9. Ma comes to town

by Summaiya Hassan

So, In Ramzan my ma and sister came to live with my aunt. I also went for 5 days. It was during ramzan so the days went by in a blur, and sehri’s were dark because my cousin couldn’t take the light during sehris. Yes, she’s a vampire.

(Actually, if you open the light her drowsiness goes away, so she prefers to eat in the dark)

There were ups and downs during this time. Then I went back to my own house, and invited ma over once. I made my first ever Shorba, just like it is at home. Made ma have it too. We went out to JBR, and had iftar at the beach also. It was a hectic day and the taxi guy actually left us because my aunt couldn't figure where the beach entrance was. The taxi guy left us on the road because it was time for maghrib namaz almost and he needed to go do iftar too. Then my older sister came and I didn’t go to stay there.

My husband’s friends were also in town, so we went out quite a bit with them. I clicked very nicely with his friend’s mother. She was really fun to speak with. It was hilarious. She told me her son had asked her to carry a dupatta because “Hassan ki wife bari shareef aur dupatta lene wali hain.” I found this too cute. The mother actually carried the dupatta for as long as she could. But then the boys decided to make us walk in June, in the bad bad bad heat, and we were all sweaty. My husband coined the phrase hyperdhidrosis. We all thought he made it up, now when I google it I see it actually exists.

This was also the time I realized I don’t like my husband paying attention to anyone else. Which I realized was stupid too, but I couldn’t get a handle on it anyway. I welcomed going to my aunt’s but then decided it was stupid, and I should not be able to run away every time we face an issue as a couple.

In the end, it was decided that I am too bored because I have too much time, and since there are weddings coming up, I should plan another trip to Karachi. 

On the day of my flight, we were ready to leave. My mother called and was hyperventilating and speaking really loudly. She called to tell me that they checked my ticket and my flight is for the day after. We laughed it off. Kept the bags on the side, and went and watched a movie. I left the next day.