Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. Bless Lakshmi.
Farzana’s chest rose, and her next words surprised Jia. “Ilearned many years ago that any disappointment I feel with any of my daughters is my issue to deal with, not yours.” She walked over to the vanity and touched Jia’s face. “I love you. I want you to be happy. Your heart is so kind and precious. I suppose that’s why we’re all so protective of you. We never want to see you hurt.”
Jia curled her hand around her mother’s, holding it to her cheek. “I always thought you were hovering over me because you thought I was a goofball who couldn’t tie my own shoes without help,” she said lightly, though she wasn’t joking. Her chest had gone all tight.
“No. You can do anything you put your mind to.” Farzana dropped a kiss on her head. “We’ve known that from the time you were a baby. You dream so big, but dreams don’t always come true.”
“I don’t see much point in putting dreams away on the off chance they won’t come true.” She noticed Ayesha freeze in the mirror. “Right, Ayesha?”
Her twin cleared her throat. She busied herself folding a shirt. “Right.”
Her mother inhaled. “I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“I don’t think I will be. But if I am, it’s how I’ll learn and grow.”
Her mother nodded. “You know my feelings, but I will support you, if you truly want to do this. InshAllah, you will be happy.”
This wasn’t the woman who had screamed at Sadia all those years ago for marrying an unsuitable man. Jia wasn’t the only one who had grown. “Thank you, Mom.”
A knock came at the door, and Luna peeked in, her face wary and concerned. “Hi. My uncle told me you were looking for me.”
“We were, yes.” Jia motioned her in. “I thought you might like to get ready with us.”
Luna came fully into the room. “Okay.” She stopped when she noticed Ayesha and her mother in the room as well.
If there was one thing their mother knew, though, it was young girls. She took charge, placing her arm around Luna. “Hello, dear. We didn’t get a chance to get acquainted yesterday. You may call me Auntie Farzana. Come, let’s see what dress you’ve chosen to wear today.” She took the garment bag from Luna’s arms.
“Aji brought me clothes from India, so I picked one of those.”
Jia smiled. “Excellent. Why don’t you get dressed, Luna, and then we can discuss what you’d like to do with your hair and makeup.”
Luna looked moderately interested. “Are you going to do it?”
Jia picked up a makeup brush and swished it in the air. “Do you honestly think I’d let anyone else do it? Come here, I have something for you, too.”
Luna accepted the wrapped present Jia handed her. “Should I open it now?”
“Yes, you’ll need it for the day.”
Luna’s chuckle when she opened the gift was small, but authentic. “Did Kaka tell you I spend too much time on my phone?”
“He did, indeed. Now you can make sure it has style.”
Luna turned the crystal-encrusted phone case over in her hands, and the fake diamonds winked. When she pressed a button on the side, the border of the case lit up, like a built-in ring light. Jia gave a moment of thanks for her goody bag stash. There was no way she would have had time to get a teen-friendly present amidst this chaos.
“He got me a boring old black case. This’ll match my dress today. Thanks.” There was wary interest in Luna’s gaze when she looked up.
Jia wasn’t naïve enough to think the girl would be won over with one present, but it couldn’t hurt. “Not a problem.”
Another knock came on the door, and Rhiannon and Katrina walked in. Rhiannon held up dry cleaning bags and a bottle of sparkling grape juice. “Hello all! Looking for the bridal suite.”
Farzana beamed at Rhiannon. “Rhiannon, how are you? Your mother says hello, and told me to tell you to call her.”
Rhiannon nodded and hugged Jia’s mother. “Sounds about right.”
After everyone greeted everyone else, Rhiannon threw her arm around Jia’s shoulder. Her friend looked at her with concern, not condemnation. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes.” She braced herself for the arguments, the reasons against it, but Rhiannon’s lips curled.
