Page 23 of First Comes Marriage
Daadi was relaxing, watching TV in between making phone calls and Uncle Imtiaz had roped in Zafar, Shoaib and Khalil to help him with some wedding-related errands that required brawn. Uncle Jawad had gone with them too.
When Uncle Imtiaz had come to make his request, Zafar had flexed his biceps and waggled his eyebrows at her and she’d been momentarily stunned, before giving him a withering look and then turning the other way.
It was strange how the events of the last couple of days had them both acting completely differently. There was an ease about Zafar she’d not seen before, whereas she felt more highly strung than she’d ever been, especially among her own relatives.
Zafar was showing glimpses of being carefree and playful and Reshma wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was it an act he was putting on for the benefit of their audience or was it genuinely how he was and she’d just not seen it before? Whatever it was, she needed to remain on guard. The last thing she needed was to be lulled by his charming ways andthen be back where she had been a few days ago. Living in a bubble, or worse, facing more pain and heartache.
She’d come to the conclusion that she hadn’t been so much in love with Zafar as she had been in love with the idea of him. She’d allowed herself to blur the lines between the two, when there was a distinct difference. Now that she’d identified that difference, she could put her feelings into a box at the back of her mind and focus her attention on other things with little to zero potential of causing her any more hurt than she’d already suffered.
Finishing her work for the day and with her renewed resolve, she made her way towards Auntie Bilqis’ villa to see what she and Haniya were up to. Daadi decided to accompany her and the two of them headed over there, taking in the beautifully landscaped gardens around them. When they got closer to the villa, it was to find that the guys were back and almost everyone was congregated near the main entrance.
‘What’s happening here?’ Daadi paused as she took the sight in, one hand holding her walking stick and her other arm linked with Reshma’s. Haniya spotted them and she got Zafar’s attention and the pair of them made their way towards her and Daadi.
‘What’s going on, Niya? I leave you for one morning and suddenly …’ Her sentence trailed off as she saw the solemn look on her cousin’s face. ‘What is it? Is everything OK?’
Haniya nodded as Zafar came and stood next to her, a somewhat serious expression on his face too.
It didn’t take long for Reshma’s confusion to clear. Haniya spoke to her in hushed tones as Reshma watched Auntie Ruqayyah and Uncle Jawad talking to each other in the distance. ‘Uncle Ahsan has just arrived with hisfamily.’ Reshma jerked her face from her aunt and uncle to her cousin, finding her looking back at her with a sympathetic expression on her face, while Reshma stared with her mouth hanging open until she snapped it shut.Her father was here?‘As far as I’m aware, no one knew he was coming until earlier today. Apparently, it was supposed to be a surprise, until he got to the airport and called and asked to be picked up. They’ve got so much stuff, they had to arrange two cars and Auntie Ruqayyah’s been busy trying to sort out a villa for them. Classic Uncle Ahsan, eh?’
Reshma swallowed the sudden dryness in her throat and felt a hollow pit open up behind her sternum. It was always difficult coming face to face with her father. There was a tremendous amount of unease all around and it left her feeling completely depleted of energy. In addition to the usual awkwardness of the situation was the fact that this was the first time Reshma was going to see her father after her own wedding, at which she’d asked Uncle Jawad to walk her to the ceremony rather than her father, much to his shock.
‘Niya?’ Someone called for Haniya, and after promising that she’d be back in a moment, she moved away, leaving Reshma standing there feeling a tightness in her gut and instinctively taking a step back, only to feel a warm hand cup her elbow with firm support, steadying her.
She looked behind her to find Zafar looking down at her. She’d never shared details of her childhood or her relationship – or lack thereof – with her father with Zafar. She didn’t even know how much he knew or how much was common knowledge in their social circles. She supposed she would find out, and if he didn’t know, he would shortly.
‘Are you all right?’ There was comfort imbued in his voice and a steadiness in his grasp around her elbow.
She jerked her head in a nod and then focused her eyes on the scene not too far away, where her father was greeting Auntie Ruqayyah.
Neither Zafar nor Daadi moved forward to greet the newcomers and with her feet stuck to the ground, she couldn’t – didn’t – move either.
Her father moved back from meeting his sister and brother-in-law so his wife could do the same. He called his two sons and daughter forward and introduced them to the people immediately surrounding them. One by one, everyone hugged or shook hands with the new arrivals.
Moments later, her father came upon them.
‘Auntie Mumtaz. It’s lovely to see you.’
‘How are you, Ahsan?’ While Daadi didn’t sound her usual warm and cheery self, she wasn’t outright cold.
‘Good, good. This is my wife, Huriya, my two sons, Anwar and Habib, and my baby girl, Sakina.’
Saidbaby girl– who was around fifteen years old, Reshma knew – didn’t look too pleased with her father’s description of her.
Daadi looked over everyone, bestowing a smile on her father’s family after she greeted them individually. ‘It’s nice to meet you all.’
Reshma wanted to move further back and not have to do this, especially with everyone watching, but she knew she didn’t have a choice. It had only ever been a matter of time before she would come face to face with her father and his family. They did share an extended family after all.
She’d met his wife before – who had made it clear that she’d rather she wasn’t referred to as the stepmother – and seen his sons and daughter too. But this was the first timethey were meeting each other in such close quarters and after a considerable period of time. When Uncle Jawad had invited them all to Reshma’s wedding, only her father had turned up, saying that the others were away visiting his wife’s family and so they couldn’t come, something Reshma had been somewhat relieved by.
She swallowed to ease the dryness in her throat as her father stepped forward. She felt Zafar’s hand move away from her elbow and her traitorous body instantly mourned the loss of contact. Even if it was Zafar, and with all the problems they had between them, at least she hadn’t felt completely alone in the moment. She curled her fingers in on themselves, but in the next moment she felt them being prised apart as Zafar intertwined his fingers with hers, linking their hands together.
She chanced a quick glance his way and he gave her a reassuring smile, a corner of his mouth lifting as his eyes softened, their focus solely on her. He squeezed her hand at the same time and Reshma felt a warmth imbue her as she turned to face her father once more.
‘Reshma, my dear, how are you?’ Her father had one hand in his pocket as he rocked on his heels.
She caught sight of Uncle Jawad and Auntie Bilqis over her father’s shoulder and her aunt smiled at her reassuringly while her uncle winked at her. The unease in her gut settled some more and she looked at the man standing in front of her again. He looked the same as he always did, smartly dressed with not a hair out of place. His closely trimmed beard had a bit more grey in it, but aside from that, she couldn’t see any major difference from the last time she’d seen him.
He held an arm out and Reshma stepped forward for a side hug, her father patting her shoulder twice before easing back. ‘Hello, Daddy.’
