Their Fate

chapter 4

Hairah

As usual, when I place the bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee on the kitchen counter, I Skype call my parents. They connect the call immediately. They know the time of my call, so probably they were anticipating it.

"Assalam Alaikum." This time, it is my dad, who greets me first. I smile at them. How my heart calms when I see them.

"Wa Alaikum Assalam." We go on like that. They tell me about their day, what happened in the family, new information about what happened in Kerala, then India, and so on.

"And Ayra, Ashfa's engagement is fixed. I saw the groom, Masha Allah, so handsome." My mother informs me. I don't know what I'm feeling right now. Is it jealousy? No, it's not. It's something else. I am happy for her. Yes, I truly am.
Maybe I am thankful to her. Without her, I wouldn't be here. Without what she has done.

"Masha Allah. Convey my regards to her. Or even better, I'll message her." We haven't messaged each other for so long now. Maybe it's time. Ummi informs me about the groom and his family. Then, what is the groom doing? What he studied and so on. You know, that's how Malayali parents are or it's better to say, desi parents.

"Ayra, you are 24. It's time for you to get married. I should start searching for proposals. Now, don't refuse. I have already searched for grooms. Some seem to be a match." Ummi states. Ya, Allah! Marriage?

I know it's time for me to start searching for a groom, oh well my parents will search. The truth is I do want to get married, but somehow, I couldn't picture myself in a family, my family - me, my husband, and my children.

Before answering, I stuff a spoon full of cereals into my mouth. That's a better way of answering, "If you want, you can." My words were barely clear, but that's exactly what I want.

"What? No matter what you say, I am searching. I'll let you know if I find one." Ummi was firm in her decision. Whatever! Only what Allah willed will happen.

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I'm on my way to the cafeteria, it's lunchtime and I got a message from Ihsan saying that she is already waiting for me in the cafe. The message was not direct. It was a group message. Yes, we- no, Zaina made a WhatsApp group 'Lalala Indians', what a name, I know.

So now, I'm hurrying there. After spotting her, I walked to where she was. We greet each other. Zaina had a meeting, so she could not make it here. So we spent our lunch together.

I sat there listening to her cute stories about her daughters. It was wonderful, Masha Allah. Eating lunch was now my favourite part. It's been only two days since I met this woman, but she was already sharing her beautiful stories. Maybe she had considered me as one of her close people, or maybe it's because she is an extrovert? Allah knows.

"I'm blabbering about my life for a while now. It's time for you to contribute. Tell me about your life." Ihsan tells. I just laughed it off. It's good to hear her talk. "Come on." She says again.

"There's nothing out of the ordinary." I think something to talk about. Nothing is coming , so I decided to talk about today's chat with Mother. "Ah, today when I called my parents, ummi told me that she was searching for a groom for me. So, I guess my nikkah will happen soon." I say with a laugh. Maybe I should invite her in advance. Knowing ummi, she probably had already found a groom.

"Aah," is all Ihsan says. She was a bit taken aback. She also seems to be lost in thought. So I wave my hand in front of her face. "Where are you?" I ask.

"No, nothing. When do you go home after your work?" She asks eagerly.

"At four. That's when I leave here. Why?"