No escape from you (Taken Down For Polishing)

2: Art

"  I'll be there in a few minutes, I promise!" Zhulfah half yelled into her phone, clutching it in between her cheek and shoulder as she wore her shoes.

" What's taking you so long? The event has started minutes ago, by the time you get here it will end", Her annoyed brother said from the other end. She could hear someone's voice in the mic in the background." I should have picked you up instead."

She rolled her eyes. " I'm sorry, I'll be there before you know it."

" Just hurry up, I'll be expecting you in the next thirty minutes", He said before he hung up.

" I never said I wanted to be there in the first place", She grumbled. She almost tripped when she went to stand in front of the dressing mirror. After regaining her balance, she gave herself a final once over. The white off-the-shoulders dress she wore hung dangerously low at the neckline, showing off her flawless fair skin. It hugged her curves, flaunting her small waist and endowed hips. On her head was a red scarf she had styled into an exquisite turban. Makeup was minimal, tinted lip gloss, eyeliner on her lids, fleeky drawn brows and a touch of powder, just the way she always liked it. She knew she went out of her way today to look gorgeous, maybe a little borderline seductive to some people, but she felt comfortable in it for such an occasion.

She bade her mother on entering the living room, who stopped her before she stepped out.

" Are you taking a taxi?"She asked.

" No, I'm ordering an Uber, should be here any minute", She said, checking her phone.

" Shouldn't you wear a jacket on that?", Her mother asked.

Zhulfah huffed. " There's nothing wrong with what I'm wearing, Mummy. "

" You're exposing too much skin", She disagreed, pointing to her neck and arms. " Your father won't be too pleased when he sees you, and neither will your brother. I don't want any trouble today."

" Maybe I'm just done with trying to please anyone", She snapped. Over the week she had spent at home, her father wouldn't even have a word with her. It was like her presence infuriated him, and Zhulfah was more urged than ever to leave the house. True she had angered him enough by having the audacity to stop wearing the hijab length he had specified, dropping comments about his position as a cleric and how he has children dragging his name through the mud. She knew he was more concerned about his image as the well renowned Imam than anything else. However, him being angry and irritated with her only made her care less day by day.

" I'm sorry, Mummy", She walked in front of her mother and squatted, holding her hand. Her mother simply patted her cheek in return.

" Take care", Her mother said, and Zhulfah smiled.

" Bye then", She said and hugged her, then sauntered out of the house.

In no time, she was in the Uber on her way to the event. She busied herself browsing through the pictures on her phone, chuckling at the silly ones she had taken with her closest friend, Amy, back in Uni. Her smile faded once she saw a picture of him,  and immediately she deleted it. Her mood already dulled, she tucked away the phone and looked out the window instead.

She did not want to think of him, not now, not ever.

In less than an hour, she was at the venue. The hall had a magnificent exterior, and guests and journalists swarmed the entrance; women dressed in beautiful gowns and men mostly in impeccable suits. She showed her invite to a buff man at the door, an action she repeated twice more to other guys of the same hulking build before she was allowed to then walk in, her heels clacking against the slick marble floor.