Sixteen
[Adam]
She said yes!!
I hang up with Mr. Aly on Saturday’s morning and literally run downstairs, and the first person I meet is Aya in her pajamas. I lift her off the floor and spin around carrying her, she screams until I let her down. “What happened?” she asks with wide eyes.
“She said yes!” I say loudly, and run to the living room where mom is supposed to be.
“Mama, I–”
“Congratulations, habibi!” mom says welcoming me with a hug, I tighten my arms around her waist and carry her too and sway her a little, she screams and laughs then Mariam comes running in.
“Did she say yes?” she gasps.
“Yessss!” Aya squeals.
“Oh my God! Wow!” Mariam says hugging me. “This is amazing,” she says.
Hend comes running followed by Omar–both looking hilariously puzzled. “She said yes!” Aya tells them clapping her hands together.
“Oh my God! Congratulations, Adam!” Hend says with the widest smile ever.
“Congratulation, bro!” Omar hugs me and pats on my back and we both laugh.
Mom dials a number on her phone and speaks up, “W’alikom Asslam, Ahmed. Leen said yes!” mom almost squeals. “Yes, habibi, we’re waiting for you.”
“I don’t know whose best friend is he . . .” I say.
“I was actually gonna say the same,” Mariam laughs.
This night, Mariam suggested we should have dinner outside because ‘Adam is about getting married, guys! We must celebrate!’ But I told her we better stay home today because Ahmed isn’t feeling really good.
“Maybe going out would cheer him up,” she says when we’re alone in the kitchen. Ahmed has actually told Omar and mom only that he left Reham, non of my sisters knew anything yet; we kind of avoided talking about it.
I sigh, “He just left Reham last week, Mariam. We can’t just celebrate that I’m about to get engaged when he just broke up with his fiancée.”
“Oh my God!” she gasps. “How come we never knew?”
“We’re trying to avoid talking about it,” I say. “It’s really bothering him.”
“Poor him,” she says sadly. “Reham never actually understood him or appreciated the kind of guy she had.”
“Yes,” I say. “I’m actually kind of glad because he gets to find better than her.”
“Inshallah,” she says.
We return to where everyone is in the living room, Ahmed has brought his family over too, and it’s almost like Eid.
“When are we supposed to speak with them about details?” mom asks.
“Mr. Aly said that Leen’s sister engagement is next Thursday, and that we can plan our own engagement after hers,” my heart does a quick flip at the words ‘our own engagement’ but I act nonchalant.
“Jenin’s engagement is this week?” Mariam gasps. “I’ll have to call them.”
“We’re actually invited,” I say.
“Wow!” Mariam says. “Wait,” she pauses. “Whose we?”
“I don’t know, he said you and your family are invited, of course.”
“I guess it’s better if only a few of us would go,” Omar says. “Take mom and Mariam and go.”
“Okay,” I say.
Mariam’s phone beeps announcing a message has come, and she checks it and smiles. I somehow know it’s Leen, so I ask, “Who’s that?”
“It’s Leen,” she replies as she’s typing a reply. “She’s asking me if I’m going to Jenin’s engagement.”
“Did you tell her her-husband-to-be is going as well?” Aya chuckles, and I glare at her.
“Yes, of course I did,” Mariam giggles.
“But she didn’t ask you,” I tell her. “Will you stop volunteering?”
“You look so adorable when you’re shy, Adam, aww!” Mariam squeals, I roll my eyes.
“I can’t wait to see that Leen,” Aya laughs.
“Oh my God,” Mariam almost chokes. “I forgot you’ve never seen her. Come here I’ll show you a picture. You too, Hend.” Aya and Hend rush towards Mariam and they both sit on the armrests digging their faces into her phone.
“Mashallah!” Aya gasps. “She’s so beautiful!”
Hend takes a closer look at the screen, “Look at those eyes, mashallah!” Suddenly the first time I saw her is so clear in front of my eyes as if I’m reliving that moment for real.
“Enough girls, it’s time to prepare dinner,” mom says getting up.
“Isn’t everything all ready?” Mariam asks her.
