Sawun Giwa Book 3 By Autar Alheri

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SAWUN GIWA BOOK 3. BOOK COMPELET 

“Aalimah!!!”
He uttered the name aloud, testing it on his tongue in a desperate bid to recall the one who belonged to it. Who else in the entire world knew her by this name except the absolute partner of her soul, ABOULKHAIR?
Mu’azzam felt the world spin uncontrollably around him before dumping him flat onto the center of his bed. He began questioning himself; between him and the fathers, who was truly the one suffering from a psychological delusion? Who was more deserving of rehabilitation? If they genuinely meant that they had accepted this marriage on his behalf with the Aalimah he knew, then it was high time he gathered his belongings and fled the city before they arrived to confront him. That was the absolute last thing he would ever tolerate, even if the entire world were to unite against him!
Gumsu stood over Aalimah, aggressively trying to compel her to take a bath, while Aalimah defiantly protested that even if she became the smelliest person on earth, she was completely finished with bathing.
Gumsu burst into a laugh that only served to infuriate Aalimah further, saying, “Look at you throwing tantrums at me, what do I have to do with any of this? Did I trap the rabbit, let alone force you to carry it? If you're so brave, why don't you behave this way in front of Inna Kasisi? You only wait until they turn their backs to torment me with all sorts of wretched behavior. Fine, don't take the bath! Basma is on her way here anyway; let her come and see how you're acting, all because you claim you don't love her brother.”
Aalimah shot a piercing glare at Gumsu. “As if Basma is the mother who forced me to accept this dowry in the first place!”
Gumsu replied, “I can relate. Honestly, you are starting to give me a migraine, and I am going to take you right back to Inna. Because if I spent a whole year trying to explain to them the sheer disrespect you show me, they would never believe it.” She threw Aalimah's bath kit at her and stormed out of the room.
Shortly after, Gumsu received a phone call informing her that Basma had arrived and was currently in Inna Bintou’s quarters, asking for Aalimah's whereabouts. Basma was entirely unaware of the new house her father had built here in Niamey, just as she was completely oblivious to the divorce that had occurred between him and her mother. She had known for a long time that Mummy loved living in the United States more than anything. Mummy had explicitly told her that she chose to stay there, while her father and Gumsu chose to return to Africa—so everyone simply went their separate ways.
There was no manner of pleading Basma hadn't used to convince Mummy to follow her husband's path, but Mummy insisted she would only do so the day Mu’azzam was fully cured. This was despite Mummy knowing deep down that no medicine could fix Mu’azzam’s condition overnight; rather, one had to rely on alternative management and show gratitude to God.
In Basma’s view, Mummy was merely using Mu’azzam’s illness as a convenient excuse to remain in the U.S. Otherwise, given that they didn't even reside in the same city, what kind of life could she possibly build for him? Even the fact that Daddy had sold their Boston lodge was unknown to Basma. Consequently, she had no idea that Mummy was actually living in Mu’azzam's house.
Now, she had just arrived in Niamey alongside her twin children. Daddy had called her specifically to assist Gumsu in soothing Aalimah, recognizing that Basma shared the deepest, closest bond with her, so the two of them could escort her to her matrimonial room together. Basma felt as though she were floating on clouds, overwhelmed with joy regarding this marriage arrangement orchestrated by their parents. Even if Mu’azzam had never been a major part of their daily lives, God knew she loved her brother immensely. She had long dreaded the day Aalimah would marry into a different family and leave their household entirely; therefore, from every single angle, this arrangement was absolutely perfect to her.
There was a private conversation she had once shared with Aboulkhair shortly before his passing, which had completely erased any lingering resentment or bitterness she held toward her older brother, Mu’azzam:

He had told her that Mu’azz was profoundly unwell.
He had told her that he was an aggressive patient.
He explained that their distant, detached relationship was entirely tied to his fragile mental state.

Beyond that, he had not specified the exact nature of the disorder her brother was battling.
