Chapter Six

It was night time in the Thalith household, and time to prepare for the much dreaded dinner.

Ayah was in what used to be the guest room in their home, but looked nothing like it's name. It was looking more like a make-up studio. There was a long cloth hanger on a side of the room, and it had varieties of gowns hanging from it.

On the bed, there were various make-up kits and items, majority of which Ayah had no idea what their uses were. She wasn't a fan of make-up.

She was seated on a chair and had a long mirror standing in front of her. Beside her, her elder sister Barakah, was suffering the same fate.

Asides the both of them, the make-up artists her mother had hired for each of them were in the room, alongside the two people that had come with each of them.

Ayah had tried to talk her mother out of hiring her a make-up artist because she didn't want to put on make-up, but she had been barking up against a tree the entire time. It was a futile attempt. She had thought that her mother was going to at least grant her that much considering the fact that they weren't on good terms and she'd want to please her, but it turned out she had it wrong. Her mother was as stubborn and wicked as ever.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was looking sick, and had gotten skinnier. Albeit she was originally a skinny person, her cheekbones had never been as prominent to her as they were when she stared into that mirror.

She allowed her mind roam about when they started making her up. She didn't want to think of what was going to happen after that, but no matter how far off her mind wandered, it always wandered back.

She hadn't seen her Aunt Layla after she dragged her mother out of the dining room. And without a doubt, she could guess exactly how their little talk had ended. Her mother didn't care about her, she knew that, yet she had been foolish enough to get her hopes high about the outcome of their conversation.

When the make-up artist, whatever it was she had said her name was - Ayah wasn't listening to her - stepped away from Ayah thereby restoring her unobstructed view of the mirror, she was able to see the transformation that had taken place on her face.

Her skin no longer looked chapped and dry like it had moments ago. It was caked in a layer of whatever it was the make-up artist had applied on her face. And though Ayah knew it was too soon to tell, she could tell she was going to be unrecognizably beautiful at the end of it.

°~°~°~°~°

Ayah loved her dinner dress. She knew that because she had picked it out herself.

It was a royal blue long, full gown. The upper part of it was made of satin material of a lighter blue, while the rest of it, from her stomach downwards was made of layers of chiffon material. It reminded her of the princesses in the Disney cartoons she used to watch. Though she wasn't feeling like a princess, she wanted to look like one. It was the one thing she was excited about that evening.

Even though it was a special occasion, Ayah couldn't forfeit her veil. With help from her make-up artists, she was able to wrap her veil which was of a matching colour with her gown around her head, secure it into place using her hair pin and all that was left was to wait until they were asked to show up outside the house, where the dinner was happening.

All six of the make-up artists stepped out of the guest room, giving Ayah time to herself and with her sister. She looked towards Barakah who was staring straight ahead at her mirror. Her face wasn't portraying any emotion, and Ayah couldn't read her eyes from how far she was from her.

"Hey," she greeted, catching her attention.

"Do you want to do this, Ayah? I don't, and if I do I'll never be able to forgive myself."

What worried Ayah wasn't what Barakah said, it was the way she said it. She was still staring at herself in the mirror, her expression remained unchanged, and she was as calm as a dove - which was weird for Barakah. Inside of her though, Ayah knew she was anything but calm. She was steaming, smoking hot. She was angry, and angry Barakah was Ayah's least favorite version of Barakah.

"Me neither," she sighed. She turned to look at herself in the mirror. She stared deep into her own eyes, surprised with how plain they looked. She couldn't perceive anything from looking at them. She was scared on the inside, yet there she was, sitting still and looking confident as though her body had grown a mind of its own.

"I don't want to do this too."

"I have a plan."

Ayah whipped her head towards Barakah's direction. She was trying to put two and two together, but it still wasn't making sense to her. A plan in this situation?

"A plan?" Barakah nodded. "What plan?"

"Let's run away."

The room was silent for the next few seconds. Ayah was staring at Barakah, her mind blank, and Barakah was staring right back, waiting for an answer.

"Let's run away," she repeated, slower this time.

Ayah wasn't sure if she had heard wrong, or she was thinking wrong, but whatever it was, it had got to be a joke.

"You're joking," she said, nodding. "Yep, that's it. A joke."

"No. Listen to me." Barakah stood up from her chair, picking up the ends of her pink gown in her hands and making her way towards Ayah. When she got close enough, she bent down beside her chair, took both of her hands in hers and looked at her.

Ayah looked down at her sister, wondering what it was that was going to come out of her mouth when she opened it.

