He remained seated there until his father emerged wearing a jallabiya, with his mother trailing close behind. Without casting a single glance in his direction, they sat down at the dining table, where she served him, and he began to eat. Suhail simply watched them, imagining himself and Humaira at this exact age. But the truth was, he couldn't picture the two of them like this; the future looked entirely blank. Seeing that neither of them acknowledged him, treating him as though he were completely invisible, he spoke up:
"In every other family, when their children return from abroad, they overwhelm them with love and affection. But since nobody loves me or cares about me here, I am completely ignored." He said this looking as though he were on the very verge of tears.
His father glanced at him, scoffed, and calmly went back to eating his food. His mother didn't even look his way. Suhail felt a wave of intense anger wash over him; he pouted his lips and burst into a dramatic fit of crying. Both parents stared at him in utter astonishment without uttering a word, initially assuming he was just joking around. Suhail knew he was putting on an act, but he went all out, forcing tears down his cheeks like a seasoned film actor.
They stared at him in disbelief at his antics. Mid-sob, he lamented, "I hate my life... you all hate me!" He declared, standing up while continuing his dramatic display.
"Hey!" his father barked.
Suhail turned around slowly, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as tears streamed down his face.
"What is the meaning of this nonsense?" his father demanded.
"Dad, you don't care about me at all... you don't care how I feel anymore. It's as if you've completely forgotten about me, by Allah!" he whimpered.
"Sit down," his father commanded.
He slowly resumed his seat. Hajiya Hassana, seeing her son in tears, was utterly mortified and didn't know where to look.
"Now tell me, what exactly is your problem?" Alhaji asked, studying his junior clone. In both behavior and looks, Suhail was a spitting image of him. Alhaji would often lecture him with a stern face whenever he misbehaved, but he secretly knew he had been even more stubborn than Suhail when he was younger. The only difference was that Alhaji had been married off early—at 25, he already had about four wives, and everything settled down after marriage. He knew that regardless of how wild Suhail was acting, marriage would instantly tame him.
"Dad, you didn't even ask me how everything is going. You don't love me anymore, Dad..." he whined, turning up the volume of his crying.
His father rolled his eyes and sighed, “Fine. Tell me, how is everything?”
"Everything is fine, Daddy," he answered instantly.
Just as the poor man tried to return to his meal, Suhail chimed in again in a pampered tone: “Dad, you didn't even ask me why I went to Kaka’s (grandmother's) house.”
"Alright, why did you go to Kaka’s house?" his father played along.
Suhail opened his eyes, wiped away his tears, and confessed, “Dad, I went there to talk to Kaka about my marriage to Humaira. That's why...”
Alhaji’s eyes widened in utter shock. He slapped his hand against his forehead and exclaimed, "*Inna lillahi wa'ina ilaihi rajiun* (To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return)... Suhail, have you lost all sense of shame? You went to discuss marriage with Kaka by yourself?!" his father asked in absolute bewilderment.
Suhail fell dead silent, shifting his gaze guiltily.
“Have you become so shameless that on the very day you return to the country, you run to Kaka’s house just to tell her you are a grown man?”
“Dad, what exactly did I do wrong? She was the one who promised us to each other before I left!”
"Shut your mouth right now! You shameless boy! Allah saved you from telling her the real reason you came. If you had, that marriage wouldn't happen for another ten years! Then we would see what becomes of your desperation. In this entire extended family, has anyone ever dared to approach Kaka with such matters by themselves?" Alhaji scolded, sounding genuinely angry.
Suhail lowered his head and silently endured the lecture, letting the words go in through his left ear and out the right. He fully intended to return to Kaka's house tomorrow for the exact same reason.
"But Dad, when exactly are you going to talk to her for me then? To be honest, I can't wait any longer, unless you want me to go off the rails," he said bluntly.
Hajiya felt so deeply embarrassed by her son's bluntness that she didn't know where to look, quietly averting her gaze.
"Get out of my sight," Alhaji ordered.
“But Dad, if you don't...”
"I said get out of my sight!" Alhaji thundered.
Suhail immediately jumped up and bolted out of the room, bursting into laughter. The moment he left, Alhaji also burst into laughter and remarked, “That boy has absolutely no shame whatsoever.”
Hajiya let out a deep sigh and smiled. "He inherited it from you. Like father, like son." Alhaji laughed along as he continued eating his food.