Sitting in Inna Kasisi’s room after exchanging pleasantries, Inna took the twins into her arms, cooing, “Masha Allah, look at these chubby little things! You've come to take my husband away from me, haven't you? Well, too bad for you, despite your beautiful fair skin.”
Basma burst into laughter, replying, “Oh Inna, you are so full of jealousy! Just because you see young girls with healthy, glowing skin, you're losing your mind.”
Inna retorted, “My dear, I have every right to be! Here I am living peacefully with my husband, and he is completely devoted to me. If he sets his eyes on these Arab-like beauties of yours, he will forget my very name.”
Basma dissolved into laughter yet again. She had been an expert at laughing since her childhood; finding humor in things came naturally to her. Her bright white teeth were almost always on display. She was very jovial—a trait she shared completely with her late brother, Aboulkhair. She inquired, “Inna, where is our bride? I peeked into Inna Bintou’s room, but she wasn't there.”
Inna Kasisi, who was fed up to her throat with Aalimah's attitude, sneered and said, “She is over at Gumsu’s house. A stubborn girl with a thoroughly wretched attitude. Aalimah and I have long drawn our battle lines. I swear by Allah, anyone who does not love Mu’azzam is an enemy of mine.”
Basma smiled gently as she unbuttoned her dress to nurse her daughter, saying, “Inna, please take it easy on her. It is not that she hates him. She is just remembering Monsieur Aboulkhair and the profound closeness they shared. It’s not easy to endure such a sudden shift.”
Inna stood up abruptly, as the direction of the conversation displeased her entirely. In her estimation, Aalimah’s resistance was born out of pure hatred for Mu’azzam simply because he was incapacitated. She remarked, “If it's an illness we are talking about, no one is exempt from destiny. Her own mother has been battling her own condition for fifteen years now, and her father patiently toleres her and her specific brand of ailment. Aalimah should go and learn to be patient with her cousin's condition as well; ultimate healing rests solely in the hands of Allah. Didn't you all say she studied pharmacy? Can't she just focus on administering his medications so they can live in peace?”
The comment nearly made Basma laugh; just because Aalimah studied pharmacy didn't make her a psychiatrist, let alone a specialist in neuropsychiatry. She pleaded with Inna to have someone escort her to Gumsu’s residence (her father’s house), but Inna remained stubborn, insisting, “Don't you dare go over there to coddle her. Leave her alone with her wretched behavior. This marriage wasn't even Mu’azzam’s doing; if he had any say in the matter, he would have married his own match long ago.”
Realizing Inna Kasisi was far too furious to help her, Basma turned to Inna Bintou instead, who immediately instructed her youngest son, Bello, to escort her.
Standing at the threshold of the doorway, Basma paused, watching the drama unfolding between Aalimah and her aunt Gumsu over a plate of food. Gumsu was scolding her, saying, “Eat this before we lose our patience with you! Stop giving me a headache; a bride has no business looking thin and gaunt.”
Aalimah retorted, “Aunt Gumsu, I respect you, and I hold you in high regard. But if you push me to the wall, I will completely tear off this veil of respect I have for you. I said I will not eat, so force-feed me if you must!”
**7/6/21, 4:51 PM - Buhainat: BASMA
Basma gasped, placing a hand over her chin in shock. Throughout their years together, she had never known Aalimah to be sharp-tongued or disrespectful to her elders. It was clear she was truly pushed to the brink by her refusal of Mu’azzam, to the point that it had transformed her personality in a single day. Gumsu interjected, “I'm glad you're witnessing this with your own eyes. If I were to tell anyone else about the sheer insolence Aalimah displays toward me, they would never believe it. Yet, I am forced to involve myself in her affairs. It is only because your father keeps begging me to be patient that I haven't left her to rot in Las Vegas, because she is genuinely driving me to my limit.”
Basma stepped fully into the living room and said, “I can relate. But as for me, I am here to plead with her, because I certainly wouldn't want my brother to inherit a bag of bones; I don't want her making him miserable. I want him to see her looking radiant and plump wherever he touches. Therefore, for the sake of Allah and His Prophet, 'Aal', please accept the food and eat...”
