“When patience is nurtured and our prayers grow stronger, our relationship with Allah (SWT) grows closer. Nothing will be impossible for Him when it comes to giving us the most beautiful surprise.”
“Who’s there?”
At the far end of this hallway, I could make out a woman’s figure.
Who was she?
Was that Nayla?
I didn’t think so.
I immediately walked toward the woman, making my way down the dark, silent hallway. Her face was hard to see because there was barely any light illuminating the place.
My curiosity grew stronger.
With slightly trembling hands, I worked up the courage to touch her shoulder.
She just stood there silently.
Her head was bowed.
“Hi.”
I tried to greet her.
But her response remained the same.
Silence.
So I stepped in front of her to see who this woman was, standing alone in such a dark place.
As soon as I stood directly before her, it felt as if my mind had escaped its cage.
My body stood frozen.
It was as if all my nerves had gone numb. Not a single part of my body responded when I tried to move.
My eyes widened.
My breathing grew loud and ragged, driving my heartbeat into an uneven rhythm.
Who was this woman standing before me?
Was she human?
Or some kind of demon?
Or perhaps an angel in disguise?
She was incredibly beautiful.
Too beautiful.
So beautiful that she left me speechless.
I could only stare at her in awe.
But then something I never expected happened.
She was holding a cup filled with water.
In a matter of seconds, she threw the water straight into my face.
“You brainless girl! How dare you splash water all over my handsome face!”
I shouted.
But suddenly, everything went dark.
“Here, Mom’s adding even more water. You might as well take a bath right there on the bed. Wake up, Raihan!”
Mom’s voice rang loudly right next to my ear.
I jolted awake and quickly sat up.
“Oh, my God!”
My hand immediately touched my face.
Wet.
My clothes were wet too.
I stared at Mom in confusion.
“It was just a dream.”
Then I looked down at my bed.
“Mom, why am I this wet?”
Mom looked annoyed.
“What were you dreaming about? You said some brainless girl splashed you with water. Were you calling Mom brainless too? You ungrateful child.”
I fell silent.
Oh, God. What had I said?
Mom was really angry.
And that beautiful woman had only appeared in my dream.
I had even hoped for a moment that she was real.
Unfortunately, she had splashed me with water instead.
Maybe she really didn’t like me.
Not even in the dream world.
“Sorry, Mom. Raihan dreamed that a really beautiful woman splashed him with water. That’s why Raihan got so angry. It was only a dream.”
I chuckled.
“If I’d known Mom was the one splashing me, Raihan would’ve woken up right away. That would’ve been better than getting splashed and taking a dawn bath on the bed.”
I stood up.
“All right, Raihan’s going to shower first, my dear Mom. My clothes are wet too.”
“This boy is always looking for trouble. Go shower. And pray right away. It’s already hard enough to wake you up for the dawn prayer.”
“Haha, yes, Big Boss. At least I have Mom to wake Raihan up every time.”
“Whatever.”
Mom left the room.
I smiled.
Mom always had a unique way of waking me up.
She really was the greatest mother in the world.
An angel without wings.
Come to think of it, that dream had been pretty strange too.
That woman was incredibly beautiful.
Unfortunately, she only existed in my dream.
And even if she were real, there was no guarantee she would want to be with me.
I sighed.
But then I remembered something.
Today, I had plans with Rizal.
He wanted to introduce me to one of his friends.
Fortunately, I was on leave.
My plan had been to relax at home and enjoy my day off with Mom.
But before that, I had to help her with the housework.
This evening, I also wanted to take Mom out for a walk.
I wanted to make her happy while I still could.
Because to me, there was no greater happiness than seeing a mother smile.
And I didn’t want to regret it someday, when I no longer had the chance.
My phone alarm went off.
I glanced at the screen.
8:45 a.m. WIB.
“Oh, my God!”
I hurriedly showered and got ready.
I was supposed to meet Rizal at nine.
It seemed my day off wasn’t going to be much of a day off after all.
And I had no idea that day would become one of the days I would never forget.