“Fun would be nice! All I can think about is my wedding and how it’s ruined!”
“Listen, I know how stressful this has all been for you,” Maryam said, her tone soothing. Unfortunately, her words were having the opposite effect. The calmer Maryam was, the more agitated Saima became.
“You’ve been so busy flirting with Saif and running after some stupid dream of being a writer, you have no idea what’s been going on,” Saima spat, and Anna was sure she saw Maryam flinch when her sister spoke Saif’s name. “It’s like you’ve forgotten all about your family. Well, I hope you’re happy—I just got off the phone with Miraj. We had to cancel the wedding.” Anna gasped quietly as Saima’s shoulders now heaved with emotion. “You have five minutes to grab your stuff and find somewhere else to sleep tonight. I don’t want to see you.”
She slammed the door hard as she left the room, and Anna stared at Maryam in shock. Her friend looked stricken.
“You know how you’ve always wished to have a bigger family?” Maryam said bitterly. “Maybe you’re the lucky one.”
She turned and started opening drawers and throwing clothes into a bag. “I’m going to go stay with my parents—see if I can convince them to talk some sense into Saima,” Maryam said wearily. She walked Anna to the door and patted her shoulder. “Good luck with your decision,” she said—and Anna couldn’t help it; she felt a wave of loneliness. Maryam was her friend, but family came first, which Anna really did understand. Anna wasn’t family.
As she said good night to Maryam and turned away, she knew there was really only one decision for her to make. She needed to go where she was wanted, and try to make a go of it with the people who might turn out to be the only family she really had.
FOURTEEN
Maryam
December 23
Maryam sat on the bed after Anna left and stared at nothing, her overnight bag half filled. Irritated, she threw it to the floor. She knew Anna was disappointed that she had shown her the door, but the truth was, Maryam was just so tired. Her sister was—rightfully—furious. The wedding Maryam had spent so much time and energy organizing on behalf of her family was canceled. They were still stuck in Snow Falls. Yet despite all the little disasters piled on top of one another, it was Saif’s harsh words she couldn’t shake. In truth, they hadn’t stopped ricocheting in her mind all evening.
Saif was right. Shewasscared. He had recognized her outburst as just another coping mechanism. She had buried the pain of her failed marriage so deeply, she had convinced herself it didn’t exist. Instead, she had made herself indispensable to her family and refused to think about any of her old ambitions, making it impossible to move forward—all so she could protect her wounded heart, save face, and feel like less of a failure.
She needed to get out of here. A restlessness drove her downstairs. While the rest of the wedding party had dispersed, Dadu was settled in his favorite spot in front of the fire. As she claimed the spot beside him on the couch, she realized he was the person she wanted most to see right now. Dadu would understand.
“Ah, my favorite granddaughter,” Dadu said, twinkling at her. “Don’t tell Saima. Though I suspect she already knows.” His gaze was perceptive, but as usual, he waited for Maryam to open up. They sat in silence, watching the fire, and slowly Maryam felt her body ease. He smelled faintly of starch and the attar he favored, a comforting potpourri of cloves, cinnamon, andoud.
“Everything is such a mess,” she said in a low voice.
Dadu reached over and took her hand. “And yet we are still here.Beta, you do too much, for all of us. You work too hard to make sure everyone else is happy. It makesmehappy to see you run after your dreams as well. Tell me, how did it feel when you were put in charge of the writing?” he asked. The knowing look in Dadu’s eyes made her flush.
“It felt like... I was doing exactly what I was put here on earth to do,” she admitted, feeling slightly foolish but also sure her grandfather would understand.
Dadu sat back and sipped on his tea with more than a hint of satisfaction. “Remember that when you start to feel guilty for running after your dreams. You and I, we have creative souls. If we don’t create, something inside of us dies. Yes?”
Maryam leaned into the cushions, thinking. Somehow, talking with her dadu had always had a way of centering her. Now his words sparked a memory of the notebooks she used tocarry around everywhere. She had dropped the habit when her marriage unraveled. Yusuf had never encouraged her writing anyway.
Dadu had probably overheard her disagreement with Saima, Maryam realized—her sister’s voice traveled. Knowing his natural inquisitive tendencies, he likely suspected what had happened with Saif as well. But as usual, he was offering help in discreet ways. He tended to stay out of family disagreements. Her grandfather was a big believer in conflict.Conflict serves your story, he would always tell her or Saima when they complained to him.Let us blue-sky some ways this conflict can help develop your character.It really was a wonder she hadn’t dived into writing earlier, Maryam thought wryly.
Dadu rose to his feet and, after wishing her a good night, headed upstairs to his room, leaving Maryam in front of the fire to consider her options. She could go in search of Saif. Or she could try to find her sister, or Anna. Instead, she sat and did nothing. She must have remained completely motionless because when Josh strode into the foyer and slumped into the first armchair he spotted, across from her, he seemed to jump when he noticed her.
She was shocked at his appearance. He seemed exhausted and rumpled in a way she had never seen the put-together movie star before. Maybe the long days of nonstop work were starting to get to him.
“Should I stay, or would you like to be alone?” Maryam asked. She didn’t know him that well, but he looked so sad and weary, she thought he could use a friend.
“Did you know Anna had a boyfriend?” he asked abruptly.Uh-oh, Maryam thought.
“I wasn’t sure what the status of their relationship was...” she started, but trailed off at his hurt expression. “Yes, I knew,” she finished. “I also know that I caughtyoukissing Tenisha Barlowe in your trailer today.”
“We were practicing for the movie,” Josh said. “Katrina was getting annoyed at me messing up my lines, so she told us to take five and nail the kissing scene.”
Maryam considered his words. Dadu had mentioned something about Josh’s distraction when they had walked home from the set. “Okay, what about this morning, when you strolled out of the inn holding Tenisha’s hand?” she asked. “You know Anna doesn’t have any family, and this is a difficult time of year for her. She doesn’t need a Hollywood movie star playing with her heart.”
Josh seemed surprised at the vehemence in Maryam’s voice. She suspected that most people didn’t push back or question him very often, and she felt her hackles rise. Anna needed to be protected from this guy. She opened her mouth to warn him off, when he surprised her.
“You’re a good friend. Anna’s lucky to have you in her life.”
She snapped her mouth closed. “Actually, I met Anna for the first time at the airport,” she admitted.
