Never Lose Hope

Chapter Five

It’s Saturday afternoon, the day of Tasneem’s bridal shower, and we just started to get ready. Tamara’s the first to take a shower so I take out our outfits and I lie them on our beds. My mom walks in with her makeup case and sets it on our dresser before she goes takes a shower herself. We have to leave the house early, because we’re going to help Khalto and Tasneem decorate the room where she is holding the party. I charge my iPod and my camera so that we could take enough picture. As Tamara is in the shower, I play some music killing time, since I already have everything laid out and packed. My mom took us to a nail salon yesterday to get our manicure and pedicure. “Shower’s all yours.” Tamara says as she comes out of the bathroom with her bathrobe and a towel wrapped around her hair.

            As I soon as I’m in my dress my mom walks in dressed and everything, she has her hair done up, and her makeup looks flawless, in other words. She looks like a model. “Sara, sit here.” She says pointing to the floor by my bed so she could straighten my hair. She starts to talk to me as she straightens it asking if I’ll be able to watch the kids tomorrow, as it’s my father’s day off and she wants to go out with him. Of course I agree because come on, I love when my mother is out with my father, and I love watching the kids because they listen to me.

            She finishes my hair and makeup an hour later, claiming we’re going to be late if we don’t leave in five minutes. Tamara and I put our heels in a bag so we could just put them on before the party.

            We get to the hotel, where we find Tasneem’s mother decorating the table with pink table cloth. I walk in and grab another table cloth from the pile and walk to the next table and place it. One by one the tables are filled with candles, and flowers along with the favors we fixed up last week, placing one on each seat. I also made lollipops for the favors and I place one on each seat placing the lollipops inside the favor boxes. We finish a few minutes later since all my Khalto’s came to help with their daughters. I smile to myself wiping my hands against each other. Some of my cousins come up to say hi to me and compliment both Tamara and me. I smile at them complimenting them as well before the DJ tells us to sit down. Now that almost everyone is here, we call her into the room, everyone clapping and cheering for her. She walks in with her sisters’ and her mother. As soon as she gets to the middle of the dance floor Tamara and I walk with my mom to the dance floor and circle around her, her sisters’ start to follow along and soon everyone is on the dance floor clapping for Tasneem is looking at her mom with tearful eyes. Tasneem sees her mother’s tears and walks up to her and hugs her. A few minutes later the song changes and more people start to dance. I grab Haneen, and Tamara hands and start to dance with them. “I never knew you guys could party so hard.” Haneen yells to us through the blasted music.

            “There’s a lot you don’t know about us.” I say with a smile on my face. “Music is our weakness.” I tell her looking over to Tamara who is just smiling and nodding.

~*~

            After dinner is served that’s where all the fun things happen, there’s a small fight going on in a corner and Tasneem’s mother is there trying to come the two women down. I shake my head and continue eating my chicken. “Does this happen at all the parties?” I ask my mother who just nods her head taking a forkful of her fish. A few minutes later Tasneem and Haneen walk up to me.

            “Could I ask you a favor?” Tasneem asks walking me into a corner. I nod my head and she looks at me seriously and smiles. “Well I saw the way you were dancing earlier, and I want you to belly dance for us.” She says and I start saying no.

            “I don’t know everyone here. It’s too embarrassing.” I state shaking my head. “I can’t, I can’t go up there in front of everyone by myself.”

            “Please, this party needs some spice. Please, you’re the best dancer here besides Tamara. You girls could do it together, Haneen and I will go too. The crowd looks bored to death, I’m scared people are going to start leaving.” She says sounding really desperate.

            “Fine, but one song only.” I say and she starts to jump up and down excitedly like a five a year old. I smile at her glad to make her happy. I mean I don’t want my cousin that’s getting married in a month to have a bad bridal shower.

            “Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don’t know how I could repay you.”

            “Tasneem, it’s a favor. You’re not supposed to repay me. And plus, it’s your bridal shower. You deserve the best.” I say going to my table to let my mom know.

            “You’re going to dance in front of all these people?” She asks and I nod my head shyly. “Good for you. I’m happy for you.” She says pushing me and Tamara towards the DJ booth where both Haneen, and Tasneem’s mother is. “Tamara is dancing with you.” My mother says to us making a few people turn to look at us.

            I walk up to Haneen and Tasneem and her mother and they have coined skirts in their hand. “Here, wear these.” Tasneem says handing us the skirts. She says something to the DJ and the DJ nods her head and turns on the strobe lights before going back to the booth.

            “Ladies, please take your seats. We have a little something going on here.” She says putting on a belly dance song. I look to both Tasneem and Haneen with a nervous look on my face and they both smile at me.

            “Go, go, you’ll be fine.” She says shooing us to the dance floor. A second later Tamara starts the dance and I follow along and everyone starts to clap. A few minutes later, Tasneem walks to the dance floor and starts to dance with us and people start to cheer her name. She has a smile on her face and she’s thanking us and I nod my head.

            As soon as the song ends the DJ starts to play English party songs and I take off the skirt and start to dance to the songs and people come up to me to compliment my dancing. I smile at them and all my cousins my age run up to me and they pull Tamara and I into a group hug. “Holy shit. I had no idea you could dance like that.” Dalia says excitedly. “You so have to do this on my bridal shower one day.”

            “Are you engaged and we have no idea. You’re still way too young to even think about marriage.” I joke with her. We all dance together for an hour or so, before the DJ announces that it’s time to cut the cake. After the cake is cut and being served, the songs continue but this time there is a dabkah song playing and some of the girls start the dance. I grab the leaders hand and start to lead it myself. Tasneem is in the middle dancing with some of her guests. People are starting to say bye to her and she thanks them all for coming.

            The last song is finally played and as the DJ starts to unpack Tasneem’s father and brother walk in to drag the cart that has all the gifts on it. We say bye to the family before making our way to the car.