Straightening Ali (8 page)

“
You’re a wonderful boy,” his father-in-law said, leaning over and hugging him, making Ali cringe further with embarrassment. “I don’t like a man who forces his wife to work. I also don’t like a man who does not want his wife to work. Like you say, it’s her decision, and it’s good that you give her choice. My daughter is a good girl. She brings home her wage, gives some money to us and saves the rest for her future. Do you give money to your mother?”

“
Yes, sometimes,” Ali said. It wasn’t as if his mother needed his money, but sometimes he did offer to pay the telephone bill when he was feeling generous.

“
That is very good. You truly value your mother. Your mother has told me that you have worked since you were eighteen. You must have lots of money saved,” Ali’s father-in-law commented.

“
I’ve not really had much opportunity to save,” Ali said truthfully. “I’ve just been trying to pay off my student loan recently.”

“
A student loan? You have a student loan?” his father-in-law exclaimed worriedly. “Did your mother not pay for your education? Why do you have a student loan?”

“
I’ve supported myself through university. I didn’t ask my mother to support me like most people. Studying is expensive. It cost me a lot of money to buy the course textbooks, and the accommodation at the university wasn’t cheap either,” explained Ali. He thought it best not to mention the cost of late night partying or the boozing.

“
Ammi offered to pay his fees, but he refused. Ali likes his independence and wanted to pay his own way,” Yunus said, defending his mother. “He is too headstrong sometimes.”

“
It’s good that you wish to pay your own way, but it is wrong of your mother to allow you to get into debt,” Ali’s father-in-law said sounding grave. “I will talk to your mother. She must pay off your loan before you get married. My daughter has lots of savings, and she must not use it on paying your loan. Debt is not good! We Muslims shouldn’t be taking out loans and paying interest.”

“
My loan isn’t that big. I can afford to pay it back, myself,” Ali said, annoyed at his father-in-law’s suggestion but irritated with himself for bringing the subject to his attention.

At that moment, the doorbell rang. It interrupted what Ali’s father-in-law was about to say next. “I’ll speak to your mother about this before the wedding,” he said, after a pause and recovering from his lapse. “That must be Omar with his friend. Let them in, Begum,” he ordered his wife.

“
I’m hoping for some good news about a job for you, Ali,” his father-in-law said. “Javed’s father is a close family friend, so I don’t think he will let me down.”

Ali wanted to protest, but Yunus gave him another one of his sharp looks, warning him to stay quiet. Ali sat back into his seat and said nothing, annoyed that he was not allowed to put forward his thoughts on the subject of someone finding a job for him.

His mother-in-law bustled back into the room excitedly. “This is Omar,” she said introducing the man whose graduation and wedding photographs were displayed among those in the hallway. Omar looked slightly older than in the photographs, but his face was covered in pockmarks, which were not evident in his pictures.

Omar shook Ali’s hand limply, almost submissively, before greeting Yunus in the same manner. “This is Javed,” he said shyly introducing the man standing next to him. Javed’s handshake was very firm in contrast and clearly intended to exert his authority and dominance on anyone he met. Ali deliberately let his hand go limp as Javed squeezed it hard in a handshake, seeing no point in playing power games. That was more Yunus’s thing.

“
I will let you men talk among yourselves while I make you all tea,” Ali’s mother-in-law said, after she’d stopped fussing over getting Omar and Javed settled on the sofa. She then left the room quietly, giving Ali a smile on her way out.

“
I have a job for your son-in-law, Shah Jee,” Javed said smoothly to Ali’s father-in-law in a deep voice. He did not seem to have a noticeable accent indicating that he was very middle class.

“
Thank you so much. I knew you would be able to help him. He has a degree in Microbiology you know, so this will only be a short-term measure,” Ali’s father-in-law said proudly.

“
Oh,” Javed said, pausing as if noticing Ali for the first time. “Where did you study?” he asked, looking Ali up and down unpleasantly as if measuring his worth.

“
It was at Wolverhampton University,” Ali replied. He was proud of completing his degree, as not many people from his community had been to university.

“
I’ve never heard of it. It must be a polytechnic that thinks it’s a university. The standard of teaching in those places is poor. It’s unlikely you’ll get a job in industry. Why did you bother?” Javed asked him disparagingly without waiting for a response. “You should have stayed at home or got yourself a job at a poultry factory and not wasted your time.”

“
I was quite happy with the teaching standards,” Ali said, trying his best not to sound affronted by Javed’s words.

“
Is that why you’ve managed to find a job for yourself?” he asked sarcastically. “Why do you think your father-in-law has come running to me? You’re just like the village idiot he married his eldest daughter to, but at least you can read English.” He then turned round to face Ali’s father-in-law, dismissing Ali completely.

Shaking with anger at Javed’s venom, Ali could barely contain himself. The man was an arrogant, nasty piece of work, with a self-important attitude that seemed to have been cultivated by belittling others. Ali tried to stop his face from betraying his hurt look, but it did not matter, everyone else seemed to be behaving as if the exchange had not taken place.

“
So what job do you have for him?” Ali’s father-in-law asked eagerly, keen for Ali to have a job, and if Ali was insulted in the process, it clearly didn’t matter.

“
It’s a computing job. I need someone to develop the company database,” Javed said eloquently, the sharp edge in his voice now gone. “I would ideally prefer someone qualified, but this is a favor, Saab Jee. I won’t be able to pay him the full rate, but he will be paid well. If he had a computing degree, it would have been different.”

“
I’ve studied a database module at university, so I know how to develop a database,” Ali said interrupting.

“
Don’t interrupt when your elders are talking,” Javed said, looking scornfully at Ali. “Has your mother not taught you any manners?”

