AN INDIAN GIRLS SACRIFICE

Chapter 61

"Aasaalaatu Khaayrum Minan-Nauum." ( Prayer is better than sleep), Fawaaz bhai calls out as he knocks on my door. I jump out of bed, make wudhu and read my salaah.

It's my wedding week finally, I had a talk with my brother's and finally realised that they were reacting normal, with the wedding so soon, it hit them that I will no longer be here.

I got out of bed, did the usual bathroom rituals and went down for breakfast. I felt so lazy today, I didn't shower as yet because I felt like staying in my pj's. I knew this was not possible for the whole day but at least I could enjoy it until after breakfast.

Ammi made my favourite sojee porridge for breakfast, Ammi has promised that she would make breakfast for me everyday for this week. I always enjoyed Ammi's cooking but she started to cook less once bhabhi took over the kitchen.

After breakfast Ammi instructed me to get ready, she said everyone would be coming to the house from today. So I rushed up to my room and got ready.

When I went down to the kitchen bhabhi was busy making plates ready with biscuits and snacks. These were all the snacks bhabhi prepared a couple weeks ago.

In minutes the house turned into madness, everyone was here, all Abba and Ammi's family have been here since this morning. Some of which I have only seen once or twice and some which I never met before.

It's strange that almost your whole life or a portion of your life you don't keep in contact with some family and your children don't even know these people as family but a wedding comes up and you invite everyone.

Just because maybe if you didn't invite that one person he would feel bad. Didn't he or you feel bad all these years not keeping in contact. Don't you feel bad accepting their invite knowing you didn't bother to keep contact.

Ammi introduced me to one uncle, he is Abba's third or fourth cousin. Abba and him were close, they always kept in contact until one day Abba realised that he was the one who made the effort and his cousin never bothered so he stopped.

I asked Ammi why were they invited in the first place, I don't know all these people and then instead of coming just for the functions, they come for a whole week burdening the family with more expenses.

Ammi shouted at me when I told her that, she said that they were family and with family no matter how close or how distanced there is always a connection and it's never a burden to entertain guest because they bring barakah to your home.

Maybe Ammi is right but to me it was all unnecessary, I always felt that no matter whether a person is rich or poor they always over spend for their children's wedding.

A poor or middle class man will take out loans to pay for his child's wedding and a rich man he will just flaunt his money at his child's wedding. Sometimes I feel it's just to please others or to show others that you have alot.

It's foolishness actually, I prefer simple things, my parent's have always had enough money to give us all that we want, but my brother's and I always went for simple things.

My parent's live in a big house but we live very simple, my papa is actually the one who always loved the grandest of things and my Abba has always been the one for simpler things.

Ammi always tells us that she is so grateful that Abba and papa have separate businesses, she said if they were one, papa would have definitely spent most of their money on luxuries.

Anyways with so many visitors in and out of the house, non of us has had a minute to sit down. Bhabhi and I have been serving people nonstop until I came up with an idea of us just leaving a plate and bowl in the living room and whoever wanted would help themselves.

Tea was being made every few minutes which annoyed me more than anyone else. When I went up to make my Asr salaah, Ammi asked me to stay up in my room and rest.

She said that I would need to rest a bit everyday because I didn't want to look tired on my wedding day. The next few days we going to have functions that might run late at night so Ammi wants me to get enough sleep and rest while I can.

Fathima was here so we sat in my room talking about school days and all the nonsense that we got up to. How we bunked classes just to watch the cricket matches in the library, we use to order lunch from the pizza place down the road and give the lunch we got from home to the cleaners.

We have so many memories together from secondary school when we met, I still remember the first day we met, I was new in the school just about two weeks after the first term had started, Fathima was also new to the school but she was here since the first day of first term.

She had not made any friends as yet, she has always been the quiet shy person. I am always famous for my yapping. I hit it off with many students in my class, I never noticed her at first.

She sat in the corner at the back, she had her head in a reading book the whole day, there were still handing out books so we were not doing any work as yet.

I realised by the 8th period that I had not spoken to her, so I went up to her and introduced myself, she greeted and told me who she is and went back to reading her book.

I walked away then but after school I asked her why she didn't communicate with the other people in the class, she told me why and since then we became friends.

Soon it was time for Maghrib Salaah, Fathima was off this week so I left her to sit on my bed and play with her phone while I prayed my Salaah. After I was done we went down for dinner.

After dinner everyone just aimlessly sat around gossiping and speaking about their lives, what they were doing now, some were telling their whole stories since they haven't met the family for years.

Once everyone left, which was after the last serving of tea and cakes for the day, we all went up to our rooms to retire for the day. I can't believe the amount of people that walked in and out of the door today.

Zuhair bhai's wedding time it was completely different. My parent's never invited any of these strangers and we never had people over everyday.

People came for the functions they were invited for and then left when the function was over. It was mostly close family and friends, just a few work people and that's it. I really don't understand what happened this time an I certainly did not expect it.

I'm not allowed to speak to Zayaan this week so my phone has been taken away and so has his, he informed me last night when we spoke that his Ammi was taking his phone away.

I was also warned that I cannot leave the house unless it to one of the places where the functions will be taking place and that no matter how long the function goes on for I have to be home before 12. My stylist and make up artist for all the days when we need them have been told to come home.

I don't understand all the rules but I was just told to follow them and that it's been like this since the time of our forefathers. Apparently our parent's never asked questions and we ask too many.

I still can't believe I'm getting married, a few months ago this all seemed impossible that I would be getting married to the person I loved. To think that a few months ago I hated Zayaan and in a few days we are going to be married.

It's strange how we plan our lives yet we forget that no matter how much planning and calculating you can do but the best planner is the Almighty, what is planned by the Almighty will be what you receive.

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Hey there readers...

I've said it before and I'm saying it again, please do not read my blogs if you have problems with grammer and spelling mistakes or extra words. Yes my writing is checked but sometimes it happens tgat no matter how many times you go through something you miss out that mistake.

Also I'm not writing an Islamic blog so I don't constrict my thoughts. Some one took offense because I mentioned Amaani had a haldi and Sangeet. In some countries this is not considered against Islamic acts and are followed, I'm not saying they right but I wanted to included it in my story and I did,  if you have a problem with that.... let me not day and you just do it!