"I know you think I don't know what I'm saying-"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm thinking."

"-But I do, and I need you to listen - and reason with me. Marriage is not a child's play. We're literarily going to have no say whatsoever in what goes on in our lives any more - no more school, no more freedom, no more nothing. Ayah, I can't give that up. Not now, not yet. I don't want to be like Mom - stuck in the house until by husband says I can go out, not having anything to my name unless he allows me to, not having a say in anything... I want to matter, I want to live, I want to be me. This is not the way towards that."

"Barakah, I don't want that either. I want to live too. But what makes you think this is the way towards that? I-I'm trying to wrap my head around it, but it just doesn't seem to make any sense to me. How could we do that to Mom?" It was only after it came out of her mouth that Ayah realized what she has just said.

"Okay, screw Mom. No, I don't mean it like that- whatever. Where are we going to, do you know that yet? No. A-and, the wedding is tomorrow!? How could we possibly leave now? They've spent a-a lot of money... Are we allowed to do this? What about Dad? Sister Khameela? T-they're going to hate us."

Ayah was scared. She had begun to sweat from thinking so much, and it was only a matter of time before she started crying. Barakah's solution was perfect, but why hadn't they thought of it sooner? No matter how much hate she had for her parents presently, she couldn't help but consider them. What was going to happen to them after they left? Were they going to fall into debt? Highly unlikely, but Ayah knew just how extra her father could be with things. He might have gone out of his way to impress the Khalil's in the hopes of gaining it back in form of the new clients their alliance was going to make for him.

Barakah tightened her hold on Ayah's hand. "Look at me. Breathe, all right? We'll be fine. The rest will come to us, we just need to take the first step... We leave tonight."

"What!?" Ayah cried. "Barakah, no. I c-can't. I-I really can't."

"Think about it, I'm not going to rush you or force you, we have time."

"Barakah I-"

There was a knock on the door, cutting Ayah short on her words. While Barakah scrambled back her seat, Ayah took a few deep breaths, and dabbed at her sweat using an handkerchief that she had been provided. She practiced smiling a couple of times before turning towards the door.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open slowly, and when it did open wide enough for a person to pass through, Khameela's head popped.

"Hey," she smiled, before putting her entire body through the door and taking steps towards them.

She paused after taking a few steps, her mouth dropping. Her eyes went back and forth between Ayah and Barakah who was also facing her. "Wow."

Wearing a wide smile, Ayah stood up and twirled around. The movement caused her gown to inflate, giving it the last touch it needed to look like a ball gown.

"Ayah, you look- you- I'm short of words, sis." Khameela stammered.

"Magnificent?" Ayah laughed. "Not really."

"And I look?" Barakah said, twirling in the exact same fashion Ayah had.

Khameela stared at Barakah for a little longer than she had stared at Ayah, her expression nothing short of awed.

"Not better than Ayah," she replied, clamping her mouth shut.

"Hey-"

"I'm kidding," Khameela laughed. "You guys look beyond beautiful, you look powerful. I don't think I looked this good on my wedding day."

"Now, that's a lie," Ayah laughed, walking into one of Khameela's outstretched arms while Barakah walked into the other.

She could remember how Khameela had looked on her wedding day, like a queen. Her gown had been far more unique and beautiful than Ayah's own dinner gown.

The sisters stayed in a group hug for a while longer before breaking up when Khameela's phone rang. While she moved away from them to pick up her call, Ayah snuck a glance at Barakah who was looking natural. She wasn't constantly dabbing at her face like she was which led Ayah to start thinking; how long had she had that plan for? Clearly enough to be confident about it's implementation.

"So, they need me outside," Khameela started, throwing a big smile their way. "I'll see you guys in a few. And remember, stay calm, don't panic. The goal is to enjoy it. Best of luck... and congratulations."

They went in for another hug before Khameela went out the doors. Ayah returned back to her station and did her best to avoid making eye contact with Barakah. She didn't want to think about betraying anyone at that moment, she just wanted to get through that night without going insane.

The silence in the room was soul piercing, and the entire time, Ayah could feel Barakah's gaze on her.

"How do you think- what's his name again? Zain? Yeah, Zain. How do you think Zain is going to be like?"

Ayah sighed, a small smile making its way to her face. "I don't know."

"You're not supposed to know, dummy," Barakah smiled. "Guess."

"Guess?" Ayah laughed. "Okay."

