Father of the Bride

Chapter 22: The Wedding- Part III

"I doubt it." Nadiya earthed her son and straightened his shirt.

"I bet you, he's hiding her because she's half his age. 24 or something stupid like that?"

Nadiya stood up in fear. Maybe Shamsa was right, maybe that's why she hadn't heard or met his wife?

"Why wouldn't he tell anyone? Middle aged men nowadays are all doing it. They go back home and marry a young woman. It's probably a midlife crisis." Shamsa mocked him.

"Khizar wouldn't do that!" Nadiya was aghast at the idea. "A woman old as his daughter? Tauba! He should have shame."

"Well-" Shamsa neared her sister. "-you have to ask yourself, why hasn't he introduced her to the family? What is he hiding?"

Nadiya was frustrated with his secrets, she had to ask him outright. "Where did you see him?"

"He was headed to the gardens with Kabir and the rest."

"He needs to be here, greeting the guests. Everyone is asking after him and he's hiding away."

Dumping her sons with Sonya, Nadiya made her way outside on hearing news that the parents of the groom were fast approaching. Her heels dug into the gravelly gardens as she wobbled towards the front entrance.

Outside at the front entrance, she spotted Khizar. Standing beside his brother, Khizar conversed with a group of guests. Khizar's style was spectacle of gossip and awe. With a fusion of east meets west, his royal blue brocade designed jacket with silver print on a black sheen jacket left Nadiya staring rudely at him. His smoothed collars with red piping complimenting the red rose in his left breast pocket. Perfected with black trousers, and black loafers, the father of the bride was a style icon.

Every woman who entered the reception had a question mark hanging over her head, was she Khizar's wife? When Khizar spoke to the stunning female guests, Nadiya watched intently wondering if they were more than distant relatives.

"Where have you been?" Nadiya quizzed Khizar. "Amirah is asking after you."

Khizar held his hands out and indicated he was busy with the guests. Clean shaved, his thick salt and pepper hair streamlined with silver tones from his temples, was designed in a gentleman's quiff. Nadiya disapproved of his visible grey hints.

If he was still with me, I'd have dyed his hair black for today.

"Who is she?" Nadiya asked standing beside him.

Khizar gave her a blank look.

"Your secret wife? Is she in this hall?"

He sighed. "Don't." Khizar moved forward and greeting the guest interrupting Nadiya's interrogation.

"What's the big secret?" Nadiya asked once the guests moved on inside.

"Aslsamalikum." Khizar greeted the guests ignoring Nadiya's request. He walked with the guests to the main entrance and stood under the July sun shining gloriously at him. It had been a long treacherous road coming up to the wedding day. But it was here. Finally, Amirah would wed Ayaaz and news of the pregnancy could be revealed respectfully. The glorious day was running smoothing until the red Rolls-Royce pulled into the manor.

"They're here! The parents of the groom!" Announced a distant voice.

Nadiya straightened her spine. She adjusted her lilac dupatta around her head ready to greet Mahnoor. Finally, she would get a chance to meet Amirah's infamous father-in-law; the ex-criminal, the abusive husband and estranged father. Nadiya expected a rough man dressed in orange prison jumpsuit but what she saw threw her off her feet.