While the rest of the city was sleeping in, my parents and I drove to the Islamic Center for Eid Prayers. My parents had flown in from London on Friday, and wanted to spend the weekend with me even before the Eid announcements were made. I guess I lucked out with Eid on Sunday. In preparation for their arrival, I had thrown out my old furniture and ordered new stuff, had my cleaner spend an extra 4 hours to clean the place top down. Picked up the BMW on Saturday, with the new xenon lights installed, and detailed the car myself, no one touches the car 
Saturday night, I forced my parents to eat out at the Persian place we like, the one with the 4 tables but best barg this side of Tehran, besides my parents always liked the owner who liked to talk about the old country in his gilaki accented farsi that parents understand, while I always smile and sip the lychee infused tea. After a short drive back home, my father and I sat and chatted about everything that we wanted to talk about but were too busy to do it over the phone (their new place in Dubai, the deteriorating situation in Pakistan, his business, my work), while mum made some solid kababs, sheer qorma from scatch in the kitchen. My mum, always the social butterfly, was interrupted by several phone calls from her friends that live in my city..word spreads fast! My father and I made another pot of chai and continued the conversation deep into the night.
This morning we all woke at fajr, as was the tradition in the pak-one household, I prayed while mum read the Koran and daddy answered his emails and made some business calls. I wanted us to meet the Shaykh so we left extra early before the first Eid salaat. Driving through the city at sleep, dressed in our best clothes, I pointed out the new real estate developments (the family biz) and complained about the lack of halal food, as my parents took it all in. We arrived at the IC with only 5 cars in the parking lot, before the valet service had started and walked over to the Shaykh’s office on the second floor with the view of the minaret (one of the tallest on this continent). The Shaykh gave some important naseeh and intently answered my parents questions and thoughts. We all walked down with him. My father and I were in the first row, when we ran into an old friends of daddy’s who had been posted in France by Pakistan’s foreign service. Old friends, they chatted about life and reminisced about their times in Europe.
The prayer was short - as Eid prayers go. We said mubaraks to the Shaykh, daddy’s friend, and the random uncle that was nearby. Instead of staying for the after-party my parents needed to catch a flight to their US home in NYC, so we politely declined and headed towards the airport. Mum still thinks that I drive too fast, which is why she sits in the back seat while I talk to daddy about the new hybrids that are coming to the market. At the airport, I felt a sudden sadness that I won’t be able to spend the full Eid day with my parents, so, on whim, I brought a ticket on the same shuttle to NYC. I can always take Monday off.
At the airport, we were surprised to find my uncle and the family waiting for us. He had checked daddy’s outlook calendar and knew the exact flight into the city. After a quick stop in UES, to drop the luggage and freshen up, we went down to Al-Diwan in Alphabet City where my uncle had booked the lounge area right off the bar. Conversation, along with the food was free flowing, hadn’t seen my two favorite uncles their wives and my cousins in months. One cousin is engaged, another one is going to Duke Med school, my aunt had recently come back from Pakistan with news of joy (marriages), sadness (deaths in the family, terrorism) and lot’s photos..My other uncle asked me if I was happy with the firm, another aunt asked about my tennis game and mentioned her time at the US Open. Afterwards, we all went back to my parents place, as traffic was not so bad for a Sunday in NYC (no parades today), was surprised to find that the doorman still remembered me. At home it is our traditon to give youngest person the most money for Eid and this year was no different. My cousin (7 years old and future Dr. or Astronaut - she hasn’t decided yet) ended up with a nice Eid fund. Hours and cups of chai went by as we kept on talking. Soon it was time to go, one uncle lives in Ct., the other in Westchester - long drives ahead for both, so they headed out.
As I sit here writing in my parents spare bedroom, with the bright city lights sparking in the windows next to me, I can’t help but think how important my family is to me and how hard it has become for us to get everyone in the same room. Sure, careers, businesses, and grad schools may have pulled us apart geographically but we all share the desire for the simplest things: to meet, eat, and talk.
Eid Mubarak and I hope that you enjoyed this very special day with your loved ones!