Ali tried to keep his temper in check. It was rare that someone got away with speaking to him in such a rude manner, but Ali didn’t want to upset his father-in-law.

“
Who do you think you are, talking to my brother like that? Ali doesn’t need to beg for a job from the likes of you,” Yunus said, speaking up suddenly in Ali’s defense. “If we were in Pakistan, you’d have been working on our lands and cleaning out our cesspit. So be grateful you’re in England.” Ali breathed a sigh of relief, glad for the first time to hear the caustic words drip from Yunus’s mouth, especially as this time, he was not the target.

“
You must take this job, Ali,” Ali’s father in-law said, ignoring Yunus’s comments.

For a few moments, Ali considered his options. It felt almost as if he was back at home with his own family, being told what to do. Somehow, he couldn’t escape the surreal thought that his life was being chopped into small pieces and slowly being shared out for different people to control.

“
No, I don’t want this job,” Ali said finally. “I’ve studied science, and I’ve already explained that I want to work for a pharmaceutical company. I’m sorry if it upsets anyone. I know you’re all trying to help, but I’m sure I’ll find the right job, myself.”

“
Well, if the Mirza village idiots are refusing my offer of help then I should leave. I’m not sitting here while they insult me and my generosity,” Javed said haughtily, getting up from the sofa.

“
Please stay,” Ali’s father-in-law said, holding onto Javed’s shirtsleeve. “Ali will take this job. I shall talk to his mother. He does not mean to insult you.”

“
Ali is not taking the job,” Yunus said aggressively, his voice loud and threatening, startling Ali’s father-in-law.

“
I should leave. It’s obvious that I’m not wanted here, Saab Jee,” Javed said snootily, but sounding cowed.

“
Stay, Javed. They are young and don’t mean to insult you,” Ali’s father-in-law said, trailing after Javed as he left the room. Omar meanwhile stayed sitting on the settee motionless, watching the scene unfold, preferring to stay in the background and not get involved.

“
How dare your son-in-law turn down my offer of help? I have a business to run, and you’ve wasted my time by inviting me here. Don’t expect me to attend the wedding, you peasants!” they heard Javed shout, before he slammed the front door shut as he left.

“
You should have accepted his job offer,” Ali’s father-in-law said to Ali when he returned to the room. “He’s not a man to get on the wrong side of. He does not mean to insult people. It’s just his way.”

“
I’m sorry. I would have accepted the job if I knew what it meant to you, but I have to listen to what my brother tells me,” Ali said meekly, laying the full blame unfairly on Yunus for his decision.

“
Never mind, what’s done is done,” Ali’s mother-in-law said. She had come back quietly into the room and placed a tray neatly laden with a matching teapot, cups and saucers on the coffee table. “I’ll speak to him in a few days time and apologize. He’ll have calmed down by then, and all will be forgotten.”

“
I’d better introduce you to the rest of the family,” said Ali’s father-in-law signaling to his wife.

“
Rhazia, will you bring your sister in?” Ali’s mother-in-law shouted out of the door. Seconds later Rhazia appeared with another girl beside her. They were both dressed modestly in Pakistani salwar kameez suits, but their dupattas hung around their necks rather than covering their heads. They both also had short, cropped hair, giving the impression that Ali’s father-in-law was a very liberal Muslim.

“
These are my daughters,” Ali’s mother-in-law said. “You’ve already met Rhazia. She is the youngest.”

Rhazia looked to the floor in what appeared to be an attempt to be invisible and murmured an almost indistinguishable hello.

“
This is my eldest daughter, Shazia,” his mother-in-law continued looking exasperated at her daughter’s shyness.

“
Nice to finally meet you,” Shazia said. “So, are you happy about the wedding?”

Ali was taken slightly aback by the question. A paranoid part of him wondered whether she’d found out about his reluctance to marry and now wanted him to admit it. “I think so,” Ali uttered eventually.

“
I think so? What kind of answer is that? It doesn’t sound like you’re very excited about it. Are you sure you want to get married?” Shazia asked, sounding worried.

“
Ali’s excited about it,” Yunus said, interrupting before Ali could reply. “He’s just used to being single without any responsibilities, like most guys his age.”

“
You’re probably right, Yunus, but if Ali isn’t ready to get married yet, we can wait until he is,” Shazia said. Ali’s in-laws stared open-mouthed at their daughter’s words. What she was suggesting was unspeakable, the wedding invitations had already gone to the printers, and the wedding reception already booked.

“
I’m ready to get married. I guess I’m just a little nervous about it,” Ali said. The sigh of relief from his in-laws was almost audible.

“
Nearly everyone gets nervous about getting married. You should have seen what state I was in before my wedding,” Shazia said laughing flirtatiously. “So what degree have you studied?” she asked, changing the subject as her younger sister slipped into the background joining her brother Omar.

“
I studied Microbiology,” Ali said.

“
What result did you get?” she asked him curiously.

“
It was second class honors,” Ali replied. At the time, he’d been very disappointed at the result, knowing that he hadn’t put sufficient effort into his work until the final year of the degree, by which time it was too late to improve his marks sufficiently to get a first.

“
You’re the first educated person to marry into this family,” Rhazia said, speaking up suddenly. “Shazia’s husband couldn’t even speak English when he moved in with us.”

“
Shut up, Rhazia. You should have more respect for your elders,” Shazia said crossly, giving her sister a glare, visibly provoked by her sister’s comment. “You are such a nice person and seem very honest,” she said turning back to Ali. “I think that my parents have made the right decision. You won’t believe how many people have come to ask for Sajda’s hand in marriage. You are definitely the right choice. I can see that you’ll make her happy.”