22. Daddy Issues

...

Dahlia Ahmad's mornings began with Kaveh taking her on a walk.

Their their alarm clock went off a little before Fajr. Dahlia had always had trouble waking up with alarms, so Kaveh was the one to leave the bed first and gently shake her awake. She encouraged her husband to learn about their Faith, but made it a point to not pressurize him into anything; but he began by default praying both Tahajjud and Fajr with her regularly.

After their prayers and just before Dahlia began to doze off again, he insisted on taking a stroll around the neighborhood together. Every morning, she attempted to convince him anew that staying in bed longer was a better idea, but he always argued, "you don't get fresh air like this in the city".

They left the mansion whilst it was still cloaked in darkness, Dahlia reluctantly rubbing the last bit of her sleep and murmuring under her breath, "any other husband in the world would have delightedly chosen the option to stay in bed."

They started with the pathway circling the lake, slowly making their way into the rice paddy fields that stretched on for miles. The roads snaking in between were narrow and uneven, and Kaveh had to keep looking over his shoulder to check on Dahlia, and at times extend his arm to allow her to use it as support.

During this time, Kaveh shared stories of his visits to this place in his childhood. So despite her vexations, Dahlia secretly enjoyed these walks since they allowed her to learn more about her husband.

By the time they made it back to the house, the sun slowly rose over the mansion, waking up the residents along with it.

Dahlia's stay at her husband's ancestral house stretched on longer than she expected. Their trip was originally supposed to last for only a couple days, but Arshad Fayyad decided to extend their stay until Eid-Ul-Adha.

The night before Eid, all the Fayyad cousins gathered to apply henna. Some of the elder women, including Dahlia's grandmother-in-law, took it as an opportunity to lock her up in a room and give her unsolicited advice on the most efficient ways of getting pregnant.

The morning of the Eid started with the men gathering in the main hall for the prayer and the 'Allahu Akbars' echoing across the house. Dahlia was heartbroken to find she could not participate in the Eid prayer. A man and a woman praying in the same congregation, though allowed religiously if the proper sequence was maintained, wasn't permitted in the conservative culture of the village.

The Eid prayer was something she always looked forward to performing with her family. It was an integral part of the holiday for her – panicking the night before about waking up in time, leaving bed with ample time to shower and getting dressed with her sisters, observing the prayer with her entire family, and then breaking fast together. The Fayyads did everything differently, and Dahlia did not realize beforehand what an adjustment it was going to be for her.

The ladies of the house started preparing for the herbs and spices for the night's feast, even though Dahlia was excused from the kitchen because she was the new bride, she still extended her help. She had been close to the Fayyads long before her marriage due to her years worth of friendship with Layla, yet, there was a shift in her dynamics with the family; which was bound to happen since she was no longer just Layla's friend, but a daughter-in-law of the family.

The sacrifices of the animals were made in the open land in front of the mansion. After the main event, what began was the butchering and dividing for distribution.

Dahlia sat on a ledge by the lake with Layla, Azar and a few of the other Fayyad cousins. The sky had been rumbling all morning, hinting of a rain. The air around them stank strongly of iron and bleach - which was a mandatory part of Eid-ul-Adha, just like their newsfeed filling up with Salman's Bashir's mandatory Eid selfies.

A couple feet away, Dahlia could see Kaveh surrounded by his father and uncles. He was in a traditional attire, standing tall with his arms behind his back. This was the first time she had seen him in such clothes, with the exception of their wedding; and she couldn't hold back the appreciation appearing in her eyes as they trailed on him.

"Keep staring at him like that and the aunties will soon realize they no longer need to lecture you on how to conceive children."

Dahlia whipped her head towards her sister-in-law, heat rushing to her face. "My God, Layla! I wasn't staring at him. I was just... looking."

"Wow, what an impressive save. You want me to create a distraction so you two can sneak off to another one of your 'walks' again?" she retorted.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Dahlia cried, still looking abashed. "And we do actually go on walks. Nothing else. Kaveh likes the fresh air here."

"What a load of crap," Layla snorted, twisting a strand of her dark curly hair, eyes turning mischievous. "Kaveh despises the countryside, these are just excuses to spend more time with you without intervention from the family."

