Yusuf sat on the wooden chair of his shop that faced the busy road, yawning and famished. He was a tailor and made the most magnificent outfits there were. His body reverberated to the sound of moving cars that drove past him. Looking at the shops and kiosks around like his, loads of trash cans and pieces of fabric scattered around, he was reminded of the vast difference between class and society. Yusuf dipped his hand in the pocket of his worn-out pants and retrieved what coin he had left. He was going to save the change for bread at dinner time. Yusuf fidgeted with the coins in his pale palm from side to side. His eyes popped when he saw a little blue shiny button between them. He singled it out and examined it as though he had never seen it before. It belonged to Musa, his grandfather. The little button brought some droplets to his eyes.
Now that Yusuf was approaching the age when his grandfather mysteriously disappeared, he was beginning to understand why the little things mattered to him so much. Like little pieces of Musa, Yusuf had kept all of his grandfather’s collectibles as prized treasures. Yusuf had inherited the shop from his grandfather. In more ways than he could remember, he was becoming more like the man that raised him and he loved it. Musa was a simple man with simple needs. Most of all, he yearned for peace and serenity. Yusuf wondered if the man had found it wherever he was. He put the button back in his pocket and yawned again.
Back in his cottage house, Yusuf sat quietly watching the sky. He was always alone in his empty echo-filled home. Except for his century-old bed, stove, portable sewing machine, and dinner set, Yusuf seldom had any property to his name. He sat in front of his home after an early dinner. The thought of his grandfather had engulfed his mind ever since that afternoon. He had always marveled about the sky. The way the clouds would sometimes lump in peaks and patches were the finest things Yusuf liked to look at. He had nurtured a wish right from childhood to visit the sky and sit in the clouds.
Perhaps it was his grandfather’s old tales about the skies and clouds that bought his love for eternity. “Look, Yusuf. Do you see those peaks of clouds up there? What shapes do you see?” His grandfather would say in a bass voice that made Yusuf elated. “I see a tailor sitting on his machine. He is sewing away just like you.” Yusuf would reply. Yusuf wished to be among the heavens. He slightly envied the imaginary man up there. Strange as it was, he wanted that life.
Yusuf searched the clouds and like magic, he made out the shape of the imaginary man pedaling on a machine. He grinned. As he gazed intently, he thought he saw the man’s neck turn and his hand waving at him. Yusuf closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened them, the figure was still there. Yusuf watched as the man in the sky grabbed a piece of cloud and aimed it at him. He was beyond amazed. Blood rushed to his head and the hair on his skin stood. He had never felt such a surge before.
In front of Yusuf was now a heap of clouds. Yusuf reached out with his hands to touch it. It felt soft like wool yet smooth like silk. His fingers passed through and the warmness of the sky penetrated his skin. Like a shy bride, the cloud retreated for a moment then it opened up its sides like wings. It flapped, beckoning Yusuf to hop on it.
Yusuf wasted no time. He was witnessing his biggest wish come true. He couldn't contain his excitement. The heap of clouds vibrated and began to ascend. The feeling was surreal and in no time, Yusuf found himself among the birds in the sky. He smiled and laughed heartily as he had never done before. His heart was full.
When he was now with the clouds, Yusuf was shocked to find a home within the clouds. There was no man in the cloud but the machine made of peaks was real. The heaps had built an entire home with everything he needed. When Yusuf got closer to the sewing machine. He saw a blue shiny button on it. Right there, he knew that his grandfather had been the man there and like the shop, he would inherit this little beautiful home in the sky.
He sat on the machine and smiled. “Now when they look up at the sky, the man pedaling away would be Yusuf.” He whispered and smiled again.