Arabian Nights

The Ceremony

"What time is it now?" He asked Omar, his second youngest brother.

"Ten minutes to go," he announced with mock authority.

"Relax, brother, it's just a wedding," Kamel soothed.

Sure, just a wedding. However simple that might be.

The door opened before he got to respond.

Mother came in, looking every bit the elegant queen she was.

He hadn't seen his mother in the past four days, since she wanted to personally assist his fiancé when she arrived from Judar. It was strange, since she never assisted his sisters-in-law before they got married. It was usually Amal, mother's personal assistant, that escorted them.

"How are you, dear?" She walked towards where he was sitting until she was right in front of him.

"I just want to know why wasn't I supposed to see her before the wedding?"

"Because first of all, it's tradition. And second of all, it's much more thrilling that way, yes?" She said with a playful smirk on her face.

"Seriously," he sighed in exasperation. Leave it up to his mother to romanticise anything out of a situation.

"You look dashing, by the way," Mother said adoringly.

He looked down to his royal black wedding costume with gold embroidery on the cuffs and collar, and black slacks. All paired up with fancy dress shoes.

"Thank you."

"He's been like this since yesterday," Marwan sighed.

"How is she like?" Mohab asked. "Personality-wise, I mean."

Exactly, tell us, he thought. He wanted to know something about her other than the fact that she was Layla Ajam, the only daughter of Farooq Ajam, the king of Judar. Hell, he didn't even know her age!

He could have had his private investigator run a background check on her if it wasn't for his father and siblings sticking to him like the flu for the past four days. Not to mention the threats they gave him.

"You'll just have to wait to find out for yourselves," she paused. "And you, know that I would never hand you someone undeserving of your affection." She threw him a pointed look.

A knock on the door sounded and father entered.

"It's time, Asher. Honey," he went over to where mother was standing and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"We should get going," he told her lovingly.

"Okay, just give me a second."

She rested her hands on her youngest son's shoulders and leaned in.

"Don't be mean to her, yes?"

"Okay, mother."

"I love you, dear," she kissed his forehead, then with her husband, they walked out.

"What was that about?" He asked. Where was she going with this?

"You really don't know?" Kamel asked incredulously. He nodded warily.

"Well, let me refresh your memory, then," he started. "The blind dates mother used to set up, with the most respectable of women. You would just take a glance and without much thought you reject them. That's why mother's telling you to treat her respectfully."

"And that's why you weren't set up for a blind date with you fiancé before the marriage," Marwan added. "Not because it's an arrangement that can't be ruined, but because mother knows this girl's parents and if she wasn't up to your standards then that wedding wouldn't have happened."