Chapter 22: The Big Day!

'Adda Bushra, this is the last time I'll wake you up. The next will be either Aunty or Madina, and you know they'll not have mercy on you." Yasmin stood by her bed, her arms on her chest as she halted to see if Bushra would get off the bed. 'The makeup artist will be here in less than an hour. Get up already. Or I'll call Aunty or Aunty Sadiya to help you get up."
Bushra heaved a sigh and slowly opened her eyes. She heaved a desolate sigh and sat up. 'I'm up, happy?" She slurred as she uncovered herself and got to her feet.
'Good, now go take a hot shower. I'll bring in your breakfast shortly." Yasmin said and sauntered out of the room.
Bushra hissed slightly and made her way to the bathroom. Today, it was the day she dreaded, not only because she was getting married to the man she despised most – the idea of getting married scared her. Her life would change from the time the knot gets tied. She'd be under a man – a man she'd never in a billion years want to obey, but now, he was going to be her husband and she had no optimal but to do as he said if she wanted to have peace in her life.
She saunters into the bathroom and stood before her mirror. Her skin was glowing and the henna on her hand complemented it. She smirked, remembering the torture she went through for the past two weeks. The waxing, scrubbing, the burning incense – she has indeed suffered… for nothing. Because there was no way he'd come anywhere near her after the agreement they made and even signed a contract. At least, her skin feels soft and she felt much better.
She got undressed and hopped into the shower. She turns on the shower and water fall onto her skin, releasing tension. She exhaled out deeply as she closed her eyes. Taking a hot shower was always tranquil for her – it helped her release stiffness, have a moment with herself and think things through.
She scrubbed her smooth, soft body with her new body-scrub as the thought of life after marriage kept roaming around her mind. Though hers was different, it was a contract with terms and conditions which they both agreed to compile before it expires. It was still bloodcurdling that she was getting married and how she behaves at home changes, how she dresses to go out changes, how she has to literally ask for his permission before going out. A sickening chill ran down her spine at the thought of asking Mahir for permission before going out. Would she comply to that? She should've asked her lawyer to add that to the contract so she'd go out and do as she pleases.
She disregarded the thoughts and stepped out of the bathtub when she was down. She performed ablution just like Aunty had told her to do – to pray after the wedding Nikkah and thank Allah for making the day possible and pray for a happy and peaceful home. It made her to cackle. Happy home – she doubts that with Mahir. The only way she'd have a happy home without him is if he's not present around her. Just living with him in the same roof was enough to make her have a meltdown due to how much she despises him. She didn't feel bad nor regret ever hating him. The only thing that sticks in her head whenever it crosses her mind was ‘why marry someone you hate?'
She wasn't forced to marry him – she took it upon herself and agreed to marry him. Possibly because she was about to watch her life get ruined by Sadiq or she agreed to marry him for other mysterious reasons.
Wrapping a soft towel around her chest, Bushra heads out of the bathroom. Madina was in her room, fully dressed for the day. 'Why are you all so hyped about this wedding?" Bushra rolled her eyes and made her way to her dressing mirror.
'My best friend is getting married; you expect me not to be thrilled about it? You have got to be kidding me," Madina said incredibly. She knew why Bushra wasn't ecstatic about it. 'And besides, you were the one that accepted his proposal," Madina said with a smirk.
Bushra scoffed astonishingly and glared at Madina. 'You were the one that talked me into marrying him, now it's my fault that I'm not happy on my big day?" Bushra was astonished by how Madina was trying to hold her responsible for the jumble she schmoosed her into. She rubbed her lotion on as she scoffed and hissed at the audacity of anyone that was even happy about the wedding.
'Bushra, you are a very stubborn woman. You hardly listen left alone take an advice. You're just like your husband. Maybe that's why you ended up together."
Bushra scowled at her at the last statement she made. Madina chuckled softly – she was expecting that. 'Sure, I did advice you to marry him to get out of marrying Sadiq, and you reasoned it and accepted it. So, you see, it's not entirely my fault."
Bushra glowered at her before she hissed and moved to the suit case standing by her closet. She dropped it on the bed and zipped it open. She brought out the emerald green dress, smiling at it. She was so much in love with the dress, how it complements her body and fits so well.
