The Wedding

Chapter 9

Sunday

20 days to the wedding

"Ya Halima?" Laila set aside her breakfast plate before speaking, not sure if this was the right time. That's assuming there's ever a right time to tell your sister your parents were getting divorced. She wondered how Ya Halima hadn't noticed the change. Quite alright she wasn't the most observant daughter in the house but she was in their company all the time, how could she not see how their mother never had breakfast with their father anymore before leaving for work... I mean how many times can a person not have appetite?

"Yes?" she answered distantly. She was stood over the gas cooker, preparing the oats to be taken to the hospital for Uncle Hassan.

Laila keeps quiet due to the sudden presence of their maid in the kitchen. She speaks to the maid instead "Are you looking for something?"

The girl shakes her head. "You. Uncle Yusuf is here to see you"

"Tell him I'll be out shortly" when the maid leaves Laila speaks, "Ya there's something I wanted to tell you"

"It can wait, whatever it is. Go meet your husband"

"Fiancé" Laila corrects. She's about to protest her sister's shooing her away when she decided to leave. Breaking such news should not be done in a hurry, she'd tell her later. Besides, Zee should be there any second so they had to leave. She excuses herself and gets her veil to put it in place before walking outside to meet Yusuf.

As usual she finds him leaned against his car and she walks up to him and they exchanged greetings.

"I didn't know you were coming" she says

"I just wanted to drop in and see you before going to work"

"Thanks. How's your mom?"

They exchange pleasantries and ask of each other's wellbeing; routine.

Suddenly though, Yusuf's demeanour changes and he looks more happy and more alive than she's ever seen him.

"You look beautiful"

Laila masks her confused frown with a 'shy smile'. "Thank you"

"I mean green really suits you. You should wear it more often"

"Okay..." she laughs. It was strange. Yusuf threw her compliments a few times when they had started... uh... courting. But she soon understood he wasn't the flirty type and when he was assured he had secured her, he stopped trying to go out of his comfort zone to please her.

"What color is the bridal gown you'd be wearing again?"

"Uh, coral"

"I'm sure it would look really beautiful on you"

"Thanks"

Even Laila's acting skills were not enough to mask the awkwardness tainting the air. She looks away from him absentmindedly just to see Yaseer standing a mediocre distance away, he was looking down at the phone in his hands, tapping away.

She clears her voice to attract Yaseer's attention and when she succeeds, he gets it and starts walking towards them to greet Yusuf. He looked... bored. When he joins them Laila takes the stage and begins the introduction

"Yusuf?" he smiles at her, "You remember Yaseer? We went to school together"

Yusuf's face scrunches a bit, "I'm sorry I can't seem to remember"

Laila is shocked but she hides the expression, "He was uh... ahead of us by a year?"

Yusuf still doesn't recognise him.