I got home anxiously. It had been a horrible day. First, it was dealing with sullen face. And then Zoya's message about Ibrahim.

I couldn't understand what was going on. Why did Ibrahim want to come home? Did he have an ulterior motive behind this visit? Perhaps he wanted to meet me in person and fat shame me more as a way of revenge for Dalia's comment on him. Okay, now I knew it was a very childish reason to even consider but hey, Ibrahim was super weird on the video call. So, maybe he was capable of such things, right?

"Ah our bride-to-be is here!" said Daneen as soon as I entered the room. What the—? Did she just refer to me that way because of Ibrahim? Ewww!

I remained silent. What was I even supposed to say to such a stupid statement?

Zoya rolled her eyes to express her displeasure. Aira pretended to not hear what Daneen said. Shaheen wasn't in the room. She was probably talking to mom in the kitchen about the arrangements for Ibrahim's visit. Typical.

I only had one question in mind — when was this drama going to happen?

But I did not ask that. Because if I did, it would appear like I was interested in Ibrahim. My family might probably even think that I was eagerly expecting his visit. Or maybe they wouldn't. Anyway, whether they thought that or not, it was the last impression that I wanted to create about myself. So, I kept my mouth shut.

"She knows, right?" asked Daneen again. This time her question was directed at Zoya. She wanted to know whether I was aware of the so-called "big news".

Zoya nodded. I ignored.

"Why do you look so upset then, Lish? Aren't you happy? Even after what happened if he has agreed to come home, it only means that he really likes you. Isn't that sweet and romantic?" asked Daneen. This time I decided to speak up.

Sweet and romantic were two wrong words to describe a fat-shamer.

"What's there to be happy about this, Dani? That man fat shamed me like no other. Do you really expect me to get excited about meeting him in person? I-I just don't understand you all."

"Aiyo! I'm sure whatever he said was meant with the best of intentions. It's just that some people are not good communicators. He probably only wanted to share some tips with you because he knows the pain of being obese," replied Daneen.

She was trying so hard to convince me into believing that Ibrahim was a nice guy. Or maybe she truly felt that way about him. Daneen could be weird at times.

"Oh please! You were not part of yesterday's conversation. So, maybe that's why you are trying to support his actions even though you shouldn't be doing that. He was being scornful the whole time, Dani. He spoke to me like he was personally ashamed about my weight. You don't know how uncomfortable he made me feel over a 20-minute call. I truly can't imagine living with a man like that for the rest of my life," I said in frustration.

Aira and Zoya were watching the whole thing without uttering a single word. They looked like the three wise monkeys embodying the old adage "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".

"I know how you feel, Lish. Remember, I went through the same thing with Atif's family before our wedding? They told me I was fat. They suggested that I cut down on my food. I also got hurt just like you. But I took their words to motivate myself and it really made me feel good when I finally lost weight. So, maybe this is the time for that transformation that you've been waiting for. Why don't you just take it that way?" asked Daneen.

Oh yes. I remembered that very well. I always hated my brother-in-law Atif's family because they tortured Daneen a lot with their fat shaming comments and unsolicited diet advice. They pushed her so much that she hardly ate anything and lost a lot of weight within a few weeks. But then, after the wedding, all the pounds came back. So, I guess, the motivation did not last long.

Now, that was the case with many people who lost weight just for the sake of a stupid marriage. The change was often temporary. And I did not believe in that kind of transformation.

"Dani, a man's family fat shaming you is different from the man himself doing it. Ibrahim is the main culprit here. I hope you understand that," I replied with an eye-roll.

"Oh! Come on, silly! You know very well that Atif used to do that too. I mean, he still does. But you know the best part? Now that he has become fat too, I also call him names at times. It's so normal now. And that doesn't lessen our love for each other in any way. We are a happy couple and this is why I can promise you one thing, Lish. Even for you, things will get a lot better after the wedding," said Daneen with a smile.

Daneen was seeing the whole thing only through her experience. And she was right about one thing — her marriage. Despite the fact that they did not have kids, Daneen and Atif were a happy couple. More like a funny couple. They made fun of each other endlessly and they were cool about it.

