The Eid Engagement, and Other Weddings # 16

COVER STORY

Hina was so excited about having a real phone call with Sameer to share with the girls that she forgot that the girls’ expectations for phone calls were very different from what she and Sameer had talked about.

“That’s how you introduced yourself? Girl, you’ve got some learning to do,” Amani said.

“What on earth do you mean?” Hina asked.

“I can’t believe you missed the opportunity to pull out the highly appropriate line, ‘I love long walks on the beach’,” said Amani. “You need to say something romantic like that to show the other person you have the capacity for romance.”

“I think you’re going too fast with this, Amani,” Gohar said. “It was just the first phone call. How romantic do you think they would manage to be when they hardly know each other?”

“Ah, that didn’t stop me back in my day, when I got engaged,” Amani said with a huff.

“You’ve been engaged for four years,” Hina said irritably. “Of course, you’ve had the time to get all comfortable with each other. Give me a break.”

“You don’t get breaks when it took you so long to get started in the first place,” Amani said sharply. “You need to get your priorities straight.”

“My priorities are perfectly fine, thank you,” Hina said.

“Ah, forget about all that,” Gohar said. “What was that you said about asking him to ask his mother to throw a picnic?”

“It’s exactly like you just said,” Hina said.

“Oh, that’s a clever way to get to meet each other,” Gohar said.

“If Hina’s mother lets it happen,” Amani added. “Don’t you remember, she didn’t even let them see each other at the engagement?”

“That was just some family tradition that she wanted to uphold,” Hina said quickly. “She’ll let me meet him and his family if his family is the one that initiates it, I’m pretty sure.”

“You sure?” Gohar asked. “I don’t want you getting your hopes up about nothing.”

“I’m fine,” Hina said. “The ball is in Sameer’s court. He will handle this.”

***

At the time of Hina’s conversation with her friends, Sameer was busy preparing himself to ask this question of his mother. He smoothed down the front of his shirt and patted down his hair. Then he entered his mother’s room.

“Ah, my son, come here, I was just thinking about you,” Sameer’s mother said. “What are you thinking about? I can tell there’s something on your mind.”

“It’s just a little idea I had, just a suggestion,” Sameer said, settling into a seat across from his mother.

“Tell me,” she said.

“I thought this weather is just perfect for a picnic,” Sameer said. “Then I thought, if we’re going to go to the trouble of arranging a picnic, why not share that experience with others. Then I thought of some people to share it with.” He ended quickly.

His mother nodded and smiled. “Do you want to invite some of your friends?” she asked.

“I was thinking,” Sameer said, and paused. “I was thinking of inviting someone newer than my friends.”

“Newer?” His mother asked. “What do you mean? Oh, you mean...I see,” she said. “You want to invite Hina to this picnic?”

Sameer nodded.

His mother looked thoughtful. “I can invite Hina and her family to come with us on a picnic; however, Sameer, you must be very careful and considerate with regards to how you interact with them. You are engaged to their daughter. It means you must treat them with the utmost respect. It would not do to be careless and take unnecessary risks. Do you understand me?”

Sameer nodded again. His mother kept looking at him expectantly, so he spoke up. “I understand,” he said. “I’ll be careful. I won’t do anything to upset anyone.”

“There’s a good boy,” his mother said. “Now, leave me be and I will send out the invitation to the picnic in due time.” Sameer retreated from his mother’s room. Outside, in the hallway, he punched the air in victory.

***

Ammi called Hina to her room to have her version of the same conversation upon receiving the picnic invitation.

“This kind of thing has happened sooner than I expected,” Ammi said, twisting her hands in her lap. “It must be the way things go around nowadays, I suppose.” She paused. “We have been invited by Sameer’s family to a picnic. It is a regular social function and I expect you to behave regularly. Nothing should be out of order and you must appear ready and present to deal with anything that happens. You must appear proper and must not drop this appearance at any time. An engagement is a delicate thing, and we must do all we can to preserve it.”

Hina fought to keep her facial expressions neutral. “Your only goal in going to this picnic is to keep up appearances and uphold your duty as their future daughter-in-law,” Ammi continued. “I have made myself clear. I will tell you when we have confirmed the date of the picnic. You may leave.”

Hina left Ammi’s room and kept up her slow and steady pace of walking until she reached her own room. She closed the door, collapsed onto her bed and threw her hands into the air, waggling them back and forth in a celebratory pose. Immediately, she rolled over and grabbed her phone from the side table. “I have to tell the girls,” she said.

To be continued...