"He should be tall," she started, smiling. "At least taller than me. He can't be an eyesore, that's the least he could do for me. He has to have good humor, a good sense of dressing. He needs to know how to cook, you know I'm not the best cook out there and I'd appreciate some help..."

Ayah realized as she talked on, that she was getting excited talking about this image of a man from her head. This perfect man that appealed to her. This wasn't what she thought the man out there was like, this was what she wanted the man she chose for herself to be like.

She used her handkerchief to dab at a drop of tear that fallen on her cheek, sniffing. "I'm sorry, I just- this is so hard."

More tears spilled out of her eyes and she let them fall, not making any attempt whatsoever to stop them. She felt arms wrap around her and she placed her head on the shoulders, sniffing into them.

"It's okay."

She didn't know how long she cried for, but she knew it wasn't a long time since they were yet to call them. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her head and raised her head off the shoulders that bore the weight of her head. It was only after that that she realized she had been hugging Yasmin the whole time and not Barakah.

Speechless, she looked towards Barakah's side of the room only to see Barakah smiling faintly. She shrugged and turned her head in Yasmin's direction.

"She's your knight in shining armor."

"When did you get here?" Ayah asked, pulling her in for a short hug.

"Right around the time you started crying... And bestie..." Yasmin trailed off, squeezing her face at Ayah.

"You look... Ew." Then she moved away from the mirror, allowing Ayah a look at herself and she instantly agreed with her best friend.

"Ew."

Few minutes before they were called outside, Ayah's make up artists came back in to do some touches on her face which was literarily starting all over except for the foundation which wasn't affected.

Yasmin had to have to change of cloth since Ayah had destroyed the left arm of her gown with her make up. All through the time it took to change her clothes into one that she didn't mind since none of the clothes seemed to appeal to her, Yasmin didn't fail to remind Ayah how much of a bad friend she was. Yasmin was normally like that, but Ayah had an inkling she was being excessive just to cheer her up. She appreciated it.

When it was finally time to appear at the dinner, Ayah, with her heart thundering thrice as fast walked out of the house taking deliberately slow steps. But as she knew, she couldn't stall forever.

Yasmin was by her right side, to her left was Barakah, and to Barakah's left was Aisha. Behind her, all her female cousins who were around hers and Barakah's age range stood, waiting to walk them into the dinner arena.

Ayah hadn't talked to any of her cousins even though they'd been in the same house all through the day. Raheemah and Khadijah, her two favourite cousins had dropped by to say their greetings to her, and Ayah had reciprocated, but apparently not so well since they left her to herself mere seconds later.

Ayah's uncle's wife, Aunt Firdaus approached them and pulled Barakah into a hug, and afterwards, Ayah.

"Congratulations sister," she said into Ayah's shoulder, rubbing her back affectionately. "May Allah put Barakah in it."

At that, Barakah snickered.

"I don't mean you, dummy," Aunt Firdaus said, tapping her lightly on her shoulders. "Your name means blessing, you know that."

"It's just funny," she replied, shrugging.

Ayah liked her Aunt Firdaus, though not as much as her Aunt Layla. She wasn't directly related to the family but she tried her best and was always seen as a member.

When Aunt Firdaus left, Ayah looked at Barakah. She wasn't frowning or at the point of tears as she had been for the past couple of weeks, she had a ghost of a smile on her face. Somehow, seeing her happy made Ayah scared. Was it perhaps because she knew why she was happy? Ayah sighed, taking her eyes off of her to look outside in time to catch her mother open the curtain that separated them from the people outside.

She ran her eyes along Ayah, then Barakah, nodded, and disappeared behind the curtains.

Ayah's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Her mother hadn't offered her as much as a word of encouragement since the start of the night, not even a smile. And once again, she knew she wasn't supposed to be hurt because she was supposed to be used to it, but it still hurt.

"You'll be fine." Yasmin squeezed Ayah's hand. "It's just a boring party you're forced to attend, no more."

Ayah smiled lazily and squeezed back. "Thanks love, I needed that."

"You've got this," Raheemah whispered into her ear, squeezing her shoulders.

Ayah touched her hand and offered her a smile over her shoulder. "Thanks."

Salman and Salim, the twins came forth and held the curtains open on either sides, offering both Ayah and Barakah nods of greeting. Ayah was too nervous to reply. Instead, she familiarized herself with the view outside.

The dinner was taking place in the open, right beside her father's garage. There was a particularly long dining table that had up to fifteen chairs surrounding it, the table was covered with a golden coloured cloth and the chairs were covered using white cloths. Without a doubt, Ayah knew that was where the likes of the couple to be, parents and other important guests were going to sit.

