Thorns and Roses

9

It's a night before Eid, the joyful chaos, scent of spices and movement of palace guards. The girls seated with henna perfectly adorned on their hands, the mother's seated around them in the biggest women chamber of the palace.

Fulfude, a language best when spoken by its owner, flies around. From the ones mixing with English to those sticking to it alone.

Sameera sat across her mother waiting for her henna to dry up. It's been a hectic day and her mind and body needs to reconnect.
She shifted uncomfortably, staring at her feet that are covered with black nylon.

"How many minutes do I have left?" She asked the henna artist. The woman clicked on her phone and light came on showing 10:39pm.

"You have less than an hour, just 21 minutes to go." She informed her.

She attempted to cover her yawn with her right hand which is also covered in black nylon. She flinched at the bitter taste that meets her lips.

"Sameera, when are we to expect our in-law?" Her stepmother, the king's second wife asked. Amongst the wives, the second happen to be the only one that takes her mother's children as hers. She welcomes them and also treats their mother who is a lot younger than her like a daughter too.

Sameera blushed at the question. Life lately have been sour. Relationships are things she never paid attention to; and the one time she felt like giving her all, the guy ended up blocking her from all his socials just because she confronted him about him having a fiancée without her knowledge. To her advantage, her heart didn't hurt as she thought it would. The bitter anger lasted for a few days before it died down. Luckily, her school loaded her with so much pressure so time is never something she can take for granted especially think of wasting it on a relationship.

Instead of speaking, she blushed in response. Now she has everything but an answer to that. Suddenly, her mind drifted to the guy, the guy that owes her $100. She smiled at the memory and made a mental note to read the book again...A thousand splendid suns by Khalid Hosseini.

Time passed with women talking endlessly boring Sameera. Unlike her niece who is already planning and replanning events and photoshoots, Sameera retired to her room.

The late hour of the night enveloped her as she drenched herself in the hot water on her bathroom. Slowly she covered herself in the foam made by her bathing gel.

Minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom and put on her sleeping dress. The sleep that was in her eyes hours back now nowhere to be found. She closed her eyes in annoyance. If anything she needs this sleep to function properly tomorrow. She pushed her side bed drawer and pulled out A thousand splendid suns. Maybe, maybe this will help. This is probably the tenth time she is reading the book again this year. Khalid Hosseini sure knows his way with words, and every time she tries to comprehend the thoughts in his head when he wrote the book, she finds herself stuck so reread it again with the hope of being in his head but fail woefully.

She flipped open the first page and a fine set of words welcomed her. A fine handwriting set right before her eyes and it read:

"Khalid Hosseini...don't try wrapping your head around his words for they have ways of piercing through your heart. Also don't try to answer the questions you have for him for you'll drench yourself in sadness and self pity. Read his books but don't comprehend for your fearful eyes should see only the perfection of his writings not otherwise.🫶🏻"
                             -Ahmed.

She flowed the pattern of the writing with her fingers and smiled.  Like he knows her. Still then she pushed herself to read more.

Twenty pages in, her eyes give in to sleep.

**********
The heavy thuds of rainfall on the roof woke Sameera up, she stretched her arms saying her morning supplication. It's already thirty minutes after subh prayer so she rushed into the bathroom and performed ablution.

She prayed for her parents well-being and a blessed life for her and her siblings and hoped silently the rain wouldn't last because her best part of Eid is the durbar and obviously the rain might stop the whole process. She quickly took a shower and wore her red atamfa, elegantly drenched a white complimenting chantily veil over it. Make up is not a part of her identity so she put on a little kohl and smeared a light red lipstick over her lips. To finish her look, she sprayed her jimmy choo perfume all over herself and walked out.

The ambience of the house wasn't how she expected it, she met her mum and a few other people at the main sitting room. She greeted them and joined the conversation they were having. An hour passed, the rain stopped and then people started trolling in, the sound of Algaita wailed throughout the palace signaling the Emir is stepping out to the Eid ground. Together with her mum and the other women, Sameera joined the queue of going to the mosque.

Eid prayer was offered the Eid Precision began.