“What do you mean?” Hina asked, only to be answered by Gohar’s sobs. “Come on, Gohar. You called me for a reason.”....
COVER STORY
“What happened, Gohar?” Hina asked, concerned that Gohar had been crying since the phone call started. “What’s wrong?” “Everything’s wrong,” Gohar said.
“What do you mean?” Hina asked, only to be answered by Gohar’s sobs. “Come on, Gohar. You called me for a reason.”
“Yes, I did,” Gohar said, sniffing. “I want your help. It’s just that my wedding preparations are going out of control.”
“What do you mean?” Hina asked.
“Everyone in the family has something they’d like to see done at the wedding,” Gohar said. “Everyone has a wish list. In the middle of everyone’s desires, nobody cares about me! Nobody cares what I’d actually like for myself.” She sniffed again.
“There must be some things you can choose for yourself that people don’t have a say in,” Hina said. “Everything doesn’t have to be according to how someone else wants it.”
“That’s how things end up happening anyway,” Gohar said. “Even today, Amani made me buy those ridiculously overpriced bridal heels when I’d told her I already liked some heels at one of the stores we previously went to. I have no say anywhere.”
“Gohar,” Hina said calmly. “You know you don’t need to keep those heels if they’re not what you want, right?”
There was silence from Gohar’s end. Hina continued. “If you don’t like them, we can take them back to return them, and we can go get the heels that you really like. You’re not stuck with the heels you don’t want. It’s that simple, really.”
Gohar’s response was to start crying again.
“What are you crying about now?” Hina asked.
“It sounds so simple coming from you,” Gohar said, voice thick with emotion.
“Come on, let’s go back to the market,” Hina said reassuringly. “We’ll return those heels and go get the ones you like.”
“Would you do that for me?” Gohar asked.
“I’m already getting up to get ready to leave,” Hina said. “See you in ten minutes?”
Later, the two girls walked along the streets of the market to the upscale shoe boutique. Gohar returned the heels with trembling hands. Receiving the refund in full, Gohar allowed herself to be walked back to one of the shoe stores they had looked at before. Gohar entered the store and led Hina past racks and racks of shoes. Finally, after poking around in one of the racks, Gohar pulled out a heeled shoe that sparkled in the overhead lights.
“This is the one,” Hina said.
“How do you know that?” Gohar asked.
“The way your face lights up at the sight of it is all I need to see,” Hina said. “Let’s go get it.” They paid for the heels and walked out of the store. “Let’s grab something to eat,” Hina said.
When they were seated at the restaurant with their plates of chaat between them, Gohar suddenly looked depressed.
“Do you want to get something else besides the fruit chaat?” Hina asked.
“I’m happy with this, thank you,” Gohar said.
“I’m just checking if you got what you really wanted,” Hina said. Gohar just sighed. Hina pushed the pieces of fruit around her plate with a spoon. “Come on, now,” Hina said. “What’s on your mind?”
“I can’t believe it’s finally coming together like this,” Gohar said. “I really am going to get married to Jamil.”
“You’re happy, right?” Hina asked.
Gohar nodded. “That’s not the issue. I just can’t stop thinking of all the things that can go wrong.”
“In that case, you’ll be mentally prepared for any kind of disaster,” Hina said. “No matter what ups and downs happen, you’ll still end up married. Don’t worry about it.”
“I try,” Gohar said in a small voice, sticking a spoon into her chaat.
“Don’t try, even,” Hina said. “Just let things happen around you without getting involved with them.”
“That won’t make things turn out the way I want them to be,” Gohar said.
“Yes, but then at least you won’t be trying to change things to make them the way you want them to be,” Hina said.
“You make no sense sometimes,” Gohar said. “I appreciate you for coming with me to the market anyway.”
“No problem,” Hina said. “It’s what friends are for.”
***
“What good is Amani as a friend if she can’t let the spotlight stay on me for a while,” Hina said to Gohar on the phone later, when they were on a group call waiting for Amani to join.
“Just because her engagement is older than yours doesn’t mean she can’t show it off once in a while,” Gohar said. “Oh, look, she’s joined—hey Amani,” she added.
“You’re just in time to hear the freshest news from me,” Amani said.
“You’re finally getting married?” Hina asked.
“Oh, no, not for a while yet,” Amani said. “We’re celebrating the anniversary of our engagement, actually.”
“Which means...?” Hina did not hide her impatience.
“A party!” Gohar said. “You’re throwing an anniversary party?”
“You got it,” Amani said. “It will just be a few people at my house, some cousins and friends, but it will be a party worth remembering.”
“What are we celebrating, exactly?” Hina asked.
“It’s the anniversary of the day of my engagement to Moeed,” Amani said firmly. “A day to be happy about our promise to each other. That’s it.”
“How long are you going to celebrate these?” Hina asked. “It looks a bit silly now.”
“Aren’t you so high and mighty the moment you got a ring on your own finger,” Amani said. “When you have something to celebrate, I’ll celebrate it with you. Until then, you can participate in my happiness as a friend.”
“I have participated in everything you’ve done to show off your engagement over the years,” Hina said. “I take no pleasure in seeing you sit in the waiting room of your wedding.”
“The thing that’s the same between your engagement and mine, Hina, is that both of them don’t have wedding dates,” Amani said. “Before pointing fingers at me, maybe take a look at what you yourself are doing.”
“It’s barely been a few months for me,” Hina said. “My parents will arrange my marriage whenever they deem suitable. I just think your anniversary celebration is pointless.”
“So you’re not coming to my party, then?” Amani’s voice rose higher.
“Of course, she’s coming to your party,” Gohar said. “There’s no reason not to be there for you. Right, Hina?” she added with emphasis.
“I’ll be there,” Hina said. “When have I ever skipped any of the silly stuff you get up to over the years?”
“You better not start skipping it now,” Amani said, sounding satisfied. “After all, now that you’re engaged, you’ll invite us to your own ‘silly stuff’ over time.”
To be continued...
