It was my wedding day, and as usual, guests came bringing all kinds of gifts. Some carried big boxes wrapped with pretty ribbons, some handed over envelopes filled with cash, and a few even brought cakes as presents.
Among all the gifts, one from the neighbor next door to my mom’s house really caught my attention. It was a soft, silky fabric bag — maybe velvet or satin, I couldn’t really tell. It had bright floral patterns and looked just like the kind of bag women use to carry their mukena (prayer robe) to the mosque.
I thought to myself, Oh, maybe this is a new prayer robe set. That’s nice. But when I opened it, it was empty. Just the bag, no mukena inside. I forced a polite smile, thinking, Well, maybe it’s just meant to be a bag.
Months passed, and married life went on as usual. Then came the morning of Eid, and I went to join the Eid prayer at the neighborhood mosque. That’s when I saw her — the neighbor who’d given me that gift.
She was standing in the front row, wearing a prayer robe with the exact same pattern and fabric as the bag she gave me. I froze for a second, trying not to laugh. So… that’s what happened?
I chuckled quietly to myself. Apparently, the gift was really just the bag for me, the prayer robe for her.
Even now, every time I see that bag in my closet, I can’t help but smile and shake my head. Well… at least I got the bag, right?
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