So, even though I could not approve of fat shaming no matter where it happened or how it happened, in their case, it looked like it wasn't a big deal. At least that's how it appeared. Besides, she did not give a damn about it and there was definitely love between them. Perhaps that was why it worked for them.

But it wasn't the same story with Ibrahim. I was doubtful as to whether he could even spell the word LOVE. Ugh!

"Dani, I get your point. But Ibrahim is not at all worth the effort and trouble we are talking about. He's just an ill-mannered dimwit and he can never be the man of my dreams," I said with a sigh.

"Man of your dreams? Oh please, Alisha! We are not great beauties to wait for that. Yes, we all like that idea but the truth is, man of your dreams doesn't come. Life is about imperfections and we need to learn to adjust with what we get," said Daneen, rubbing the harsh truth into me.

Then she nudged Aira, "Explain things to her like an elder sister, will you?"

"See, Lish. I understand your concern. I will be upset too if I were in your situation. I'm also not very happy with the way things happened—" started Aira and Daneen frowned at her. It was funny. Aira was clearly not doing the expected task right. She was rather adding more points to support my opinion.

Good. I really needed someone to be on my side.

"But then I hear that Ibrahim has a well-paid job and he has a car. So, I would ask you to consider this proposal only for that reason. I mean, you could at least have the satisfaction of marrying rich. You know, finally an escape from the middle-class life that we are all still struggling with," added Aira awkwardly.

Okay, what? The Darcy fan was sold on this proposal too?

This was bad. Definitely not what I expected from Aira. I mean, I did get her point. When you are part of this rat race associated with middle-class, sometimes money felt like everything. But to consider marriage with a dum-dum for that reason was just a terrible idea.

I wanted to say that but I could not. I felt so helpless. Probably Zoya was the only other person who hated this as much as me. But she was not the one to speak out her opinions easily. And even if she did, nobody would really care about the youngest's views.

It looked like all what my family waited was for a proper 'yes' from Ibrahim and if by any chance it happened, I would have no say over it at all. There was only one hope. I had to pray for a rejection.

So, I refreshed myself and got ready to say my prayers. By the time I finished, Shaheen and mom came to the room.

"The groom and his family are willing to come on Wednesday. Can you get a leave?" asked mom.

That would be day after tomorrow. Too soon. I had to come up with an excuse.

"Uhm— No. I don't think so. Until Friday, I have something important at office," I said.

"What?" asked Shaheen. Oh God! Who knew she would question me like this? I wasn't even thinking of a proper reason. Maybe I should just mention the training.

"She is probably lying to escape it. She is not happy with the proposal," replied Daneen with a doubtful look, before I could even say anything.

"Why so?" asked mom and Shaheen at the same time.

Seriously? What was wrong with my family? Didn't they know the answer for that 'why' already? Did they expect me to talk about Ibrahim's excellent skills of fat shaming every time they asked me that question?

"Because I have a training at office," I said but I don't think anybody even heard what I spoke. Daneen had already started telling mom and Shaheen everything I said about Ibrahim and they were all engrossed in that topic.

I waited for them to stop so that I could repeat my excuse.

"Aiyo, it's just a small thing. Don't worry too much about it," said Shaheen at the end of their discussion.

"If you ask me, I would say that there is nothing wrong in what they said. Everyone knows Alisha has to lose weight. No point in getting angry when we have a flaw on our side," added mom.

Great. I guess, it was time for an argument.

"Why do you only talk about my flaw, mom? What about that Ibrahim? He is bald. But I did not ask him to grow some hair on his head, did I? Why couldn't he do the same?" I asked.

"Stop speaking so arrogantly, Alisha. This is why nothing comes right for you," said mom at once.

What the hell? How could she, being my mother, support everyone else but me? Did she even care to listen to my point of view?

"What's so arrogant in what I said? Why are you forever trying to blame me for everything, mom?" I asked in anger.

"Stop it, Alisha. There's no point in arguing with you. You repeat the same thing again and again trying to prove your point. Remember that you are aging. All we want is for you to get settled before you turn 30. I just hope you would cooperate," said mom and stormed out of the room. Typical dramatic behavior.