Upon leaving the dining area, Suhail headed straight into his mother's section of the house. He began rummaging through her handbags one by one until he found exactly what he was looking for: her car keys.
"Mom will never change," he muttered, grabbing the keys. He left the house and drove straight to Humaira's place. By the time he arrived, the Maghrib call to prayer was sounding. He observed his prayers before entering the house.
In the living room, he found her mother and other family members, but Humaira was nowhere to be seen. After exchanging greetings, he asked, “Momy, is Maira around? Her phone number isn't going through.”
“Oh, she didn't tell you?”
“No... is there a problem?”
"No, there's no problem at all. She just traveled to Kaduna for a cousin's wedding on my side of the family. Did she really not tell you?" her mother explained.
Suhail went dead silent, unable to form a response. He couldn't believe Humaira had traveled today without mentioning a single word to him yesterday. He was furious. A nagging feeling crept over him that he was losing her.
"When will she be back?" he inquired.
"She should be back by Sunday evening because she has lectures on Monday morning," she answered.
He slowly stood up and said, "Alright then... but her line isn't going through. I hope she's alright." He spoke in a deeply disheartened tone.
“Yes, we spoke on her second line earlier.”
He looked at her and asked weakly, “Please give me that number. The one I have isn't connecting.”
"Alright," she said, picking up her phone beside her. She pulled up the number for him to copy, and he turned and walked out.
Back in the car, he sat overwhelmed by the situation. He rested his head against the steering wheel, feeling too distressed to drive. He dialed the new number he was given and heard it ring. Just before the call timed out, she finally answered.
"Maira..." he called out in a fragile voice.
"Yes, Yaya. Is that you?" she asked. The question alone irritated him, but he was a man of immense self-control.
“Yes. Maira, did I do something wrong?”
“No, Yaya... why do you ask?”
“We spoke yesterday and you didn't mention a single word about traveling. I was at home waiting for you to come over to the family house, and when I came to your place, I was told you were in Kaduna. Please, Maira, if I did anything to upset you, forgive me, don't...”
Before he could finish his sentence, she interrupted, "Haba, Yaya, why are you making such a big deal out of this? By Allah, you haven't done anything to me. We were just talking about Kaka yesterday, and I completely forgot to tell you I was traveling today. Please forgive me, okay, my Yaya?" she said calmly.
"Hmmm, Maira... I have this terrible feeling that someone is taking you away from me," he confessed, sounding on the verge of tears. *(Ah, such is life... while some women play games with the men who adore them, others are out there desperately searching for a good man. When you have someone who cares for you deeply, please pay attention to them).*
Nobody would ever imagine a highly attractive guy like Suhail would be head over heels for a girl, but unfortunately, no matter how hot a guy is, there is always that one girl he utterly adores—unless she chooses to play with his heart.
Noticing her silence, he pressed further, his voice trembling, “Maira, please tell me. Has someone come between us? Has someone stolen your heart from me?”
"Please, Yaya, drop this topic. Just because I went to a wedding, you're claiming someone has taken me away from you? For Allah's sake, stop it," she said, sounding annoyed.
“Maira, I can't help but think this way. Your attitude is terrifying me.”
"Anyway, Yaya, I'll talk to you later if this is all you have to say to me," she said, attempting to hang up.
"No, Maira! Please wait, don't hang up... Please, you know I love you. I love you so much. By Allah, I will do whatever you want... just don't leave me. Ever since I got back, you haven't even told me 'I love you' once," he pleaded softly.
"Yaya, I love you. Are you satisfied now?" she uttered indifferently.
He closed his eyes, mortified that a young girl was giving him attitude despite his high social status. The effortless, detached way she said "I love you" was incredibly painful.
"I am not forcing you to say it. You didn't have to say it in such a forced manner. Goodbye," he said quietly, and ended the call.
He sat there for over ten minutes, completely at a loss. He felt miserable, realizing that if he attempted to drive in this state, he would likely cause an accident. He dialed Yazid's number, told him he was outside Humaira's house, and asked him to come pick him up. Without waiting for Yazid's response, he hung up and rested his head against the steering wheel again.
Maryam sat awake until midnight, deeply contemplating Alhaji Ahmed's marriage proposal. She secretly wished she didn't know his wife, as that would have made it easy to accept. If she did, she would finally gain peace of mind ahead of the family meeting, as she could proudly tell Kaka that she had found a suitor. But she simply couldn't do that to his wife; she refused to build her own happiness on the foundation of another woman's sorrow.
