A Latte of Love

【☕】13

I swish around the ice in the mango lassi as I look around at all the ladies at the gathering. Taking a small sip through the straw, I sigh to myself. I had somehow ended up at Mariam Auntie's doorstep with my mother.

Mariam Auntie annually holds an all-ladies gathering. Ma had always wanted to join in on the party and so here I was, surrounded by hushed voices. It was no secret that when aunties congregate together, they spew all sorts of scandalous gossip. My ears have already gone through the activities of Bushra and Adil and how they got caught messaging each other on Facebook. One of the aunties had said she saw Adil wink at Bushra and had already called it that they were secretly dating.

My ears perk up when one of the aunties behind me says Sufyan's name. I lean back against the chair, trying to get a closer hearing. Is this the same Sufyan that's been tailing me like a shadow?

"Sufyan Hakim? The son of that pharmacist?" The other asks to confirm. Confirming my thoughts as well.

"Yes, yes! That handsome young man! Oh, how well he grew up to be." The auntie giggles, using a hand to cover her smile while tapping on the other auntie's shoulder.

I move slightly to my right and try to get a better view of them talking, suddenly curious about what they were going to say. An auntie wearing hoop earrings says in a hushed voice which I strain to hear, "I heard he lives alone, is it true?"

Some of the aunties hum in interest, as if it was news to them. My mind was still getting used to the fact that his parents don't live with him, when I hear, "His father kicked him out so he can learn to be independent. I honestly don't know what goes on in that man's head. How could he kick out his only son? I would have understood if he made a girl pregnant like the son of the house we are in right now." The auntie with blonde dyed hair says the last sentence in an even more hushed tone.

Sufyan? Kicked out? I bite my lip in nervousness. Was it true what they were saying?

"Hamza? Wasn't that just a rumor?" The other aunties nod in agreement.

The blonde dyed hair looks around before opening her mouth, "Shhh, lower your voice. Don't you know where you are," she says, nodding her head to Mariam Auntie standing several feet away, busily pouring juice for her guests. "If she hears a word about her son, she could ruin us. Let's be honest, we attended this party just to suck up to her," she scoffs.

Hoops moves her chair closer in the circle, voicing out what everyone else was thinking. "Did he actually have an illegitimate child?"

I sip more of the lassi and reach for a bite-sized sweet on the nearest table. The conversation had shifted from Sufyan to Hamza.

Another auntie wearing five layers of clothing perks up, joining in on the conversation. "I'm sure he did. I saw him with my own two eyes as he entered a hotel with a long haired girl." The group of aunties murmured in disgust.

"The wife he divorced is a hijabi, isn't she?" I flinch at the sudden indirect mention.

Blondie leans in with a whisper. "Yeah, so it can't be her child. I heard that the baby's mom, the long haired girl, left the child at Hamza's doorstep."

"Honestly I feel bad for the hijabi. She was just used to dial down the rumors," Hoops says in a pitiful tone, pressing her lips together.

Blondie scoffs, "Their marriage was a win-win. She was dirt-poor, feeding off their family while they got someone to take care of that child. They even wanted to give him to an orphanage but it was too late for that when the child was already seen by everyone and knew his mother left the town."

There were more whispers among the aunties, which I couldn't hear. Suddenly, I felt they all were looking around for someone.

"She's right there," Five Layers points out. "The hijabi that Hamza divorced." I felt a surge of anger, wanting to correct her but I stay silent.