My buyers asked for a second viewing of a house they were eyeing.

Can we make an appointment to view again? I want to feel the rooms in the afternoon sun.

The seller agent duly obliged.

So on that Sunday afternoon, we returned for a second viewing.

My clients walked through the house once more, this time paying special attention to the direction of the afternoon sun and the other things they had noticed the first time around.

Their children, always so well-behaved and well-mannered sat quietly in the living room.

“Do you like this house?” the seller agent inquired.

They nodded calmly. They knew their roles. They had been briefed:

Don’t give too much away.

Don’t show excitement.

Answer as little as necessary, and only when asked.

These are the things agents usually tell their buyers when viewing a house - though I concede, this was a second viewing. There wasn’t much left to give away.

And then, their sisters arrived.

Eh, you’re here? I also want to kaypoh!

They didn’t expect to see one another.

And then there was a sudden, excited squeal from the room.

“The seller is my friend!” she announced to the rest of us in sheer joy.

Before we were could process that, their parents arrived.

Just as I was wondering if this viewing could become any more comical, we found out that the parents of the buyers and knew the parents of the sellers.

“Mak dia kawan kerja Umi dari Telecom,” she informed us.

I glanced at the sellers’ agent. He looked amused at this coincidence.

Or maybe it wasn’t coincidence. At this point in time, it stopped feeling like a coincidence.

In Urdu, we call it kismet, the idea that something is meant to happen. It is not mere randomness, but something written.

If it’s meant for us, it will be meant for us.

My buyers have been saying that for weeks.

And I have a feeling, come sometime next week, it will be meant for them.