PART SEVENTY NINE
After Zohr everyone started to arrive, it was nice seeing our family together after a long time. The last time we were all together was my engagement. Ahmed fits so perfectly in our family. He gets along with everyone from the kids to the elders. My cousins also like him a lot.
My uncles all were asking when we setting the wedding date and my dad just kept saying when we both settled in our work and settled in Jo’burg. I felt bad that he had to keep saying that to everyone. Ahmed heard one of my uncles and he said well we still deciding, you will be the first to know.
That kept them quiet for a while so it was good. My mum served lunch once everyone was there and straight after lunch we made tea. Then everyone went home and we got some time to relax before they all came back for supper. Supper my dad usually has his friend come and braai for us.
They run a butcher and cater for braais, they prepare your braai packs and salads and also braai for you. So at least my mum is not in the kitchen the whole day. It’s a lot for one person to handle. After everyone left Ahmed and I decided to take the kids out for ice cream and to play some games at the mall.
They were getting bored and troubling Faheema and Shuaib. We first took them to eat ice cream and then we went to play games, it was so much of fun. They just so adorable, I could spend everyday with them. Faheema says I’m crazy and I only see then as cute because they my nieces and nephews.
After an hour playing games they were getting tired so we decided to go back home. By the time we got home they all were knocked out. Faheema was glad to see them sleeping so she could relax a bit. She makes like her kids are monsters, I don’t blame her though.
Handling four small kids can’t be easy, especially with the amount of work they do at her inlaws. I called Imraan to check if they reached and how they were doing. He said he was having a blast with all the family around. Aunty Rubina was excited to see her mother.
Everyone came back after maghrib, my dad’s friend Uncle Omar came after Asr and set up everything. He had his workers light the fire while he went for namaaz. So when everyone arrived the meat was already on the fire. It was strange for Ahmed, he has never experienced eid on this scale.
He says their eids are just them at home, there’s no fuss or anything the day before. His mother doesn’t even cook on eid day, the cooks that work for them do. They don’t visit friends or family and no one comes over. The only fun they have is when they go to the farm to slaughter.
It’s actually sad that they don’t take time out to even spend eid together. Either his father is not home or him. His mother thought this time she would change it but Ahmed refused to go home because of her evil ways. I actually feel bad for her and I know Ahmed is hurt also.
Anyways after the braai all the cousins got together in the sitting room, we had so much fun remembering all the old times. Growing up together in one town, just few houses away from each other made our times together even more special. We remember mother’s and father’s day together.
All the fights we had, the fun at the movies and also picnics. Sleep overs were the best, we all crashed in one room. All the fun always happened by our house because it is bigger. My poor mum she had a hard time with us all. We use to be very mischievous.
While we were busy having fun, my mum and my aunties got together and made tea and laid the tables. it’s their last day of work because eid day is the youngsters turn to take care of the meals. We get a cook to make the biryani for the afternoon.
In the evening most of the cousins are gone to their inlaws, so it’s just the singles and the aunties and uncles. My mum always makes a roast chicken with veggies for the evening. All those spending eid supper with their inlaws leave after tea so we just a few of us.
We lazed around for the rest of the evening, Ahmed went back to Zinats place after everyone left. Usually Zinat and her family are also by us for eid but her father’s family are around for this eid. My brothers, myself, Faheema and Shuaib cleaned up after everyone left.
I was extremely exhausted, I just wanted my bed. Felt so good in being in my room and sleeping in my bed. Wish I could take my bed with me to Jo’burg. Everyone wanted to stay up bit I couldn’t handle it anymore. It was pass 12 and we had an early morning. I would be half asleep if I didn’t go to bed.
Ahmed called to say goodnight before I fell asleep. Zinat and Sameer were not at home as yet. Lucky he had his own keys so I didn’t worry too much. He said he was okay and was going to bed as well. We decided to speak until we were just about to fall asleep and then we would say our goodbyes.
I woke up in the morning just before fajr, I had my phone on the pillow still. Did I fall asleep while I was on a call with Ahmed. I had to wake him up so I called him and also I needed to apologize for falling asleep on him. He was awake and said that I did fall asleep but it’s okay.
He quickly got dressed and came over to my house. He was going with my father and them or fajr and to the qabrastaan (graveyard). It was early though but my dad was impressed with Ahmeds timing. In our family we don’t have breakfast until after eid namaaz.
The men usually have dates and water for eid-ul-fitr and eid-ul-adha they eat only after slaughtering. My father has been brought with the belief up that you have to eat from the animal you have sacrifices so after they slaughter and skin the animal my dad cuts a piece from the meat and my mum cuts it into very small pieces and cooks that.
I explained everything to Ahmed before so he knew exactly what was happening. Breakfast it’s just our family so we make crumb chops, kebab chutney, roast chicken, savouries and all the baking goodies and mithais.
My Diary Affair 