The day was scorching hot. A man had just parked a vehicle that looked familiar. Yes, it was Aria—my fiancé, the man I would be marrying in a month.
“Sweetheart, it looks like the wedding dowry is still short by 15 million. I’m at a loss, Babe. I’ve searched everywhere, but I still couldn’t get it. Our wedding is only a month away. I feel ashamed that I’ll be marrying you with only 10 million to give you, Sweetheart.”
“It’s okay, Babe. If that’s all you can afford, what else can we do? What matters is that the marriage is legally valid, not how much money you give me. We’ll look for another solution later, Babe. I have to get back to work.”
“Raina!” My friend was calling my name, asking me to come over. I went back inside the office while massaging my temples, thinking about how to solve the shortage in the wedding money Aria had promised my family. I didn’t think it was possible to borrow from or go into debt with friends when my wedding was only a month away. What would I tell my family if the promised wedding money fell short? Maybe I should tell my mother, who always gave me solutions to all my problems.
At five in the afternoon, I headed to the parking lot, grabbed my motorcycle, and went straight home to tell my mother about the problem I’d faced that day.
“Peace be upon you, Mom. I’m home.” I gave my mother, who was alone in the house waiting to welcome me, a tired smile. She was the mother who had been by my side until I was nearly twenty-four. Yes, she was a widow who had separated from my father when I was little. I had never discussed or asked about my father after beginning my life with my mother. All I knew was that I could be with her now and always tried to make her happy with the salary I earned every month.
“And peace be upon you, honey. Go take a shower, then pray and eat. Don’t let yourself look thin and unattractive on your wedding day.”
I immediately refreshed my body under the running water and washed away my fatigue while thinking about the shortage in our wedding money. After showering, I performed ablution and offered the Maghrib prayer, hoping to receive guidance from the Almighty for all my problems.
After we finished eating, I approached my mother, who was watching her favorite TV show. “Mom, there’s something I want to talk to you about. It’s about my wedding, which is coming up soon.” I spoke softly, carefully arranging my words so I wouldn’t disappoint her.
“Yes, go ahead. What do you want to talk to me about?” she replied with a smile, then began looking at me seriously.
“Well, Mom, Aria came to my office earlier and said that the wedding money he promised for our wedding was still short by 15 million, compared with what he had already given you at home yesterday. You’ve only received 10 million from Aria so far, right?” I spoke very carefully. My mother was instantly shocked, her eyes widening in disbelief at what I had just told her.
“God have mercy, honey. How can that be? How are we supposed to cover the costs for your wedding if he’s only giving us 10 million? What about the caterer Mom already discussed with our neighbor? How am I supposed to show my face if we don’t have enough wedding money to pay for the food? Did Aria really say something so thoughtlessly?” my mother said, growing emotional.
“What can we do, Mom? If Aria can only afford that much, and he’s already searched everywhere without finding any more, it’s better for us to hold the wedding with the money he’s already given than for him to go into debt and make things even harder for us after the wedding.”
As my wedding drew closer, one small problem after another kept arising. Yet as far as I knew, ever since I started dating Aria, I had never asked him for anything because he wanted to save money so he could marry me. I had agreed when he suggested that he save his salary for our wedding expenses. From then on, I never asked Aria for anything or wanted the things women commonly asked their boyfriends for. I had an income of my own, so I didn’t ask Aria for much, even though sometimes, when we went out together, I really wanted something. But I always abandoned the thought because I figured it would be better to save the money so our wedding wouldn’t fall short in any way.
Ever since I told my mother about the wedding money, she had often fallen silent and sometimes stared off into space. Maybe she was thinking about the problem I was facing too. It hurt to see my mother like that, but no matter what, I had to be honest with her so there would be no lies in my marriage and it would always be blessed. Besides, I was afraid to lie to my mother about something this serious.
The days passed, and my happy day drew closer. Only a few weeks remained. I prepared everything we needed, using some of my salary to buy matching outfits for my family to wear on my wedding day. I even arranged the wedding dowry as simply and modestly as possible, according to the money Aria had given—which should have come from his money in the first place. Sometimes, this wedding felt incredibly heartbreaking, but I pushed away every negative thought so my heart wouldn’t become even more troubled. I bought prayer clothes months before our wedding, along with a bag, shoes, and sleepwear, which I also paid for in installments over the months leading up to the wedding. To me, none of that mattered as long as Aria stayed by my side and soon carried out his good intentions by marrying me.
Brrt, brrt, brrt—my phone had been buzzing for a while. I checked who had sent the message and saw that it was Aria. His words made me happy: he promised to come to my house with his mother to deliver the remaining 15 million in wedding money. I replied that he should come with his mother before she left for umrah. As far as I knew, his mother would be going on an umrah trip paid for through her workplace because of her years of service at the restaurant. My future mother-in-law was still working despite her age because she didn’t want to burden her children by asking them to provide for her needs. Her umrah trip would take place exactly one month before my wedding. I didn’t know why, but I had an uneasy feeling, worried that another problem might arise as our happy day approached. I tried to stay positive about Aria’s mother leaving, hoping my plan would go exactly as I had discussed with Aria.