Being Mrs Dantata

33

Catherine smirked the moment she sighted them. She leaned back in her seat and brought her straw to her lips. "The Dantatas are here, ladies."

The three women seated with her turned just in time to see Amal walk into the restaurant, Hanan walking in a few seconds later. Both of them wore the same long-sleeved chiffon flare dress and while Amal's was red, Hanan's was yellow. They both had black veils wrapped around their heads, Amal's front hair being exposed. Amal had gone for low heels and a black clutch while Hanan chose flats and a black sling bag.

Hussayna's smile was wide. "Did you two plan on wearing the same thing?"

Amal smiled back. She pulled out a chair so she could sit beside Asma. "As much as it looks like we did, we did not. I haven't seen Hanan since Thursday."

Hanan sat beside Catherine. "Hello, everyone."

"Hi!"

"You two look good though." Catherine said, placing her glass of fruit punch on the table. "The colours suit you. Was it from Zayd?"

Amal nodded, crossing one leg over the other underneath the table. "Yes. How did you know?"

Catherine shrugged. "Just a guess."

"He got it for us on Tuesday, I guess." Amal adjusted her seat. "Said he walked into a shop just for the fun of it and he saw them both on mannequins."

"I thought he was resting." Jameelah said. "Why is he outside the house?"

Hanan sighed. "He isn't doing a good job at that. He doesn't know how to rest."

"I locked him inside the house today." Amal said proudly. "I took the spare keys too. He should sleep."

"When he has an office in that same house?" Catherine scoffed. "You and I know he's going to work."

Amal's smile was evil. "Who told you I didn't lock that too?"

Hussayna gasped. "Amal!"

Amal shrugged. "Well, someone had to do it! He's been with me all week and he's been claiming that he's resting but he isn't doing shit. I tried getting Hanan to talk to him but that didn't work either. The only thing that helped was Hanan intercepting his work and mails just so he could breathe." She sighed. "I've never been happier to have a fellow architect around."

Jameelah laughed. "It must be relieving." She faced Hanan. "You had to see this woman a few years back. There was this one time Zayd had so much work and she tried helping. I still don't understand why you thought you could do anything, Amal. You don't even know the abc's of architecture or real estate."

Amal hid her face in embarrassment. "I wanted to help!"

Catherine laughed loudly. "You always try to do so and Zayd spends more time trying to explain to you what has to be done. Time he would have used trying to get things out of the way."

Amal resembled a beetroot. "You guys should stop!"

Hanan's smile was small. "I guess it's good I'm here then. He's trying to play it cool and all but there's this relief in his voice."

"He probably feels guilty that he's making you do a lot." Jameelah told her. "That's just how he is. He wants to be one doing the work while everyone else he loves is comfortable. He sometimes forgets he needs to be comfortable too."

"It's not so bad if I am being really honest." Hanan said slowly. "Sure, blueprints are stressful and I hate them but it's keeping me busy and I'm learning a lot so it's a win-win situation, I guess."

"So, are you going to step in and help him run one of the companies?" Hussayna asked. "I think running Zayd's will fit you. You can even change the name."