Dahlia shifted her eyes towards him once more. She let out a scoff to mask the tenderness appearing on her face. "Or maybe just a tactic to escape from the relatives."

Layla chuckled. "That's a possibility too."

The tall girl got to her feet as Yasmine Fayyad called for her. Dahlia got up from her seat as well and went to stand besides her husband. Kaveh looked up, still annoyed. She was beginning to understand Kaveh's reluctance over spending time with his extended family.

"Dels, Mom wants you inside," Layla cried from behind.

Dahlia looked over her shoulder momentarily, and then turned to him again.

Seeing the hesitation in her eyes he said, "go," Kaveh beckoned towards the mansion. "I'll be fine," he assured.

Gently squeezing his shoulder in a reassuring manner, Dahlia spun on her feet.

The holidays during Eid were the only days when Katrina could take the time to let out a breath.

Katrina always had a jam-packed, hectic schedule – and she preferred it that way. However, when she had time to relax and for once in her life, to kick her feet up and lean back – she couldn't help but appreciate the opportunity to slow down once in a while. She could have breakfast with her father every morning, sit down with her mother and actually have a conversation, and spend time with her brothers.

It was still morning when Khadija informed Katrina that they were expecting the Bashirs for dinner.

When Salman called her the first time, Katrina answered it. When he called her the second time, she answered that too. When he asked her if she would be willing to see him outside of work sometime, accompanied by Tamara and her brothers, of course - she said she'd think about it.

Katrina had no idea where they stood, or if she actually wanted it, all she knew was that she hadn't her heart get this invested in something in a long time.

Katrina immediately insisted they both involve their family, whether or not their relationship actually headed somewhere, in fear of things escalading. Maintaining a certain distance and setting boundaries were important to her, and she knew she had to do it was soon as possible.

Her mother and grandmother were overjoyed. The ladies wasted no time in inviting the other family over. Katrina kept insisting that she wanted to keep, whatever she had with Salman, low-key. They assured they understood, but the also began to plan the wedding the next moment, together. Katrina was the one thing these two women could agree on, and set aside their years-worth of differences for.

Despite Katrina's vexation, her family spent the entire day preparing for their guests. Arif Khan went to the local bazaar to bring the best produce, Khadija, Tamara, and a reluctant Katrina, gathered forces to recreate the best recipes from YouTube.

The Bashirs arrived after Maghrib. Their hands were filled with packets of sweets as they entered their humble abode.

"Arrey Bhabhi, what was the need of all this!" Arif Khan cried, spreading his hands at the pile of treats that were continuously increasing.

"I can't come to your house empty-handed, can I?" Neela Bashir replied. "Not after the hospitality you guys have showed us."

"Drama Queens," Tamara scoffed under her breath, watching the elders from afar.

Katrina's twin brothers, Jabir and Tauhid were eagerly waiting for their probable brother-in-law to show his face. Salman made sure to partially stay hidden behind Zahira – their grandmother – cautious eyes narrowed at the boys. Seeing the grins on their faces, he hissed, "bichhoos!"

The Khan household became fuller than it ever had been. Katrina's mother, Khadija, was an only daughter, and her father had one brother living in the city – Tamara's father. The rest of their relatives were dispersed across the country, so they never had a lot of family – or acquaintances for that matter – visit them.

"You girls should come by our place sometime," Malika said to Tamara. "As you already know I have a handful of sister-in-laws of similar age. We could hang out."

Dinner was served soon. Ibrahim quickly became Khadija's new favorite (causing Salman to fume with jealousy) as he had a generous appetite – and that was the ticket straight to this Desi mother's heart. Jaabir and Tauhid forgot all about their revenge plan on Salman to destroy his car as soon as they met Malika and Ibrahim's baby, Aisha, and began gushing over how cute she was.

The formalities were done with, and the elders were still midst discussion, and the pile of food were diminishing with time. Katrina got to her feet, carrying an empty plate of polao with her. She entered the kitchen to find Salman wringing his hands with soap and water over the sink. She knew her mother would have a heart attack if she knew he had seen the devastation that was their kitchen after cooking for the event, but he did not seem to mind one bit.

