A Castle In The Air [Completed]

31. If Disaster Strikes

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Needless to say, the wedding preparations were on a full blast from the moment Zoha said yes. She would be whisked away when she’d step out of her room after the classes, and made to try out the countless dresses and select furniture items and crockery and bedsheets and jewellery and whatnot.

Although Nofil had insisted he didn’t want his room to be furnished, one look around his room, and Zoha had announced she most certainly did require everything new. There was no color combination in there for starters, every piece was bland and looked out of place. She told him as much and listened inattentively when he stressed that he could get the furniture replaced himself, but wouldn’t like to accept the dowry. But of course, Zoha paid no heed to any of his self-conscious ramblings. It was her wedding, and she wanted everything to be done her way. It was that simple.

Everyone was assigned a different task, including the boys who were told to take votes for the dishes  to be put on the menu. Zoha convinced the majority of the elders to suggest fried fish, fried chicken, french fries, potato croquettes, pakoras, spring rolls, and basically everything deep fried. But when uncle Raza saw the list, he frowned and cancelled many items, explaining as if to a five year old that he didn’t want the guests to leave with heightened cholesterol and sugar levels, or bloated stomachs.

And stuff that according to her she could not even think of parting ways with, was moved to Nofil’s room, which included a twisted three legged chair, dried tree with fairy lights strung on its branches, and an odd electric-tower-shaped coat rack which Nofil, for the life of him, couldn’t understand how it was chic, and blended how so with the other furnute in the room.

“It’s like an ugly spot standing out!” He had protested helplessly. “You enter the room and the electric tower is the first thing you see. I mean it’s a room, not a main road!”

“Oh, you've said enough Mr. Nofil Shehzad!” She cried out, offended. “One word more, and I shall not let you enter. Ever!”  She had threatened theatrically, and Nofil didn’t dare object again.

Zoha was enjoying herself, the preparations, the late-night discussions and the extra attention she was getting. 

But would the excitement last? For how long, if so?

×××

After getting her father's permission, Nofil took her on a date, only of course it wasn’t called that.

It was an evening supper, in an apple orchard under the apple trees that were laden with ripe fruits, where fallen leaves were scattered around them and the gentle caress of the breeze lulled the grass. White butterflies fluttered past her where she reclined on her stomach on the checkered mat, chin propped up on her palms, eyes moving around the expanse in a leisurely way. The crystal blue sky was cloudy and the breeze fluttered her white picnic dress. The swish of the leaves and the sweet chirrups of little birds calmed her nerves as she saw them flitting about the bent branches.