The Secret Behind Her Hijab | ✔

6. Engagement & Outburst

Shadab

I was engaged!

Mom had called to tell me while I was at work. I didn't know how to react. Should I be happy that I was getting hitched and was no longer going to be alone? Or should I be sad that I was losing my bachelor-hood forever and had to share everything that I posessed with a person I didn't know?

I told my colleagues about it and they rejoiced not because they were participating in my happiness. No. That wasn't the case at all. They rejoiced because now they could go to a bachelor party and were busy planning it too. I told them that their idea of a bachelor party was not allowed in Islam and they booed at me. In the end it was decided that I had to take them out for dinner and they would get wasted and I had to pay because I took away their joy of ogling at a stripper.

I could do that. I would even take them to a Michelin star restaurant, I was that well off. I didn't mind spending money, after all I worked for it and I earned it.

"Well, well, well! If it's not the groom to-be!" I heard Zarine's sarcasm filled voice as soon as I put a foot in my apartment. I decided to ignore her. I didn't know what her problem was and I wasn't in the mood to ask her. I went to look for mom and found her in the kitchen.

"Hey mom." I said going in the kitchen.

"Assalamu Alaykum!"

"Wa Alaykum Assalam. So how did it go?"

"Oh! It went really well. We discussed every detail for the wedding, set the date too!"

"Set the date? For when?" I asked astonished. They had already set the date and no one had even consulted me. Wasn't I supposed to have a say in this? After all I was the one getting married and changing my whole life.

"A fortnight from Friday! Suhad is such a practising girl Mashallah! She suggested all the right things, all according to the sunnah and I could only agree with her." She said with a smile on her face and a dream-like stare in her eyes.

I could see she was happy. "Couldn't you have asked me?" I snapped.

"Hah! Told ya!" Zarine supplied.

"You shut up! I wasn't talking to you." I told her feeling like the dam had burst.

"I'm sorry honey. I didn't think you'd mind. You told me to do as I wish. I'm really sorry if that hurt you and for not asking you." Mom said looking hurt.

"It- it's okay mom. I'm sorry I snapped. I didn't mean to." I told her. I hadn't meant to snap at her. May be it was because I saw Zarine's stupid face. Which reminded me... "What the heck are you doing here?" I asked Zarine. I had enough of her sarcastic comments and if she couldn't tell me the reason behind them she might as well leave here.

"Well mom asked me to go with her to your in-laws'." She said making quotation marks in the air for the last word.

"Last time I checked, this isn't my in-laws' place. So why don't you leave?"

"Oh! I will leave. I too am not interested in looking at your big head." She said and I ignored the jibe. My head was perfect. "But not just yet." She added smiling wickedly.

What was happening? Why was she smiling like that? "Why are you smiling like that?"

"You just wait Dabbu! This is gonna be fun." She murmured before calling out to mom. "Hey mom, let's tell our dear Dabbu here what all we have already decided."

I looked at mom confused and mom looked at me with huge eyes which were scared. Scared that I would snap at her again.

"You can tell him Zarine." She told her with a forced smile and went back to the kitchen.

"So dear Dabbu, how do you feel about not getting a lavish wedding?" She asked like a news reporter.

"What are you--"

"How do you feel about getting married in a mosque?" She continued.

"What!"

"...with only a few guests and complete simplicity?" She was now smiling like a cat who had swallowed the canary.

She had something planned, I don't know what. But she was getting me riled up so I could go yell at mom. I won't do that. I won't give her the satisfaction.

I forced a smile on my face and said, "I don't mind."

"What?"

"I said, I don't mind."

"What the--! You used to say you wanted a lavish wedding and now you tell me you don't mind?" Her eyes were so huge right now I was afraid they would fall off their sockets. She was looking like a banshee. Hair flying everywhere, huge bulging eyes and all that screaming.

"Things change Zarine." I told her smugly knowing that I had won. "Now tell me what's your problem."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't act dumb like we don't notice all your sarcasm. It's dripping all over the place. So I'm asking again. What. Is. Your. Problem?" I growled at her.

"Why would I have a problem?" She said like she hadn't said or done anything wrong. Typical Zarine.

"If you don't wanna tell get the hell out of here! This ain't your home anymore!" I yelled at her. I knew she was hiding something.

"Fine!" She yelled back like she didn't regret what she did even one bit. "But you're going to regret this!" And before I could ask what she meant by this she stormed out the door.

I saw that my hands were shaking. Anger did this to me always. My heart was beating a lot faster than usual. I sank down on the sofa, leaning my head back and closing my eyes taking deep breaths.

I felt a hand on my forehead. I opened my eyes to see my mom lightly brushing my hair and giving me a smile which said everything will be fine.

"Don't pay attention to her." Mom said nodding towards the door from where Zarine had gone. "Everything will be just fine."

Will it? I thought.

I didn't even know where I was stepping. It could be a minefield out there beneath the facade of natural beauty. And then there was Zarine's statement that I would regret this. Why? I didn't have the answer to anything.

I will just have to wait and see.

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Whoa! That was something. What did you think? Why do you think Zarine made that statement?

Oh please tell me your views. I love to hear from all you sweethearts :)

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Jazakallah Khair! :)