Sorry about that.I couldn't log on a few days ago and then I got busy with work.
Here's the next part.
A week later, they were at Kamal’s wedding party. The party was set in an Islamic manner, with the guests divided into two, the males in one part of the house and the women in another. The nikah was done at the nearby masjid and afterward there was a small party with drinks and sweets for the regular guests as well as nasheed songs. At night, the groom took the bride to his house and the next day there was a walima dinner for all the guests in the groom’s house.
The wedding went well. The best thing was that neither Khulood nor her relatives approached him or his family. However, he did see Khulood later as he was leaving the house. And he saw that she was in terrific shape and looked wonderful, wearing a black embroidered abaya and headscarf. And since their paths crossed in the lawns in front of the house, he could do nothing but to greet her. It would be bad manners if he didn’t, not to mention that it might hurt her too, and that was something he didn’t want to do. So he said, casually, “Assalamo alaikum, Khulood.”
“Oh, Saeid, I didn’t know you would be here,” she exclaimed when she saw him.
“Kamal is my long time friend, so I had to come. How are you doing?”
“Better than ever,” she replied.
“I am very happy to hear that,” he said. Then, seeing that the situation was awkward and Islamically incorrect, he excused himself, and proceeded on his way while Khulood entered the main house.
That night, his mother inquired about the beautiful girl he had met in the lawns.
“I wanted to tell you about her,” she said. “But I didn’t know how. But now that you’ve met her, I’d like to ask you your idea about her.”
“What?” Saeid said.
“You know, the girl you met in the lawns. She was the most beautiful girl in the whole party and is extremely polite and helpful. Not only that, she is Kamal’s wife’s cousin.
“Aha,” was all Saeid could say.
“So what is your idea about her?”
He shrugged. What were his thoughts? He knew that she was pretty and honorable. But what was her state of mind in fact? It was something he couldn’t trust. And although he had found himself attached to her, it was this thing that stopped him.
“So, are you going to tell me or are you going to reject this one like the countless others that we inquire about. Really, Saeid, sometimes I wonder if you are attached to someone and not telling us about it.”
And he thought, yes the one I’m attached to is this one. But didn’t tell his mother that. And since he saw that there was no getting out of this without an answer from him, he said, “You can’t know a person in one meeting. And marriage is something that has to be thought of with utmost care.”
“I am amazed you are talking some sense,” His mother said. “It is true, but we aren’t going to base our decision on just one meeting, of course. We will see her often.”
“Check everything out. I don’t want anything fishy.”
“Why should you think there will be any,” his mother asked. “Is it because of that matrimonial services that has made you so wary. Your sister and I watched her the whole night and saw her quite fit. She will make an amazing daughter-in-law, insha-Allah.”
Lania. He knew she had something to do with it.
“I leave it to you to learn everything and to make an informed decision,” he said quickly. Then excused himself to find his sister. She was sitting in the adjacent room near the window, looking out.
“What’s all this about Khulood?” He asked angrily.
She turned around to face him. “What are you talking about?”
“What did you tell Mom that made her like her so much?”
“Nothing,” she said, “I just pointed her out and said she was the prettiest in the room and then Mom didn’t do anything but follow her around. Really it wasn’t my fault.”
“I wish you’d not pointed her out at all.”
“Really, Saeid, everyone knows you’re in love with her.”
“That’s nonsense. I was impatient to get out of that situation.”
“But you aren’t over her. Always walking around like your head is someplace else, always sighing wistfully. It’s obvious.”
He sighed, “You know I can’t trust her.”
“We’ll do all the checking, don’t worry.”
“But not a word of this to Khulood until you find out everything. I don’t want her getting hurt again.” Then he left.
And he wondered why the situation had taken this turn. Why couldn’t they both go on with their lives instead of bumping into each other again and making things further complicated? He had helped her get out of her gloom but wasn’t that enough?
Still he hoped everything worked out and nothing happened to hurt Khulood. He worried about her more than anything.
A few weeks after returning home, his family informed him that they had done all the checking related to Khulood, including meeting relatives and friends of the family, and learned that all was good. And in coming weeks, they would be going to meet Khulood’s family to learn of their thoughts on the matter. His family wanted to know of his thoughts, and whether he was okay with it.
“It’s alright with me,” he told them. And wondered if this was fate? Or had he lost his mind? Could he trust her family after the initial deception? And why didn’t he tell his parents of that? He knew it was the one thing that would stop them from proceeding, so why wasn’t he telling them if he didn’t want to marry her? But he knew deep down that the fact was that he loved Khulood. And didn’t want anything to come in the way. Maybe Allah had answered his silent prayers to make things alright and now he would get what he wanted.
That night, he called Kamal and informed him of his family’s decision to meet Khulood’s family. He also told him that Khulood’s family should be informed and that they shouldn’t disclose anything about his past association with them.
A few weeks later, they were once again in Ruston, Louisiana, this time in Khulood’s house.
And discussing the prospect of Khulood’s marriage to Saied.
What will happen next? Will Saeid and Khulood remarry? Find out in the next installment.