Suddenly, Aalimah collapsed over a stool and burst into a violent fit of weeping. Basma's words felt like a crushing weight inside her mind. Just then, Daddy arrived. He was about to walk straight to his bedroom when he overheard her crying. Though he initially intended to ignore it and pass by—knowing it was the exact same argument—he ultimately retraced his steps out of pure empathy for Aalimah. Stepping into the room, he barked, “Gumsu! Gumsu! For God's sake, can't you comfort her instead of constantly provoking her?”
Then, noticing Basma, he asked, “And when did you arrive? What on earth did you all do to her?”
Through her tears, Aalimah sobbed, “Daddy, Basma insulted me.”
Basma quickly greeted him and attempted to defend herself, but he refused to listen, turning his frustration on her instead. “You're supposed to be coddling her, yet you're busy setting her off, knowing fully well she is sitting on an emotional edge right now?”
“I am very sorry, Daddy. It won't happen again,” Basma replied submissively.
He walked away in anger. Basma and Gumsu quietly turned back to their immediate tasks, now genuinely terrified of Aalimah's capacity to get them into trouble. It had become a situation where if you said 'needle', she would claim you said 'hoe', simply because she saw that Daddy was constantly taking her side.
Two days later, Daddy instructed Gumsu to take Aalimah into the main family house to say her formal goodbyes to everyone, with Malam’s quarters designated as their absolute final stop. Aalimah had initially viewed the entire sequence of events as an elaborate bad dream, but she was finally forced to accept the reality. It was there that Malam Ibrahim Raazee formally placed her dowry into the palm of her hand and opened the doors of counsel, seeking her understanding, offering comfort, and asking for her forgiveness. He explained that they, as parents, had merely exercised their parental authority over her because they had no other choice if they were to ever secure true peace of mind and tranquility.
This arrangement was the ultimate act of protection and care they felt they could provide for both her and Mu’azzam’s future. There was no man they believed would hold her with the same level of dignity, value, and respect after Aboulkhair except Mu’azzam. Similarly, there was no woman they trusted to genuinely care for Mu’azzam and his unique health struggles with absolute sincerity except her. This was their singular justification for binding them in marriage; after all, she knew the intricacies of his life better than anyone else besides the late Aboulkhair, having lived with them and witnessed firsthand how Aboulkhair managed him. Therefore, they held the brightest hopes for her. They begged her to be patient and not let them down. They asked her to look past his previous closeness with Aboulkhair and focus on building a healthy, substantive new life. Aboulkhair had embarked on a journey from which he would never return, and this marriage was the final act of devotion she could offer to his memory—by anchoring the life of the brother he loved so dearly in his absence.
Aalimah felt warm, heavy tears stream down her face as her grandfather concluded his emotional counsel. By the end of it, he too was wiping away his own tears. He felt a profound sense of sorrow for both of them—for her and Mu’azzam—as they prepared to navigate a brand-new existence entirely devoid of Aboulkhair's presence. She found her fingers clutching the dowry money tightly. It had all been done without her input or consent, which meant her family had accepted Mu’azzam’s marriage proposal with open arms, leaving her absolutely no room to make a decision within her own heart.

Part 2: Arrival in Las Vegas

They touched down in Las Vegas in the dead of a heavy snowstorm. Anticipating the harsh weather, they had heavily bundled up Basma’s children, and both she and Gumsu secured the infants tightly to their backs using traditional wrappers. Aalimah completely refused to assist them with the children, remaining locked in a stubborn, silent protest. Daddy had already communicated their exact departure and arrival times to Mu’azzam. Up until that moment, Mu’azzam remained in a state of profound confusion and shock. He had aggressively tried to make Daddy understand that he could not go through with this marriage, but Daddy completely refused to listen, telling him:
“This marriage, Mu’azzam, has already been legally solemnized. You must simply exercise patience, just as she is exercising patience. Accept this decree of destiny just as she has accepted it. She did not desire it either, but she recognized our authority to make her do it, and she complied despite her own feelings. I expect you to accept it in the exact same manner.”
