Page 24 of First Comes Marriage
With a nod and nothing more to stay to her, he moved along and his children filed past her with short nods of acknowledgement and then his wife was standing in front of her. The same woman who had said that she couldn’t raise a twelve-year-old while trying to settle in with her new husband. She had needed time and then, of course, she couldn’t help a teenager adjust to a new family with a newborn baby to take care of, and so on and so forth until Reshma had realised that there would never really be any place for her in Huriya’s family. Her father had never fought to have her with him either, using the excuse that she was too old to be displaced from her uncle’s care by then.
‘Hello, Reshma. You look well.’
‘Thank you.’ Reshma wasn’t sure what more she could, or was supposed to, say to a comment like that, so she didn’t say anything. One never knew if it was a genuine comment or a sarcastic one. Well, at least when it came to Huriya, Reshma could never be sure.
‘And here’s my favourite son-in-law.’ Her father’s laugh had a nervous edge to it as he hugged Zafar and thumped him on the back. Zafar eased back, a bland smile on his face. ‘You’ve not met my family, have you?’ He introduced Zafar to his wife and children.
‘Ahsan often tells me about times he’s spent with your father in their youth,’ Huriya said, holding onto Zafar’s hand after shaking it.
Reshma heard Daadi scoff beside her before she covered it up with an elegant cough. She leaned close to Reshma and whispered, ‘Rich, don’t you think? They talk about that, but not about what’s really important.’
Huriya looked towards them sharply, but didn’t say anything before moving away, her daughter’s hand firmlyin hers. Daadi’s voice had been too soft for her to have heard anything, but she might have heard her scoff.
Reshma let out her breath in a soft whoosh, refraining from falling to the floor in a heap as her father and his family moved away. She felt her right hand being squeezed and realised that Zafar still held it in his. ‘Shall we head back to the villa?’
She nodded.
Daadi slid her arm through Reshma’s left arm once more and leaned across her slightly, talking to both her and Zafar. ‘I think that’s a fantastic idea. I could do with a sit-down and a cup of tea. In that order.’
11
Zafar
Zafar watched as Daadi tried to engage with Reshma, and while she was responding, he could tell that her mind kept drifting off and he didn’t blame her. Her father’s arrival was even more surprising than his had been. No one had known about it, and given that he wasn’t very involved in the extended family, according to the snippet he’d heard Uncle Jawad exchanging with Auntie Ruqayyah, his arrival had shocked everyone. From the little Zafar knew, Ahsan Mir’s contact with his family was occasional and often came as a surprise, much like it had today. Pleasant or not was yet to be seen, though he had a feeling he knew the answer to that already.
‘Should we call that scamp Haroon and see what he’s been up to?’ Daadi asked Reshma, knowing how she doted on her youngest brother-in-law and if anyone could bring a smile to her face – from his family, that was – it was Haroon Saeed. Which, when put like that, didn’t reflect very well on Zafar.
‘I messaged him earlier, Daadi, while I was working, and he said that they had planned a day of exploring today. I don’t want to disturb him. In fact, I think I might pop down to the beach for a walk and some fresh air. I could do with the movement.’ There was an air of fragility about Reshma and Zafar felt like he needed to do something,anything, to bring her back to how she’d been before her father had arrived, even if she had been pissed at him.
But he felt ill-equipped to do anything. Who was he to offer Reshma any comfort or support when he was one of the people who had disappointed her too? What could he say or do to make Reshma feel better given wheretheywere?
He didn’t want her feeling any more hurt or disappointed than she already was and he could see that the arrival of her father had bothered her. He’d been there for Ahsan Mir’s lukewarm greeting for his eldest daughter.
Zafar felt a flare of anger, towards Reshma’s father and towards himself, because if they had been in a better place, he would know what to do. He was in this position of his own making.
Reshma made her way upstairs.
‘Zafar, sweetheart, go with her, please. I’m worried about her. She’s putting on a brave front, but I’m sure the arrival of her father with his family has affected her. Did you see their lacklustre acknowledgement of her?’
He nodded. ‘Will you be OK?’
‘I’ll be fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry about me. Reshma needs all of your attention right now.’
He wasn’t sure Reshma would agree with his grandmother. He didn’t know what he would say or do, but he wasn’t going to let Reshma deal with this by herself, of that he was certain. Now wasn’t the time to leave her alone. Even if they were silent throughout, he wanted to be there for her, even from a distance.
She came down five minutes later and Zafar got up. ‘I’ll come with you.’
She shook her head. ‘You don’t have to. I’ll be fine by myself.’ She didn’t wait for any response and opened the door and walked out.
Zafar gave it twenty seconds before he left himself, spotting her a short distance ahead of him. Her head was bowed and her shoulders were hunched as she hurried down the path towards the beach.
Heavy grey clouds had rolled in since that morning and though rain hadn’t been forecast, the sky looked somewhat ominous to him.
Zafar followed Reshma onto the beach and after she’d speed-walked several metres, her pace slowed down a bit until she came to a stop and turned to face the ocean. The tide was quite far out, which meant that it would soon start coming in. He could see her side profile and as he watched her, she lifted her hand and swiped it across her face, wiping away tears, and Zafar felt his heart sink.
He slowly made his way towards her and when he was a handful of steps away, she turned her face and looked at him for a moment, before turning to face the ocean once more. She didn’t bother hiding the fact that she was crying, her tears falling unchecked down her face.
He wasn’t sure whether she would appreciate his presence or any kind of contact, but the idea of just standing there didn’t sit right with him. He wanted to comfort her, so he went with his instinct. Slowly, he touched her fingers, letting his intertwine with hers, and she let him, didn’t pull away. She turned her face and looked at their hands as he rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand. He watched her face as she swallowed, her chin moving with the motion, but her eyes remained glued to their hands.
