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 Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2018 7:06 pm
The harried woman blew out her displeasure at this turn of events. She knew her mother acted unpredictably, but her impulse decisions seldom affected Ayesha's life. Lately, however, she decided that marriage would be the best event to change Ayesha's life for the better, and that she should marry one specific son of a prominent family rather than make the decision on her own, or even bother to consult her on the matter.
With her hand curled against the crook of her neck, she paged through her notifications unseeingly. Wefts of brown and teal cascaded over her shoulder and hung pin-straight above the table. No matter how often she scrolled back to her mother's text messages, she never fully puzzled out the reasoning. In America, her consent to marriage was required nonetheless, but in an arranged marriage, why meet beforehand? Did that not defeat the purpose? If they were to be wed regardless, then wasn't courtship irrelevant? She pursed her lips at the screen, still finding no answer.
And there was still Adel's message, where he specifically reached out to contact her. Was that not itself a breech? But she didn't know this man and couldn't predict his thinking. She simply smoothed over her internal struggles and reminded herself to approach the situation with an open mind.
What would she tell one of her students? When faced with the unknown, don't make expectations and you'll see it with much more clarity.
She'd shown up a half hour early to that purpose. "Waiter, another coffee please." The shop was kind enough to let her loiter with nothing more than coffee and a newspaper tucked neatly beneath her phone while she waited for her husband-to-be. And given the expensive, rustic french-style decor and matching prices, she imagined even that much of an allowance was a stretch. Already every table was full, and she occupied a table rather than one of their niche bar seats. Their appointed hour neared, however.beejoux thank you for reminding me!
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:42 pm
This wasn't what Adel would have chosen for himself, but this was what his parents had wanted, and as the oldest child and only son Adel knew his duties to his family. Their wants and needs had always outweighed his own. That was how things worked, how they'd always been. There'd been irritation, resignation, and finally benign acceptance, but to the eyes of his parents there had been only open-minded compliance. They'd never see how the much the proposition had rubbed him the wrong way. How completely shocked he'd been that his parents would fall into such archaic traditions. They ad always been more progressive than this, more forward thinking. They'd left Lebanon, and then Egypt to escape backwards laws and traditions. It had taken time make peace with this within himself. He couldn't walk into this with resentment or doubt, or that would be the foundation that would bring the whole thing crashing down upon their ears. He had to move forward with an open mind. Ayesha Kamjik was lovely, intelligent young woman that had traveled the world and put knowledge and education above all else. There was a number of important matters they had in common. On paper, it was damn near a perfect match. So he was going to give this a shot. If it worked out, there would be a wedding to plan. If it didn't? Well, he had no intention of trapping the both of them into an incompatible match. On that point he'd been very firm with his parents. The coffee shop was full when he arrived, but Ayesha wasn't difficult to spot where she sat alone at one of the tables. He had her picture, though the one her mother had provided didn't really do her the justice she deserved. A mild smile on his face, Adel strode forward, weaving between another set of chairs until he was standing opposite where she sat. "Ayesha." It wasn't quite a question.
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 10:16 am
She told herself that she would greet him with the same respect and politeness she would show a prospective business partner. She would smile, she would introduce herself, she would say what needed to be said to keep their conversation cordial and organic. Her mother wanted this match, it was true — she wanted to see her daughter explore other paths of living and arranged for this in the ways she knew best. What came of that — and Ayesha's own reservations — remained to be discussed.
Ayesha recognized him at once. After being given Adel el-Kader's full name, she looked him up on Facebook and found the life path he showed the world. She found his photos, often in collegiate settings, and knew upon sighting him that she wasn't being catfished. She hadn't expected as much for how her mother crooned his praises, but her mother wasn't technologically inclined, either.
Ayesha rose at the sound of her name and extended a hand in typical American fashion. "You must be Adel. It's nice to meet you." It's nice to see the person to whom she would be wed, as if an object or a trade commodity. It's nice because this echo of older traditions so seldom allowed for more than the barest contact beforehand. And while she never dreamed of being roped into such a tradition, raised as she was in the United States and so accustomed to the culture here, she was to endure a diet version of it. "My mother's had a lot to say about you. She thinks very fondly of you and your family."
She drew a breath. "Please have a seat. Would you like a coffee before we begin?" A warm beverage would settle any ills and keep spirits higher through a talk like this. Political officials in Turkey used the same techniques to float their way through households, day in and day out. There was some demonstrated truth to it.
