Page 16 of Dina Gets Lucky

“Once I find her, I’ll let you know, Ammi,” he said, as he always did, and his mother went back to chopping onions, muttering under her breath as she did so.

Saleem followed Lucky out to the balcony of the suite, closing the glass door behind them. “You okay?”

Lucky nodded. He didn’t want his complicated feelings to dampen the joy over his brother’s news. “Better than okay. You’re going to make me an uncle twice over. I hope you have a son and he grows up to give you the same shit you gave Mom and Dad.”

Both men were silent at the mention of their dad.

“I wish he were here,” Saleem said quietly, followed by: “I hope I’m doing a better job.”

Lucky exhaled slowly, hand gripping the balcony. Whenever he thought of their father, he felt a mixture of anger and sadness. Majid Latif had been many things: failed businessman, distant father, loving husband, generous friend, indifferent provider. He had died from lung cancer five years ago, following a short battle with the disease, and it wasn’t until after his death that his family realized the extent of the financial debt he had left behind, in addition to the medical bills from his treatment. Majid Latif had always been one great idea away from true success, and it was the tragedy of his life that he had died believing that his luck was about to turn. It had been left to his family to sort through the rubble he had left behind. Lucky, in particular, had paid a terrible price, forced to abandon his dreams of finishing law school and instead find multiple jobs to keep his family afloat.

“You’re a great dad,” Lucky reassured him. “Though I suppose that’s not hard, since Nisa is the best kid on the planet. Which means your next one will probably be a hellion.”

Saleem laughed. He put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “It will happen for you too. Jiya has a few friends she’s dying to set you up with . . .”

“No, thank you,” Lucky said quickly. He had met his sister-in-law’s friends, and they were all nice, but if anything were going to happen, it already would have; besides, Mariam’s words were still too fresh in his mind, along with the shock of seeing Dina in person again. “I don’t think I’m their type,” he added. “Law school dropout turned contractor isn’t exactly the kind of résumé that sets a Brown girl’s heart thumping, or her parents’, either. They all want a professional.” The words had a trace of self-pity, which Lucky covered with a joke. “Looks like Jiya got in on the ground floor with you, Mr. MBA. Though we both know you married up.”

Saleem nodded in agreement, but he wasn’t so easily distracted. “I’m serious. Huda thinks you’re cute; plus there’s this other girl in my business management ethics class I think you’d really like. In five years, you could be married with two kids and tons of debt too, just as God intended.”

The brothers laughed, but the sound was hollow. They both remembered how hard those first few years following Majid’s passing had been—their mother grieving, the bills piling up. Lucky had cleared the last of the medical debt only a few months ago. It was still a source of pride to him that he had managed to keep the house. He knew his brother felt guilty, and had done what he could, taking on part-time work and handing Lucky his paycheck. Saleem had only half believed Lucky when he had sworn up and down that he hated the law and was going to quit anyway, that he preferred working with his hands and building things, that he always meant to be an entrepreneur and therefore Saleem’s offer to quit school and find a full-time job was unnecessary.

It had been a lie at the start, of course—Saleem’s suspicions were correct. Though as Lucky steadily worked his way through construction jobs, and then later when he launched his own business as a contractor, he realized that the words had become the truth. Lucky had applied to law school because he enjoyed school, reading, and working through problems. He had always been a hard worker, but he had never excelled at math and science. Law had seemed the next obvious choice, plus his best buddy in the world, Arshad, was keen to sit the bar, which meant he would have company. Lucky had never asked himself whether he actually wanted to be a lawyer, or if it would make him happy. Work had always been a means to an end for him, and at first, his construction work was the same—a way to keep the house, to pay for groceries, to run away from his mother’s seemingly never-ending tears.

Gradually every lie he told Saleem had transformed: He did enjoy working with his hands. He enjoyed being an entrepreneur, with all the ups and downs that entailed. Now that he had steady work with Crescent Construction and the finances and time to take the bar, the thought filled him with dread. Perhaps his father’s love of risk-taking had been passed down to him after all. Five years after he quit school, he was proud of the business he had built, and mostly content with his life.

Even if people like Mariam couldn’t see beyond the fact that he worked in the trades.

Even if he wasn’t married and had no children on the horizon.

No matter; life had kicked the crap out of him and taught him to be grateful for the now.

Saleem had settled on the patio furniture, long legs stretched out in front of him, arms crossed behind his head. “So are we going to talk about the woman you were chatting up at the airport while our backs were turned?”

Lucky turned around, sending his brother a warning glance. “Nope.”

“What was her name?” Saleem pressed, and Lucky instantly realized his mistake. He should have played dumb instead. His brother was unlikely to let this go.

“Dina,” he said now, and Saleem’s eyes grew wide.