Since it was the weekend, she didn't bother coming downstairs after the Fajr prayer. She went right back to sleep because she hadn't slept well during the night. The entire family was present at the house except for their father, who had traveled.
Suhail had been staying in Yazid's room since last night, and by morning, he looked visibly emaciated from distress. He was consumed by the terrifying thought of life without Humaira.
"By Allah, if I lose Humaira, I will kill that old woman!" he spat out in a fit of rage.
Yazid let out a small laugh. “Haba, why would you say something like that? Don't you know that whatever Allah denies a person is ultimately for their own good? If you lose Humaira, then by Allah, it was simply destined to be. Allah will bless you with someone far better than her in every single way.”
“You've never been in love, so you have absolutely no idea what I am going through! Who could possibly be better than Humaira to me? Look, just drop this topic. It is absolutely impossible for me to lose her.”
"Yes, you won't lose her. Just stay positive; everything will be fine," Yazid reassured him, sitting up in bed.
"Hmm, I just have a very bad feeling about this. I returned to the country, and Humaira didn't even care. To make matters worse, she traveled to Kaduna without informing me. I'm not stupid; something is wrong. Mark my words, if anything happens to my relationship with Humaira, Kaka is in deep trouble, by Allah. I mean it," he summarized grimly.
"I hear you. Now get up, let's go have breakfast," Yazid urged.
Suhail pulled the blanket over his head and muttered, “I'm not eating.”
Yazid yanked the blanket away. “It's almost 11:00 AM! Get up and eat, please. Stop working yourself up over nothing.”
Suhail snatched the blanket back with a sharp hiss.
"Suit yourself," Yazid said, walking out of the room. He went out to the living room, where he found Mom and Aisha. After greeting them, he asked Aisha to bring him his breakfast.
“Mom, Suhail is in my room and has refused to eat anything.”
"Oh, did he spend the night here?" Hajiya asked.
"Yes, I went to pick him up last night," Yazid answered as he mixed his tea.
Mom turned to Aisha. "Go call him down." Aisha quickly stood up and headed toward Yazid's room.
At that exact moment, Mami walked downstairs dressed in jeans and a top. Her hair was left uncovered, looking remarkably silky. She wore absolutely no makeup, yet she looked completely breathtaking. She sat down right next to her mother.
Hajiya smiled, “Jewel, you certainly caught up on your sleep today.”
"By Allah, Mom, I slept like a baby," she replied, relaxing into her seat. She then asked, "Mommy, where is Aisha going?" Yazid greeted her and explained that Aisha was going to summon Suhail because he had refused to eat.
"What exactly is wrong with him?" she asked Yazid.
"Only he knows," he responded.
When Aisha entered the room with a greeting, Suhail lifted his head and responded. She delivered Mom's message, and without any resistance, he followed her out. He walked into the living room and offered his greetings to Mom and Mami. He stood scanning the room for a place to sit before deliberately sitting right next to Mami, even going as far as to rest his leg across her lap.
She quickly shoved his leg off. "Mommy, please speak to this boy before he makes me lose my temper, by Allah!" she protested as he tried to rest his leg on her again for the second time.
Mom laughed, and Suhail laughed along too, whining, "Anty, pamper me... I am in a terrible mood." He placed his leg back on her lap.
"What on earth is wrong with you?" Mommy asked, directing the question to Yazid out of concern.
"Nothing," Suhail answered, lowering his head.
Mami forcefully pushed his legs away. “Since it's nothing, take your legs off me!”
He replaced his leg yet again and confessed, "Fine, Anty, I'll tell you... it's Humaira." He looked at their faces.
Mom laughed and asked, “What did Humaira do?”
"She's basically about to dump me," he revealed.
Mami and Yazid burst into laughter. Mami asked, "What did you do to her then?" she inquired, glancing at the thick, dark hair around his ears.
"I have no idea, Anty... I just feel like she is leaving me," he said, locking his eyes with hers.
She stared into his eyes for a second or two before saying calmly, “Just have hope. What is meant to be will always be.”
"You heard what your Anty said. Calm your mind," Mommy added. She then turned to Aisha. “Go get your Yaya some food.”
As Aisha stood up, Mami stood up as well. "Let me go find something to eat too. Today, I want to make something international." She pushed Suhail's leg off her lap so she could stand up.
