'Mummy, look Manal is hitting me,' Shehryaar complained to Saliha. 'Tell her to stop or I will play with Zoha and we won't play with her.'

Saliha was carefully pouring the steamy, milky tea in the China cups. She ignored Shehryaar for the sake of not spilling the tea.

'Mummy, look.' He tapped on her shoulder. 'Stop, Manal.' He maddened at the small girl, wearing knee-long floral skirt and plain peach chiffon sleeveless top, who frowned back.

'Sabr, beta. Don't you see what I am doing?' Saliha said, bothered. 'One minute.' She proceeded filling the cup for Zafar, who was habitually immersed in the newspaper's political updates.

Shehryaar stepped away from Saliha, unhappy that nobody was listening to him and ran to another girl who was quietly sitting on the front steps, cupping her face in her hands, with a tint of boredom dull in her eyes. He went over and sat by her without saying anything.

Zoha glimpsed on the side and returned her gaze back to the front. She didn't say anything, but had internalized the small moment. It was Shehryaar's way of attracting her attention and transmitting his message through imitating Zoha's actions.

'Why don't you let her hide?' Zoha said, her eyes following Manal whining to her mother.

'I let her, but she keeps hiding in the same place. It's boring. I told her,' Shehryaar said. 'I have better places to hide than her, but she won't let me.' He made a face.

'Play something else then.'

'Like what?'

Zoha shrugged her shoulders while leaning her elbows on the knees.

'Please can you play with me? Please?'

'I don't like to play. I like to watch.'

'Com' on it will be fun. You can be whatever you want,' he insisted.

'But I don't want to play,' Zoha simply responded.

'Why don't you ever play like me and Manal?'

Zoha sighed and continued watching Saliha, Manal and Zafar, sitting together like they were part of a movie scene. 'Don't force me.'

Shehryaar grabbed Zoha's hand and pulled her up from the sitting position. 'Come on, let's play. You will like it.'

Zoha retreated her hand away from his hold and furrowed her eyebrows in an annoyed look. 'I told you don't force me. I don't want to play and I don't like it.'

Shehryaar was stunned, his posture frozen by the wind of her cold words. Zoha turned away and darted inside, hitting upstairs to her room.

Her heart raced a beat faster, leaving her left side of the body pounding harder than the right. As she tried to move her left arm, which was resting under side of her head, it wouldn't move. It was solid and dead with bitter pain.

Blinking her eyes open, she ran her good right arm over to the lip of the comforter. The room was dark with pale, mundane light, leaking through the space between the curtains. She wasn't sure if it was morning yet. It was too gray for the nice sunshine. Closing her eyes she rested her head back on the pillow and pulled the comforter over her shoulder. It was really early to be out of bed, she figured. Her mind was already befuddled from the residues of the dream, and her body was too weary to stand.

***************

Just after two in the afternoon, the wedding planners arrived. This time they decorated the inside of the house. Outside was too cold. They dressed the staircase with Chrysanthemum, twisted around the banister, and the petals sprinkled on the steps. In the living area, they shifted around the sofas for wide open space and laid the thin carpet on the tiled floor. Then covered it with green sheets to make it comfortable for the guests.

Zafar had come to Pakistan week ago. He had two proper days of rest and the third day he picked himself up and got busy with mehndi planning and booking banquets for Nikah and Walima. He spent two days making the list of guests and selected the invitation card design. Then ordered them according to the number of guests they were inviting.

By six in the evening, the decorations were nearly done. The fruit and sweet boxes and wicker baskets were wrapped with colored cellophanes and bowl filled with lit up votive candles, floating on the water, were placed on the center table. The fancy bolsters and square pillows were placed around the perimeter of the carpet. For the bride, they had set the swing, adorned with multicolored dupattas and fresh mehndi flowers. There was a small table in front of it that had one decorated plate of mehndi cones, and two wrapped plates filled with dry fruits, mouth refreshers and mini chocolates and candies.

An hour or two before the guests arrived, Saliha told Rumina to clean the kitchen. Since the dinner meal was booked from outside, she was given a day off for cooking. The entire house was clean and decorated. There was nothing much to do. Zafar was the one who had some outdoor tasks. He had given his shalwar and kurta for hot iron press. He loved crisp creased ironed clothes. It gave him the satisfaction.

Hoorain had come over earlier to ready Zoha up. On mehndi, brides wore plain look, with minimum amount of makeup and barely any jewelry. Zoha slipped in a long double shades-medallion yellow and light orange colored kameez, with white floral beadwork design on it, and chartreuse green dupatta, edged with fancy golden border and plain colored pants that barely showed under the big, billowy kameez.

Hoorain did the side-braid and curled two strands of hair on both sides for Zoha. Then applied unrecognizing amount of foundation on her face and puffed a light pink blush on her cheekbones.

"Look in the mirror now," Hoorain said. She had held Zoha from looking at herself in the mirror until she was done with her makeup and everything.