He concluded his lecture by saying, “Mu’azzam, you have no inkling of the sheer effort it took to secure this marriage, nor the fierce opposition it faced from certain elements within this family. Their ultimate desire was for you to remain permanently single and broken, reduced to watching their own children thrive. Even in your current state, you are a massive thorn in the flesh of many who actively plot against you without your knowledge. I want you to know that in this entire world, outside of myself and your mother, no one loves you more genuinely than Mansour. Do not humiliate me in front of my brother, who loves me, my lineage, and loves you with absolute sincerity. Protect Aalimah as a sacred trust between you and your Creator. If you do this for me, you will have fulfilled my greatest wish, Mu’azzam, and blessings will never cease to follow you!”
Those heavy words from his father had thoroughly shaken him, chilling his entire physical being to the core.
Consequently, Mu’azzam forced himself to swallow his profound grievances. His sole consolation lay in the fact that Mummy and Yesmin were currently residing in the house. This meant Aalimah would have immediate companions to chat with and assist her around the home. As for him, he had absolutely no intention of initiating a domestic arrangement that was bound to end in disaster. He deeply enjoyed his life exactly as it was, and he did not welcome any form of disruption.
He hadn't even informed Mummy that Basma and the others were en route, nor had he explained a single detail regarding his ongoing discussions with his father. In his estimation, one only wasted time explaining matters that were actually deemed important; since they had dropped their daughter off at his doorstep, he was certain that the moment she grew tired of the arrangement, she would simply call them to come and pick her up. After all, he had been effectively blackmailed into this lifelong tether.
He dispatched Harrison to retrieve them from the airport. He had absolutely no idea with what face he was supposed to look at Aboulkhair’s Aalimah, now legally designated as his own wife. Since Harrison recognized Aalimah from before, he had no trouble identifying the group. He loaded their luggage into the trunk while offering Aalimah a warm, familiar smile, attempting to show that he recognized her. However, the moment he observed her expression—which looked like a dark, gathering storm cloud heading rapidly east—he quickly swallowed his familiarity and minded his business.
Mummy and Yesmin were fast asleep in their downstairs bedroom when the chaotic noise of Basma’s arrival woke them. Initially, they assumed it was merely a dream. But when the piercing cries of Basma’s twins echoed through the hallway—the poor infants entirely overwhelmed by a brutal freezing climate they had never experienced before—they realized it was reality. Hurrying out of their room, they immediately broke into a run and locked each other in a fierce embrace.
It had been a very long time since they last shared a space, a long time since they had seen one another. Mummy’s maternal instinct and love for her children flared up instantly. They spent the entire night awake, talking. Even though Mummy intentionally steered the conversation to include Aalimah, she noticed that the young woman completely refused to loosen up. Aalimah kept her head bowed low, entirely unable to meet Mummy’s gaze. She was trapped in a state of deep shock and psychological distress; was this truly how her life was going to pan out—permanently married to the sons of a single household?
It was Gumsu who formally broke the entire story to Mummy immediately after they observed the dawn (Fajr) prayer. Upon hearing it, Mummy burst into a flood of tears, leaving the girls completely confused as to the true nature of her weeping. Without a word, she stood up and retreated into her bedroom. Her tears were a complex mixture of intense anxiety and profound joy occurring all at once. Her anxiety stemmed from the undeniable fact that Mu’azzam was deeply unwell; that was an absolute reality. She knew exactly how catastrophically his first marriage had ended, and she was terrified of history repeating itself at Aalimah’s expense.
Yet, her joy stemmed from the fact that today, Almighty Allah had fulfilled her deepest prayer: Mu’azzam was finally married, stepping into the status of a complete man living a fulfilled life like any other human being. Her greatest satisfaction, however, was the return of Aalimah into her immediate family. She knew with absolute certainty that if Aalimah had slipped through their fingers, it would have been an irreplaceable loss.