There were other shorter tables that had chairs surrounding them, also covered in golden and white clothes. The place was gradually getting filled up, cars were driving into the compound, her father's garage was already full and the gate was left open for easy entrance.

Ayah heard the feedback from a microphone and her heart skipped a bit. It was beginning, she thought, squeezing Yasmin's hands tighter in a bid to remind herself that she wasn't alone. She had her best friend with her.

"Tonight is dedicated to two beautiful women." Ayah recognized the MC's voice. It was her cousin Farhan who was married with three kids. Farhan was a busy man and lived outside the state, Ayah was surprised he was able to make it.

"And two handsome men, of course," he added, causing a little uproar in the crowd, but it only lasted a few seconds.

"We're here to celebrate and congratulate them for tomorrow, which is the D-Day. So we're having what I'm going to call... A celebratory dinner."

There was an applause, and after a moment of silence, Farhan continued.

"Our handsome... Husbands to-be are on seat... And we're going to welcome our brides to be!"

There was a round of applause. Yasmin slowly let go of Ayah's hands and it took all of her willpower to not scream. She gave her a little nudge after mouthing 'I'm right behind you' and taking a step back. Ayah was alone now except for Barakah who was beside her.

She was about to begin hyperventilating when she saw Barakah's outstretched hands. She grabbed on to her hand for dear life, managing a crooked smile. They began to walk out. The applauds increased as the lights fell on them, and so did Ayah's heart beat.

"Wow!" Ayah heard Farhan mutter through the speakers. "Behold, the most beautiful brides to ever walk on this lands."

"Please let's walk them to their seats."

The moment Farhan finished his statement, Ayah felt her hands being pulled away from Barakah's hold and she suddenly became at alert. She relaxed when she saw it was her Aunt Layla.

"Zain is over there," she whispered, directing her towards the longest table in the setting.

Ayah allowed herself to be guided to her seat, seated, and surrounded by the series of congratulations that followed. She only focused on her breathe, trying not to hyperventilate or freak out in the mix.

"Are you listening to me, my dear?"

Ayah jumped at the hand on her lap which brought her back to reality.

"I'm sorry," she smiled, "I wasn't paying attention."

Ayah didn't recognize the woman who was sat by her right. She was beautiful, and had a sweet, motherly smile. She looked to be older than her mother but somehow, she managed to look younger.

"It's okay," she replied. Then in a whisper, she added, "I understand you."

Ayah let out a small laugh and looked away from her, getting uncomfortable with her overly kind nature. She didn't need that. Opposite her, was Barakah who was pale and looking at her hands unblinkingly. Beside her, without her doubt was Ayoub.

He was young. Older than Barakah, but not too old. He was in a purple kaftan which looked like it cost him a lot to obtain. He looks were average. He wasn't too fat - or slim either which made Ayah thank her stars for Barakah, at least he wasn't an eyesore.

Ayah suddenly froze in her seat, realizing that if Ayoub was beside Barakah, Zain had to be-

"This is too awkward, even for me."

Too frozen to look at who had just spoken, Ayah nodded slowly, keeping her eyes straight ahead.

"It is," she whispered.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Ayah could hear the concern in his voice.

She gulped, nodding.

"You look beautiful, by the way."

A small smile made its way to her face and she felt her cheeks heat up. She received compliments about her beauty a lot of times, but the effect it had on her didn't seem to wear out.

"Thank-"

"I don't mean you look beautiful just because you're on make-up, you're beautiful with or without them."

"It's okay," Ayah snickered. "It's all the same to me."

Ayah found herself relaxing much to her own surprise, but she still wasn't ready to look at Zain. She was curious as to how he looked, but more than that, she was scared of seeing what she didn't like e.g. an eyesore.

"Attention please." It was Farhan again with the speakers. Ayah rolled her eyes, but paid attention to him nonetheless.

"I want us all to pay respects to this wonderful man that's about to walk through those gates," he began, motioning towards the gate of Ayah's father's house.

Ayah followed his hands, waiting curiously for the man Farhan thought deserved their respects.

"He's a father. A husband. A soon to be father in-law... He's Khalid Khalil!"

Ayah slapped her hands over her mouth to muffle her screams, but even so, she knew she had screamed pretty loudly though her voice had been lost in the uproar that started with the mention of her father in-law to-be's name.

Ayah hadn't thought Khalid Khalil was going to attend the dinner party - her dinner party, or the wedding in fact, she had only been expecting him to send a representative along with gifts and that was all about it. He must really love his children, she thought.

