Light Upon Light

#60 Introductions

Salaam wonderful people. Enjoy this chapter, for I had great fun planning it ;)

#60 Introductions

I was back Lia's house by Maghrib time and by then it had been decked out as a bride. And there were already so many people there. Since Lia's home could accommodate only so many people, her family had actually rented out room in the only luxury hotel in Salimabad. It was commonly referred to as the Palace Hotel as it was part of the old Salimabad Palace that had been converted into a hotel. It stood at the very outskirts of the South and was a sight to behold. Her parents were going all out for the wedding of their only daughter.

Lia was much more composed and even happy when I saw her. Especially when I gave her the good news about Najwa and Samir. Shikha was also there with her which was a surprise for me. For a girl who said she would only attend the main function, she was here pretty early. When I asked her about it, she shrugged.

"I knew that uncaring act you always put on is just a front," I smirked. It earned me a flick on my head. A painful one might I add.

"What's this I hear about you trapping Najwa?"

"Hey! It's Samir not me!"

"That's the only reason I approve. I think he's the only sensible one of new gen Ali's" she said and Lia was giggling away as I frowned.

"And yet, you cannot stay away from me. Don't worry Shikha, I love you too," as Shikha bristled away (there was that tiny smile on her face) and we laughed, a few strangers suddenly entered Lia's room.

Well strangers for Shikha and I. Thank goodness I still hadn't taken my purdah or hijaab off yet. It looked like a mother and her two children. Lia launched herself at the tall graceful lady in long khimar who stood at the forefront of the group. Behind her there was a young man and a girl who seemed to be in her teens.

"Juveriya Khala!" she squealed as she hugged the life out of the woman. The latter smiled and held Lia close.

And then Shikha and I looked at each other in understanding. So this was the Juveriya Khala that Lia always talked about to us. She was Lia's mom's first cousin, the person Lia identified as her second mother. She lived in Mumbai with her son Hamdaan, who must have been the young man standing behind her, and daughter Haifa.

To be honest, I was surprised by their appearance. Not that I'd ever judge people based on their looks, but most of Lia's family members were liberal Muslims. They were not like my Ali family, where we took the Deen seriously and tried to stick to the Prophetic code as much as possible. Even at that moment, downstairs they had started the music and soon there would be dancing and all that nonsense. They didn't really care for segregation, all these days I've been staying here I was vary of taking my scarf off even in Lia's room for you never know when someone would just rush in. It was part of the reason why Dadi was reluctant to let me stay over here.

However, Lia was a bit different from her family. She always used to wear the headscarf and then in recent years, around the same time as me she started wearing purdah as well. She was worried that she'd might end up getting married to someone who would be similar to her family members and oppose her decision to wear purdah. Talha and his family were by the grace of Allah exactly the kind of people Lia wanted to be connected with. She was happy she'd be going to a family where it would be easier for her to practice Islam as it should be.

Not only was Lia's Khala in khimar, her daughter was in full abaya and niqab which she had taken off only after seeing that Shikha and I were the only other occupants of the room. Hamdaan was dressed in a kurta and jeans and sported a full beard. When he looked around the room our gazes connected for a bit and he looked away immediately. That alone earned him my respect. It's difficult to meet men these days who knew the importance of lowering their gaze.