She had spent a long time in a state of perpetual anxiety regarding her own future after completing her divorce custom (Iddah). She held Aalimah in the highest regard, because throughout the young woman's marriage to Aboulkhair, she had never witnessed a single dishonorable trait in her character. To this very day, Mummy still carried a deep sense of shame regarding the hostile, wretched behavior she had displayed toward Aalimah in the past, back when destiny first forced them to live together in Boston.
While she desperately wanted Mu’azzam to be married, a significant part of her wished Ishaq hadn't chosen Aalimah for him. They had absolutely no way of predicting what this union would bring. She would have preferred they maintain their family ties as they were, allowing Aalimah to find a healthy husband matching her own physical state, thereby preserving their mutual respect and kinship.
But now, they told her the marriage was already a completed contract; she possessed absolutely no authority or standing in their eyes for them to have even consulted her before executing it. She resolved within herself that she would continue to reside alongside Mu’azzam and Aalimah, explicitly to ensure that they never initiated any form of physical intimacy or emotional bonding. She wanted to prevent them from developing a closeness that would inevitably ruin everything. In her mind, enforcing this strict boundary was the only way she could safeguard the integrity of their unique arrangement.

Part 3: The Morning Routine

The following morning, at exactly seven o'clock, Mu’azzam emerged to have breakfast at the dining table, maintaining his strict routine. He found only Mummy waiting for him at the table; the others were upstairs, heavily catching up on the sleep they had lost throughout the previous night. He was impeccably dressed in dark winter gear, a pair of black jeans from the NEXT brand, and his feet were laced into black canvas sneakers. He went about preparing his tea—which he heavily laced with coffee (gahwah)—with an air of utter calmness. Yet, even a single glance at him would reveal that he was deeply troubled. If he were to claim that this marriage Daddy had forced upon him wasn't weighing on his soul, he would be a liar. If nothing else, it was a massive, unfamiliar responsibility thrust upon his shoulders.
Mummy cleared her throat intentionally. He lifted his large, stark white eyes to look at her. His eyes possessed a unique, captivating luster that went unnoticed unless one looked directly into his pupils. Mu’azzam possessed a striking, breathtaking beauty that effortlessly captured the gaze and soothed the heart. To look at him was to want to look again, if only to admire the sheer aesthetic perfection of his eyes. However, his natural arrogance and aloof demeanor quickly discouraged any immediate attempts at familiarity; if you managed to exchange basic greetings with him, you counted yourself lucky. This was the fundamental difference between him and Aboulkhair.
Aboulkhair had been naturally cheerful, deeply loving people, and exceptionally welcoming to everyone, most especially his immediate family. His wife could swear under oath that a kinder, more humble soul did not exist on this earth.
Mummy cleared her throat a second time, yet she found herself entirely at a loss for words. He simply continued mixing his beverage, remaining completely silent after their initial greetings. He didn't even bother to ask how Basma and the rest had fared overnight. Summoning her courage before he could finish his tea, rise, and leave her sitting alone without discussing their new guests, she looked directly at him and asked, “Were you aware of Basma’s arrival?”
He offered a curt, monosyllabic response: “Yes.”
Silence descended upon the table once more as he slowly sipped his tea.
Mummy spoke up again, “So your Daddy went ahead and arranged a marriage for you, and I was left entirely in the dark?”
Mu’azzam remained completely silent, acting as though she weren't even addressing him. She pressed further, “Fine, so just because I am divorced, I no longer possess the dignity to be consulted on matters affecting my own children? At the very least, do I not deserve the basic respect due to the mother who gave birth to you?”
Mu’azzam was quickly becoming bored with Mummy’s complaints, as he failed to see how any of this concerned him directly. This was a private dispute between her and her ex-husband; what on earth did it have to do with him? Furthermore, he himself hadn't been consulted either. Standing up, he set his teacup down on the table, pushed his chair back, and glanced at the Swatch watch strapped to his wrist.
“Mummy, I am heading to the office. Do you all require anything?”
