Journey of Souls

8. Preparations | تیاری

The next few weeks were chaotic to say the least. Badar would make several rounds daily trying to take people places or to get tasks finished before all of us would leave for Multan. Saba (Alizey's Ammi) and Alizey usually helped out wherever we could and if it was a slower day, most of it was spent by Nani Jaan's side.

Alizey's clothes for the wedding needed some alterations, so she and Saba would go back and forth to the tailor in order to get them fixed. In their visits to the bazaar, they would also find themselves buying things that they could take back home such as clothes, shoes, and jewelry. After all, Alizey knew that her friends' weddings were coming up and these would come in handy for those occasions.

With a week remaining until the wedding, everyone began packing. Since both the mehendi and baraat were going to be happening in Multan and the walima in Lahore, they were going to depart for Multan the day before the mehendi and return the day after the baraat to prepare for the walima.

The accomodations for the stay of the Mahmood family had been arranged by the Shah family, specifically Zafar. The Mahmood's would be living in the guest house that was built right on the property of Shah Mahal. This would allow full participation and ease of preparation while also giving both sides their privacy. The other wedding guests would be staying in locations near the area.

Alizey helped her mother pack all her clothes neatly in her bag with each day's items separated and organized carefully. Alizey was thrilled to attend the first wedding of the family. She wished her Bhai Jaan could be with them, having as much fun as she was. She understood that he had his limitations.

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Over in Multan, the Shah family was also in a frenzy to finish all the preparations before Qurat-ul-Ains in-laws would arrive. Qurat-ul-Ain had been busy herself getting pampered for her big day. She had several appointments booked for her from hair treatments to manicures to facials.

Zafar Ahmad Shah took over all duties to make sure that nothing falls short for his dearest sister's wedding. He payed special attention to the arrangements for the guest house and instructed all people working on the area and in charge of their hospitality.

The two days before the mehendi, Shah Mahal was adorned like a bride. Carnations and marigold flowers graced the entire property as the set up for the mehendi was carried out. Lighting fixtures had been updated and the garden had been perfected. The surrouing fence, gates, and perimeter of the property was strung with celestial lights. The guest house was decorated and prepped with the same combination of flowers and lighting.

The backyard of Shah Mahal looked like it had come out of a bridal event magazine. The stage had been set up. Large vases marked the walkways and were filled with the most elegant, brightly colored flowers. Candles had been placed on every inch of the area making sure that there was no lack of light anywhere. It was truly a sight to behold.

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The Mahmood family was now ready to depart Lahore. They had decided to do a late afternoon/evening journey rather than a daytime one. The Mahmood family had booked an entire bus for the trip so that the family along with some other relatives and Badar's friends would travel with them at maximum convenience.

Alizey set her bags outside the room before getting ready so that the helpers of the house could come and take them. She put on a plain kurta with trousers and a pair of flat sandals. She layered her outfit with a long duster cardigan, anticipating feeling cold on the bus.

Everyone boarded the bus and Alizey took her seat next to Badar, her last time with her best friend before he becomes bound to someone else. With everything set and ready to go, the bus departed for their 3 hour journey. Alizey could feel her eyes get heavy as a result of exhaustion that had ensued within the past few days. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, only to wake up when the bus was standing in front of Shah Mahal.

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hello everyone!

back with another update. this is kind of a filler chapter because I wasnt sure how to jump to the wedding. The next update however will be longer and filled with some interesting scenes as i anticipate. I also changed perspectives with this one and I think I'm going to incorporate dual perspectives within the rest so that we see both Alizey and Zafar's thoughts.

-A