"Anty, I want to eat whatever you make! I didn't want to eat before, but if you are cooking, I am eating," he said, relaxing back into the couch. Aisha resumed her seat while Mami headed into the kitchen.
Yazid focused on finishing his breakfast, took his plate to the kitchen sink himself, and returned to the living room. They were all chatting when Mami's phone, which she had left on the couch, began to ring. Suhail lazily stood up and carried it to the kitchen. He glanced at the screen and saw “Alhaji Ahmed.”
Hearing her phone ringing, Mami hurried toward the kitchen, nearly bumping into him. She quickly took the phone from him; as a doctor, she never ignored calls. Suhail stood hovering in the kitchen, curiously checking on the pot cooking on the stove. Seeing Alhaji Ahmed's name, Mami frowned slightly before picking up and greeting him respectfully.
Meanwhile, Suhail took it upon himself to stir the tomatoes frying in the pot. Suddenly, a drop of hot oil splattered directly onto his hand, causing him to let out a sharp yell. Maryam, who had her back turned while on the phone, spun around instantly. Forgetting all about her call upon seeing Suhail crying out as if he had been gravely injured, she quickly dropped the phone, grabbed his hand, and rushed him to the sink while he whined dramatically.
She turned the tap over his hand just as Yazid walked into the kitchen. Alhaji Ahmed was left repeatedly saying "Hello" on the line. Yazid stood watching Mami hold Suhail's hand under the running water while Suhail pouted as though he were about to cry.
"What happened?" Yazid asked, walking over to them.
"Ignore him. He's making all this noise over a tiny oil splatter," Mami told Yazid. "Please hold his hand for him, I was on a call." She released his hand.
Suhail pouted fiercely and whined, “Anty, come back and give me first aid treatment! My hand hurts like hell!”
Ignoring his dramatic display, Mami picked up her phone and continued her conversation with Ahmed. Suhail watched her and whined again, “For Allah's sake, Anty, put that phone down and come give me first aid treatment. It really burns!”
Mami rolled her eyes, apologized to Ahmed, and told him she would call him back later. Turning to Yazid, she said, “Bring me the first aid box.”
Yazid gave Suhail a sharp glare. "You are truly pathetic, by Allah," he remarked as he left the kitchen to retrieve the kit.
Mami took Suhail's hand again to inspect it. He simply stared at the back of her head, completely lost in his own thoughts. She lifted her head, looked at him, and said, “Honestly, you are just being a baby. I don't see any injury here.”
"No, by Allah, Anty, it really burns! Take a closer look," he insisted in a pampered tone. He continued to act spoiled around her, exactly the way he did at his own house. He felt so incredibly close to her that whenever he was around her, his mind cleared of all troubles, focusing only on how to get closer to her. Yazid returned with the box, and she treated his hand and applied an ointment. Suhail then left the kitchen, and she went back to her cooking.
On Monday afternoon, Suhail drove over to Humaira's house. As he turned onto her street, he spotted a massive Jeep with tinted windows parked right outside her family gate. He didn't suspect for a second that Humaira was inside that car with another man.
He drove up, honked, and entered the compound once the gate was opened. After parking, he went inside and greeted Humaira's mother. Spotting a young girl who couldn't be older than ten, he asked, “Zainab, is your sister back yet?”
He noticed Humaira's mother began stammering nervously.
"Yes... she just stepped out with Alhaji Ismail," the young girl answered nonchalantly.
Suhail forced a tight smile, his heart hammering furiously against his ribs as if it were about to burst from his chest.
"Did they go out somewhere?" he asked, trying to maintain a calm exterior.
"No... she just went to see him off to his car," the girl added.
Humaira's mother abruptly stood up and left the room. Only then did Suhail connect the pieces and remember the Jeep he had seen outside. He slowly stood up and walked out of the house. Just as he pushed the front gate open, Humaira was stepping out of Alhaji Ismail's car, dressed in expensive, revealing clothing.
Suhail felt his breath catch in his throat; he had to grab hold of the gate to keep himself from collapsing to the ground. He slowly lifted his eyes and locked gazes with Humaira, who was approaching him with a guilty, deceitful look on her face.
Suhail felt as though he couldn't breathe. Humaira stopped a short distance away, terrified because she knew that while Suhail was incredibly loving and caring, his anger could be terrifying. Alhaji Ismail drove off without casting a single glance at Suhail, who was still clutching the gate.
