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The day of the wedding was sunny and warm. Although the festivities wouldn’t begin until after dark, her aunts and cousins gathered around her for the day of pampering. Her skin was moisturized and oiled, and she closed her eyes and tried to get into the mood as she dried. Gold chains hooked to her fingers and wrapped up to the cuffs under her arms. Her nails and face were painted, and they massaged different oils into her hair to make it silky and shiny. Finally, they tucked her into her ornate dress and fitted the veil over her hair. Although a few curls escaped, most of the strands were tucked neatly underneath.
“You look beautiful,” her aunt whispered with a smile.
Jada took a deep breath and surveyed herself in the mirror. She did look like a goddess, but it simply didn’t look like her. Every part inch of her was covered in something. She looked like the Sheikh’s wife.
But she didn’t look like Jada.
“Is it time?” she asked anxiously. She wanted to get this over with.
Her aunt gave her a disapproving look. “Jada, I know you are a hard-headed and stubborn woman, but the entire country will be watching you. This dress will only go so far. You must act the part.”
“I know,” Jada muttered. “Hence why I want to get this over with.”
“Do you not approve of Kamal Al-Basir? He is a good man.”
Jada smiled as she remember their awkward date a few weeks ago. “He is a good man, but he’s in love with another, and every time he looks at me, he wishes I were her. How would you feel entering a marriage knowing that?”
“That is his past. He will grow to love you. Everyone loves you, Jada.”
“Yes, everyone loves me. Only I’m not me. When I’m in this dress and in front of people, I’m the woman that I’ve been groomed to be. It hardly seems fair. But you and everyone have done such a good job, and I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I know how much work it takes.”
Her aunt laughed. “Jada, you are a beautiful woman. It takes no effort at all.” She reached out and enveloped Jada in a hug. “When I look at you, I see your mother. I often wonder the kind of woman you would have been had she been here to help raise you, but then I realize that she is with everyday in all of us. Your father loves you dearly, and I have no doubt that your mother would be so pleased at how you turned out. I know this isn’t the wedding day that you dreamed about, but you must have faith that this is the path for you. You are so upset when Kamal looks at you, and that can only mean that you feel something with you look at him.”
Jada was careful not to smudge her make-up on her aunt’s dress, but she hid her face at her aunt’s words. It was true. She was jealous of a woman that she had never even met simply because Kamal loved her in a was that he would never love Jada.
Her aunt chuckled. “Fine. Don’t confide in me. But at least admit to yourself the real reason that you are upset about this marriage, and it has nothing to do with politics.
“I barely know him,” Jada muttered. “It makes no sense that I would react to him like this.”
“And soon, he will be yours. That should put a smile on your beautiful face.”
Jada nodded, but her heart wasn’t into it. He would be hers on paper, but his heart wouldn’t belong to her. What was worse? Wanting a man and never having him? Or being married to a man and still never having him?
She feared it would be the latter.
Now she had two things to worry about. She was a woman who wanted to rebel against the social constraints of being the Sheikh’s wife, and she feared she may love her husband who would never love her in return.
By the time they made it to the wedding, she was a mess. Kamal, like every other man in the building, was dressed in the traditional robes. She saw the tension and stress on his face, and it did nothing to help her own anxiety. As she went through the motions, she felt all eyes upon her.
And just like that, it was over. She was the wife of Kamal Al-Basir, future Sheikh. They locked eyes, and for a moment, she felt the rest of the world melt away. At least with him, there was an understanding of fear of the unknown. Tonight would be her first night with him, but that was only the beginning. They would have to forge a life together, and they barely knew each other.
Suddenly, she was pulled away. With a small cry of mourning, she allowed Kamal’s mother to whisk her away to enjoy the festivities with the rest of the women. Kamal would face the powerful men of the community as they congratulated him and offered him advice, and she was able to enjoy food and wine.
Food. Her stomach rumbled at the mere thought.
Ameena laughed. “Have you not eaten today? Your stomach is louder than the music!”
“I was nervous,” Jada admitted. She was about to make a beeline for the buffet table, but every time she took a step, someone was grabbing her arm.
“You looked so beautiful up there!”
“Thank you,” Jada murmured as she looked past her wistfully at the food. She broke free, but it was someone else in her way.
“You are so lucky to be marrying Kamal.”
“Hmmm, lucky, yes.” Another side step, and she was three steps closer.
“You must ask Ameena who helped her with all the details. My daughter is getting married soon!”
