The smell of delicious, homemade parathas woke Zain up from his deep slumber. He reached out his hands towards the mobile phone, which was placed on the side stand and turned it on. The sudden brightness made him squint his eyes, nevertheless, he managed to see the time. It was 4:45 a.m.

He jumped up and sat on his bed, abruptly. After a few moments of thinking about sleeping again, he stood up from his bed and, without bothering to wash his face and brush his teeth, made his way towards that aromatic place from where all the yummy, tasty smell was coming.

Upon arriving at his destination, the kitchen, a chaotic view welcomed him. His father was slowly eating his sehri, in the adjoining dining hall. While his brother, Hassan was doing very much the same thing, but at a much slower pace due to the sleepiness that was still evident in his eyes. His mother was busy making parathas and he wondered how was she able to make them so quickly even in the middle of the night and that also like every one of us, get up so early from her sleep.

Just then he noticed his sister Anya, she was trying to help mum but was still in a state of half sleep, half awake. All of them froze for a few seconds upon seeing Zain.

“Mum, I told you to wake me up for sehri too. I also want to keep a fast,” Zain complained.

“Zain, your exams are coming up at the end of this month and you have to go to school too,” his mother explained politely.

“But mum, Anya also has to go to school,” Zain continued to whine.

“Don’t bring me into this ….” Anya started when her mother glared at her.

“Zain beta, she is much older than you. You’ll have a very hard time during the fast. At this age, you don’t need to keep a fast. It’s very good that you want to, but it’s better if you keep your first few fasts when you are home with me and by your side,” his mother tried to explain to him patiently. She didn’t want another fight or tantrum at nearly five in the morning.

“How about we check the weather and you can keep a fast on the weekend?” Hassan added, remembering the time when his parents used this trick on him to keep him from fasting.

“Javed, why don’t you say something?” Zain’s mother asked his father knowing that Zain was close to understanding.

“Zain,” his father started, “listen to your mother.”

Pressure from all sides made him surrender.

“Okay, but I will fast on the weekend and Friday,” Zain said as he came and sat on one of the chairs on the dining table.

When he moved his hand to get one paratha, Hassan spoke up again.

“Why are you eating? You’re not…” and he was able to say that only when his father slapped him lightly on the back of his head. He also didn’t want a tantrum at that time.

Zain scowled and turned towards his mother, “Mum, I can eat right?”

“Yes, of course. Don’t listen to your siblings.”

“I haven’t said a single thing,” Anya muttered underneath her breath and went back to pouring the tea.

Well, fasting or not, Zain was happy to eat fresh paratha anytime.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 30th, 2024