Then they would address the largest question of all, sitting directly between them.
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 9:01 am
A kiss on the back of the hand might have seemed the appropriate move given the circumstances, but Adel had little doubts that Ayesha was approaching this union with as much reservations as he held himself. If not more. He didn't want to seem condescending or mocking in anyway, so he took her offered hand in his for a proper shake before letting go. Betrothed or not, they were still relative strangers, and Adel would not use the situation to take advantage. "It's nice to finally meet you as well. Likewise, I've heard a great deal about you from both your mother and my own." Likely far more than he'd needed to know. "All good things," he assured with a smile as he took the seat opposite her, hands folding loosely on the table. "I hope the same can be said for the stories your mother shared of me." He chuckled softly, hoping a small joke would help to break the ice a little. Looking past her for a moment at the menu he considered his options. "No coffee, but A chai latte would be nice." Dark eyes dipped to her cup, freshly filled, before up to her face again. She really was a beautiful woman. Dark features and eyes like warm honey, with hair that fell in long, straight curtains around her face and over her shoulders. A dancer, he'd been told, and he could tell it wasn't an idle hobby but a true passion. Toned, not delicate. He had to admit that his parents had really done a fine job in trying to find a woman that would not only appeal to him on an intellectual level, but was attractive as well.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 9:26 am
Considering that bad-mouthing me is self-sabotage, I'm not surprised it was all good things. She nodded graciously, however, and likewise took her seat. The leather squelched as leather often did, prompting a margin more discomfort. She didn't care for sitting on cow hide; it was distasteful.
Courteously, he left her an opening to segue into rudimentary details. That his comment was a joke did not escape her, but she chose not to acknowledge it. Instead, hands folded one atop the other, consciously relaxed, as she pursued other topics. "She mentioned you were highly educated." Pausing a moment, Ayesha rifled her purse for a small tablet. Once she found it, she tapped her way through the lock screen and very quickly found the .pdf reader she sought. In it was a series of notes typed up for Ayesha's personal use. "A Ph.D in anthropology, right? My mother stressed that she was quite impressed with this. She said you could go on to teach or perform your own research or work on a drug efficacy panel. Any number of things, really."
She did not look up as the waiter returned for Adel's order, nor at his invitation for her to order something else. A hand raised to send him away and he left just as dutifully.
"She also mentioned you were quite traveled. I would think a lot of that ties into your degree, doesn't it? It's troublesome to pursue study of anthroplogy without seeing other cultures. Is there anything you would like to add to this?" She waited, eyes on him, ready to hear him display his intellect for such matters. Ayesha presumed he would then turn the invitation onto her, and she would be expected to display some prowess in her related fields.
But she was turning this into an academic interview again. Maybe it'd been too long since she paid a social call.
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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2018 7:17 am
He couldn't say he was surprised to see she'd brought along notes to their first meeting, everything he'd been told about her suggested a well orginize, academic mind—but it still left him smiling in soft amusement, even as their server returned with a wide brimmed mug and set it down in front of him. He thanked them quietly as he curled large hands around the warm ceramic and they walked away again with a smile and a nod. Ayesha's notes on him were relatively thorough so there wasn't much he could add to them as far as I've all basics were concerned, at least about his doctorate and his extensive traveling. "Your mother was very thorough, but she forgot my employment with DC's natural history museum. Research and identification and dating of artifacts." A finger tapped softly along the edge of his mug before he brought the latte to his lips to sip it cautiously. When it proved bearable he took a longer drink before lowering it again. "You work with languages," he prompted after a moment, dark eyes resting on her face. "And are quite well traveled yourself, so I hear. That sounds like an interesting avenue of study, and probably posses ample job opportunities." He knew she enjoyed it, her mother had stressed as much. "Aside from that, what do you do in your free time?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 4:33 am
"It's good to reclaim the past," she nodded along. An anthropologist's role was very versatile, with applicability in more archaeological fields like Adel's work, and the ability to create ethnographies via extended stays with living cultures. Ayesha could not think of a reason where understanding human culture became a detriment, or an unworthy goal; even if her father mumbled about the degree being non-STEM, he couldn't scoff at Adel's lofty employment.
Still, she wanted to ask herself if she was interested in a marriage to someone who works on artifacts in a museum. Ayesha imagined it was the archaeologist's work to travel and discover the artifacts, then the museum's buyers purchased them or received the donated works, and lastly Adel looked at them from the comfort of a climate-controlled, familiar environment. He must have other work beyond the museum to keep him traveling, however. Ayesha imagined that doctorates never really focused on just one thing — after all, their jobs were so sorely needed.
