Greyscale Angel

And so the curtain rises.

Apologies for the ridiculous hiatus. I promise to try and be more consistent in my updates. Happy reading
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Malaa'ika's point of view

I asked him to a play... a play! And he said yes! Does this happen? Well, it certainly has. Tonight's the play. It's Macbeth... and he said yes... Either he is a really genuine guy who felt bad for me and couldn't turn down my invitation or, he is so pressurised by his family to give this relationship a chance that he has agreed to attend a play with me. Of course there was the slight chance that he actually liked Shakespeare and was into live performances, but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Either way, this is happening and it's happening tonight. I'm not really sure why I asked him in the first place. Perhaps it was timing, as he called me just a few minutes after we had been gifted these tickets and I was just in that rare, excited mood. Or maybe it was the fact that I too had vowed to give this thing a real chance. Of course again, there was also that off chance that I was intrigued by this person and was actually looking for excuses to spend some time getting to know him, but again, let's not get carried away.

I love the drama of Broadway. I love how in the past it was made to be such an occasion, where people would dress up in their best attire and treat the event with such grace. This obviously, was a small, local production and anything more than a simple jeans and light knit jersey, would seem insane. Then again, when have I ever cared what the world has to say? After an hour (okay 3) of self deliberation, I settled on a light weight emerald dress. It was one I purchased a few years ago and used only on special occasions. It had been a while since the last "special occasion", which was eid at a friend's house a year ago, and I decided my dress needed a night out. I finished my look with a matching silk hijab, lace pumps and a lace band around my scarf. I always found such joy in dressing up. The jewellery, shoes! And just adding something special to something ordinary. I never did it for anyone but myself. It was my own personal touch of sparkle in my otherwise chiffon life. I couldn't stop shaking, as I tried to apply my eye liner. I was usually rather steady, but that was not the case tonight. I was all shivers and no peace. Perhaps this is what people refer to as butterflies in the tummy? ... What nonsense! I was going to see a rendition of Macbeth with my colleagues and this one other person just happens to be coming along. That is it! I texted Amaan the address but he insisted on fetching me and was supposed to be here by 7:00pm. It was almost 7:05pm and I did not appreciate the delay... I know that sounds bad, but my anxiety just wouldn't condone it. Should I call him? Maybe... Would he think I was crazy? Maybe... Lost in my thoughts I was alerted by the vibration of the phone in my hand. Amaan. "Hey I'm downstairs" came his voice, in almost the same shaky manner as mine. "I'll be right there." I answered and simultaneously made my way out the door and down the stairs. He stood next to a black Mercedes Benz whatever class car. (I have no knowledge on cars except that this one looked amazing) He waved when he caught sight of me and the sight of him made my heart sing... uhm I mean I was glad he wasn't any later. Amaan wore a black jeans and a crisp black shirt. In fact, he wore it so well, that it could easily have been an Italian suit of some kind. Or maybe I was just trying to make myself feel better for dressing in formal attire. I smiled back at him before approaching the car. He didn't move from his place, just stood still looking at me. I pretended not to notice and got into the car. Before long he was beside me. We drove in silence at first, just as awkward, maybe more so as the first meeting. I promised myself that I'd try to interact and decided to give it a shot. "So..." I started, "How are your mum and them? How's Rayhaan?" He cleared his throat before answering, probably shocked that I had made conversion. "All well hey. He's good. He still refers to you as the flower lady, for some reason." I couldn't help but chuckle, remembering that he really has no idea why his nephew calls me that. "I guess we'll never know. " I said, trying to sound um... mysterious? I don't know. "So..." Amaan started. Please don't ask about my family, please don't ask about my family... and he didn't... "Please brief me on this play, because I have no idea and I'm probably going to look like such an idiot. I tried googling it but uhm... yeah..." I started at him in awe. "What?" He said, almost defensively. "You're crazy..." I laughed. "Hey! Are you going to give me a brief or not?" He asked playfully. "Um okay... let's see. There's this guy, Macbeth. Witches prophesied that he would be king and he becomes so obsessed with the idea that he kills the current king and anyone who gets in his way..." I said, not really sure how in depth to describe one of my favourite Shakespeare plays. I didn't want to go all dramatic and scare the guy, at the same time though, I wanted to sell it. "Oh right, I remember doing it in school." He nodded slowly, still kind of uncertain. "Are you sure you're up for it?" I asked, sensing his inhibition. "Um yeah, it should be... fun." That pause told me all I needed to know. He wasn't really looking forward to it and now, neither was I. Hopefully he wouldn't find it too bad though. "Oh one more thing. Apparently you can't say the M word in a theatre. Like ever." I said. "The m word?" He asked, rather confused. "Yip, Macbeth, the theatre people consider it a cursed word not to be spoken in the theatre." It was his turn to laugh. I couldn't help but find it silly too. But, according to the theatre do's and don'ts I found on wiki, it's an absolute fact. Yes, I Googled theatre do's and don'ts, but I wasn't going to admit it. "Do you understand? " I asked him seriously. "Yes Mam."