Page 6 of First Comes Marriage
He hadn’t appreciated until now how hard it was going to be to come clean with her about how he came to be in Mombasa. She looked so happy. The last thing he wanted was to hurt or upset her. He knew he wasn’t a contender for a ‘Husband of the Year Award’, but he cared for her. He wanted a relationship of mutual respect and maybe even some level of affection between them and he hoped that when he told her the truth, it wouldn’t widen the chasm that had been between them since they’d got married.
‘How’s your time here been so far? Been enjoying yourself?’ he asked in an attempt to move away from the difficult conversation and feelings it was engendering.
‘I have.’ A broad smile broke out on her face and her eyes sparkled. ‘It’s been really good. The last ten days have flown by. I’ve been working, but I’ve also helped with some last-minute wedding stuff. I’ve had the chance to spend some quality time with my aunt and cousins after ages. And now everyone else is here too, so I’m really happy.’
The driver pulled the car into a bay, bringing their conversation to a natural close. Everyone gathered on the pavement before Reshma’s uncle led them into the restaurant. The top floor had been reserved for their party, with two long rectangular tables set up in the middle of the room. A group of people were standing off to one side and as they saw the bridal party approach, they came to the doors to greet them.
Reshma’s aunt made all the introductions for those who weren’t familiar with her daughter’s fiancé and his family.
Zafar saw his grandmother with another one of Reshma’s aunts. She was in her element as the people gathered around her hung on her every word. She was familiar with most of Reshma’s family before they had got married through the long association the two families had. Despite that though, he had only met Reshma when his father had made the introduction with a view to arranging their match.
Reshma’s cousin – Khalil? – called them over and all the cousins and siblings sat at one table with the bride- and groom-to-be. Their parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents sat on the second table. Zafar knew some of her relatives, but in that moment, he felt like the new kid in the class who watched all the action around him, not sure where he fitted in. He felt a bit out of place.
He had a fleeting thought that this was probably how Reshma had felt when she’d joined his family, but he couldn’t dwell on it for long because one of her cousins called out to him.
‘You have to tell us, Zafar, because your wife won’t spill any beans, how miserable life with her really is. And don’t hold back. We’ve known her since childhood and are well aware of what a nightmare she’s capable of being.’
Zafar looked between Reshma and her cousins, unable to hold back his surprise at the exchange between them and let out an unexpected laugh when Reshma stuck her tongue out at one of them. She faced him abruptly and he saw a rosy flush fill her cheeks, though she didn’t say anything, just grinned sheepishly. He’d never seen Reshma like this and he found himself fascinated.
The meal was exquisite, with brilliant company. Reshma’s cousins didn’t spare a single chance to have a dig at each other and he was surprised to see Reshma join in with them just as ruthlessly. It reminded him of how he bantered with his brothers. In the short time he’d been there, he’d seen a different side to Reshma he hadn’t even known had existed and he was intrigued by it. There was more he didn’t know about the woman next to him than he did and he thought that, if nothing else, he’d get the opportunity to find out more about her while they were here.
By the time the evening came to a close, he felt quite relaxed, though physically tired after the day of travelling he’d had. On the way back, Reshma gave him an explanation of her family tree when he asked her how they were all related. ‘Uncle Jawad is the eldest, followed by Auntie Ruqayyah and then my … my father.’ She went quiet for a moment but Zafar didn’t say anything.
He knew Reshma didn’t have a good relationship with her dad, but he didn’t know what had caused the rift or why it was still ongoing. He knew she’d been raised by her uncle Jawad and his wife Bilqis after the death of her mother when she was a child and that was it. They’d never had a conversation about it and he’d never thought to ask.
‘You already know Shoaib and Haniya – Uncle Jawad’s kids. Khalil and Saleema are Auntie Ruqayyah’s children and Uncle Imtiaz is her husband. That’s the immediate family. The others who’ll be joining us over the coming days are distant relatives and family friends. I’ll introduce you as and when we meet them. But the ones I’ve told you about are the important ones.’
When they got back to the villas, Reshma’s aunt met them outside with Daadi and led them to a villa a few metres from hers.
‘We thought this was the best option of being together but also being able to have our own space and make the most of this glorious location,’ Auntie Ruqayyah explained. ‘You have access to the private beach, an on-site gym and a pool behind your villa. It’s all serviced by a small team who take care of all the villas, so if you need anything, just alert a staff member. Reshma knows.’
They were left to settle in and all Zafar wanted to do was to drop face down on a bed and sleep.
‘Why don’t you go upstairs? I’ll help get Daadi settled in the bedroom downstairs. Auntie Ruqayyah said all our luggage has already been moved for us,’ Reshma suggested as they walked through an open-plan living area.
Zafar didn’t need to be told twice, and after bidding his grandmother a good night, he made his way towards the stairs.
The staircase led to an internal balcony which overlooked the living area downstairs and there was just one door along the whole wall, which led to the bedroom.
Zafar went into the exceptionally large bedroom which took up the entire width of the villa and found a huge bed dominated the space on one side of the room and a small seating area was set up in front of one of the walls that was made entirely of glass. Beyond the glass, he could see furniture on a balcony. There was a bathroom and an adjoining dressing room on the other side of the room and in there he saw his and Reshma’s luggage.
He grabbed a pair of sleep shorts and made his way into the bathroom.
By the time he had finished his shower, there back was still no sign of Reshma, so he went to the bed and decided to wait for her there.
He wanted to talk to her sooner rather than later because the longer he left it, the worse he was feeling about hermisunderstanding his sudden appearance. He lay back, checking his watch to find that it was just gone midnight.
Zafar turned over, slowly opening one eye and seeing shafts of sunlight hit the wooden floor. He closed his eye and turned the other way, only to jerk his eyes open and look around the room. Daylight streamed in through the gauzy excuse of a curtain covering the glass wall as he slowly blinked the remnants of sleep out of his eyes. He glanced to his side and saw that while the space was empty, it had been slept in.
He heaved a tired sigh. He’d fallen asleep. Without talking to her.
Reshma had probably come up and seen him sprawled on the bed like a beached whale, out for the bloody count, and when she’d woken up, he’d probably been in the same position. Travelling never had agreed with him.
Argh, shit.
He scrubbed his face as he sat up and looked at the time. Ten-thirty.
‘Oh. You’re up.’ He looked at the doorway and saw Reshma framed in it, dressed in a bright orange dress and looking like she’d been up for a good few hours. ‘How are you feeling?’