But he started with questions of his own. "Yes," she nodded, "you're correct. I work mostly with Arabic studies now, though I studied latinate languages in my undergrad. When it comes to many old greek texts, the western world received them not from the original greek form but by way of arabic. So, a lot of my time and research goes into helping with manuscript studies and teaching other master's degree students how to read the texts they want to research. One of my students is working on a new translation for an Aristotelian work. It's a very rewarding career that sees much use.
"But for my free time? I dance. I've been belly dancing since I was a child, and now I have a YouTube channel devoted to that and some language-learning tips. Obviously the dancing brings in much more views. What about you?" Her question had her sitting back while both wrists rested on the counter. "What hobbies do you have?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 4:16 pm
There was the slightest imperfection on the edge of his mug, a drip in the glaze that had hardened when baked. Small and smooth, His thumb had brushed across it when he'd sipped the hot beverage within, but it lingered there now, running back and forth across the small bump. Nerves weren't something he was accustomed to having to deal with. Once upon a time, when he'd first started traveling, but he'd long since grown used to that. But this was making him nervous. The need to make a good impression on the lovely young woman sitting across from him for a number of reasons that had more to do with duty and family than his own desire to do so. He wasn't sure how well he was doing with that, Ayesha was hard to read. Very stoic, very contained. Very interesting, he was relieved to note. Expectations for this meeting had been kept purposefully low, and she'd already exceeded those quite quickly. "That does sound useful, and quite rewarding." He imagined it kept her pretty busy as well, but by the sound of it she had time enough to spread her passion to dance as well. Had her mother included a link to the Youtube page? He couldn't recall, but asking Ayesha directly would probably be preferred. "Do prefer more traditional belly dancing, or the tribal fusion that seems to be gaining popularity over the last ten or so years?" He didn't know much about the style, but he'd looked into it enough to be able to ask a few questions of his own. "As for me," he continued on to answer her question for him, "when I'm home I enjoy reading and documentaries, no real preference on subject matter, but the BBC do some remarkable work with their nature series." His head dipped, gaze lowing to his latte again as he brought it up for another long sip, then licked his lips as he lowered it again, smiling. "I also like to cook."
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2018 7:06 pm
"Tribal fusion is what I've most focused on, but lately I've been learning raqs sharqi belly dancing. It's very loose, very simplified compared to all the precision in tribal fusion. I like the grace it brings to music, and I find that it's a challenge in very different ways than tribal fusion. Which, I'm impressed you know the name. Most men I've met don't take much interest in learning about belly dance." Ayesha curled her hand under her chin as she regarded him.
"Did you learn about it on a documentary?" It was the logical next question with Adel's mentioned preferences. Documentaries had their place, but Ayesha seldom watched them herself. Audiobooks matched her busy lifestyle for the lower demand they placed on her attention — and she couldn't watch a documentary when she was driving to or from the school. To hear that Adel was fond of them promised focus and a genuine appetite for learning, which could be endearing. He seemed nice enough, too, though first dates never revealed the honest side of a person's personality. Hers included.
Ayesha blew out a relieving sigh. "Glad I won't be that kind of housewife." She still found the label repugnant for all it represented — for all the ways her mother abandoned all dreams she could've had to stay at home and raise kids and cook dinners for her busy husband. But that, she knew, was her own experience; she grew up in a wildly different place than her parents did, and their traditions wouldn't haunt her outright. Her mother wasn't stereotypical in how she conducted herself in social calls, which broke part of the illusion.
He next mentioned cooking — another easy sell. Ayesha cocked her brows in cool interest, pleasantly denoting the positives she learned from this meet. Education, looks, ability to cook. She was certain he checked all the boxes on someone's sperm donor list, but what of a real connection? Ayesha seldom felt any in her years. It would take time, she was certain.
