Barakah

- Grasping The Bride

8/9/2020.

. . . . . .

Barakah

Late hours were coming in soon as twilight prevailed. A spell of day and night as Barakah leaned on her mother's balcony, gazing at the setting the women were pulling up outside. Tents, pillows and carpets with findings of culture. Gleaming lanterns and candles inspiring spirit in the air.

Tonight, was her Henna Night and the next day, her Kamu.

"Amal, here," Ameenah had dashed next to her with a fragrance of jasmines, specifically Gardenias around her air. "I stole some goat meat from the pot of Namkeen Gosht that was prepared by Mammy. Just have a taste!" She handed her a piece from her bowl that Barakah hastily took.

If there was one dish their mother could prepare flawlessly from their Pashto culture, it was Namkeen Gosht. The quality of the meat would just be different, bursting flavors.

The tang of numerous spices pleasing her taste buds. "Let her not catch you. But before then, more." Barakah dipped her hand into the bowl and hummed.

"Oh she knows. She says I should be careful before I eat poison one day." Ameenah shook her head, "When I was thirteen, Mammy told me that one day I'll eat a Jinn's food and they'll trouble my life as a means to scare me from eating food I see in my father's house. Even if it doesn't belong to me, it's in my father's house. Let me tell you, past midnight I snuck into her room to take a bottle of Kunun Aya she had left for herself and on closing her refrigerator and trying to flee in case she comes in from Baba's room, I see a dark figure on the bed, watching me oo like it is well."

Barakah was loud in laughter. "Let me guess? She was waiting to harass you."

Ameenah swallowed her food first, "I did not know our mother was like that then," She clasped dropping the empty bowl on a table. "I'm telling you Amal, I was close to dropping down to the ground. Oh Allah! Especially because she wasn't wearing her contacts as usual. We rarely see her real eyes. So I was seeing this dim blue eye shade touched by peeking light through her balcony drapes. It was when she realized I was going to faint out of fear that she started howling in laughter. That day, I realized where Bara'a had gotten that her mean attitude from."

Barakah blinked a tear. "Fortunately, I'm the better twin." Ameenah snorted.

"No difference." Barakah pinched her tight as Ameenah harshly winched.

"Was I asking you?" Barakah rolled her eyes.

"Freedom of speech oo. Na my right." Ameenah took a few steps back, "Plus you just exhibited it. At least Zulfa's own is just mental abuse. You do both physical and mental."

"So you're insinuating she's better?" Barakah narrowed her eyes. The jovial tone around them was twitching her lips to break out of character and laugh.

"I mean, you're saying it yourself. I never said anything." Ameenah rose a brow.

"Neither did I, right? I asked if you were insinuating not that it was true. Besides, I'm better than both of you combined." A smirk easily coming onto her face.