BOUND TO MY NEMESIS

24 ~ Repatriate Husbands

I  used to visit granny every other year for Eid celebrations, randomly celebrating either the (karamin sallah) Eid-ul-Fitr as it's called or the Eid-ul-Adha (babban sallah) with them.

I remember how she used to warn me to avoid cutting through the bile when we're given the liver part of the intestines to work on, so it would not cause the liver which was almost everyone's favorite because it's the most delicious of the animal's intestines to be bitter. 

A slight tremor of the hand could make the knife prick the bile and you'd have a bitter liver.

I remember once the the job of washing the intestines and grilling of the intestine was left to the young girls who had come to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha with her and unfortunately the bile leaked seeping into the liver. 

She had a fi when the first bite she had of the liver khebab was uneatable.

As kids we tasted it when no one was looking and it remains the most bitter food I remember ever taking.

I looked down at the mug in my hands, tightening my grip around the ceramic, a feeble attempt to hide my shaky hands. Everyone knew I was fond of chinas.
The first sip tasted like granny's ruined grilled liver during that eid if not worse.
No one at the table seem to notice I was in some kind of turmoil.  That meant I was doing a great job at hiding the bitterness.

That chair at the table of hypos might come in handy after all.
I let out a long sigh looking up and slowly taking in everyone's  posture.
Mom didn't look like she had anything eating her up ,  she looked somewhat at peace.

Fareedah looked okay,  Mufy surprisingly was on her  best character today. 
The fathers were absent probably already seeking for the hand of that bride for their son.

I finally placed the  cup down. Slowly letting out a sigh to lessen the pressure I felt around my chest,  I pulled back my chair and mumbled an excuse I couldn't make sense of.
I felt like I was in a daze,  I just couldn't take it.  'How could they? Was I not good enough?'
I clutched the banister tightly clenching my eyes and mouth, praying I don't puke my gut on the staircase.

********

Slowly I let go my lips from the loose clench puckering it to see the effect the colours had on it.  I puckered it the more running my tongue over my teeth when I was hit with the sudden desire to run my it over my lips.
I patted the ankara turban I'd successfully pull off, slowly taking in my appearance in the mirror.

"And who would have thought?!"
I quirked my lips rolling my eyes at her antic.  It was obvious Mufy was rubbing her  on her.

"You look splendid" she commented finally her lips stretching into a wide grin.

"My baby girl has finally grown wings, so proud of you hun" she muttered as she approached me.  I scooted  shoving her in the arm as she took the space beside me. "See who's talking." I muttered under my breath rolling my eyes. 
"I saw that,  your eyes are bulgy already, they might fall out." she teased her lips stretching in a beguiling smile.
I clanked my tongue squinting my eyes at her "You are not turning into Iman,  are you?." I asked, my face stoic.

She held up her hands in surrender and I burst into laughter.  She could not turn into another Iman,  that would mean I'd die prematurely cos I would certainly end up with a weak heart from "almost heart attack" attacks.
I was not ready to lose the booster I got from the shower I had earlier.
"See ya in... " I muttered looking down at my wrist as I walked to the door.

🍃🍃

The air felt stale,  everything that happened earlier felt like a trance.  My booster pep talk from the shower seem to be wearing off.