Dawud.

Chapter 30: The Wedding

  بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful 

AHHH!!! The chapter is finally here! It took me long enough! I've been anticipating this moment for a long long while. This story, in general, has been prolonged to heighten your feelings of anticipation so Insha'Allah, you enjoy it!

Jannah's P.O.V

My father took it upon himself to grab a microphone and walk up on stage. Since the two dining areas were divided by a vertical curtain, both parties had access to the stage. The two rooms in the back were closed off. It didn't really matter, though. The room that held our Nikkah ceremony was filled with books about Islam in which the guests had access to, courtesy of Muhammad's Islamic Book Store. The other room was where our guests could take photos. We had a little over eighty guests and so the photo booth was a really good idea.

"Asalamu'alaykum, my dear friends, and family." My father announced, tapping the microphone a few times. "As you all know, today is the wedding of Dawud Muhammad and Jannah Sultan. We ask you to keep them in your prayers." He said with a shaky voice. "Before I continue with my speech, I'd like to point out that the room is divided into four sections for a reason. The women should be on the left and the men should be on the right. Please keep it that way and fear Allah." My father said with a smile. I knew that if I didn't want to cry, I had to leave. I slipped into the empty photo booth and sighed a breath of relief.

A few minutes passed where I didn't shed a tear. I could still hear my father's shaky voice but I told myself that I had to be strong. My life was just starting! Nostalgia wouldn't get the best of me today.

"I've seen you cry more than I've seen you smile today." A beautiful and deep voice said.

I turned to find Dawud's head poking through the curtains. He slipped in and sat next to me. His beautiful mane was gelled back, except for the one strand that dropped and reached his temple. His suit was black and white and he wore slick black dress shoes. He was as handsome as ever. His bright green eyes shun in the dim light of the photo booth. My heart was beating extremely fast since I wasn't used to such proximity but I hoped that it would settle down. I wanted to talk to him. Really, talk to him.

"I'm going to miss everybody." I said nervously. Dawud had that effect on me.

He smiled slightly. "I'll make sure you see them as often as you'd like."

I bit my lip. "Thank you for everything, Dawud." I blurted. Dawud was silent. "Thank you for protecting me, for walking me home, for defending me, for getting to know me and for making an effort to know me. Thank you for showing me that not all men are the same." I whispered.

Dawud turned his head and looked me in the eyes. His gaze was intense. Before I could ask what was wrong, he leaned in to kiss my cheek. His lips were soft against my skin. The kiss was sweet and not too long. He pulled away and kissed me on the forehead. "Jannah, everything that I've done was out of love." He whispered. "I love you and I'm so glad I get the honor of loving you." He said.

"I love you as well. And it's a deep love that I can't explain." I added. Dawud chuckled and kissed the bridge of my nose.

"Let's go start our forever, then." He said with a wink.

"That was so corny!" I teased him.

"Hey! I'm trying to be romantic."

"Sorry! Let's go start our forever. C'mon, I said I was sorry!" I pleaded, turning his embarrassed face towards me. "Where do you suggest we start?" I added, stroking his brow. This new lifestyle was amazing. I could actually touch him!

"The dining room. I'm hungry." He responded with a smile. I laughed and grabbed his large hand. It was twice the size of my own. He helped me out of the photo booth and walked me towards the women's side of the room. Covering his eyes, he waved at them, provoking roars of laughter. I shook my head, wiping the tears from my eyes. He left the women's side and received waves of admiration from the men. Hollers, cackles, screams, and shouts—all ways of congratulating him of course—were heard. I smiled sheepishly when the women rushed towards me. So many of them towered over me.

"How was it?"

"How do you feel?"

"Where did you go?"

"May Allah bless this marriage!"

"Two righteous individuals getting married! Yubarik Lahum!"

"Mabrook, Ya Jannah! Mabrook!"

"Why did he come into our side? I don't care if he covered his eyes! It's not okay!"

"Don't listen to her, Jannah! She wasn't even invited."

"You look so beautiful! Dawud's a lucky guy!"

I covered my face. My stomach twisted with hunger and all the voices directed at me were beginning to trigger my anxiety. "Please..." I groaned. Everyone was silent. "I love you guys. I really do. But I need you all to sit down and save the questions and comments for later. I want to eat." I demanded. A few guests looked offended but my mother wrapped an arm around me and spoke on my behalf.

"Please, my sisters. Jannah is already stressed. You can ask her all your questions or tell her all of you compliments after we all eat, God Willing. Okay? Thank you."

I sighed a breath of relief when they returned back to their tables. "Thank you, Momma." I said.

She gave me a wink and guided me to my table. There sat Mariam, Warsan, Muna, Qamara, Zakiya and my mother. I hugged them all and sat in between my two best friends. We ate the delicious food that came to our table and talked about the crazy events that occurred when I was absent.

"And then," Muna continued, "her baby pooped and made whole mosque smell like excrement."

"Muna!" My mother scolded. "We are eating."

Warsan and I laughed as Muna grew red with embarrassment.

To please my mother, I walked around the dining area, greeting guests and squatting down to chat to their children. I pointed to the candy bar that sat at the far right of the room and told them to eat as much as they wanted. The chicken, peas, and rice that was served for the main dish weren't everyone's favorite so—despite my father's protest—I ordered fifteen boxes of pizza and set one down at each table. The teenagers that had been dragged to my wedding by their parents were pleased beyond measure, saying things like "She's so cool!" And "She paid for the boxes herself." I wanted to make sure everyone had a fun time at my wedding and I'm glad I did so.

By the end of the night, I was exhausted. I sat in the passenger's seat of Dawud's car as he and my father dragged my suitcases from the limousine into his trunk. Outside the car, nearly all the guests were lined up alongside the sidewalk. My mother's shoulders shook as she wailed into a napkin already covered in foundation. Muna and Warsan were whispering to one another, grinning as they joked about something inappropriate. My father shook Dawud's hands as he shut the back door of the car, pressing his lips into a firm line. Making his way to my window, I noticed the way he tried to blink back tears. 'Baba..' I was able to muster. My father reached for my hand, kissed it and stepped back, tapping on the hood of the car. I waved goodbye to my family as I drove off into the night with the boy of my dreams: Dawud.