Zoha got up from the velvet ottoman and faced the mirror.

"What do you think?" Hoorain said, even before second thoughts crossed Zoha's mind.

"It looks nice. I like it"

"Trust me you don't even need that much makeup. You already look beautiful without it."

"That's not true," Zoha said. "I think this much makeup looks good enough on me." She studied her face.

"Okay what about the hair?"

"Perfect."

Hoorain smiled. "Chalo baal toh achay ban gaye. Now let me fix the dupatta." She grabbed the un-ironed dupatta from the bed and opened it up.

Zoha stood steady, turned sideways for Hoorain to be able to see her. "Where did you keep the kajrey? (handmade fresh flower bangles) "

"One minute." Hoorain had put the dupatta on Zoha's head halfway. "I know where they are. Just let me do this first."

Zoha stood without another word and tried catching glimpses of herself in the mirror since Hoorain wouldn't let her move. Later when she was done, she looked at Zoha for a moment, reckoning if dupatta was placed in the right position-not too in the back, nor too in the front.

"Is it done?" Zoha said when she encountered Hoorain's confusion.

"Look and tell me if it looks alright."

Zoha glanced in the mirror.

"Is it good?" Hoorain was impatient.

"I think it looks good," Zoha said it like it was so obvious.

"Okay. Good."

"Now can you tell me where are the kajrey?"

"Ek minute sabr nahi hota." Hoorain grabbed the tail of the dupatta and created bunch of loose folds in the back.

"Okay baba." Zoha sighed.

When Hoorain was done fixing the dupatta, she walked over to the showcase and took out the kajrey for both hands and one head piece with big round earrings. She slipped one in Zoha's one hand and the other one in the other. Then adjusted the head piece with the dupatta so it didn't slide off, and told Zoha to wear the earrings herself.

"Done?" Hoorain said.

Zoha once again looked at herself in the mirror, fully dressed. "I love it." She smiled blushingly.

"Yaar, qasam se bohat pyari lag rahi ho. Ma Shaa Allah. (Man I swear you look so pretty.) "

"Acha acha, bohat tareef kar li." Zoha laughed. "I wonder what everyone is doing. Bari ammi. Manal."

"They must be ready too," Hoorain said.

*************

Saliha pulled out her green and golden colored set of bangles and divided them in both hands. Before she thought to wear two gold bangles in one hand and a nice bracelet in the other one. But then she changed her mind. She said she could wear the gold jewelry for Nikah and artificial jewelry for mehndi. They matched perfectly. She wore kajal in her eyes and applied maroon lipstick that stood out against her light complexion.

Later she brushed her light brown dyed hair and clipped them in a bun. On the wardrobe door there was her ironed dupatta hanging on the hanger. She grabbed that and slipped it around the neck.

Before going downstairs, where all the guests were going to arrive soon, she decided to check on Shehryaar in his room. Tonight he was surely not participating in the event. He was the groom. Mehndis were for girls, the bride.

When Saliha went in his room, she saw him standing by the window, looking out, pondering. He didn't even realize that Saliha had come in until he felt the hand rest on the back of his shoulder and he slightly flinched. His eyes wore a minor shock.

"Mummy?" he said softly.

Saliha smiled with merriment.

"When did you come?" He looked at the door to see how he hadn't realize when it opened.

"Just now. I didn't think to knock. Sorry for breaking into your privacy." Saliha slid her hand down his back.

"No no it's okay." He noticed Saliha's clothes. "You look beautiful."

Saliha smiled wide. "Thank you."

"Are the guests here?"

"No. But they should be arriving now."

"And daddy? What is he doing?" Shehryaar's arms rested on his sides. "He must need help."

Saliha gave an assuring pat on his arm and said, "he is good with management. If he needed any help he would had asked you."

"I see he is still out."

"Yeah." Her eyes were fixated on him. "Well tonight you are staying in your room."

"But why? Can't I even go to the kitchen?"

"It depends. The thing is you can't see your bride before Nikah."

Shehryaar chuckled. "The whole day today I haven't gone out anywhere and you are telling me to stay in the room for tonight also?"

"It's just one night," Saliha said. "You can go out if you want. Who is that friend of yours that came from America?" She tried to remember his name.

"Ahsan?"

"Yeah him. Why don't you go hang out with him?"

"I mean- yeah not a bad idea. It's better than staring at these walls and being tortured before the wedding day."

Saliha laughed.

"Then I should get ready before all the ladies come."

"Yes definitely."

**************

"I am so nervous," Zoha said, looking at Hoorain with worried, humble eyes. "I don't like lots of people."

"Be confident, yaar. Don't shy away. This is your mehndi," Hoorain said. She kept making sure that Zoha's kajrey stayed fixed on her head with the dupatta.

"Do you know what they do on mehndi? I mean beside putting mehndi and eating sweets."

"You get wedding clothes as gift from your mother-in-law and they do rasam (traditional rituals)."

