Chapter 13 -Farewell Festivities
"To fall in love is a disease and its cure is to marry the person one is in love with (to stay in love)."
- Ibn Al Qayyim
The house was filled to the brim with love and laughter. Little children's laughter rang through the passages and in every room in between. Aunties of all shapes and sizes pushed their way through the throng of family members and friends that filled the house, muttering angrily about the family's inconsideration. Nobody paid attention to them as they carried various snacks to the cars that lined Waliya's driveway. On the green grass outside, fairy lights hung from the roof illuminating the house and adding additional colour to the street, while men sat around in circles chattering away happily. The night sky cooled the air and gave off an amiable air.
However, despite how joyful the air outside was, inside Waliya's room was another story. She was a butterfly who was stuck in a tornado of emotions. She paced around in a beautiful purple lehenga, her long scarf that was part of the outfit dragging on the floor, while she tried to calm herself down. This was her last night in her mother's house. The last time she would be a single woman. Tomorrow this time, she would be Mrs Khan.
"Waliya, please, for God's sake, sit down!" Tina said, slightly agitated. "You're going to wear a hole through your mother's porcelain tiles!" Her agitation wasn't directly directed at Waliya. It was more a projection of her emotions that she couldn't properly display. No one truly wanted to admit that it was final and that the deal was sealed. Their little lamb was finally headed to the docks. The late lamb was quickly growing up -and without their permission, but definitely with their approval.
Things in Waliya's life were suddenly on fast forward with not enough time for them to catch up on and accept. From being the girl with no boyfriend since birth, to suddenly being married in a couple of weeks. No one could just accept it. However, they were beyond ecstatic that she had someone like Aahil in her life. And, if they had to choose someone for her, it would only be Aahil. He was ideal in every aspect for Waliya.
She was a determined little girl and once she set her mind to something, she worked towards it. Aahil would be perfect for her because from what they saw -and the one secret meeting they had with him, without Waliya's knowledge -and heard about him, they knew he was able to be strict and firm with her, but not a tyrant. He had the perfect balance in him to deal with her in a manner that said he was in charge, but enough gentleness that he never made it sound like a command. He knew how to make his words sound like a meringue -the perfect balance between sweet and sour.
She had the ability to talk for hours on end -if she was comfortable with you -and he was the total opposite. He was more of the listener type, only speaking when necessary. Or he would only speak if it were beneficial to those around him. When they had cornered him that one day in the mall for their interview, Jade saw all of those qualities come out in him. She saw his patience even when he felt like killing them. It all started playing out in her mind, like an old movie, making her smile to herself as she narrated the story for Waliya.
"Hey Wals," Jade said with a shaking voice, which was unlike her. She was usually so sure of herself and strong. It worried Waliya a bit, which was what made Waliya answer.
"Yeah?" she said as she stopped her pacing and studied hr friend.
"Want to hear a story before you leave for your henna ceremony?" she asked in the same voice.
With a raised eyebrow, Waliya just nodded.
"Don't be mad, alright? But I think you should know that you should have expected it from Tina and I, okay?"
That worried Waliya even more. "What? Did you stalk Aahil or something?"
"No, we just interrogated him publically, without giving him any heads up," Jade said calmly as if she were discussing the weather and studied one of her nails.
"What? You did what?" Waliya asked, her calm exploding. "Oh my gosh Christina! And Jade! He must think I am some sort of nut! When did this happen? What did he say?"
"Let me speak." She rolled her eyes and flipped her inky blank hair back. "So, Tina and I were calmly shopping for a wedding present for you -which on that note, let me tell you now, you'll love it and thank me later for it. Like in a few years," she winked. Waliya gave her a blank stare, already fearing to open that particular present.
"Anyway," she said, dragging out the 'ay'. "We were shopping and then I noticed him. He was shopping for jeans. I mean can you imagine him shopping? It's so mundane. And I don't know, but it just seemed so weird. Then we ignored him and went on our way. When we go to the food court he was there. I couldn't help myself. I was torn. I wanted to know if he was the guy for my best friend. I wanted to know if he would look after you."
The food court was a nauseatingly good smell, confusing you. Especially when you are hungry and all you can think about is swallowing a whole cow -raw even. Then, Jade noticed him again. Among all the food stores he could go to, he chose the one she was craving the most. Nando's. How dare he! She knew exactly what she was going to do for payback -not that there was a reason for payback. But thanks to him, Waliya was going to kill her for being typical Jade. She just couldn't resist the urge to intimidate him and interrogate him! It was difficult.
Jade just simply had to know if he was worthy of her little Princess. In her eyes, Waliya was far too innocent and inexperienced to know whether or not he was the sheep, or the wolf in sheep's wool. She stomped her heeled foot and looked at Tina. "Don't," Tina warned her, knowing what Jade was about to do. But how could she not? It was her best friend's life at stake here!
