serenading captivity

"I cannot believe I've finally finished it. You wouldn't mind taking a picture of it right, Alice?" Halima Nooh stood akimbo on the podium and grinned wildly at the camera as her friend hurried to obey. "It’s way more beautiful than the illustrated version," Alice said. "I can't imagine the sleepless nights you spent to perfect this one dress." "I couldn't imagine it too but here we are; with the most stunning wedding dress. Saliha is going to be the prettiest bride of the year and she deserves it." Halima inspected the gown once more and proceeded to make minimal changes. She had spent a whole week on it and still had a cape to amend, the whole gown exuded elegance and royalty. She was honored that the royal family accepted her sister as their daughter-in-law and even more excited that she gets to make the wedding dress. She couldn't let this flop no matter what, she had used more than her budget and was now broke but it didn't matter. "It’s gorgeous; I wish I could wear it" Alice gushed as Halima came over to check out the pictures and select the ones to be sent to her sister. "I wish you could. Not everyone can afford a customized wedding dress so people are busy making use of hand-me-downs and getting little things changed. It's a luxury to get a fresh off-shelf wedding gown. There are other things to take care of with money; a wedding dress is everyone's last thought everyone except me 'cause it's what I do." "You sound pained. You used your money for this, didn't you?" Alice asked as they selected the pictures together. "You know you could have asked them for extra right?" "It’s for Saliha," Halima reminded her. "It's a wedding dress for my only family. It's worth it." "Yeah, you probably didn't want them thinking you are some gold-digging sister of the bride. For your information, Jason is coming home so I'm not letting you crash at my place for a while." Halima had the thought of staying with Alice for some weeks. The extra cost of the dress had left her account with little money but she felt the need to do this for her sister. She had heard so much about Royal families and she has read more than enough too, life may be difficult for her sister as far as she knew. It's not that Saliha did not show perfect manners worthy of a prince's spouse. The prince; Malik was outstanding, kind, and funny, he was nothing like she thought a prince should be and her dear sister was head over heels for him. It was Malik's mother who would give her sister problems intentionally, and Halima was quite sure of the storms that were coming. The queen didn't like her sister and the Queen disliked her more, she once said although Saliha wasn't good enough for her son, that Halima was even worse to have as an in-law. Saliha defended her and that put a strain on the future relationship a daughter n law and mother may share. "You'll have a brother-in-law a week from now,' Alice suspiciously smiled at Halima. ‘And a hyperactive sister-in-law who loves you." "A brother-in-law I wouldn't get to see every time,' Halima pointed out. 'And Rukayat isn't hyperactive; I love her just like that" "But you'll be seeing him a lot from time to time. Your sister is used to you and if you stop visiting her once she moves into the palace she's going to think you don't like Malik." "She wouldn't think so. Things can't be the same for a while. Her mother-in-law doesn't like me and she probably thinks I'm a bad influence on her young daughter. Saliha should spend time with her husband-to-be and his family, once they are used to having her around I'll start coming around. Anyway, I'll be out of reach for the next couple of weeks." She'll feel even better when you are around to support her' Alice reminded her. "Anyway, I thought you were broke? Where are you going for this couple of weeks?" "Turkey," Halima quietly said, knowing fully well the probing that was about to take place, and her ears were not disappointed. "Kane invited me." "Turkey! You are not being serious right now, are you, Halima? That man you met in Kairos cafe is a playboy and isn't your match. He probably offered you an invite for fun." "Kane is nice," Halima assured Alice. "He isn't a playboy; he is just a good-looking man with a lot of women around him. You know 'potential husband' material." "His name is Kareem." Alice rolled her eyes. "You can't even remember his name correctly; it's no use acting like you don't know his full name in front of me. I met him, do not forget and you were so into him that you even went online to see if you both matched." "That has nothing to do with me going to Turkey; I'm going to have a good time with a guy I once thought was my soul mate. Our tingle didn't last, he was not interested in me and I'm happy he didn't resent me for almost breaking our friendship. To set your suspicious mind at ease, I'll be staying with his family. I'll not be alone; his whole family will be there including his grumpy older brother he always talks about. It's a harmless holiday, relax a little." "What about your ticket? I bet its one way!" Halima laughed out loud from Alice's protectiveness. "Return. I live in Turkey for eight weeks and fly back here like I never left." "What if his family doesn't like you?" Alice looked at her gently. "You don't have to go there." "What are you worried about? It's not like I'm going for a try-out at a foster home, this is temporary fun. His mom and sisters are amazing, he told me so. The only odd person in the family is his older brother who is never around. I heard they came here together that last time." "It’s all lies, Halima," Alice surmised in a calm voice. "You’ll probably disappear without a trace and I wouldn't even get to cremate you. You shouldn't go." "Nothing is going to happen to me," Halima laughed as they moved to tidy up the dress. "It’s just for eight weeks. I'll call you." "Have you told Saliha about it?" "Yeah, she knows about it. She's excited about my journey and she loves Kane... I mean Kareem. She hopes we fall in love and have babies in eight weeks, I hope so too." "Sure you do," Alice snorted. "Isn’t she worried about you?" "You know how overprotective Saliha is," Halima placed the dress back on the rack. "Her saying yes to it isn't simply because she likes Kareem. She also called him and did some background checks in disguise of thanking him for inviting me over. She also told him I was single, embarrassing information but it makes the vacation easier." "Well, if Saliha is cool then I am." Alice agreed at last. "You aren't doing this to escape Saliha's new family right? You're leaving your comfort zone and going outside just to let her settle in with them." "I guess I am, indirectly." Halima said cautiously. "Oh, darling. This wasn't necessary, at all." She knew it wasn't necessary but how did that matter? Saliha has always been the one sacrificing things for her and she never gave anything back to Saliha. She was a problem child and always gave Saliha stress but Saliha never left Halima at the orphanage even when a wealthy family was ready to take her in. Saliha wouldn't go unless she was also adopted and that never happened. She finally has the chance to make Saliha happy and happier with a man who loved her despite having Halima as a sister. Halima was a fashion designer and worked all year round. Most newlyweds recommended her to those who were about to tie the knot, and things were going well. Every dress she made had been an amazing success and her name was mentioned in magazines and passed on at parties and lunch break. Now that she had made a Prince's consort wedding dress, she was going to be busy even though the economy had just recovered from the recession. Going to Turkey would be refreshing and inspiring, she was excited to travel around and taste different delicacies, all the while making new designs. She trusted Kareem, she remember his bright smile and eyes that squint when he genuinely laughed. He had talked on and on about his family every time they met or texted and she always felt like she knew them personally each time he did, he talked endlessly about his home, the town where his family lived, and his explanations were so vivid that Halima had seen herself walking around among the locals. He had laughed loudly whenever she told him about her imagination and he asked her to visit his country each time they met, but she didn't think much about it until she received the tickets. This holiday was a wish comes true because she could never afford something like this and it was also a perfect excuse to give Saliha breathing space. She wants to come back to a happy sister and bustling family, Alice's skeptical ideas were building up but they would have to be pushed to the back of her mind.