"Hey," he said, taking notice of her.

Katrina offered him a tight-lipped smile in response, wading her way towards the big pot of rice.

There was a heavy silence between them. The air between her and Salman shifted, slowly but naturally; the way he talked to her, acted around her and even looked at her. Katrina was glad to have her back to him, the idea of coming face to face with him made her more jittery than she liked.

"Did you even help with any of the cooking, other than sulking, as Tamarind put it?"

He asked casually, she could hear the mirth in his voice. It made her whip her head around, lips set in a straight it.

"I do not sulk! I was just trying to be reasonable... about certain matters," she recovered at the last moment, careful not to slip that the 'matter' was that she just didn't want to invite his entire family into her house this soon. "Why, did Tamara say I didn't?" she demanded, widening her eyes.

"Well, she did emphasize on your sulking."

Katrina straightened her head again, her face twisted in annoyance. "I did help! I prepared all the meat produce, and I also cut the vegetables!" she said over her shoulder. She was already stressed, and the nerves were getting the best of her.

"Wow, I didn't know you were multi-talented, Miss Khan."

Katina picked up the plate once more and twirled on her feet to face him, her expression falling flat at his jocular tone.

A grin made its to his face, his eyes locked on the way she had her jaw clenched.

"Hey, relax," he said, voice softening, "I know you weren't in favor of this get-together," he said, taking her by surprise. "Regardless of what the parental say, I promise you we'll go at whatever pace you want."

She let out a deep exhale, as if she had been holding her breath the entire evening. "I appreciate it, I do, but our parents are emotionally invested in this now. I was hoping to avoid that."

"Say what," he started, leaning against the counter, folding his arms before his chest, "if it all goes downhill, you blame it on me. I give you permission to make me the bad guy. I have been trying to add some edge to my resume for a while, anyway. I'll even buy a leather jacket to be more convincing."

His words did little to soothe her worries, but a chuckle left her lips regardless. She shot him a look full of ridicule, some of her vexation melted off. The pride gleaming in his eyes told her he had succeeded in doing he meant to do.

Shaking her head at his playful expression, Katrina started towards the door again.

"By the way, everything you cooked was delicious."

"Thank you!" she cried on her way out, rolling her eyes at him, but with a smile on her face.

The evening went by successfully. The rest of the vacation passed without much drama as well.

Before she knew it, Katrina was counting the last few days at Akhter and Sons. Salman could often be seen spending more and more time around her cubicle, using the excuse that he just wanted to talk to Tamara.

He joked around, and dropped subtle hints, that he was ready with his groom's procession, all he was waiting for was the girl's consent. Katrina knew she could no longer delay discussing the issue that had been bothering her.

She sat down with him one afternoon, in a quiet corner of their busy office. "I want to be perfectly honest with you," Katrina started. "I think you have your heart in the place, but I'm not sure if you're fully ready to handle a relationship."

Salman raised a brow at her statement. "What makes you say that?"

"You struggle with certain things... like being honest with what you're actually feeling," she continued, tentatively. "You're not obligated to share your past with me, but I do think there are a few matters you fully haven't healed from, and I'm afraid if you don't work on fixing those issues it will come back and haunt us later."

"Is this your way of telling me you don't want to be with me?" He asked in a clipped tone.

"Not at all," Katrina replied. "It's the opposite of what I'm telling you, if anything. I really like you, Salman." She swallowed the nerves tightening her throat. "And I want us to work. I'm willing to put in the effort, but it won't work if you don't do the same."

Salman had gone stiff again. His eyes went dull and face went blank.

Katrina's face fell. "You're shutting me out again."

Salman did not say much after that. She didn't approach him regarding this either, in order to give him space. However, Katrina looked genuinely upset at his unwillingness to elaborate.

Despite his initial reproach, her words weighed on his chest.

A couple days passed, Salman picked up his phone and searched through his contacts. He landed on the name he had been looking for. His fingers lingered over it momentarily, before gathering the courage to actually press on it.

For the first time in twelve years, Salman called his father.