He remained seated there until his father emerged wearing a jallabiya, with his mother trailing close behind. Without casting a single glance in his direction, they sat down at the dining table, where she served him, and he began to eat. Suhail simply watched them, imagining himself and Humaira at this exact age. But the truth was, he couldn't picture the two of them like this; the future looked entirely blank. Seeing that neither of them acknowledged him, treating him as though he were completely invisible, he spoke up:
"In every other family, when their children return from abroad, they overwhelm them with love and affection. But since nobody loves me or cares about me here, I am completely ignored." He said this looking as though he were on the very verge of tears.
His father glanced at him, scoffed, and calmly went back to eating his food. His mother didn't even look his way. Suhail felt a wave of intense anger wash over him; he pouted his lips and burst into a dramatic fit of crying. Both parents stared at him in utter astonishment without uttering a word, initially assuming he was just joking around. Suhail knew he was putting on an act, but he went all out, forcing tears down his cheeks like a seasoned film actor.
They stared at him in disbelief at his antics. Mid-sob, he lamented, "I hate my life... you all hate me!" He declared, standing up while continuing his dramatic display.
"Hey!" his father barked.
Suhail turned around slowly, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as tears streamed down his face.
"What is the meaning of this nonsense?" his father demanded.
"Dad, you don't care about me at all... you don't care how I feel anymore. It's as if you've completely forgotten about me, by Allah!" he whimpered.
"Sit down," his father commanded.
He slowly resumed his seat. Hajiya Hassana, seeing her son in tears, was utterly mortified and didn't know where to look.
"Now tell me, what exactly is your problem?" Alhaji asked, studying his junior clone. In both behavior and looks, Suhail was a spitting image of him. Alhaji would often lecture him with a stern face whenever he misbehaved, but he secretly knew he had been even more stubborn than Suhail when he was younger. The only difference was that Alhaji had been married off early—at 25, he already had about four wives, and everything settled down after marriage. He knew that regardless of how wild Suhail was acting, marriage would instantly tame him.
"Dad, you didn't even ask me how everything is going. You don't love me anymore, Dad..." he whined, turning up the volume of his crying.
His father rolled his eyes and sighed, “Fine. Tell me, how is everything?”
"Everything is fine, Daddy," he answered instantly.
Just as the poor man tried to return to his meal, Suhail chimed in again in a pampered tone: “Dad, you didn't even ask me why I went to Kaka’s (grandmother's) house.”
"Alright, why did you go to Kaka’s house?" his father played along.
Suhail opened his eyes, wiped away his tears, and confessed, “Dad, I went there to talk to Kaka about my marriage to Humaira. That's why...”
Alhaji’s eyes widened in utter shock. He slapped his hand against his forehead and exclaimed, "*Inna lillahi wa'ina ilaihi rajiun* (To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return)... Suhail, have you lost all sense of shame? You went to discuss marriage with Kaka by yourself?!" his father asked in absolute bewilderment.
Suhail fell dead silent, shifting his gaze guiltily.
“Have you become so shameless that on the very day you return to the country, you run to Kaka’s house just to tell her you are a grown man?”
“Dad, what exactly did I do wrong? She was the one who promised us to each other before I left!”
"Shut your mouth right now! You shameless boy! Allah saved you from telling her the real reason you came. If you had, that marriage wouldn't happen for another ten years! Then we would see what becomes of your desperation. In this entire extended family, has anyone ever dared to approach Kaka with such matters by themselves?" Alhaji scolded, sounding genuinely angry.
Suhail lowered his head and silently endured the lecture, letting the words go in through his left ear and out the right. He fully intended to return to Kaka's house tomorrow for the exact same reason.
"But Dad, when exactly are you going to talk to her for me then? To be honest, I can't wait any longer, unless you want me to go off the rails," he said bluntly.
Hajiya felt so deeply embarrassed by her son's bluntness that she didn't know where to look, quietly averting her gaze.
"Get out of my sight," Alhaji ordered.
“But Dad, if you don't...”
"I said get out of my sight!" Alhaji thundered.
Suhail immediately jumped up and bolted out of the room, bursting into laughter. The moment he left, Alhaji also burst into laughter and remarked, “That boy has absolutely no shame whatsoever.”
Hajiya let out a deep sigh and smiled. "He inherited it from you. Like father, like son." Alhaji laughed along as he continued eating his food.