'You were right about this color," Madina said, admitting what Bushra had chosen. The color didn't look like it would fit for a wedding, but after it was sewed, it looked like it belonged to a Disney princess. 'I told you so." She stuck her tongue out at Madina.
Yasmin walks in with a tray of goodies and dropped it on the side drawer. A lady in her late 20s walked in with followed by someone that looked like her assistant, carrying her working equipment.
'Oh, Good, you're out. Sorry it took so long, I got carried away with something. Now eat before they set up their… things for the makeup. Now, excuse me." Yasmin sprinted out and shut the door behind her.
After she had exchanged pleasantries with the makeup artist and her assistant, Bushra settled down on the edge of the bed to eat – she thought. With the way she was feeling, she doubts if she could eat anything. She uncovered the waffles Yasmin made for her, she topped it up with the chocolate syrup that came with it. She took the fork and stabbed the waffles with it. Taking a small bite, Bushra grimaced. It wasn't because she didn't enjoy -- her taste buds have left and she had no appetite.
She took few more bites, avoiding Madina's glares and complains. 'Ok, I'm ready," she announced as she dropped the fork on the plate. The makeup artist gestured her to sit on chair preserved for her. She approached it and settled down before the makeup artist began her work.
It didn't take them two hours to finish Bushra's glam as she requested for a simple makeup. Bushra slipped into her dress and the makeup artist tied the headgear – before Bushra finally looked at herself in the full-length mirror.
'Wow," she mused to herself. The makeup brought out her more feminine self, her self-confidence also. There was something about it that raises her self-esteem and sets her up right for the big day ahead.
'How do I look?" Bushra asked them and do a little twirl, the sheer layers of the mermaid gown spinning around her.
'You look so beautiful, Bushra." Madina smiled dazzlingly. It brought tears of joy to her eyes, seeing her best friend in one the most beautiful dresses she has ever seen, just few hours till the knot gets tied – Madina heaved a sigh of relief. The day she has been waiting for is finally here.
Bushra instead, she peered at herself for a moment in the mirror before facing them. 'This dress, this makeup makes me feel so self-reliant." She smoothens the dress as though it was squeezed.
Yasmin walks in suddenly and halted in her track when she spotted Bushra fully dressed and glammed up. 'This is not Adda Bushra, is it? Oh… I… you look so beautiful. Stunning. Any word that means glamorous." They laughed at the same time and enfolded each other in a hug. 'Thank you, Yasmin." Bushra said, breaking the hug.
'Everyone is waiting for. Are you ready?" Yasmin asked her. She gave her a reassuring smile when her smile faded. 'You're fine, Adda. Nothing to panic about, okay? Madina and I will be right beside you throughout the time."
'Yes, until your husband arrives and that'll be our cue to leave and let him handle the rest," Madina said jokingly, making Bushra to glare at her and hiss.
'He's not coming," she announced and brushed passed Yasmin. She fetched her phone that was under her pillow to check the time. The wedding Nikkah was scheduled to be at 1:30pm immediately after Dhuhr prayer. It was past 12noon – she felt gruesome.
'Why isn't he coming? Aren't you guys going to take pictures?" Madina asked her. Bushra shrugged it off. Why would she need a picture of them together when it's just a one-year thing? She needn't to waste her time and energy for that and thus, she asked him not to even bother coming to see her. He agreed to the idea without even arguing.
'I told him not to bother coming and I don't need a picture with him. What on earth will I even do with our picture? Disgusting." She sneered, not meeting their judgmental gazes.
'Well… Because every picture tells a story, and a picture is worth a thousand words, but the memories are priceless," Madina pointed out but Bushra shrugged off her shoulders. She knew she wouldn't regret any of her decisions. And she has seen and read so many stories where they end up happily. Hers was different – they signed a contract and specified no strings attached to avoid such ending from happening. She has no feelings for him, not a single grain of likeness but hatred and anger that comes between them.
'C'mon, put on your shoes and let's go. People are waiting." Yasmin helped her slip into her 2-inch heel that made a little difference to her height. They all stepped out of the room just as her heart sunk with incredible fear. It wasn't only the fear of her life changing within an hour, it was the fear of what it consists of and what she was getting herself into. She took slow steps together with Yasmin and Madina, towards Aunty's room – her heart pounded like a hammer as she tried to restrain herself from having a meltdown.
