The Rays of Hope [On Going...]

Chapter 2 - The Racing

******[UMAIR]******

The bunches of freshly bloomed flowers welcomed me when I entered the backyard of my house, and their sweet fragrance filled my senses, calming down my mind. My gaze wandered around and captured the beautiful sight of the rose bushes, which were overfilled with large roses with a riot of colours... Red, white, pink, coral, yellow, orange, peach, and lavender, each rose bush a testament to the care and attention my mother lavished upon them, all planted neatly in rows, just like all the other plants that grew in the garden.

I saw my mother standing at the edge of the yard with a watering can in her hand, ready to start her routine. She turned to look at me when she heard me closing the gate and smiled pleasantly. "Assalamu Alaikkum!" She greeted me with the enthusiasm of a little girl as if she had been expecting me to be back home. "Umair, come over here for a minute, would ya?

"Wa Alaikkum Salam, Mum!" I said as I walked over to her. "It looks like you are working alone in the garden today. Where is Malini Akka?"
"Oh, she wanted to take a leave." She told me. "That's why I need you to lend me a hand with the garden works today... Can you water the rose bushes?"

"Fine, only the rose bushes, okay?" I said as I took the watering can from her. The scent of damp earth and fresh blooms filled the air, grounding me. "I have classes at the Brilliant Academy. Bilal will probably be mad at me if I get late." I felt a touch of grief and frustration rising somewhere in my heart at the mention of his name and gripped the handle of the can hard, feeling its edges pressing into my palm

"It'll only take about ten minutes to water the bushes if you would hurry up and set to work." She said as she turned to go inside the house with the satisfaction of having found someone to get her job done.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Ten minutes," I muttered under my breath, knowing full well the garden's expanse would demand more of my time. Yet, as I tended to the roses, their vibrant hues seemed to bleed away my irritation, leaving a quiet appreciation in its wake.

"I wonder why you are so obsessed with the roses," I said as I noticed that she had pulled out some of the other garden plants to make space for them.

My mother paused at the doorstep, her silhouette framed by the morning light. "Roses are the queens of the garden, Umair," She said, a note of nostalgia in her voice. "They remind me of home, of your grandmother's garden. It's a legacy of love, one that grows and blooms with each passing season."

As my mother stepped inside the house, I began to wonder if I would ever start growing plants in the backyard like she does if I happened to leave my parent's house in the future. But then I decided I wouldn't because it felt like a hobby for women who love to decorate their houses and backyards in their free time. I would barely have time for anything if I managed to become an oncologist as I hope to be, In shaa Allah.

Just as I moved on to water the white rose bushes, a soft wind rushed through the garden, causing all the flowers to dance merrily and my gaze fell on the picturesque sight of the white roses which stood out among all the other flowers in the garden because of their innocence and gracefulness just like some rare people we happen to meet in our lives.

But not everyone gets to see them for who they are and appreciate their presence, do they? Maybe it is because they are so quiet and tend to stay reserved in the crowd of flowers that boast of their colours. But it is no secret that they all envy the delicate snow-white petals all the while because of their unique ability to capture the hearts of anyone who happens to see them without ever meaning to do so because they are so pure and genuine at the bottom of their hearts.

I watered the whole garden instead of just watering the rose bushes and rushed upstairs to my bedroom to take a quick shower under the cool water to get all cleaned up and fresh, ready to leave for the class. By the time I was setting up my books neatly inside my bag, I heard a soft purring from somewhere close to me and that was when I remembered the brown cat that had been sleeping on my bed. I looked around and saw the cat sitting near the windows as if waiting for me to open them so it could leave.