There's not a single male in the household - Dek Mah & daughters. And there's a wedding in less than a month.
She's always been independent, from boarding school to now. The four daughters are showing the same trait, which is great. But it can be exasperating, too. Like this coming wedding.
Fair enough, the daughter wants a simple affair, and we can appreciate the request. Acam almost never calls, but recently she called, complaining about no plans for door gifts for the guests. We're inviting people to come. They would bring gifts, surely, and the host should reciprocate. It's the custom. I said Dek Mah wants to do the right thing, but she's giving way to the daughter's wishes, and all the usual frills are no go. I told Acam to call the bride-to-be personally because if there's anyone she'll listen to it's her aunt. Sure enough, the next day she called back saying the neice has relented.
Dek Mah came today and I thought she had finalised everything with the missus. She'd passed some money to Ati. I reminded Idah to fix the date for making the wajit. Ati has to buy the "gula anau", the "ori" ones, otherwise the wajit wouldn't taste nice.
I told No.2 Son we'll come to his house on 28th and leave early for the aqad nikah the next morning. Dek Mah wants us to have breakfast at the house first, so we'll do that. The reception follows the aqad, and the bridegroom's return reception would be the next day, Sunday. Apparently the bridegroom's dad went to medical school together with Din. Small world.
Dek Mah is left with her daughters after her husband left her some years ago. Initially I thought she took it a bit hard, but I think it's behind her now. Theirs was a boy-meets-girl thing when they both studied in England. But unexplicably, the husband left for someone he befriended here, after the four girls were grown up. That's fate I suppose. But the girls have done very well for themselves, and I thought it was the father's loss, if anything. Anyway, the father is going to be the "wali", and when I met the family recently I repeatedly reminded them to make sure he turns up on the appointed date and time.
Hopefully the new son-in-law would fill the void of having no man in the house, for Dek Mah & daughters.
.......................................................................................................
