𝐴 𝑇ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝐴𝑡 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝐴𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛

'And if happiness visits you again, do not remember it's previous betrayal. Enter into the happiness and burst!'
~mahmoud darwish.

Rahma didn't think she'd ever seen her brother have a smile on his face for a long period, until he came home after the wedding knot had been tied. He couldn't drop the smile even if he wanted to, when he had come to greet the family after he returned from the brides home, he was all smiles, besides everyone kept teasing him so he couldn't even stop.

He and his friends retired to the boys' quarters, Salma arranged for food to be taken to them and let Rahma and hameeda take care of preparations to welcome the bride later.

It was after asr they got news of their coming, Rahma waited out front so she could be the first to welcome them. She knew her aunties well and she felt like not everyone would be warm and kind so it was better she saw a familiar face.

Minutes after she stood outside, engaged in an unwanted conversation with one of her aunties about some guy she could hook her up with. The gates were opened and the cars started trooping in. Of course, her brother arranged for well to do cars to get his bride. She smiled and walked to where the cars were parked and most of the doors started to open and reveal ladies, young and old, she believed were her friends, cousins and aunties.

There was one car that didn't open up and she believed that their bride was in there, she stopped to greet the other ladies that were standing outside the cars already, she recognised some of them from when they went to deliver the lefe. An older lady opened the last car which was the one in the middle and carefully, a younger lady stepped out and helped rukayya out. Rahma moved forward to hold her sister-in-law's hand.

"Hello, amarya". She greeted quietly but couldn't see her sister's face as she was veiled.

"Rahma?".

"You sound happy to see me". Rukayya laughed lightly and they proceeded inside. Rahma guiding them on where to go. They stopped in the living room to greet some ladies. Then they went to their grandmother's room to greet the old ladies, they spent longer there, then they went upstairs to mummy's room where most gathered as she would be unveiled there.

One of Rahma's nice aunties, her mother's younger sister came forward and did the honours. Rahma smiled as she remembered her wedding when they rained praises on rukayya. She left to look for her sister as the aunties were now giving rukayya advices, Rahma did not wish to hear.

She found hameeda just outside the room, halima was inside insisting that she couldn't miss anything.

"Ah gyara sa jiyan ni?(Have they finished the arrangements?)". Rahma asked.

"Yes". The bride and her friends were to stay in anty's side to prepare for the event for later as mummy's side was too crowded.

When they finished showering rukayya with prayers and blessings, Rahma guided them to anty's side and showed them the two rooms prepared for them. She escorted rukayya's anty's and other friends that were not going to stay out to the cars and after bidding them good bye, she took her car keys and left for the event center as she had to check and make sure everything was in place before it was time for the event.

The decorating company were there doing their thing and Rahma appreciated their work, it was everything they planned. She met with the caterers too, they were setting up their things in an outdoor building at the back, so they don't disrupt the event and they aren't disrupted too and everything can be organised as food tend to be the biggest disruption in a wedding.

She went back home when she was satisfied with everything. She wished she could stay at the somewhat peaceful event center instead of their lousy house. Her phone rang just as she parked her car in her usual spot, she looked over at her phone and saw sudais name on the screen, she picked it and placed it to her ear.