The computer chimed and she straightened. Only one window popped up, her middle sister’s concerned face filling the screen. Sadia’s cheeks and breasts had rounded with her pregnancy, just like they had when she’d been pregnant with her first child, Kareem. Her middle sister was so pretty, with smooth brown skin and shiny hair that tumbled past her shoulders. She wore a tank top, which displayed her impressive assets. “What on earth is going on,” Sadia began, and Jia gave a half wail.
“Uh-oh.” Sadia leaned in close. “Baby, take a deep breath.”
“I can’t. I messed everything up.” She blinked back her tears. She would not fall to pieces, not yet.
“You didn’t. Granted, I’m just getting briefed on the whole story, but I’m on your side.”
If only she had time to spill the whole sordid story to her sister.
“Do you want to be engaged to this guy? Does he want to be engaged to you?”
Hedidn’t mindit. “Yes.”
“Well, then, there you go.” Sadia leaned back in her chair. “Sounds like the two of you are on the same page.”
“It’s not that easy—”
“Why not?” Sadia shook her head, her hair swishing. “Sometimes, when you take out the noise, life can be exactly that easy.”
Jia picked at her nails. “I wish I could do something without drama.”
“Then you wouldn’t be you.” Sadia gave her a soft smile. “And I think you’re pretty wonderful.”
Jia took the cocoon of acceptance and nestled into it. Sadia was right. Why couldn’t things be simple?
Her phone buzzed again, and she sighed. Oh right. That was why. “I’m on your side,” Sadia murmured. “I won’t let them browbeat you.”
Truly, middle daughters deserved hazard pay. “Okay. Let’s patch them in.”
Sadia saluted her, and three more windows popped up, full of all the women in Jia’s family, plus her dad, brow furrowed, leaning over her mother’s shoulder. Ayesha sat next to her mom.
Jia braced herself.
“Jia, what on earth...?”
“You didn’t tell us?”
“So irresponsible—”
“Everyone calm down, let her—”
“We don’t know him.”
“You didn’t want an engagement party?”
“I had a new dress I wanted to wear.”
“I’m sure there’s a good explanation.”
“Jianna, this is too much,” her mother broke through.“The whole family is talking. And you don’t even answer our calls or our texts, so we have had to look foolish. What is this engagement? We have not even met him yet!”
“Now, now,” her father said, with far more calm, though Jia caught the thread of worry in his usually soothing voice. “I am sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for why the news is saying Jia and this Dixit boy are engaged.”
They all quieted and looked at her with varying degrees of worry and accusation. Jia took a deep breath. Out of sight of the camera, she let her fingers creep to that piece of fabric.
He could have been fooling her. He could claim tomorrow that he didn’t even know her.I wouldn’t mind it.
“Because we’ve been talking about becoming engaged,” she said calmly.
