Architect and Mrs Dantata

18: AMAL

July, 2015

Mas'ood Dantata texts me after his graduation ceremony which I may have been in virtual attendance, thanks to all the photos and videos Aliyah, Zafeenah and Zayd sent.

Each time they're all in one frame, I'm reminded of how beautiful they are as a family and there's this longing to be part of it that I'm still getting used to. Don't get me wrong, I do come from a beautiful family but there's just something about being part of the Dantatas that seems really nice.

Mas'ood Dantata is nothing like his brother. He's nice and more playful than Zayd is, but he has his moments of being serious (that's what he said. I haven't seen the serious moments yet). Apparently, he had gotten my number and social media handles from Aliyah a while back but he didn't feel courageous to text until after his graduation. I don't know why he had to work up the courage to text me but that's a question I'll ask on another day.

You know my best part about talking to him? Him admitting that despite the way he teases Zayd, he likes the fact that I'm the woman his brother likes and plans on spending the rest of his life with. It is one thing to hear that from Aliyah and Zafeenah, and it's a whole different experience hearing it from Mas'ood. If I didn't know I wanted to marry Zayd before, I definitely knew it then.

Like Zayd, Mas'ood's doing great. He's been running paid culinary contents for years now (of course I did my research before he said so himself when I asked) and his YouTube channel, social media pages and his website are really, really nice. He makes culinary arts look easy and according to him, he's nothing compared to their mother which makes me want to meet her in person. He's planning on establishing restaurants around the country and also confectionery shops in select universities, and while he still has little doubts, I know for a fact that he's going to do perfectly well.

All of them do, and I love it very, very much.

Eid-el-Fitr falls on July 17th, right in the middle of final clearance and as I'm rounding off my master's application. Since I don't go home, I spend the festive season with a few Muslim friends of mine in Oakland. It's a quiet Eid and it's beautiful. It also gives me time to prepare to be a virtual guest at Aliyah's wedding.

It begins on the 18th (the very day after Eid for them and still the day of Eid for me) with the Sa Lalle and Zafeenah burns data on my behalf so I can experience everything. Aliyah's a really lovely bride and although she told me countless times that she was nervous, she pulls everything off beautifully well.

Her wedding trends despite her hoping it wouldn't and I know it has everything to do with the fact that their family isn't as public with every activity of their lives the way their extended family members are. A lot of wedding blogs repost the pictures from the Sa Lalle and while some of the captions are cringe-worthy, most of them mean well. Or at least, I hope they do.

Zayd tries talking with me that night but I prioritize Aliyah, making a promise to make it up to him when he comes over to Stanford for my graduation. No one has to know that I'm diligently counting down to that day.

I get my first full tour of the Dantata home two hours before Aliyah's Kamu. Zafeenah hosts the video call and she takes me round each place, telling me how Mas'ood actually wanted to stay but Zayd pulled him out. The men are to join them much later but I'm too invested in taking note of every little thing she's showing me to really listen.

The house is huge; lots of rooms and space. The chosen colours all go well together (Zafeenah says it's all on her mother and father) and each spot I'm shown feels like home even though I'm not there in person. The kitchen is my second favourite place. My first is Zayd's room which Zafeenah takes her time in showing me. It's neat and she promises that he didn't keep it neat because he found out she was going to show me the room.