The Purpose

Zakaria's sleep broke with the sound of the alarm. He raised his head to check the time, 

-"5:45 am. Namaz doesn't start until 6. Let me take few more minutes rest!" Zakaria told himself.

He put his head back on his comfy pillow. 

With the second alarm he jumped off the bed.

" Shit!! Only 5 minutes left for namaz in the masjid.", Zakaria thought. ' Why do I always do this thing?' He threw the blanket off and ran to the bathroom.

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Taking the last sip of his coffee, Zakaria checked the time. It's time to go to work, he thought. 

" I wonder, when this monotonous life is going to end? The day starts with the same routine and ends with the same routine.", He thought. " The only difference is, I don't feel as purposeless as the other people. No! I was just like them few years ago. It's the light of knowledge that changed the direction of my path." Zakaria recited alhamdulillah and left for work.

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 As soon as Zakaria stepped into the shop, he was greeted with a warm smile from a 60 years old man, Josey.

-"Rise and shine, boy"

Zakaria smiled back. Josey is probably the only remaining person in Zakaria's life that spreads a warm feeling in his heart. The dingy shop in the ghetto feels as welcoming as home. Josey works as a mechanic in the shop and Zakaria is his boss. But if anyone would see them together, it would feel otherwise. 

-" Did you have your breakfast?" Josey's question snapped Zakaria out of his thought. 

-" Yes, I did. Do you need to order any parts today? I saw, you were working with your son on that jeep yesterday. How is it going?"

-" No, no parts needed. The alternator is messed up but luckily I have a spare one. I don't think we need to order any new parts."

-" Great! You saved me money!" Zakaria replied with a smile.

Josey turned to go back to his work but stopped. 

-" You left 10 grand on my tool box yesterday. You should've been more careful with your money. Anyone could have taken it. I put the envelope back in your drawer. Grow up, or else you might loose the loose the business one day." Josey smiled and went back. 

Zakaria opened the drawer to check. Zakaria trusts Josey completely but still he wanted to check to avoid any misunderstanding between them. He found the same envelope that he put the money in yesterday. " I wish, some muslims would be as honest as you are!", muttered Zakaria.

It's been 10 years that Zakaria and Josey are working together. There are two more people work with Josey. One is his son Raphael and the other one his family friend Diego. 

-" Why are you roaming around? Didn't I tell you to fix the sensor of that Toyota?" Josey yelled at his son Raphael who was standing by the Toyota and smoking.

-" I can't work on it. The space is too narrow for me. I can't fit my hand." Raphael replied while smoking cigarette. 

-" You don't look like you have it a try. How are you going to learn anything like this? I want you to have a job at least. Zakaria is keeping you here because of me. Even he knows that you don't do anything around here other than smoking and roaming around." Josey sounded angry. He doesn't know how long he has to babysit his grown son. He shook his head and went back to his work.

Diego put a hand on Josey's shoulder.

-" Relax man! He will learn once the reality hits him hard." Diego tried to console him.

-" When? After my death! I hope you are right, I worked as hard as I could to give them a better life than what I had for myself. May be I am the one who is responsible for making him lazy. If I wouldn't babysit him the way I did, he would probably become a better man today. I failed as a father!" Josey replied with a sigh. " What time is it?" Josey asked Diego.

-" 1:30. Why?" Diego asked.

-" "Zak should be going out for his prayer now, what is he still doing in the office?" Josey wiped his hands with the rag next to him and walked toward the office.

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-" Josey, I told you it's too complicated. I can't do this job. Most probably none of us can. Why did you agree to fix this car?"

-" I didn't know either. But we have to fix it now. Wait! Let me get Zak. His brain works better figuring out problems like this." Josey turned to get Zakaria.

-" Why do you like that man so much? Sometimes you behave like, Zak is your son not me!" Raphael asked Josey looking at his eyes.

-" What! When did I behave like that? If I would behave like the way you said, you wouldn't be working here today. Zak is paying you because of me." After a brief pause, Josey added, " Yes, he is better than you in all aspects. I like him a lot but it doesn't change the fact that you are my son and Zak isn't. Now go,  clean the snow from Zak's truck. That boy would cause accident if he drives like this."

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-" Why do you look so tired, Josey? Is everything alright with you?" Zakaria asked Josey. He noticed that Josey is having hard time walking in past few hours.

-" I am not feeling that well. My leg is really hurting and none of the medications are working either."

-" Why do you need to work so much? Your wife working as well, right? You should take it easy at least. If you continue like this, you will get sick. You need to take care of your health first." Zakaria suggested while observing Josey carefully.

-Josey wiped the sweat on his forehead. " I will, I will see a doctor next week. Yes, my wife is still working. But it's not enough for the luxury life she wants to maintain. You know, I had so many dreams when I was your age. Those dreams remained dreams, I couldn't do anything because of the work. I was always torn between my own happiness and my responsibility. I chose the responsibility every single time. I wanted my family to have a better life than what I had. That's why I work hard. The smile on their face makes me smile as well. But sometimes I feel like I don't have a purpose in my life. All the money I made, all the struggle I did will be pointless the minute I die. Then what is the point of us being alive in this world! Anyways! It's almost time to go home. Let's go!" Josey struggled a bit to get up from the chair he was sitting on.

"One more thing, you can have access to my toolbox anytime you want. You don't have to ask for permission. Anything you need, just take it." Josey said with a smile.

-" Goodnight Josey!"

-" Goodnight, Zak!"

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Zakaria got out of the masjid after isha and turned his phone on as usual. That time he noticed five missed calls from Diego and five from Raphael. He called back right away. The news he heard from the other side of the phone shook him to his core. Josey had a stroke, a severe one. He fell into deep coma. Zakaria stood by the side of the masjid door, it's been only few hours since he talked to Josey. Life is so short! Zakaria thought. He got into his car and drove to the hospital to see his colleague Josey. All sorts of thoughts started pouring into Zakariay head while he was driving. He was a bit nervous to meet Josey's family there for the first time. Zakaria had always been the worst conveying condolences towards the family. Every time he visited someone sick, he always stayed quiet. He never knew which words could take away the pain from the grieving family members. Zakaria parked his car in the hospital parking lot and got to the place where Josey was kept. He was expecting a cabin full of family members but as soon as he walked in he realized he was wrong. It was only Josey sleeping on the bed breathing through the intubator, all alone. Confused Zakaria, got his phone out and called raphael.

-" Where are you? I am in the hospital, in your father's cabin."

- Raphael yawned. " Man! I was too tired that's why couldn't stay. Mamma has work tomorrow, she can't stay either. Dad is in deep coma, it doesn't matter whether we stay there or not. He can't tell the difference. Also the doctors said they are going to monitor him for next two days, if he doesn't improve, they will unplug him." Raphael yawned again.

Zakaria listened to him quietly and hanged up the phone. He looked at Josey and muttered, ' Life hit you hard, hit you hard!'

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-" Do you guys have any money for your father's burial?" Zakaria asked Raphael.

-" Yeah! But we are planning to cremate him. It's cheaper that way. My father wanted to be cremated as well" Raphael replied

Zakaria looked at him in disbelief.

- " Aren't you guys Christian? Christians don't cremate their dead bodies. When did your father ask you guys to be cremated?"

- " Every time he was drunk and whenever he was frustrated with us. He told us to either cremate him or throw his body in the ocean. I want to fullfil my father's last wish." After a brief pause, Raphael added, " You should come to party that we are throwing in his memory. We'll celebrate his life there. My father would've liked us to celebrate him like that."

' Your father would've liked a proper burial instead.' Zakaria said but no one heard these words except the almighty