"Please let's give him a round of applause, it's must not easy to be this man."

He was given a round of applause, and as he walked through the doors, Ayah found herself standing up along with several others. While some hooted, some screamed, some cried about how much of an influence he was to their lives, Ayah kept clapping until she couldn't feel her hands anymore, then she decided she had had enough of it.

She watched her father guide Khalid Khalil to his seat, his face almost bursting from how big his smile was. Though Ayah was still angry at him, somewhere deep inside, she was happy he had agreed to the proposal. How then could she have been this close to Khalid Khalil if not?

He looked just like he was on her phone and on the television, only a little better. He had the same boyish smile, the same twinkle in his eyes, and as usual, he was in his Babariga, a big cloth men wore on top of their kaftans.

While Farhan called for order, the amount of people trooping in to greet Khalid only increased. Ayah counted the amount of people between them starting from the kind woman she had talked to the other time, and it was only a total of three people which included her father, an unknown face and the kind woman she had an encounter with. He was also three people away from Barakah which included their mother and two unknown faces.

It took time, but the crowd around him finally settled down and finally, Farhan could proceed. He gave the microphone to her father who spoke about how sad he was about his daughters having to leave him so soon whilst shuffling his gaze between both of them. Ayah stared blankly, not moved in the slightest by his words. Her mother was also handed the microphone and she said pretty much the same thing, though during hers Ayah had a tear drop out of her eye.

Khalid Khalil spoke as well, during which Ayah couldn't hide the blush on her cheeks as he showered them all with prayers and praises.

Ayah felt better for the time being, she smiled genuinely sometimes, and other times she wanted to hide under the table. E.g when she found out Zain's mother was the woman sitting beside her.

Ayoub and Zain had different mothers, and they were both in attendance along with his other two wives. The other two women were the first and second wives, hence they sat closest to him on both sides after her mother and father. Ayoub's mother was the third wife and Zain's was the last.

Ayah couldn't take her eyes off Khalid Khalil for a good part of the night, which made not looking at Zain easier for her.

Farhan got off the stage and the parents' side of the table became busy. Ayah watched her father talk to Khalid like a giddy boy who was receiving a birthday gift from his crush, her mother was also in a similar condition only without the talking. With a sigh, she took her eyes off of them, looking to see how Barakah was doing.

She was looking better, but she still didn't look like she was enjoying herself. She was smiling robotically, and she paid no attention to Ayoub who seemed to be telling her a lot. Her eyes were set straight ahead as though she was looking at Ayah, but Ayah knew her sister was long gone, only her body was present.

Ayah heard Zain clear his throat beside her and she froze into her seat again.

"You know... You've seen me before," he started.

Ayah raised her eyebrows, the urge to look at him growing as the seconds ticked.

"I have?"

"Well you didn't exactly see me, it was more of a glimpse. I don't think you'll remember though, because like I'm a stranger and all that. I won't be offended if you don't."

Her curiosity got the best of her and she looked at him, her mouth falling slightly open when she did. She did remember him, so well, she remembered exactly what he had been wearing on that day.

He was the owner of the Mercedes Benz car that had obstructed their path at the spa that day. The image of the beautiful ride printed itself onto Ayah's mind and she bursted into a grin.

"You're the owner of that car!" She laughed. "Who would've thought."

"Wow," he laughed, scratching the back his neck. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Sorry," Ayah smiled. "I just really liked that car."

As she looked at his facial features, Ayah couldn't help but thank her stars that he wasn't an eyesore, and he also looked quite attractive. He looked a lot like his father, and the thought made Ayah almost smack her head. She knew Khalid Khalil, she had seen photos of his wives, how then could she have expected the combination of that man's face and any woman's to produce anything close to ugly.

"Would you like a ride in it?"

Ayah's eyes grew wide and she slapped her hands over her mouth, nodding frantically. It was like a dream come true. Then she uncovered her mouth and asked, "Right now?"

"You want to-"

"Sorry," she snickered, immediately realizing what she had just said. "That wasn't me who spoke."

"I'm nervous," Zain whispered.

"My insides are dying," she whispered back.

While laughing, Ayah's eyes caught Barakah's and almost immediately, she stopped laughing. The fire in her sister's eyes was nothing like the one's she'd seen before. Her jaws were twitching and she had her eyes narrowed. She could feel the anger reverberating through her. Though Ayah didn't know why she was angry, she had a feeling a lot of it had to do with her and her laughter.