It didn't matter to Jade that her parents would never do anything against Islam, nor anything that would jeopardise Waliya's future, but she had to be convinced of the matter. She made her way over to Aahil and put on her best fake smile. One that she hoped convinced him that she wasn't the devil out for his blood. "Aahil!" she said with a fake tone.
He turned, his white kurtha flaring out slightly. He looked at them, as if trying to place who they were or even if he knew them. Tina smiled at him kindly. "Hi, we are friends of Waliya," she said to him, trying to help jog his memory.
He gave them a tight-lipped smile, one that Waliya told them was his only smile and that was about as warm as he got. "Oh yes," he said and it the kindness in his voice was evident, even if he didn't show it visibly. "Forgive me, I forget people's names often."
Jade stared at him, upset. "So," she said and forcefully guided him to a table with four chairs at the food court. She whispered to Tina to get them some meals, but Tina wouldn't leave. Tina was afraid of what Jade would do to the poor guy if she had to leave them unsupervised.
"I am sorry but I am -"
"I know," Jade said interrupting him. "You're not supposed to be alone with us. Or else, Satan is the third person in the room, I know. But I need to ask you some things," she said in a voice that left no room for arguing. "So, are you telling me that you will forget Waliya's name?"
"What?" he asked outraged. "No, definitely not if I can help it. Unless of course it is God's Will," he said, calmly. "Waliya is my future. My life from the moment her father signs the marriage contract. She is my responsibility," he said clearly.
"She can be difficult, you know?" Jade said trying to gauge his reaction.
"Which woman isn't?" he countered.
Fair enough, Jade thought impressed with the answer. "She's an independent thinker. She doesn't like to be bullied into situations," she said.
"A woman needs to know the where to draw the line though," he said relaxed. "I know she is an independent thinker. I appreciate that. It makes her appealing because she has this fire inside of her burning. It means that she is no chameleon, changing to please me all the time. It means that she will be confident enough to advise me and tell me when I am wrong and help me and guide me correctly." He took a breather and then launched back into his speech. "No one likes to be bullied into anything. I could see Waliya was different from the very first time I heard her have that conversation with her other friend. She was cheeky, but not rude. She was a fireball. She was courageous enough to, sort of, challenge her father to make him see things her way. I know she has a problem with authority. I could see it from then already."
"She is unlike any other girl, you know? She has terrible mood swings. And outrageous cravings. At the weirdest times. Do you think you can handle that?" Tina questioned.
"What do you mean?"
Jade rolled her eyes. "Stuff. She craves Nutella at midnight. Or chocolate ice cream."
"Not to forget her immense love for Tempo chocolate," Tina added with a roll of her eyes.
"I would do anything for her. Go to the shop at 3am to buy her anything she wants. I would get up and out of bed to bring her the jar of Nutella if she wants. I will treat her like the delicate princess she is," he said.
"And to deal with her mood swings?" Jade pointed out again.
"I have an abnormally strong mind. I can deal with it. I am robust. There is not much that can hurt me."
"Good," Jade said, clearly impressed. "I just want to let you know, though," she said and looked down at her nails, inspecting it before looking up at him and glaring. "If you ever hurt her, if you so much as make a tear fall from her eyes, I can make you disappear off the face of the earth. You could drown in a bathtub, or be thrown into the sea and visit Spongebob indefinitely, or you will just never wake up again. There was a reason that I specialised in Criminal Law," she warned him. "I know a thousand ways to kill you. And I will try more than one, just to make sure that you never make that mistake again."
He nodded, unafraid of course, but in awe of the friends that his bride-to-be had. The loyalty and love, he smiled at them and bought them lunch. Finally full and satisfied with Aahil's answers, Jade spoke. "You can marry her. You have my approval."
"Are you serious?" Waliya asked shocked to the bone. "You actually threatened him?"
Jade nodded with a self-satisfied smirk. "Only because I love you, Wals," she said.
"No, Jade, what if he doesn't want to marry me anymore?" Waliya asked, afraid to move even a step.
Jade laughed. "After everything that he said, you think that he won't want to marry you?" she asked incredulously. "You are seriously insane Wals." She fixed her hair up one last time. "He loves you Waliya. I know your Islam says that love is after the wedding, but I swear to God that man loves you. There is nothing that he wouldn't do for you. Can you imagine having a man loving you like that?"
Waliya shook her head, a tear falling down. "He's amazing, isn't he?"
"Of course he is, or else you wouldn't be marrying him."
Waliya and Tina rolled their eyes as they were told to get down to the cars since it was time for the mendhi ceremony to begin. "By the way, Jade, when did this conversation -by which I mean interrogation -happen?" Waliya asked with a smirk as she slid into the car that was being driven by Jade and Tina in the passenger seat.
"Long before your engagement."
Waliya's eyebrows could have touched the roof of the car. "And he still stuck around?"
With a deep sigh, Jade answered. "Damn Wals, he loves you. Of course he is going to stick around for your crazy being."
"That is what love is. Staying around through all of it. Crazy. Moody. In love, all of it. If a guy is committed to you in the worst of situations, he will be there in the best of it too."