“You said you’d tell me what happened with Ammi at the barat,” Ray said when they were back at home after Amani’s barat....
COVER STORY
“You said you’d tell me what happened with Ammi at the barat,” Ray said when they were back at home after Amani’s barat.
“Nothing happened,” Hina said wearily. “I told Ammi that she should have let me get to know Sameer before we got married. Ammi said it was my duty to marry the person chosen by her for me. End of conversation.”
Ray looked thoughtful. “Things are a lot simpler from Ammi’s point of view,” he said.
“Yes, because she ignores my feelings and wishes altogether,” Hina said, shaking her head. “That’s convenient for her.”
“Things worked out in the end, though! You ended up liking the man Ammi chose for you.” Ray grinned widely.
“That doesn’t mean what Ammi did was right,” Hina said. “There’s no point in trying to make her understand, though. All I need now is to find some way to get through to Sameer. Tomorrow, Amani’s walima, is the last day I get to see Sameer in a social setting where he will talk to me. After that, he can ignore my calls and refuse to open the door to our apartment. It’s my last chance. How do I approach him?”
Ray remained silent for a minute. Then he said, “What do you think Sameer is waiting for?”
“What do you mean by that?” Hina asked.
“He talks to you every time you see him. Every time, he tells you to wait to sort out your feelings. What does he think will make you realise your true feelings for him?”
“I’ve already realised my true feelings for him,” Hina said. “That’s what started this whole argument between us. He thought I was wholeheartedly committed to him since day one of marriage. When I told him three months into the marriage that I’d finally arrived at the conclusion that he was the one for me, he was extremely offended and hurt.”
“Then you just need to prove that to him somehow,” Ray said. “Is there anything that happened during those three months that can help prove how you feel?”
It was Hina’s turn to fall silent. Finally, she spoke up. “I have something in mind,” she said. “There’s only one way to find out if it works.”
***
The scene was familiar. Amani’s walima event, all pastel colors and soft lights. Surrounded by guests talking in soft tones, Hina sat next to Sameer, looking at the stage. This was the third day in a row she found herself in this situation. Today, she was determined to go home with Sameer at last.
“How long did it take you to learn how to ride a bike?” Hina asked.
Sameer didn’t reply for a moment. Then he said, “A few days.”
“What happened in those few days?” Hina asked.
“I fell and scratched my leg,” Sameer said. “Multiple times.”
“Did you know how it would feel to successfully ride a bike while you were still learning?” Hina asked.
“I imagined it,” Sameer said, relaxing into the chair. “Those wobbly short rides on the bike when I would stop and throw out my foot to stabilize myself, I imagined how it would feel to soar.”
“And?” Hina asked, “when you finally rode the bike without falling, did it compare to the times when you had wobbled?”
“That hardly counts,” Sameer said. “Once I started riding the bike steadily, that was what I got used to. I left those wobbly days long behind me.” He turned around to look into Hina’s eyes. “We’re not talking about bikes, are we?”
Hina smiled. “No, we are not,” she said. “Do you think now that I’m biking steadily, I should be judged for my wobbly days?”
Sameer took Hina’s hand. “I’m just afraid of how things will work out between us when we haven’t had a strong foundation from the start.”
“It may seem like a big deal now, but once we’ve been biking steadily for a while, we’ll forget what the wobbly days used to feel like,” Hina said.
Sameer just stared at her.
“Forgive me, Hina,” he said. “Will you come back home with me?”
“Yes!” Hina squeezed his hands. Sameer squeezed back.
“Ahem!” Gohar descended upon them like a bird of prey. “You are in a public place!”
“I am sure the nearby aunties will never let me live down the scandal of holding hands with my husband,” Hina said.
“Are you two OK now?” Gohar asked.
“Yes. Yes, we are,” Sameer said. Gohar smiled brightly at him.
“Good,” Gohar said. “It’s time to go onstage for photographs with Amani and Moeed. You two will glow in the photos since we’re going there directly from your patch-up.”
“I knew it!” Amani said as they drew close to the stage. “You two made up!”
“You have a sharp eye,” Hina said, hugging her.
“I knew my wedding would be the miracle cure for you and Sameer,” Amani said. “Now, let me get up. Smile for the camera!”
Hina stood, one arm around Amani, the other arm around Sameer, and smiled with her whole heart.
***
One year later…
“Sameer, hold Saliha while I open the door for Amani,” Hina said. Sameer extended his hands to hold their daughter in his arms. Hina went to the door to open it. Amani appeared with Moeed, holding a bundle in her arms.
“Baby’s first day out to visit her auntie,” Amani said cheerfully. Hina bent over the baby girl and cooed at her.
“Anam is auntie’s darling,” Hina said. “Come in, don’t just stand there.”
“Where’s Gohar?” Amani said immediately, setting her handbag down.
“Here we are!” Gohar came into the living room, followed by Ray holding their baby daughter. “Say hi to Maryam,” she said, holding her baby’s hand and waving it at her aunts.
“If our three girls aren’t best friends when they grow up just like we three are, I will disown them,” Amani said, settling down on the sofa. “Where are auntie and uncle?” she asked, looking around.
“Ammi is watching TV in the guest room and Abbu is busy with the newspaper, I made sure to get a print copy for him,” Sameer said. “I’ll go get them for dinner now that everyone is here.”
Dinner was full of happy discussions and baby sounds. Afterwards, everyone sat down with a cup of tea. Ammi and Abbu, smiling at the collection of girls and babies in the living room, retreated to the guest room to take a nap. Everyone else gathered around the coffee table.
“All of us married,” Amani said. “All of us with girls of our own. I think we’re doing pretty great in our lives.”
“I’m already thinking about the time when this one will get married,” Hina said, looking at Saliha sleeping comfortably in her father’s arms.
Sameer laughed and laid a hand on Hina’s arm. “That’s one wedding we don’t have to worry about for some time now,” he said.
The end.