I could not fathom out the reason behind my family's obsession with 'before 30 goals'. Get married before 30. Start a family before 30. They spoke about it so much that it felt like perhaps if I failed to achieve any of it before I turned that particular age, I would become a disgrace to the whole society. And it annoyed me. For heaven's sake, I wasn't the one controlling my years or my fate.

"Why does she always treat me this way?" I asked and broke into tears. I just wanted the day to end. It was too much to take.

"Just let it go, Lish. Maybe mom did not express it with the right words but we all know, she only wants the best for you," said Shaheen.

"Not just mom, we all want the best for you," added Aira.

"And the best is this? I'm sorry but I don't agree. I'd rather stay single than get married to a disrespectful man. I don't know about you but for me, respect is more important than even love in a relationship," I said. Zoya nodded.

"To be single means to grow old and be alone. It would be pathetic and you won't like it," said Daneen.

That was such a wrong way of defining 'single life'. But I did not go to say that. Because I knew they won't agree.

Brown families considered being single almost as a sin. For years, most of them had heard that from their elders, believed that to be truth and were also feeding the same thought to the younger generation.

Who was I to change their mind?

"Okay, why are we even arguing over this? Nothing is fixed yet. Let them come. It's just another meetup. We will talk things out clearly after that," said Shaheen, breaking the awkward silence. I wondered why she did not get into her advice mode. Probably the others outdid her. So, she didn't have to do her role for the day.

"Fine. But I have a training this entire week and uh— I will also have to work till late to achieve a target. It might help me actually get the Team Manager position if I do it right."

Wait, what? Did I stoop to the level of considering Paul's evil plan just so that I could postpone meeting Ibrahim and his family? Well, yes I did. And now there was no going back.

Besides, it seemed like the only option. I mean, despite being a brown family that obsessed over marriage, everyone at home also took my career development seriously. So, I knew they would agree with that.

"Oh. Okay then. I will speak to them and see whether they can come on Saturday," said Shaheen just as I expected.

A little later, once everyone had left, Zoya said, "Don't worry. Humpty is not the one. Since everyone's so excited about this proposal, I have a strong feeling it won't come right."

I didn't know whether she truly meant it or just said it for the sake of consoling me but it did make me feel better.

"I hope so," I said with a sigh.

Then she asked, "Were you serious about the work thing or did you just lie?"

"Partially true. I mean, yes I do have a training but no, that isn't going to help me with my career in any way," I said. It was okay for Zoya to know the truth. I didn't have to hide it from her.

"Oh by the way, guess what?" I spoke again.

"What?" asked Zoya giving me a strange look.

"I'm dealing with a rude moron at work too these days. One of the new trainees. A Muslim dude called Arham."

"Did he also fat shame you?"

"No, no. It's just that he is sullen-faced and he has this know-it-all attitude, and I actually got embarrassed today by not taking his correct suggestion on something," I said and went onto relate the whole story to her.

I expected Zoya to criticize his behavior too but she did not. All what she asked was, "Hold on. So, you did not like him right from the beginning simply because he did not smile with you?"

"Yeah. So proud and arrogant."

"What if he's someone like me? I mean, people get me wrong all the time because I don't talk much and I have a resting bitch face. Maybe he has the same problem," she said.

"Oh please, Zo! Not everyone gets to use that excuse. He is not you. Stop trying to justify his actions. He is a proud idiot and I know it!"

"Oh okay. It's just the first day. You will get to know him better with time," said Zoya with a funny smile.

"What's with that smile?" I asked.

"I don't know. Why do I feel like you guys are going to be more than work enemies? You know, like in movies," said Zoya with a wink.

"Ewww! Me and that sullen face? Yuck! He is nothing but Ibrahim lite," I snapped at her.

"Except that he has hair on his head," she reminded me.

"And that doesn't make him any better," I retaliated and put a pillow over my head. I was not ready to lengthen this stupid conversation.

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Is Alisha wrong for expecting RESPECT in a relationship? 😏
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