She knew that if she openly showed her anger, she would merely be exhausting herself in vain. Suddenly, a profound wave of grief and longing for Aboulkhair enveloped her. Tears began streaming down her face, and she covered her eyes with her palms. Leaning her head forward onto the dining table, she broke into a deeply heartbreaking sob.
If Aboulkhair were alive today, he would be right here comforting her. He would be actively helping her find a solution to her distress; he would be deeply invested in her sorrow... He would have dedicated all his time to listening to her... They would have discussed the matter thoroughly and found a way out. Seeing Mummy weeping in this manner, Mu’azzam sat back down in his chair. Though he had absolutely no understanding of the root cause of her tears, his anxiety spiked to its absolute peak. In his heart of hearts, he genuinely did not believe he had done anything wrong. He ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up gently, before saying, “Mummy, please stop blaming me. I didn't know a single thing about this marriage until after the contract was already sealed. Mummy, I don't want to talk too much about this. I have zero knowledge regarding this entire affair, so what exactly do you want me to say to you?”
Mummy removed her hands from her face, revealing a countenance completely washed in tears. His distress mounted even further.
“I don't want you to say anything to me, Mu’azzam, other than to simply care about my sorrow. Time and again, I swallow bitter pills solely to protect your health, but I have realized that on top of your medical illness, you also possess a deep flaw in your character. It is your nature, Mu’azzam—a complete and utter lack of empathy for anyone else's plight!”
He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off fiercely, “I know for a fact that I have suffered a loss I can never replace! Aboulkhairi, I never truly understood your value until I lost you! The way you cared for me, I never reciprocated it to you in equal measure! You used to beg me, for God's sake, to love you just a fraction of the way I loved Mu’azzam. Today, here I am weeping because of your absence, while the very Mu’azzam I dedicated my entire life to stands right in front of me, bringing me nothing but pure sorrow. I sacrificed my marriage of over thirty years for his sake, yet I do not even possess the privilege of discussing my pain with him...” Her voice dissolved into another heavy wave of sobbing.
It took an immense, extraordinary trigger to ever move Mu’azzam to tears, but today, Mummy successfully broke him. For the very first time in his life, he felt a deep, piercing regret regarding his default personality and behavior.
What she failed to realize was that the loss of Aboulkhair had severely compounded his withdrawal, stripping away whatever little joy and sociability he had left. Ever since his discharge from the hospital, his capacity for warmth had plummeted. When Aboulkhair was alive, even if Mu’azzam didn't feel like talking, Aboulkhair's mere presence would force him to engage; even if he didn't want to smile, Aboulkhair would make him laugh. He desperately wished Mummy would continue to extend the same patience and excuses she used to grant him, rather than giving up on him now... He wished she would stop comparing him to Aboulkhair in every single metric, because the Almighty Creator who fashioned humanity created everyone with distinct traits, different visages, and unique personalities. This was simply how God had designed his unique disposition.
**7/6/21, 4:51 PM - Buhainat: 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
In that tense moment, he had no other recourse but to remain seated, dedicating his time solely to soothing her and begging for her forgiveness. He refrained from explaining his own internal reality: that if there were anyone who desperately needed a comforting presence right now, it was him. He was far more devastated by this situation than she was, and his longing for Aboulkhair ran infinitely deeper than hers.
When he finally arrived at his office later that day, he was heavily behind schedule and had to offer extensive apologies to his colleagues. Stepping into his private office, he loosened his tie, sank into his executive chair, pulled out his phone, and shot another brief text message to Mummy begging for her forgiveness. Only then did he turn his focus to the mountain of paperwork awaiting him.
Long after his departure, Mummy remained seated at the dining table. The moment Mu’azz’s text notification chimed on her screen, a soft smile crept onto her lips at the sight of the tender, gentle words he had chosen—even though the message was brief. Instantly, a deep sense of empathy for him washed over her. She knew with absolute certainty that he, too, was deeply unhappy with the chaotic direction his life was taking.