, throwing a teasing look at him. "I'm not built for long hikes or boat rides."

"We'll figure it out, don't worry. I have a plan," he assured, gesturing for me to give him a folded shirt next to me.

"How many times have you been there?" I wondered, giving him the shirt.

"To the North? Once. I think," he confessed, stepping back so I could place my pajamas on top of the clothes he had put in.

"You think? What makes you think it didn't happen?" I asked with a hint of a smile.

He shrugged before saying, "My memory is a little hazy about those days."

I looked at him, my curiosity peaking. Plopping down on the bed, I stared at him with my eyes narrowed.