Upon leaving the dining area, Suhail headed straight into his mother's section of the house. He began rummaging through her handbags one by one until he found exactly what he was looking for: her car keys.
"Mom will never change," he muttered, grabbing the keys. He left the house and drove straight to Humaira's place. By the time he arrived, the Maghrib call to prayer was sounding. He observed his prayers before entering the house.
In the living room, he found her mother and other family members, but Humaira was nowhere to be seen. After exchanging greetings, he asked, “Momy, is Maira around? Her phone number isn't going through.”
“Oh, she didn't tell you?”
“No... is there a problem?”
"No, there's no problem at all. She just traveled to Kaduna for a cousin's wedding on my side of the family. Did she really not tell you?" her mother explained.
Suhail went dead silent, unable to form a response. He couldn't believe Humaira had traveled today without mentioning a single word to him yesterday. He was furious. A nagging feeling crept over him that he was losing her.
"When will she be back?" he inquired.
"She should be back by Sunday evening because she has lectures on Monday morning," she answered.
He slowly stood up and said, "Alright then... but her line isn't going through. I hope she's alright." He spoke in a deeply disheartened tone.
“Yes, we spoke on her second line earlier.”
He looked at her and asked weakly, “Please give me that number. The one I have isn't connecting.”
"Alright," she said, picking up her phone beside her. She pulled up the number for him to copy, and he turned and walked out.
Back in the car, he sat overwhelmed by the situation. He rested his head against the steering wheel, feeling too distressed to drive. He dialed the new number he was given and heard it ring. Just before the call timed out, she finally answered.
"Maira..." he called out in a fragile voice.
"Yes, Yaya. Is that you?" she asked. The question alone irritated him, but he was a man of immense self-control.
“Yes. Maira, did I do something wrong?”
“No, Yaya... why do you ask?”
“We spoke yesterday and you didn't mention a single word about traveling. I was at home waiting for you to come over to the family house, and when I came to your place, I was told you were in Kaduna. Please, Maira, if I did anything to upset you, forgive me, don't...”
Before he could finish his sentence, she interrupted, "Haba, Yaya, why are you making such a big deal out of this? By Allah, you haven't done anything to me. We were just talking about Kaka yesterday, and I completely forgot to tell you I was traveling today. Please forgive me, okay, my Yaya?" she said calmly.
"Hmmm, Maira... I have this terrible feeling that someone is taking you away from me," he confessed, sounding on the verge of tears. *(Ah, such is life... while some women play games with the men who adore them, others are out there desperately searching for a good man. When you have someone who cares for you deeply, please pay attention to them).*
Nobody would ever imagine a highly attractive guy like Suhail would be head over heels for a girl, but unfortunately, no matter how hot a guy is, there is always that one girl he utterly adores—unless she chooses to play with his heart.
Noticing her silence, he pressed further, his voice trembling, “Maira, please tell me. Has someone come between us? Has someone stolen your heart from me?”
"Please, Yaya, drop this topic. Just because I went to a wedding, you're claiming someone has taken me away from you? For Allah's sake, stop it," she said, sounding annoyed.
“Maira, I can't help but think this way. Your attitude is terrifying me.”
"Anyway, Yaya, I'll talk to you later if this is all you have to say to me," she said, attempting to hang up.
"No, Maira! Please wait, don't hang up... Please, you know I love you. I love you so much. By Allah, I will do whatever you want... just don't leave me. Ever since I got back, you haven't even told me 'I love you' once," he pleaded softly.
"Yaya, I love you. Are you satisfied now?" she uttered indifferently.
He closed his eyes, mortified that a young girl was giving him attitude despite his high social status. The effortless, detached way she said "I love you" was incredibly painful.
"I am not forcing you to say it. You didn't have to say it in such a forced manner. Goodbye," he said quietly, and ended the call.
He sat there for over ten minutes, completely at a loss. He felt miserable, realizing that if he attempted to drive in this state, he would likely cause an accident. He dialed Yazid's number, told him he was outside Humaira's house, and asked him to come pick him up. Without waiting for Yazid's response, he hung up and rested his head against the steering wheel again.
Maryam sat awake until midnight, deeply contemplating Alhaji Ahmed's marriage proposal. She secretly wished she didn't know his wife, as that would have made it easy to accept. If she did, she would finally gain peace of mind ahead of the family meeting, as she could proudly tell Kaka that she had found a suitor. But she simply couldn't do that to his wife; she refused to build her own happiness on the foundation of another woman's sorrow.