'You'll be fine," Madina said in her reassuring voice and gently rubbed her back for support. She looked at Madina and nodded. How could she possibly need any friend when she has Madina and Yasmin always there for her. Bushra did have friends but they weren't so close as she was with Madina. And she didn't invite any of them because she didn't feel the need to. This wasn't a wedding she was head over heels for after all. She need not invite anyone and forge a smile when deep down she wasn't happy.
'Masha Allah, is this Bushra? I can't believe this."
'You look so beautiful my dear."
'So glamorous, just like a bride should look."
The complements began the moment they step foot into Aunty's room. Bushra couldn't stop herself from blushing nor could she raise her head up to look at them. How she wished the floor could just swallow her up.
'Come on, come here," one of Aunty's younger sisters motioned Bushra to come closer to her. Bushra moved further into the room and settled down beside her like she asked her to. 'Tabarakallah Masha Allah, you look so beautiful and your dress is perfect." She complemented, giving Bushra a gentle side hug.
'Today is a day you will always remember. The greatest in anyone's life. You'll start off the day just two people in love and end it as Husband and wife. It's a brand new beginning the start of a journey with moments to cherish and treasure. And although there'll be times when you both disagree; this will surely be outweighed by pleasure. You'll have heard many words of advice in the past when the secrets of marriage were spoken, but you know that the answers hidden inside where the bond of true love lies unbroken. So live happy forever as lovers and friends. It's the dawn of a new life for you. And with luck, all your hopes and dreams can be real. May success always find its way to your hearts. Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys. But today is the day it all starts. May Allah bless this marriage and may your love for each other continue to grow."
Bushra's eyes welled up as she felt the searing pain in her heart. She looks at Aunty – she smiled at her and Bushra held in her tears and suppressed a smile. She wasn't overwhelmed over her Aunty's words – the fact that everyone thought they were in love, including her mother, bothers her. If only they knew what they've gotten themselves into, all this happy moment, advices and well wishes wouldn't be needed.
'Amin, Thank you, Yapendo." She finally found her voice and spoke.
Bushra didn't grasp how much she had bottled up until she heard the announce of her officially being Mahir's wife. The blank, emotionless expression swept over her face as the realization of the moment gradually seeped in. Just like a dream, she felt the sudden nauseating hit her hard. She settled down on her bed, unable to utter and do anything. She felt as though her heart was being ripped out. A state of misery that she couldn't see the end of the tunnel.
'I couldn't be happier for you, Bushra. May your married life be filled with happiness and… love. Well… despite the fact you guys don't see eye to eye but, I can feel it in me that this marriage is a blessing." Madina held her hand as she spoke. She gave her a light squeeze of assurance.
A terrible weight fell onto her shoulders as she looked at Madina. 'What if it's not? What if I made a mistake? I don't think this was the right decision, Madina. Maybe I should've agreed to…"
'Do not even say that, Bushra. If you obsess over whether you're making the right decision, you're basically assuming that the universe will reward you for one thing and punish you for another. The universe has no fixed agenda. Once you make any decision, it works around it. There's no right or wrong, only a series of possibilities that shift with each thought, feeling, and action that you experience."
She took a moment to let Madina's words to sink in. She nodded hesitatingly and heaved a sigh out of frustration. She was afraid whether she had made the right decision or not. And she shouldn't have ever thought marrying Sadiq was going to be a good decision to make.
'Salamu Alaikum, Adda Bushra." Safiya, Bushra's cousin walks in hastily. She had an unbeaten grin plastered on her face. 'Guess what?" She spoke cheerfully.
Bushra shoots her brows up in awe. She wasn't good at guessing games, but whatever it was, it was a positive thing for Safiya to rush in to announce it.
'Your husband just arrived and he wants to see you. He came along with his friends also. C'mon get up please, he's eagerly waiting to see his bride." She held Bushra's hand to help her get to her feet but she froze in her spot.
'Mahir? I thought you said he wasn't coming?" Madina asked bewildered.
'I thought so too," she mouthed, just as she felt a sudden repulsive sensation throughout her body.