HER WEDDING NIGHT

CHAPTER 35

Akeela was seated in front of the mirror, oblivion to the bustling round her room and also downstairs as everybody in the house was getting prepared and getting dressed for the occasion.

It was the D-day.

The day the knot between Akeela and Jamal would be tied. Akeela was supposed to be extremely happy like she had anticipated she would be but she was having mixed feelings about everything that had been happening for some days ever since the wedding date had been fixed.

She wanted to be happy, she wanted to smile like a bride who is happy to be getting married but she wasn't. She was happy to be getting married to Jamal and not Fred but she was unhappy about the situation around.

Haneefah was hurt by Sarah, Oye was hurt by Jamal and they were both their best male and best lady respectively.

Haneefah was also pregnant and Akeela was still finding it hard to believe. She knew Jamal would kill Oye when he gets to know that his sister was pregnant for him.

Akeela was still trying so hard to wrap her head around everything happening but she was finding it difficult not to think of it. She was also scared of what Sarah and Fred would do. She was hoping they won't ruin the day for her.

"This is supposed to be my happy day, Ya Rabb!" She utters silently, more to herself, closing her eyes and praying silently for God to take over the affairs of the day.

Still praying, she was jerked out of her reverie when the makeup brush touched her cheeks. She opened her eyes to see Fiona in front of her. She was going to take the position of the best lady since Haneefah would not be able to do that anymore. She was still indisposed and Akeela doubted if she would be able to come for the wedding. Even though she had been discharged the night before because they didn't want any of their parents to know anything was happening.

"Mom said we need to be fast. You should get dressed immediately I am done with the makeover", Fiona mutters softly to Akeela who only nods and closed her eyes back.

She was thinking, praying, wishing, and hoping everything will go as planned. She was nervous.

Fiona began the makeup and after half an hour, they were done. Her white flowery dress had been laid on the bed while the jewelry was on the dressing table including her golden bracelets and silver wristwatch. Her dress had a touch of golden designs.

Akeela was in her white towel all along so she stood up and move over to the bed where her wedding dress was laid.

Fiona went into the washroom to take her bath while Isabella was getting dressed too. The bridesmaid dress was a blue garment with sky blue headgear. Isabella said she loved the headgear and after dressing up, she went downstairs to ask Rahma, Akeela's sister in law to help in tying the headgear.

Akeela kept watching the wedding dress, remembering all her childhood fantasies of a happy wedding/marriage and the thoughts that marriage is the beginning of a happily ever after but standing there, she was asking herself questions she had no answers to.

If marriage is a happily ever after a thing like we read in books, why then do people say marriage is not a bed of roses? If it is truly happily ever after, then marriage is supposed to be a bed of roses with no thorns, full of nothing but happy moments, love, and laughter.

She found no answers, all she got were weird feelings that were making her uneasy and taking her mind back to her reference book, Love After Nikkah.

The marriage of the characters in Love After Nikkah was full of thorns not roses from the beginning. The thorns became roses after several years of hardship, sorrow, and tears.