Scarred For Life

Chapter 46

*
Afrah woke up to the sunlight creeping into her bedroom, and the sounds of the bird performing a sonnet right outside her window. She remained lying down while her brain booted up slowly. Her mother used to say that when it came to waking up, she was like an old computer, the ones with vacuum tubes.

Having gone to bed late the night before, she took several minutes to recollect her thoughts. Fifteen minutes later, she crawled out of the bed. It was no graceful affair, more like a snail emerging from its shell than a princess rousing from her bed.

Her footsteps were silent as she walked to the window, the carpet absorbing most of the sound. She pushed her hair out of her face, drawing the curtains aside. The sunlight poured into the room then, blinding her momentarily.

Somewhere at the back of her mind, she knew there was something she was forgetting. Today didn't seem like an ordinary day. The sun was much too radiant, the clouds has gone on vacation, and the air felt intrinsically warm.

There was something important which she as supposed to remember, but she had forgotten all about it. It didn't help that Amina had taken her phone several days ago, refusing to hand it over to her until after the wedding.

Afrah leaned against the windowsill, taking a deep breath. She chewed her bottom lip as she tried to remember what was so inexplicably wonderful about the day. Why was she feeling so giddy? What was the cause of this wonderful sensation she felt in the pits of her stomach? Why was she suddenly realizing that her bedroom window held the most perfect view of the horizon she had ever seen?

And then, she suddenly understood why.

At exactly the same moment when Amina burst into the room.

"Wake up you idiot," she squealed in excitement. "It's your wedding day."

A slow grin spread across her face as she remembered.

Today is the day.

She was getting married today.

Espoused. Joined. United. Hitched. Spliced. Tied together in holy matrimony. Call it whatever you want, but she was getting married.

She laughed at the thought.

"What's so funny?" Amina asked, resting her hands akimbo.

"Nothing," Afrah replied. "I'm just really, really happy."

"You should be," Amina laughed. "Your husband is just... Masha Allah."

"Keep your eyes off him," she narrowed her eyes at her, trying to stop the smile from returning to her face. She failed miserably.

"Here's your phone," Amina said, handing it to her. "Trust me, you'll thank me later."

"I find that hard to believe," Afrah said as she snatched it eagerly from her hands.

"You'd better get into the bathroom," Amina said. "Umma will be here in a few minutes to check on you. Unless you'd like to start your day with a healthy dose of shrieking mother, you'd better get yourself ready."

Sure enough, Halima popped into the room barely a tenth of a second after Amina departed.

"You're awake," she said by way of greeting.

"Good morning Umma," Afrah smiled radiantly. "You look lovely this morning."

"Save your flattery for someone else," Halima shook her head as she wrapped her arms around her and squeezed. "You should get ready. In a few hours, this house will be akin to a market square."