His Sabah

IV

“Mashallah,” Laiba and Faisal muttered simultaneously as their daughter descended the stairs. Sabah squealed, beaming, and threw her arms around her parents, her mouth already aching from smiling too much. How pathetic considering they hadn’t even reached her mother-in-law’s house yet. Oh, did she say mother-in-law? She meant Ami Jaan, a name Hafsa Auntie had insisted she call her from now on. Sabah had felt a little uncomfortable at first, calling someone who wasn’t her Mother in any way Ami Jaan. After all, she didn’t even call her own Mother that. But, as they spent more and more time together, she found it easier and easier to refer to her by that name. After all, she was just as caring and kind as her own.

“You look so beautiful, beta,” Laiba said now, drawing Sabah’s attention towards her. She smiled and looked down at her outfit, the excitement she had felt when first purchasing it coming back to flood her again. She, Ami Jaan, and Mama had gone together to pick it out for the mehndi tonight. After driving around practically the entire state, going from store to store trying to find the perfect one, they had finally settled on the one she wore now. It wasn’t too fancy or too simple, but just right. Plus, the color combination—green, yellow, and pink (with a hint of orange coloring the dupatta)—worked so well with the whole mehndi theme they had arranged. Well, she should say Ami Jaan had arranged, since she had taken on the responsibility of doing pretty much everything herself.

She had even insisted that they hold the party at her house, saying it would be a great opportunity to finally come over and see it for themselves, since they had never been yet. After all, it would become Sabah’s new home soon, something which had confused her at first. She had wondered why Salim didn’t live on his own. But, then Ami Jaan had explained that he didn’t have the heart to leave the home he had grown up in, the home he had lived in with his Father before he had died, and of course, that cleared up any uncertainty Sabah had been feeling. Now, she couldn’t be more ecstatic to finally see the place in person.

“Your Mother’s right, darling. You look absolutely gorgeous,” Faisal said suddenly. Sabah met her Father’s eyes and smiled.

“Thank you, Abba,” she said softly, feeling her throat seize up with an unexpected, painful sadness. She couldn’t believe all of this was really happening. It had only been a few weeks since the little meeting she and Ami Jaan had had. And now, all of a sudden, they were having the mehndi ceremony. The baraat, nikah, and rukhsati were to follow in an additional couple of weeks, after which would come the valima. And then she’d officially be a married woman. Everything was moving so fast it should have been making Sabah dizzy and wishing it would all slow down. But, to be honest, she was so excited she could hardly contain herself. In fact, to her it seemed that the process was moving along much too slowly.

But, at the same time, she was kind of glad for it. After all, one of the hardest parts of getting married was leaving your family, and to Sabah, this was made even more difficult by the fact that she was her parents’ only child. She had never known anything but them. They had been her best friends, her rocks, her support systems for her entire life. And, no matter how much she told herself that she still had a few more weeks with them, she still felt like crying even now, when they were only going to the mehndi.

Her Mother must have seen her eyes grow glassy, because suddenly, she had started laughing. “Oh, sweetie,” she said, pulling her daughter into a tight hug. “Why are you crying?”

Sabah gave a small laugh and shook her head. “I’m not,” she lied. “I just…it’s all happening so fast.”

Laiba pulled away and nodded. “I know,” she muttered solemnly. “I can’t believe we’re about to lose you.”

“Mama,” Sabah scolded gently. “You’re not losing me. I’m only going to be a few minutes away. It’s not like I’m moving to another state.”