Page 36 of First Comes Marriage
She scoffed and Zafar was reassured that she wasn’t terrified, just nervous.
Zafar stepped forward and took the proffered bucket of feed from the staff member and held it out to the giraffe like he was instructed to, Reshma staying behind him, her hands now firmly grasping the fabric of his T-shirt at his waist as she peeked around him at the giraffe.
‘It’s actually eating.’ She whispered the words in wonder, the warmth of her breath tickling his ear as the giraffe lowered its head and took a mouthful of feed.
One couldn’t appreciate how large an animal it was until you were standing at a mere six feet and four inches beside its impressive height of almost eighteen feet. Zafar felt a sense of reverence at the wonder that was nature and their place as humans in it.
‘Why don’t you try it? They’re really gentle and happy,’ the staff member addressed Reshma, who was still ducked behind him and observing proceedings over his shoulder. Her grip had moved to his shoulder and was tight, making him aware of their positions. She had bunched his T-shirt under her fingers and now that he was focusing on her touch, he felt her other hand around his arm as though it were a source of heat, slowly warming him, one degree at a time. Her touch elicited an awareness in him and he nearly lost his hold on the bucket. He adjusted his grip just as the giraffe lowered its head for more.
Another giraffe ambled towards them and the staff member beside them held out a bucket for Reshma. ‘Let me hold it with you. You’ll see how friendly they are. They love all this attention.’
She came and stood beside him, still tucked away a bit, and held the bucket with assistance as the second giraffe lowered its head and took a mouthful of feed.
‘That’s it. See?’
Reshma turned and looked at Zafar, her eyes wide and her smile the broadest he’d ever seen, before she mouthed an ‘oh my God’ to him.
The experience was truly mesmerising and Zafar couldn’t think of another time when he’d felt this relaxed in the last seven years at least. His life had been a series of twists and turns, and while he had some major regrets, coming out here wasn’t one of them, even if the lead-up to it and how it had happened was. He was glad that he’d come, he just wished he had done so of his own accord.
The buckets emptied and the giraffes ambled away when there was no more food to be had, losing interest in hanging around. Zafar watched them with Reshma as they regally made their way across the wilderness. He turned and found her staring at the giraffes with a serene smile on her face before she turned that smile on him.
16
Reshma
Reshma placed her napkin on her empty plate and let out a soft sigh of contentment. If a week ago, someone had told her that she’d be looking over the beach with her husband, as the sun set while they had dinner at an Italian restaurant because he’d discovered that Italian food was her favourite, she’d have checked their temperature and asked them if they needed a doctor.
Yet, here she was.
With each inhale and exhale of ocean-scented air, Reshma felt another small piece of her tension from the past ten days wash away and a sense of peace take its place. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so … relaxed and at ease. That wasn’t to say that every aspect of her life had fallen into perfect place. It hadn’t, but things were certainly looking up and she felt happier than she had in a while.
Unfortunately, the situation with her father was more fraught than ever after Zafar’s confrontation with him, though she’d been on the receiving end of a few acknowledging nods from him whenever she’d seen him. She didn’t have a great deal of hope that things would miraculously be perfect between them, she wasn’t that naive. But she would have liked … Her sigh this time was tinged withsadness, some of her earlier happiness dimming. Maybe she was naive after all. She didn’t expect him to start treating her like he did his other children, but some connection would have been nice, she supposed.
On the upside, however, things with Zafar were looking … well, up. Reshma smiled at her own thoughts. She felt giddy thinking about it even now, but today had been incredible. It had been one surprise after another and she had loved each and every one of them. Firstly, his idea to go to the animal sanctuary and then to include her cousins when he could have easily let it be just the two of them. It would have given them a chance to spend some time with each other without anyone else around, but he’d involved her cousins knowing it would make her happy, and it had. Very much so.
Spending time with him, talking to him as though they were a regular married couple having a chat had been such a novel experience for her, too. And to top it off, he’d booked a table at a nearby restaurant and this time, itwasjust the two of them. The restaurant was on the beach and with their table on a deck under an awning, the soothing sound of the waves in the background, and sumptuous Italian food, Reshma had felt like she was dreaming.
Because that was what the day had felt like, something out of a dream. They’d watched the sunset as they ate, conversation flowing easily from one topic to another. They spoke about his work, her work, the trip so far and then the conversation moved onto family, except this time rather than discuss her family dynamics, they’d spoken of his.
They’d finished their meal and the waiter cleared their plates and took their order for tiramisu and coffee.
Zafar leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed and handsome as he watched the waves. The setting sun cast agolden glow over him and he looked like he belonged on a magazine cover sitting there. His hair looked lighter, as did his eyes. The stark white of his linen shirt contrasted against his sun-kissed skin and Reshma watched him intently as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving with the motion, drawing her attention to it and the exposed skin beneath it at the top of his chest.
The waiter snapped her out of her intense focus on him as he placed their items on the table and left. Zafar leaned forward, adding sugar to his coffee and stirring it gently. She zeroed in on the movement, his wrist rotating the spoon rhythmically, almost hypnotically. He pulled the spoon out of the coffee, set it in the saucer and then lifted the cup to his lips, Reshma following each and every movement of his as though she was under a spell.
The cup paused in its tilt as Zafar rested it against his lips and when she looked at his face, he was staring back at her, one eyebrow raised a fraction.
She immediately looked down and loaded her fork with a huge bite of tiramisu and put it into her mouth, eliciting a rumbling laugh from Zafar which warmed her in ways that were completely new to her and making her smile. Well, as much as she could with her mouth full.
‘I meant to ask you.’ She swallowed her mouthful and tried to get conversation back on track after herlittle moment. ‘When was the last time you were here in Mombasa? Or Kenya for that matter? Daadi said you holidayed here often as a child.’
‘We did. We used to come out here every couple of years, but once we were mostly teenagers, the frequency reduced. And the last time I was here was six years ago for my cousin Safiya’s wedding, though, sadly, it wasn’t a happy time for us, because soon after that, our family fell apart.’
Reshma knew of Zafar’s cousin Safiya, but no one ever spoke about her and she’d never braved asking anyone about her either. She could hear the sorrow and pain in Zafar’s voice crystal clear.
He stared at his cup, his mind seeming miles away, and Reshma placed her hand on his arm and gently squeezed it. ‘You don’t have to talk about it if it upsets you, Zafar. I wouldn’t want that.’
He smiled as he moved his arm and held her hand in his own, squeezing it before letting go. ‘I’d like to, if you’re up for it? I have to warn you though, it’s a long story and doesn’t make for pleasant listening.’
