Of Scars and Bruises

Chapter 7 - The Proposal

Amyra

"I got a call from someone named Kassim Hamid today; he has sent a marriage proposal on behalf of his nephew, for our daughter. I told them to give me some time to consult you two" Papa began

My temperature rose slightly, tinting my cheeks but I tried to keep my cool

 "What more information did they give you?" mum shot straight away

"Not much, the boy's name is Zeeshan and he lives in Nairobi and *ahem* they're Muslims" Papa carefully said

"How do they know you Aish?" mum glared at me

The young bubbles of excitement popped instantaneously, igniting the nerves of fear and uncertainty

"For the hundredth time mum, it's Amyra" I whined

"To me you'll always be Aishwarya, now answer the question!"

"I don't know, I might have met him somewhere" I casually shrugged. I'm pretty sure that lying wasn't allowed in any religion but 'Jis jhoot se kisika ghar bastaa hai, wo jhoot jhoot nahi hota' (a lie that makes a home complete, that lie is not a lie) right?

"So I did my research and they seem like a decent family, and the boy is smart" Papa interfered

"But our daughter is still young Rohit and she's not getting married to a Muslim!" mum turned to papa

"I'm 25 mum, that's old" I moaned. Usually desis would see a 25 year old as a grandmom but here I was still being 'spoon-fed'

"Amy is now a muslim and it would only make sense that she gets married to one... Amy what do you think about this proposal?" Papa asked me, an attempt to bring a positive outcome

"It's up to you guys, mum has always dreamt of arranged marriage for me so yeah" I tried sugar coating the curd

"But how do they know that she's not Hindu?" Mum wondered, her squinted eyes raining the suspicion on me

Oopsie! Abort mission! Abort mission!

"I didn't ask them that, but maybe they have some connection to Naseeba" Papa remarked

Phew that was close

"I honestly do not approve of any of this; first you changing your religion and now a proposal? And that to within days? Rohit I've always listened to you and we've always worked things out, but this will be our first difference; our daughter. You've become so blinded by her happiness that you've put parenting to one side and become an immoral teenager yourself. Anyway it's now between you and your daughter, don't expect any input from me, I will only play along" mum declared, the hurt evident in her voice

That was the first pang to my heart; I was the one creating issues between my parents. My happiness was their destruction. Mum would never give me her blessings again. I was caught in a whirlwind of thought that made me doubt my every decision in life; but the conclusion was the same; Zeeshan made me happier than anyone ever could. Was I an ungrateful daughter or a devoted lover?

"I think we should just give it a try; call them over and see how things go. Maybe you might take a liking to them Nandita" dad announced unmotivated 

Mum 'hmph-ed' in response

**********

Two weeks later

Zeeshan and his whole family came to Kampala a few days back and today they had come home to 'make things official' after both families had met and were pleased with the new relationship that was to be formed. I was so nervous; I had to be perfect and more could go wrong that right. With the new lifestyle changes, my dressing had to be changed as well, Naseeba had helped me pin up a turquoise dupatta on my head that complemented my not so tight Punjabi. She had complimented me saying that the hijab suited me Mahsh...what's the word? Mashalla?

His family was indeed a circus with each character stronger than the other. But the one person who caught my attention was Zayra; her inner strength spoke multitudes and her heart shaped face was radiant - glowing as if sun-kissed amongst the hues of dawn, it was a good thing she was wearing a black veil, it only added to the chic look. Gosh it would be so easy to fall in love with her.  I had spoken to her over the phone once but looking at her now; she intrigued me, I wanted to know her, know how she could win battles of hate with her gentleness, know how she could give of such powerful vibes of compassion without the need of staring deep into your eyes.

We were all seated in the living room making small talk, drinks and snacks had been served. I didn't dare look at Zee though he was sitting right opposite me, I would lose my control in one flicker, though I could feel his burning gaze monitoring my every move, waiting to catch my eye.

"So tell us a little bit more about your son" mum casually started the conversation, thank God she was in a good mood. Hosting guests had always been her thing

"Ow he loves your daughter very much, he's so committed to her that he even broke his previous engagement to another girl for her." Samiyah aunty happily announced

Papa and I just looked at each other dumbfound. Zeeshan's expressions hardened and mum was utterly confused

"Excuse me. Aish, come with me to the kitchen please" Mum excused herself and got up abruptly

"A broken engagement?! So you want to build a relationship with him after he has broken someone else's heart, mark my words Aishwarya you will never live happily at the cost of giving heartache to a fellow human. Did all my lessons about Humanity coming first not cross your mind?" Mum went wild once we were in the kitchen

"And what did she mean when she said he broke his engagement for you?! You've known each other for a very long time haven't you? This was not a coincidence was it?!  Did you change your religion for him?" she put her hands on her mouth in utter disbelief

"Mum, mum calm down...you're thinking too far" I attempted to handle the situation

"Deny it! Look at me and deny that you did it all for him? Is there no shame left in you at all?" she accused

My head was bowed and the silence gave her the answers she demanded

"You are not marrying this boy, end of story!" mum proclaimed, a little bit too loudly

"Nandita calm down; we've given them our word and we're not turning back now. It is what it is and the sooner you accept it, the better for all of us. They are a good family, they'll keep Amyra happy and we shouldn't be asking for much more. They want the wedding next week and we are agreeing!" Once again my dad proved to be a super hero flying in at the right time, though it was agonising that my mum was seemingly the villain.

Next week was only a few days away but felt like a lifetime of disaster prone magnets knitting everything into jeopardy. But then again it's the hard earned happy endings that are the most satisfying.