Kasih Nadiah (Nadiah's Love)

Chapter Two: Meeting

 A/N: This chapter is full of the Malay culture so I apologise for too much information. I got a little carried away.. :p The picture on the side shows the men coming back from the surau and the video is of men singing while beating the Malay drum (Kompang). Check 'em out when you read the last scene (At mid of page four) :D Thanks so much for reading and for the support, everyone! :)

Chapter Two : Meeting

The next day proved to be a busy one for the villagers of Kampung Rambutan as they prepared for the coming of a wedding. Whenever there was a wedding to be held, all of the villagers would bergotong-royong (pitch in) to help facilitate the Akad Nikah ceremony (solemnization) and the wedding reception so that it would go smoothly. Women would be in the kitchen, preoccupied with the cooking whereas the men would be busy setting up the dining tables, the pelamin (dais) and the decorations.

Nadiah paused and took a long look at the reflection in the mirror. A girl with pale, fair skin stared back at her. Faint, dark shadows circled her under eyes and no matter how much powder she pressed to it, it would still be visible. She wasn't much of a vain pot, needing to powder on layers of make-up just to feel beautiful. Heck, the cosmetics that were kept in her vanity dresser were barely used. She thought she looked fine without all these products on top of her natural looks but her mother thought otherwise.

As if on cue, Aminah's shouts resonated the otherwise still household. "Nadiah! Have you put on make-up?"

Nadiah sighed, wearily shaking her head. She didn't want to have to put them on. It suffocated her and she felt that it was useless considering how the make-up would not last long. Her tomboyish and rough ways still stuck despite having abandoned them for a while.

She answered, "Yes Mak." (Mother)

"Don't forget the lipstick!"

She did not answer but started to line her eyelids with kohl. She reached for the lip stain from a box and pressed the sheet to her lips, the colour tinting them red. She ran a comb through her hairline, making sure that all the strays were neatly tucked in before she fastened a silver barette on top of her bun.

Just as Nadiah was putting a scarf around her head, Aminah called to her. "Nadiah! Are you ready?"

"Yes, just a minute!" She answered as she adjusted the soft cream coloured scarf, throwing the ends over her shoulder. Glancing at her reflection once again, she could hardly recognise the girl in the mirror. She felt older and if any stranger were too look at her now, they would have thought she was  someone feminine and gentle when she was far from that. Even Maa'rof knew her rough ways. Her thoughts immediately fleeted back to Maa'rof. She had forgotten all about him with her mother rushing her to complete all the household chores from the minute she was up, sparing no time for her to daydream.

"Nadiah!!! What's taking you so long?" Aminah hollered from the living room as she arranged a stack of newspapers and magazines on the coffee table. She was a woman who could not stand the sight of mess and would always be on her feet cleaning. She had been doing so the past one hour; dusting and arranging the ornaments on display while waiting for her youngest daughter to get ready. She blabbered on, "Are you the one getting married or Ainum? Haiyo, what am I going to do with this child...I think the rooster must have laid eggs already!"

At long last, Nadiah stepped out of her bedroom just as Aminah was lifting a big vase to place it at another corner.

"Roosters don't lay eggs, Mak," Nadiah stated, a flat look on her face. When she saw Aminah hauling the vase, she groaned."Mak, are you cleaning the house again..." She knew of her mother's obsessive compulsiveness. She was made to change the bed sheets thrice in a week - which was why she was always doing the laundry on a daily basis. There was always something to wash.