Khutbaaz

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Remember-ring Death (Part 1)

For my family, the New Year started off with a screeching buzz instead of a bang.

"What's that sound?" I asked my husband after being startled awake in a hotel room just past midnight.

"Your alarm," he answered, ever-ready to slam my alarm clock, which he claims emits noises all night.

I sat up to listen more closely. 

The wailing drone continued. Outside our room, I heard much commotion and a repeated thud that sounded like feet pounding stairs. 

"It's the fire alarm!" I cried, jumping out of bed.

Quickly, we scurried around the room waking the kids, stuffing them into their shoes and jackets and collecting this, that and the other. Only after I announced, "I smell smoke," did we finally book it to the door.

That's when we realized our ten-year-old was missing. 

We found her standing in front of the bathroom sink, dazed and thoroughly confused. "Isn't it Fajr time (daily prayer before sunrise)?" she asked.

Leading her out the door, we fled down the hall and took the now empty stairway down four flights. We must be the last people evacuating, I thought anxiously as images of the collapsing World Trade Center towers kept playing in my head (despite having read a million times that it wasn't the fires that did them in).

When we reached the lobby level, my husband cracked the door ajar but then shut it back immediately and said:

To be continued....

8 comments:

Mehreen said...

Salina...you left us hanging like a 'Brady Bunch' part 1/2 episode! What happened next?!

Salina Khan said...

You'll just have to wait, Jan! The post was going to be too long so I broke it into two.
All kidding aside, the definite approach of death is a serious event that we all need to remind ourselves of.

Hiba said...

Come on! What happened? Hurry and post part 2...my memory isn't what it used to be!

Salina Khan said...

Haha...I will, Hiba, iA! As soon as I write it up!

Ayat said...

Alhmdolelah you r ok .im happy that I saw you Thursday dropping your daughter to school which means you r all ok !! Can't wait to read part two.

fatima abdouni said...

HamdoliAlah you're good. and MashAlah for Fatima May God bless her and all the other Muslim kids. we are waiting for episode 2. Thanks again for your blop because it takes me little bit out of my daily work. Thanks again :)

Mehreen said...

Inevitable yet very scary reality! Patiently waiting; Marcia, Marcia...Marcia! ;)

Salina Khan said...

Thank you, Fatima! Mehreen, we have to work towards not being scared of death, insha Allah. I will talk about that in part 2, iA.