Her pinkie meandered pleasantly along her jawline while she considered her words. "I think we've danced around the subject enough. What do you want to get out of a marriage, Adel?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 6:28 pm
His lips tugged up on one side at her acknowledgement, pleased he'd not only managed to impress her in some small way, but that he'd managed to guess accurately as well. He cradled the mug in large hands, enjoying the spread of warmth through his palms between nursing sips. It wasn't the best blend he'd sampled, but it certainly wasn't bad. "Truthfully, when I'd heard that some of your passion spilled to dance a did a bit of research. No documentaries, but a goodly number of articles and videos on YouTube. It's surprising I didn't wander across any of your's, but now I'll be able to narrow the search a bit." So long as she didn't mind him looking up her page, of course. He imagined if she did she'd tell him as much. She didn't seem the sort bite her tongue. She sighed in relief, and Adel didn't bother with reigning in a look of distaste at the term housewife. It wasn't what he was looking for. (None of this was what he was looking for, but he didn't have much of a choice.) He'd grown up watching his own mother command their household. She had not only raised himself and his sister, but she'd also sought an education and employment after that. She'd broken free of the stereotypes and standards of the culture Adel had been born into. A strong-willed, powerful woman. He caught himself watching the painted tip of her pinkie nail as it moved along her jaw, contrasting brightly against tanned skin. Blinking, he took another drink of his latte before answering. "Ideally I'd like to find a partnership. Compatibility and chemistry."
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2018 9:17 am
Ayesha listened with interest, her gaze wandering to the far sill where warm light eked out over slats. She watched the dust motes dance frivolously while Adel spoke of her own pursuits, and afterwards his goals for this arranged relationship. The lot of it still sat odd with her, off-key or off-beat, not quite skewering her emotional side but not yet sitting well with her logical side. Slowly Ayesha lowered her hands to her cup again and weighed her words.
"Here's to compatibility and chemistry." With the words, she raised a small toast. Her attention reached him once again, and she wondered if she could deliver what he wanted. Did she want to? Her mother benefitted by her trying, but did Ayesha herself find something of value in this relationship? Beyond career work, which Adel's affiliation with anthropology would undoubtedly assist, having someone in her space — living with someone — granted questions she never previously considered. Roommates were one thing while she was abroad at college, but a more intimate relationship in the household spelled a massive lifestyle change. Could she manage?
She would try. Neither one of them, as adults, were doomed by the prospects if such an arrangement failed.
"Why don't we discuss another time to meet? We can find an activity to do. I prefer dancing, but the ice skating rinks should open up in the fall and I haven't tried ice skating before." She sipped at her drink, watching him thoughtfully.beejoux move for a wrap with a decided meet time?
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Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:25 pm
It was a long wait between his answer and her response to it where Adel sat patiently and waited. Then, as she brought her mug up in a toast he smiled and did the same, leaning forward to rest his weight on the arm he had folded on the table so he could touch his mug to her's in a soft, controlled ceramic tap. So it was decided, they'd give this arranged marriage thing a shot, and if it didn't work out they were fortunate enough to have the freedom to simply walk away. There would be disappointment on behalf of both their parents, but Adel knew his own wouldn't want him committing to an incompatible match, and he hoped Ayesha's mother was the same. She seemed like she'd genuinely wanted what was best for her daughter, even if what she thought was best happened to be a little outdated and misguided. "Admittedly I'm more comfortable dancing than I am on skates, but I wouldn't say no to the latter." He'd only been ice skating a small handful of times, and only as an adult. He wasn't exactly steady on on the ice. "No reason we couldn't do both. Perhaps dinner first."
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2018 8:41 pm
"Of course," she agreed as she inwardly calculated the amount of time cut out of her normal routine. Time normally spent with her mother, she supposed — given their togetherness, it would do them both good to spend time apart — in which they could each bring new experiences into each other's company. And, Ayesha knew, her mother was already invested in tAdel and Ayesha's acquaintance with one another. All told, her time allotments for translation research looked quite safe, even with dinner tacked on as an afterthought.
"I think we've reached an agreement. We can do dinner at 6:30 Wednesday, then move to the ice rinks afterward." A quick dig through her purse found her planner, opened by a tab at the top to Wednesday's date in which she penciled their tentative plan. And if she followed through with that commitment, if they kept their timetables pristine, those same words would be written in ink as a receipt for their interpersonal transaction.
"And Adel, it was good to see you again." She flashed a reserved smile before she next retrieved her wallet, and withdrew a rounded total for her part of the coffee shop bill. She assumed the good doctor would understand that this practice was non-negotiable — she had money, she used her money. They would not be fiscally dependent on one another, despite prior traditions.
"I have to run now — I have an appointment with a student in a half-hour — but we'll chat again soon. Text me if those times don't suit you, or if something else comes up. Take care, Adel."
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