Page 3 of First Comes Marriage
Her husband. The man she had left behind in London. Or rather, the man who hadchosento stay behind and work rather than spend a few weeks with her.
She blinked a few more times, unsure if she was seeing things or if he was really there. He was the last person she had expected to see that evening. Or at all during thistrip, really. Hadn’t he made his feelings about coming with her crystal clear?
He lifted one eyebrow before a corner of his mouth slowly turned up, very muchthere. She wasn’t seeing things after all.
He looked as handsome as always, immaculately dressed in dark trousers and a light grey shirt, his jaw was clean-shaven and his hair was neatly styled in short layers. His grin broadened a fraction as he tilted his head to the side ever so slightly and Reshma felt a spark of joy light inside her at the sight of him as her tummy did a little somersault.
Zafar was here. He’d actually come.
Those two thoughts circled in her mind a couple of times before coming to a standstill as she processed them fully.
Zafar was here?! Why?
The small spark of joy she’d felt seconds ago metamorphosised into uncertainty, slowly engulfing the joy she’d experienced until it was entirely gone. She was sure the change in her reaction was visible on her face because she saw the shift in his expression before he turned and looked pointedly down at the person standing beside him.
Reshma moved her eyes that way too and was surprised anew when she saw his grandmother standing beside him, her face wreathed in smiles as she slowly lifted her arms and beckoned Reshma to come forward.
‘Daadi?’ This time, there was definitely joy in her reaction and she let it spill forth, ignoring her bewilderment momentarily as she stepped forward and hugged Daadi, inhaling her signature floral scent.
‘Hello, sweetheart. How did you like our first surprise?’
Reshma eased back and held onto Daadi’s hands as she took in her sweet face. ‘I’m over the moon to see you.’ Which she was, it was no lie. She couldn’t say exactlythe same about her grandson, but she also couldn’t say as much to his grandmother.
When Reshma had spoken to Zafar about coming to Mombasa for Saleema’s wedding, he’d refused to even entertain the idea. He’d told her how important his work was and how he couldn’t afford to leave it and ‘go off to some destination wedding with her’.
She’d stewed on that for quite some time, going through various thoughts, and at the end of all that thinking – and a blinding headache because of it – she’d come to the conclusion that his refusal had bothered her and it wasn’t just about going to Saleema’s wedding. It was more than that. So much more than that. But the invitation to Saleema’s wedding had ended up becoming a catalyst for her. It had sparked Reshma into thinking very carefully about Zafar, their marriage, her place in his life and his home and, most importantly she supposed, it had forced her to think about herself. About who she was, where she was and where she wanted to be. Of course, there were additionalhowsandwhatsthat could be included and answered, but the point was that she’d had some choices and decisions to make. Was she going to simply accept Zafar’s refusal and choose not to attend Saleema’s wedding in Mombasa or was she going to do something else?
Given the fact that she was standing in the front courtyard of a complex of villas her aunt and uncle had hired for their daughter’s wedding, in Mombasa, she had chosen to do something else.
What didn’t fit the narrative, however, was Zafar’s sudden appearance. It really was a surprise and then Reshma remembered Daadi’s words.
She glanced around her and behind Daadi. ‘You said first surprise. What’s the second?’
‘Surprise!’ Reshma turned to look behind her as the sound of her uncle Jawad’s voice boomed across the space, drowning out the voices of his immediate family who stood beside him. She wasn’t expecting them to arrive until the following week.
She beamed at them as she made her way towards them, hugging her two cousins and aunt before she was enveloped by the arms of her beloved uncle. He squeezed her against himself and Reshma rested her head against his broad chest, heaving a sigh of contentment. It didn’t matter how old she was, this was the one place where she felt most at peace.
They eased away from each other and he smiled down at her. ‘We managed to get early flights and brought Auntie Mumtaz and Zafar along with us to surprise you. Happy?’
Reshma looked at all the faces around her, their attention solely on her and her reaction. She jerked her head up and down in a nod and heard a collective ‘Aww’ from everyone. What could she have said anyway?
I’m happy to seeyouUncle Jawad, the family, and Daadi. But Zafar?
It wasn’t that she didn’t want him there.
She did, very much so, that’s why she’d asked him to come in the first place, but after his blatant refusal to even consider the idea of coming here with her, she couldn’t understand what had prompted him to change his mind. She was truly baffled by this turnaround.
Her aunt Ruqayyah – her father’s sister and the bride’s mother – chose that moment to step forward.
‘It’s been so hard to keep this secret from you since yesterday, but worth it. Are you happy, my darling?’
Reshma looked at the exuberance on her aunt’s face and smiled back at her as her cousin, Khalil, moved forward,throwing his arm across her shoulders before she could respond to her aunt.
‘Everyone got a hug. But poor Zafar, who has come all the way from London to be here with you, barely got a nod. Don’t be shy on our account, cuz. If you would prefer, we can all look the other way.’
Reshma felt her cheeks warm.
‘Behave yourself, Khalil, and stop embarrassing them.’ Auntie Ruqayyah –thankfully– stopped her son from making things any more awkward and addressed Daadi. ‘Auntie Mumtaz, we’ve been invited by Saleema’s fiancé and his family for dinner tonight. I told them that you and Zafar and Jawad and his family will be with us too, but I was wondering if you’d like to have a bit of a rest before we leave? I’m sure they won’t mind us getting there in two groups.’
