A Sea Of Brown

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 7

It has been a week since Ali came and everything has been quiet. Unusually quiet. Maama never spoke to me about it again neither did Abbu. The day after it all happened Maama treated me like a time bomb and I felt like one, one word from her and I would have gone off again. I knew it was unlike me but I couldn't control the way I felt.

I called Aisha soon afterwards of course and told her everything that happened.
'Ali!! Always-hiding-and-not-talk-to-girls Ali?!' Aisha screamed over the phone
'Yeah, that one!'
'How come though?' She asked 'Why you? Why him? Is it his parents? Tell me everything!'
'I don't know, I haven't talked about it with anyone else.'
'Why?'
'Went of, a bit, at Abbu and Maama.'
'You didn't'
'I did, but I feel bad about it. At first I was annoyed they didn't tell me it was Ali, I was just so annoyed at the whole thing I couldn't help it.'
'Safiyya you should be relieved it's Ali and not a complete stranger you know nothing about, besides its honey eyed Ali, it couldn't have turned out better'
I sighed.
'You think so?'
'I know so, you know so, you know how many times you have spoken about him since Eid? I had a feeling something was coming'
'That is so not true!'
'Don't deny it and if what you have told me is anything to go by Ali is a soft landing'
'What if he's just snobbish that's why he doesn't talk much?'
'Be honest Safiyya, do you think he's snobbish?'
'No' I said meekly.
'So start making up your mind lady'
'Shut up, even Maama is not bothering me with that'
Aisha laughed.
'Sorry Safiyya I have to go, keep me posted'

Aisha gave me the first push I needed before I got the complete shove from Sum.

'So have you been thinking?' Sum asked the night after
'I have. A lot.' That was the plain truth, Its all I have been thinking of.
'And...?' Sum said with a questioning look.
'Sum, seriously, one day is not enough to reach a decision, especially one like this'
'It's actually a good sign that you've been thinking'
'How so?' I asked
'Because if you were not going to consider Ali at all it would have been a straight no, instead you're thinking, meaning you are either right in the middle of the balance or you are tilting towards a yes.'

I just stared at her blankly.

'So, which is it?'

What she said made sense but there was no way I was going to admit.

'You, my sister, are wrong. I'm NOT tilting towards anything, In fact there is no balance here at all. All the thinking I've been doing is mostly about how this whole thing started to begin with, I mean the person behind it. It can't have been Ali himself, it's either Abbu spoke to his parents or his parents spoke to Abbu'

'Or Ali spoke to his parents and his parents spoke to Abbu' Sum added.
'Sum talk some sense please'
'Why do you think he wouldn't?'
'He hardly knows me, why should he?'
'Maybe you've dazzled him during last few incidents and he hasn't been able to get your pretty face out of his head and he just had to speak up before it was too late'
'Be serious' I scowled
'I am being serious, it's not entirely impossible you know'

She did have a point but it was too far fetched, my theory made more sense and added up better. I never imagined myself as someone to get someone's attention like that besides it will be quite shallow of him to make up his mind based on just a few accidental meetings.

'Where has your mind wondered off to' Sum called back my attention.
'You know something funny, my mind has been everywhere but the decision making part. When ever I get to that point it's like I hit a brick wall and step back'
'Lets get you through that wall then' Sum straightened her back.
'How?'
'Let's start with reasons for your No, give me all the reasons why you think you should turn Ali down'
'Ok, let's see' I said getting serious too, 'I don't know anything about him, neither does he about me. Then...'
'Go on' Sum said
'Then there is the fact that it's really awkward. I've known him ever since they moved to London, we have hardly spoken to each other before and suddenly I'm to consider marrying him'
'Mhm, next reason' Sum urged me on.