Kidnapped by the Arab

The girls were in Aisha’s room, waiting for the makeup artists to arrive. Amira lent some of her beautiful jewelry to Thara and Caroline, even though they had their own, they couldn’t compare to Amira’s collection.

“Look at these gorgeous jewels you have here. Thank you for letting us borrow some,” said Caroline appreciatively.

“I’m happy to share them with you. As friends of my sister-in-law, you are like family to me too,” Amira replied warmly.

“I wish you both could have joined me for the Mehndi. The way they decorate the hands and feet with henna is incredible. It’s truly an art,” Aisha added.

“Then it’ll be for next time, my friend, hahaha,” Thara laughed.

“Hahaha, Amira, could you tell the girls about the purity test on the wedding night?” Caroline asked teasingly.

“I’m supposed to keep that a secret, but you know I’m not one to follow rules and prohibitions,” Amira replied with a mischievous smile.

“Wait, seriously? Is there some kind of ritual for the wedding night?” Caroline asked, astonished.

“It’s an ancient tradition that is no longer practiced everywhere. Only in some regions where customs are deeply rooted,” Amira explained.

“Then what worries you, Aisha?” Thara asked.

“My mother convinced the Grand Tribunal to enforce the old tradition in our case. She doesn’t believe Aisha is pure because she’s American; she thinks Americans are too liberal. She and my aunts will be in the adjoining room during the wedding night to make sure the marriage is consummated. The next day, they will inspect the bedsheets to confirm Aisha’s virtue, worthy of marrying the Sheikh.”

“Wait, but before coming here, I read a lot about the customs in this country. In some cities in other Arab countries, they still practice that,” Thara expressed her frustration.

“It’s my mother’s doing. Not considering Aisha worthy of Ahmed, she’s trying to make her life impossible. My mother’s family is from a desert tribe, and they strictly adhere to traditions. After the wedding night, the bedsheets are displayed to the entire village. If her virtue is not proven, she can be considered divorced from that moment on.

But don’t worry, Ahmed won’t allow the sheets to be exposed. It will only fulfill the requirement for my mother to see them and dispel her doubts. She will inform the Tribunal,” Amira explained.

As they were talking, the makeup artists had not yet arrived. Amira went out to see what was happening, as they couldn’t afford to be late for the celebration.

“What will you do about Ahmed? Imagine when he finds out that he’s not your first. I don’t even want to think about it,” Thara asked Aisha.

“Just wait, what do you mean, not the first? Sister, you have a lot to tell us,” Caroline chimed in.

Aisha told her sister everything that had happened, and Caroline couldn’t believe what she had done just to annoy Carlo.

“I never understood why you don’t like Carlo. In my opinion, he’s a man who loves you and is willing to do anything for you,” Caroline said.

“I had my reasons to be wary, little one. I feel like his attitude is just a facade. Besides, anyone who is a friend of your mother’s is not trustworthy. He chose to buy me instead of conquering me.”

“You won’t believe what I’m about to tell you,” Caroline said.

“Tell us quickly, Amira will be back soon.”

“A few days ago, Ahmed confessed to me that he was the man I spent that night with.”

“No way! You’re kidding, right?” Thara exclaimed, shocked.

“I can’t believe it,” Caroline added, astonished.

“It’s true, at first I tried to hate him. The way he treated me that night was far from pleasant. But then I realized that we were both victims of the circumstances. Someone had drugged his drink, and in his state, he entered the wrong room,” Aisha explained.

“That’s incredible, girl. I would have never thought,” Caroline said.

“Me neither. At first, I tried to hate him, but after getting to know him, I realized there’s much more to him than meets the eye,” Aisha admitted.

The makeup artists arrived, and Amira entered the room, smiling and accompanied by several girls.

“We have a lot of work to do. Let’s get started,” Amira said.

They all got their makeup done together. Of course, the bride’s makeup received the most attention. They exfoliated and hydrated her skin, focusing on accentuating her eyes. When Aisha saw the final result, she was amazed.