Since it was the weekend, she didn't bother coming downstairs after the Fajr prayer. She went right back to sleep because she hadn't slept well during the night. The entire family was present at the house except for their father, who had traveled.
Suhail had been staying in Yazid's room since last night, and by morning, he looked visibly emaciated from distress. He was consumed by the terrifying thought of life without Humaira.
"By Allah, if I lose Humaira, I will kill that old woman!" he spat out in a fit of rage.
Yazid let out a small laugh. “Haba, why would you say something like that? Don't you know that whatever Allah denies a person is ultimately for their own good? If you lose Humaira, then by Allah, it was simply destined to be. Allah will bless you with someone far better than her in every single way.”
“You've never been in love, so you have absolutely no idea what I am going through! Who could possibly be better than Humaira to me? Look, just drop this topic. It is absolutely impossible for me to lose her.”
"Yes, you won't lose her. Just stay positive; everything will be fine," Yazid reassured him, sitting up in bed.
"Hmm, I just have a very bad feeling about this. I returned to the country, and Humaira didn't even care. To make matters worse, she traveled to Kaduna without informing me. I'm not stupid; something is wrong. Mark my words, if anything happens to my relationship with Humaira, Kaka is in deep trouble, by Allah. I mean it," he summarized grimly.
"I hear you. Now get up, let's go have breakfast," Yazid urged.
Suhail pulled the blanket over his head and muttered, “I'm not eating.”
Yazid yanked the blanket away. “It's almost 11:00 AM! Get up and eat, please. Stop working yourself up over nothing.”
Suhail snatched the blanket back with a sharp hiss.
"Suit yourself," Yazid said, walking out of the room. He went out to the living room, where he found Mom and Aisha. After greeting them, he asked Aisha to bring him his breakfast.
“Mom, Suhail is in my room and has refused to eat anything.”
"Oh, did he spend the night here?" Hajiya asked.
"Yes, I went to pick him up last night," Yazid answered as he mixed his tea.
Mom turned to Aisha. "Go call him down." Aisha quickly stood up and headed toward Yazid's room.
At that exact moment, Mami walked downstairs dressed in jeans and a top. Her hair was left uncovered, looking remarkably silky. She wore absolutely no makeup, yet she looked completely breathtaking. She sat down right next to her mother.
Hajiya smiled, “Jewel, you certainly caught up on your sleep today.”
"By Allah, Mom, I slept like a baby," she replied, relaxing into her seat. She then asked, "Mommy, where is Aisha going?" Yazid greeted her and explained that Aisha was going to summon Suhail because he had refused to eat.
"What exactly is wrong with him?" she asked Yazid.
"Only he knows," he responded.
When Aisha entered the room with a greeting, Suhail lifted his head and responded. She delivered Mom's message, and without any resistance, he followed her out. He walked into the living room and offered his greetings to Mom and Mami. He stood scanning the room for a place to sit before deliberately sitting right next to Mami, even going as far as to rest his leg across her lap.
She quickly shoved his leg off. "Mommy, please speak to this boy before he makes me lose my temper, by Allah!" she protested as he tried to rest his leg on her again for the second time.
Mom laughed, and Suhail laughed along too, whining, "Anty, pamper me... I am in a terrible mood." He placed his leg back on her lap.
"What on earth is wrong with you?" Mommy asked, directing the question to Yazid out of concern.
"Nothing," Suhail answered, lowering his head.
Mami forcefully pushed his legs away. “Since it's nothing, take your legs off me!”
He replaced his leg yet again and confessed, "Fine, Anty, I'll tell you... it's Humaira." He looked at their faces.
Mom laughed and asked, “What did Humaira do?”
"She's basically about to dump me," he revealed.
Mami and Yazid burst into laughter. Mami asked, "What did you do to her then?" she inquired, glancing at the thick, dark hair around his ears.
"I have no idea, Anty... I just feel like she is leaving me," he said, locking his eyes with hers.
She stared into his eyes for a second or two before saying calmly, “Just have hope. What is meant to be will always be.”
"You heard what your Anty said. Calm your mind," Mommy added. She then turned to Aisha. “Go get your Yaya some food.”
As Aisha stood up, Mami stood up as well. "Let me go find something to eat too. Today, I want to make something international." She pushed Suhail's leg off her lap so she could stand up.
