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After we finished our dinner and Tilila was in bed, Souhir and I sat down in the living room, staring outside. The courtyard was dark, but the stars were out. Olive trees surrounded us, and the air was scented with their leaves.
I took a sip of my coffee. “It’s a beautiful night,”
Souhir nodded, her eyes on the stars. “Yes, it is.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes, both of us lost in our thoughts. I wondered what was bothering her.
Finally, she spoke up after taking a sip of her tea. “Thank you for dinner.”
“You’re welcome,”
There was a comfortable silence between us for a few moments before Souhir spoke again.
“I’ve received an invitation to the Caid’s mansion,” her voice was hesitant, as if she was afraid of my reaction. “I’m invited tomorrow. So are you. I saw the invitation in your hallway.”
“Is that what that is?”
I saw the letter, but I hadn’t been able to bring myself to open it.
Her eyebrows furrowed. “You didn’t open it?”
I shook my head. “No, I didn’t want to know what it said. Not yet.”
Souhir leaned forward, her eyes earnest. “It’s an invitation for potential brides.”
Not only was my idea approved. It only took a week. I shouldn’t be surprised; things must be more serious than I thought if he was already sending out invitations.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I see.”
“They want us to go tomorrow,” Souhir continued. “But why?”
“It’s just a formality.” I tried reassuring her. “You don’t have to worry about it. The odds of being chosen are slim.”
Souhir shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. If we go, it means that we’re agreeing to marry him. It’s not just a formality.”
Hearing Souhir say it made it all too real. This was happening. I swallowed hard. I knew this, of course. But hearing Souhir say it made it all too real.
Tears brimmed in her eyes. “I don’t want to get married this way. I want to marry for love, not because some old man has decided that it would be a good political match.”
I took her hand and squeezed it. “I know. But we don’t have a choice.”
“Yes, we do,” she insisted. “We can say no. We can refuse to go tomorrow.”
I shook my head. “It’s not that simple. If we refuse, it will be seen as an insult. And if we do that, there will be consequences.”
I didn’t even want to ponder on those.
Souhir was quiet for a long moment, her hand still in mine. “I’m scared.”
“So am I.”
But even though I was scared, I knew we had to go. We didn’t have a choice.
Souhir was silent. Her tea was forgotten as she stared at the moon, lost in thought.
My hand was on top of hers. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I wish things were different. Did you bring the invitation?”
She nodded and handed it to me.“I brought mine. I didn’t want to speak about it next to your sister.”