"What kind of rasam?"

Hoorain clasped both shoulders of Zoha's from the back and stooped to her sitting level. "Meri pyaari dost, (my beloved friend) why are you so nervous? Mehndis are suppose to be fun. Dance, music and dhol."

"You better not go anywhere."

"Where am I going?" Hoorain laughed.

"Leaving me in front of everyone and joining the guests."

"What if I have to?"

"No. You are staying with me or else I won't talk to you." Zoha made a face.

Hoorain laughed. "Beta, you already don't talk much as a bride."

"I meant after everything is over."

"Acha na, baba," Hoorain said, embracing her in a hug from the back. "I was just teasing you."

"I thought you wouldn't tease me at least today." Zoha still had a face of an upset baby.

"Do you think I would do any of what I say?"

"I don't know. You have always been a crazy girl."

Hoorain looked straight in the mirror at Zoha. "For your kind information I wouldn't." She gave a fake smile.

"Okay fine. Now stop hugging me. My dupatta is slipping off." She tried to let loose Hoorain's arms around her.

"Oh sorry sorry." Hoorain immediately affixed the bobbin pin to the dupatta and secured the fresh flower head piece. "Now look."

"Better," Zoha said.

At seven in the evening, the guests started arriving. The first one was the next door neighbor who Saliha had known for over fifteen years. She came with her one daughter. Then Yumna showed up with Shaheen and Fariqa, carrying fruit baskets and boxes of sweets since they were technically from bride's side.

When Saliha saw them, she immediately rushed to greet them.

"How are you, Saliha?" Yumna said, full of joy.

"Alhumdulilah I am good," Saliha said. "How are you?"

"Allah ka shukr hai."

Shaheen was standing by Yumna, dressed in dark green kameez and yellow patiala shalwar with chunri dupatta, covering her head. Fariqa was gazing at the stunning house, amazed at the fine, pretty decorations that stole viewers' breath.

"Assalamalaikum, beta," Saliha regarded Yumna's daughters. "How are you, girls? Ma Shaa Allah bohat pyaari betiyaan hain aapki."

"Walaikum salam, aunty," Shaheen said.

"Walaikum salam," Fariqa said.

"Come in, beta. Give me the fruit basket. I will take them," Saliha offered.

"It's fine, aunty. You tell us where to put them. We will it carry it ourselves since you might have other guests to look at," Shaheen reasoned.

"Okay sure." Saliha directed them to the table next to the embellished swing. "Thank you."

They dropped the things on the table, where there were already other gift bags and fruit baskets, and then went up to Zoha's room.

**********

There was a knock at the door. Zoha who was posing, sitting in front of the dressing table for Hoorain to take her picture, moved and looked at the door.

Hoorain clicked one last photo and went to see who was it.

Just as Zoha saw Yumna, Shaheen and Fariqa, she sprang up with excitement.

"Khala, you?" she said.

"Haan, meri jaan." Yumna came over and enveloped Zoha in a warm hug. "How are you?" She kissed her head.

"I am good. How are you?" Zoha hugged back.

"Allah ka shukr hai. I am happy that I am not sick today. I couldn't have missed your mehndi."

"You know how happy I am to see you. There are no words."

"My love, you don't know how I feel when I see you." She kissed Zoha's head again.

Shaheen and Fariqa watched, as blither to see Zoha.

"Assalamalaikum, aunty," Hoorain managed to greet after Zoha and Yumna had their moment.

"Walaikum salam, beta. How are you?" Yumna said.

"I am good. Alhumdulilah," Hoorain said kindly. "Aunty, tell me how does Zoha look?"

Yumna regained her attention back at Zoha. "Ma Shaa Allah really pretty."

Zoha lowered her gaze and meekly smiled.

"Khala, did the ladies come already? All the guests?" Zoha asked.

"Some came before we came," Shaheen spoke out of the ordinary.

"Maybe Saliha aunty will tell us when to bring Zoha down," Hoorain said, looking at Yumna specifically since she was the adult.

"Did she come to see Zoha?" Yumna said.

"No." Hoorain shook her head.

"I will go down and make sure," Yumna said. "Otherwise I think the best idea is when after most of the guests arrive."

Quietness saturated the air as Yumna stopped talking. None of them said anything after her, like they were internalizing the moment.

"Tum toh puri tayyar hona?" Yumna said.

"Jee, Khala," Zoha said.

"Okay then I will go down and you Shaheen and Fariqa stay here."

"Okay," Fariqa said. She seemed cheery about this. "I will take pictures with Zoha."

Shaheen lightly slapped Fariqa on her arm and Fariqa scrunched her eyebrows.

"You have to say everything," Shaheen said in a low voice.

"What?" Fariqa patted where her big sister had slapped her.

"Jee, ammi. Don't worry. You go down and take care of things with Saliha aunty, we will bring Zoha down when it's time," Shaheen said.