"Anty, I want to eat whatever you make! I didn't want to eat before, but if you are cooking, I am eating," he said, relaxing back into the couch. Aisha resumed her seat while Mami headed into the kitchen.
Yazid focused on finishing his breakfast, took his plate to the kitchen sink himself, and returned to the living room. They were all chatting when Mami's phone, which she had left on the couch, began to ring. Suhail lazily stood up and carried it to the kitchen. He glanced at the screen and saw “Alhaji Ahmed.”
Hearing her phone ringing, Mami hurried toward the kitchen, nearly bumping into him. She quickly took the phone from him; as a doctor, she never ignored calls. Suhail stood hovering in the kitchen, curiously checking on the pot cooking on the stove. Seeing Alhaji Ahmed's name, Mami frowned slightly before picking up and greeting him respectfully.
Meanwhile, Suhail took it upon himself to stir the tomatoes frying in the pot. Suddenly, a drop of hot oil splattered directly onto his hand, causing him to let out a sharp yell. Maryam, who had her back turned while on the phone, spun around instantly. Forgetting all about her call upon seeing Suhail crying out as if he had been gravely injured, she quickly dropped the phone, grabbed his hand, and rushed him to the sink while he whined dramatically.
She turned the tap over his hand just as Yazid walked into the kitchen. Alhaji Ahmed was left repeatedly saying "Hello" on the line. Yazid stood watching Mami hold Suhail's hand under the running water while Suhail pouted as though he were about to cry.
"What happened?" Yazid asked, walking over to them.
"Ignore him. He's making all this noise over a tiny oil splatter," Mami told Yazid. "Please hold his hand for him, I was on a call." She released his hand.
Suhail pouted fiercely and whined, “Anty, come back and give me first aid treatment! My hand hurts like hell!”
Ignoring his dramatic display, Mami picked up her phone and continued her conversation with Ahmed. Suhail watched her and whined again, “For Allah's sake, Anty, put that phone down and come give me first aid treatment. It really burns!”
Mami rolled her eyes, apologized to Ahmed, and told him she would call him back later. Turning to Yazid, she said, “Bring me the first aid box.”
Yazid gave Suhail a sharp glare. "You are truly pathetic, by Allah," he remarked as he left the kitchen to retrieve the kit.
Mami took Suhail's hand again to inspect it. He simply stared at the back of her head, completely lost in his own thoughts. She lifted her head, looked at him, and said, “Honestly, you are just being a baby. I don't see any injury here.”
"No, by Allah, Anty, it really burns! Take a closer look," he insisted in a pampered tone. He continued to act spoiled around her, exactly the way he did at his own house. He felt so incredibly close to her that whenever he was around her, his mind cleared of all troubles, focusing only on how to get closer to her. Yazid returned with the box, and she treated his hand and applied an ointment. Suhail then left the kitchen, and she went back to her cooking.
On Monday afternoon, Suhail drove over to Humaira's house. As he turned onto her street, he spotted a massive Jeep with tinted windows parked right outside her family gate. He didn't suspect for a second that Humaira was inside that car with another man.
He drove up, honked, and entered the compound once the gate was opened. After parking, he went inside and greeted Humaira's mother. Spotting a young girl who couldn't be older than ten, he asked, “Zainab, is your sister back yet?”
He noticed Humaira's mother began stammering nervously.
"Yes... she just stepped out with Alhaji Ismail," the young girl answered nonchalantly.
Suhail forced a tight smile, his heart hammering furiously against his ribs as if it were about to burst from his chest.
"Did they go out somewhere?" he asked, trying to maintain a calm exterior.
"No... she just went to see him off to his car," the girl added.
Humaira's mother abruptly stood up and left the room. Only then did Suhail connect the pieces and remember the Jeep he had seen outside. He slowly stood up and walked out of the house. Just as he pushed the front gate open, Humaira was stepping out of Alhaji Ismail's car, dressed in expensive, revealing clothing.
Suhail felt his breath catch in his throat; he had to grab hold of the gate to keep himself from collapsing to the ground. He slowly lifted his eyes and locked gazes with Humaira, who was approaching him with a guilty, deceitful look on her face.
Suhail felt as though he couldn't breathe. Humaira stopped a short distance away, terrified because she knew that while Suhail was incredibly loving and caring, his anger could be terrifying. Alhaji Ismail drove off without casting a single glance at Suhail, who was still clutching the gate.
"Yaya..." Humaira stammered, trying to act normal