“Yes, but someone needs to get the food out of the kitchen.” My two sisters, Hend, and Jana follow mom and Ahmed’s mother to the kitchen. A couple of minutes later, they call us into the dining room.
Mariam’s phone beeps again and she checks it. “Leen said Jenin and her want me to go shopping with them,” she says to no one in particular. “Omar, can I go?”
Omar looks up from his plate, “Yes, if mom agrees.”
“Well, I’m okay with it,” mom says and Mariam’s smile goes wider.
“Are you really that close to them?” Aya asks her.
“I know they don’t have much friends actually,” Mariam says. “Jenin almost has no close friends, just colleagues at work, and Leen’s best friend lives in Gaza. So I’m their only friend apparently, besides their cousins; some of them do live here, while the rest are in Jordan.”
“Aha,” says Aya. “Anyway it’s really good that they like you.” She looks at me with a mischievous smile and I scowl at her. “Mariam, can I borrow your car tomorrow?” she asks changing the subject.
“Why?”
“I need to try driving to university on my own,” Aya explains. “I’ve already finished my driving course, and waiting for someone to drive me every morning is really annoying.”
“And who would drive me?” Mariam asks.
“It’s just for one day, Mariam,” Aya pleads. “If it works well I’ll ask them to buy me a car soon, okay?”
“Ugh, okay.”
“Thank you!”
“Adam?” Mariam calls innocently.
“I’m not driving anyone anywhere! Forget it,” I say.
“Adam, please!” she pleads. “What am I supposed to do?”
“You both can go together.”
“We leave at different times,” Aya points out.
“But I already have to drive Malek to school,” I remind them.
“Then we can go together,” Mariam says. “We can take Malek to school, then you take me to my work, is that fine?”
“Who told you I was the chauffeur in this house?” I ask.
“No one, habibi,” Mariam smiles innocently. “That’s really generous of you to be driving us!”
“Whatever,” I say and she laughs under her breath. “But don’t be late because I have to go to work too, I need to do something.”
“Okay, okay.”
The next morning, Malek wakes me up at seven. “Wake aunt Mariam up, too!” I shout as he runs out of the room.
“Okaay,” he says dashing towards her room. “Auntie, auntie,” he calls out and I feel sorry for her, but she asked for it anyway, didn’t she?
I take a shower and change quickly, and as I’m putting the perfume bottle back down, Mariam comes in, fully dressed as well, but sleepy as hell. I laugh, “Did you regret it yet?”
She rubs her eyes and frowns, “No.”
“Fine, then, let’s get going,” I say laughing again.
We get Malek into his class and I leave before Mariam to the cafeteria to buy us two cups of coffee. As I’m waiting for the guy to give me the cups, I check my watch because I think she’s late. The guy handles me the coffee and I turn around and see her from a distance, talking to a girl. From the way the girl is dressed, and the way Mariam talks to her it was obvious the girl is Leen. I involuntarily take a step backwards and look the other way. I text Mariam a ‘hurry up’ message and wait.
Two minutes later Mariam walks towards me and Leen turns around and waves at her, then turns back to leave. Before she completely turns back, she sees me and stands in her track for a split second then goes on.
“Why didn’t you say hi to her?” Mariam asks.
“I don’t know,” I say genuinely. “Was I supposed to?”
“I don’t know,” she thinks for a while, “it’s just weird that you’re both getting engaged and you see her and act as if you don’t know her.”
“Well, she acted as if she doesn’t know me either,” I say.
“She’s the girl, Adam,” Mariam rolls her eyes. “She’ll never talk first.”
“Maybe that’s better anyway,” I shrug. “I’ll say hi when she’s officially my fiancée.”
I drop Mariam off, and head to work. Two hours later I’m in the car, mentally having a quarrel with my luck. Did they really have to assign a trip to me on Wednesday? I’ll be leaving on Wednesday night and coming back on Friday. All the luck in the word decided to stick out its tongue at me. I’ve always wanted to see Greece as I’ve never been there before, but I didn’t have to be there on Jenin’s engagement day when I’d be meeting Leen’s family.
Fine. Here we go, Greece.
~~~
Adam has a kind of luck which is just like mine -.-
Sooo, hope you loved this chapter! Wanna see your comments!
Nouran.