“Wow, friend, what eyes!” Thara exclaimed.

“Sister, you have such captivating eyes. They almost look feline; I’m impressed,” Caroline added.

They laughed; the way they had accentuated her eyes made them look bigger, framed by beautifully shaped eyebrows. The Arab makeup was truly an art.

Finally, the time came for the bride to put on her dress. When she was finally dressed, Caroline and Thara couldn’t hold back their tears. The dress was simply marvelous, a mermaid-style gown, completely embroidered with crystals.

It had a long detachable train at the back, making it look ethereal. The girls were surprised that the dress had a neckline and didn’t have sleeves.

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“Sister, you look incredible. I can’t believe you’re getting married here in this country.”

“Hey, no tears, girls. They’ll make the bride cry, and we don’t want to ruin her makeup. Help me put on the veil.”

“The dress is marvelous, but won’t she have issues with the neckline like that?”

“That’s the secret, girls. Inside the venue, it’s an all-women event. The veil she’ll be wearing is long and will cover her completely when she enters. Inside, we can remove the hijab, wear dresses of our liking, but later, when the groom enters to celebrate with the bride, we must cover ourselves. Photos are allowed, but under no circumstances can they be published.”

“And we chose the most modest dresses we could find.”

Thara exclaimed, making Amira and Aisha laugh.

They placed the long veil over Aisha’s head, covering both her head and the dress. They then proceeded to the venue where the celebration would take place. Upon arrival, they noticed that all the cars were of luxurious makes. Women were gathered in one hall, while men were in another.

The female guests were celebrating, eating, and dancing since hours before the bride’s entrance. As per tradition, the bride was to walk alone through a nearly midnight runway. Aisha entered, and Básima pretended to be happy as she welcomed her. Básima accompanied her to a chair near the runway. The bride decided to forget about the problems and enjoy the party. The decoration was luxuriously impressive, with the ceiling covered in flowers. The buffet was abundant, with food carts passing by all the time. The staff attending to them were all women.

Ahmed’s celebration was different. After a while, they moved the chairs outside the event hall. Ahmed was wearing a white Kandura with a black Bisht with golden details. They danced the traditional line dance, holding elegant gold canes in their hands.

At the end and in the front row, men carried small rifles. Traditional dishes like Biryani, Saloma, Hummus, and Shawarma were abundant, along with coffee, tea, and typical sweets, but alcohol was not allowed.

Later, the music changed to announce Ahmed’s entrance to accompany the bride. All the women covered their necklines and heads. Ahmed entered and sat beside the bride. After a while, they toasted with Sharbat, and then they exchanged rings from the right hand to the left index finger.

Aisha had no idea, but Ahmed guided her through the ceremony. After that, they were supposed to leave to consummate the marriage, fulfilling the three requirements for the union to be complete.

Aisha was very nervous, not knowing how to deal with her intrusive and gossiping mother-in-law. They retired to the palace that would be their home. For the first time, she entered Ahmed’s room, which was lavishly adorned with gold, even the bathroom fixtures were gold. What struck her the most was that there were two bathrooms, one for her and one for him.

Ahmed was also nervous. When they had been together the first time, the circumstances had been very different.

She sat on the edge of the bed, feeling embarrassed. She knew her first time had been with him, but the issue of the bedsheet worried her the most. After a while, they heard Básima and two other women arriving.

“I know my mother; I’m sure she won’t wait in the adjacent room. She won’t move from behind that door,” Ahmed said, frustrated, resigned to his mother’s attitude.

Básima knocked on the door. “Ahmed, my son, we’ll wait outside the door. When you’re ready, open it for us.”

They heard the sound of chairs being moved, and they were placed near the door.

“Ugh, my mother’s insistence,” Ahmed exclaimed in despair. At that moment, Aisha wished she didn’t have a mother-in-law.