The invitations said the wedding would be alcohol free. Dunja and Tarik added no explanation. Both wanted a short celebration, music they knew, and guests who would remember their conversations the following day. The waiters prepared juices in tall glasses, while Tarik's father brought homemade elderflower cordial. For the first hour nobody seemed unhappy. Then Uncle Rifat produced a bottle from the inside pocket of his jacket.
It began as a joke. He said he had brought assistance for the adults and winked at the men at his table. Tarik approached before he unscrewed the cap. He asked him to leave the bottle in the car. His uncle said a wedding could not pass like a children's birthday party. From the other end of the room, Dunja saw the groom's shoulders stiffening under his new suit.
Rifat asked to make a toast. He stood with the bottle and began talking about customs the young were forgetting. Then he offered Tarik's father a glass and said at least the head of the family should demonstrate how to celebrate. His father remained seated. He had not drunk for years, but had no intention of explaining his past before all the guests. His wife placed her hand on his, and only ice rattling in a waiter's bucket could be heard.
Dunja approached Rifat with an empty glass. He smiled, thinking he had won. She poured elderflower cordial and raised it. 'To the people who came to our wedding,' she said. 'If you need a different celebration, you're welcome to find one tonight.' She did not mention her father-in-law or even glance towards him. Tarik stood beside her and repeated his request that the bottle be taken away.
His uncle left, putting on his coat noisily. His wife stayed, causing more whispering than the argument itself. She said she had paid for her hair and had not yet had any cake. That sentence rescued several frozen smiles. The music started again, too quietly at first, then loudly enough for the groom's father to ask his wife to dance.
The next morning Rifat sent the family messages about the insult. Dunja did not read them on their honeymoon. Tarik answered only once, without inviting his wife to justify herself. At home a jar of elderflower cordial awaited them with a note from his father. The note did not say thank you. It said how much water to add, because he had made this batch particularly strong.