Rima stretched her fragile body closer to the mirror as she applied a thick line of black eyeliner around her eyes with the new pencil her mother bought her for special occasions. After she was done, Rima took a final content look, and then ran to her mother in the kitchen who was preparing the traditional Turkish coffee. It was dark, bitter and boiled to perfection. Just the way it has been brewed for generations.“What do you think mom?”
“Oh honey, you are gorgeous! You are gonna knock them dead”.
Rima giggled happily.
“But don’t forget to play a little hard-to-get. We want to give the impression that we are still reluctant.” Her mom said with a wink.
This was a big day for Rima as well as for her mother, Um Karim. As a mother it was her job to secure her daughter’s future by marrying her off to a member of a rich influential family in Damascus. She was dealt a fair share of cards and instinctively knew how to play them. To speed up the transaction, Um Karim decided that Rima will not have to wear her hijab in front of the suitor and his family tonight. Showing off those luxurious curls are a sure bet. “After all, she is only fifteen. She’s too young to cover up” Um Karim would rationalize.
Right after Al Mughrib prayer, a door bell was heard ringing. Um Karim frantically rushed her daughter to hide in her room, and then ran to get the door herself. As the custom was, the groom-to-be arrived accompanied by his father, mother, and eldest sister. Um Karim, fulfilling her role, had entirely redecorated the guest room the day before, and took care of all the necessary arrangements. The evening had to go just as it was planned. The old curtains were replaced with the fancy ones, reserved for guests. The sofas and cushions were scrubbed and rescrubbed. The silver cutlery borrowed from the neighbors was polished. New rugs were spread. Home-made delicacies were prepared. And of course, coffee was slowly brewing on the stove.
Later that night, there were hand shakes and plastic smiles. Fat bellies roared from underneath neatly-tailored suits. Numerical figures were discussed. Rima appeared and disappeared after serving the coffee. The evening ended professionally and, to everybody’s content, that night a deal was closed.
(Painting by Sapna Sarkar)