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Behind A Smile 124
Zynah sat tensely in the living room, her gaze fixed on the front door, awaiting Bilal's arrival for their hospital visit. The silence was shattered when Zaahida dashed out of the house with nothing, but car keys clutched in her hand. Zynah was surprised. She had anticipated a dramatic exit, but not this abrupt departure. Not after she had sworn not to leave the house without putting on a fight. She shrugged her shoulders, spurning the thought from her mind. Bilal entered, clad in a white jallabiya, with Adnan trailing behind. "Are you sure you want to come along?" He asked for the umpteenth time. Zynah simply nodded in response, her determination unwavering. "Alright then," he heaved a deep sigh. "Let's go?" She nodded again. "Are we going to granny's?" Adnan suddenly asked. "No, son," Bilal replied and paused for some seconds, thinking of what to tell him. "We're going for a drive," a reassuring smile accompanied his words. "Really, Daddy?" "Yes, champ." He
Behind A Smile 125
Bilal maneuvered to where his car was parked. He fumbled for the handle, his movement jerky. Once inside, he slumped into the driver's seat, his chest heaving with ragged breaths. His palms were slick with sweat and his heart continued to race in his chest. Up until the moment, he still couldn't bring himself to believe that his father would actually go ahead with his threat to disown him. Bilal had always thought he always only used it as a weapon to get him to do whatever he wanted, but apparently not. Mr. idris hadn't exactly been a good father to Bilal by only providing him with material things. What he needed ever since he was just a child was his father's undivided attention and unconditional love. Bilal had yearned to get the love of a mother, who he wasn't opportune to meet, in his father. He has always wanted someone he could go to for advice but Mr. Idris had never been available. Although he hadn't been the ideal father to him, Bilal was contented with the fact that he
Behind A Smile 126
"As salam 'alaykum wa rahmatulah wa barakatuh!" (Peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you). The deep, familiar voice echoed through the living room. Ramlah's heart skipped as she recognized the voice. It was Mr. Aliyu. Her father was finally back! With a surge of excitement, she leapt from the couch and raced towards the door. "Dad?" She jumped up and raced towards the door and opened it. "Dad!" She threw her arms around him tightly. "Welcome home! I have missed you terribly." Mr. Aliyu chuckled, returning the embrace warmly. "I missed you too, but I missed my beautiful wife even more. How have you been? How's You look taller and plumber. What have you been eating?" "Dad," She giggled. "That's impossible. I haven't gained any weight." "If you say so," he replied settling onto the couch. "Where is your mother?" "She went to see the neighbors. She will be back soon," Ramlah responded. "Alright. Call Rashida and Omar. I want to speak to them." "They have alread
Behind A Smile 127
"End stage renal disease is a severe, irreversible condition where the kidneys have completely stopped functioning." Zynah couldn't believe her ears. A tear slipped out of her eyes without her even knowing. "What...what do you mean by end...end stage?" she stammered. "It's the last stage of kidney failure," the doctor explained further. "If this condition had been detected earlier, medications may have slowed down the progression. Unfortunately, we've reached the final stage." Zynah's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Are you saying he is not going to get better now? Is there no hope?" "Of course not," The doctor shook his head. "That's not what I'm saying. His life can be prolonged if he is put on dialysis or preferably, undergoes a kidney transplant. I have had this discussion with him before, and the transplant needs to be done as soon as possible." "Kidney transplant?" She asked, swallowing a lump that suddenly formed in her throat. She couldn't help but remember
Behind A Smile 128
Bilal pulled over in front of the house and alighted from the car. He opened the backdoor and carefully carried a sleeping Adnan out of the car and into the house. Zynah couldn't bring herself to get out of the car. Her mind kept drifting back to what the doctor had told her. How was it possible to find a donor so urgently? Had she not donated her kidney to her son before, she would have offered hers without hesitation. She would have done it in a heartbeat. After all, he was still the father of her only child. After some minutes of being alone with her thoughts, she alighted from the car and walked into the house. She met Bilal lying on the couch with one of his arms wrapped around his stomach. She rushed towards him and crouched in front of the couch. "Are you feeling pains in your stomach? Let's go back to the hospital," she urged, her voice laced with concern. He tried to mask his suffering with a weak smile. "It's nothing to worry about...I...I will be fine." Zynah
Behind A Smile 129
"Bilal...Bilal has end stage renal disease and it's pretty bad," Zynah said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "His father also disowned him, because he refused to divorce me. He has no one, but Adnan now," her voice broke and her tears finally spilled over. "I don't want to take the only person he has left away from him. At least not while the time we agreed upon hasn't elapsed yet. I need to be here to support him through his treatment. I'm not doing this for any other reason, but for my son. I don't want him to lose his father. Please understand me, Dad," she sniffled a sob. "If you still want me to leave after everything I have said, then it's okay, I'll go with you," She turned around and began to walk away. "Zynah," Mr. Aliyu called, his voice softening. "Wait." She halted in her tracks, but didn't turn around. "Fine," he heaved a sigh. "You can stay, but as soon as the three month elapses, I don't want to hear any more excuses, okay? It's not your responsibility
Behind A Smile 130
A week passed by in what seemed like a blink of an eye. Dr. Muslim had invited his parents over and the date of the wedding had been fixed to take place in the next four months. Without a doubt, Ramlah was excited for her upcoming wedding, but she couldn't help, but feel sad for her sister. In two months, all ties with Bilal would be severed. She would finally regain her freedom. But she couldn't imagine what would become of Zynah then. She would be all alone again. Would she consider getting married to someone else? Would she give love a another chance? Ramlah knew the answer was a big no. They had talked about it before and Zynah bluntly told her that she would never remarry. Ramlah was still lost in her thoughts, when her phone began to ring. She snapped out of her trance, and picked it up. A small smile curled up her lips when she saw the caller ID. "Speak of the devil!" she mumbled before receiving the call. "As salam alaikum, sis!" "Wa 'alaykum salam, Ramlah," Zynah r
Behind A Smile 131
Immediately the doorbell rang, Zynah was already there to get the door. With a warm smile, she welcomed Ramlah. "Thank you so much for coming. Please come in," she ushered Ramlah into the living room. Zynah disappeared into the kitchen to get Ramlah a glass of water. She returned shortly after and served it to her. "I'm sorry for making you cancel your plans," she apologized, her voice filled with genuine regret. "I hope he's not angry." Ramlah shook her head. "It's fine. Really," she assured Zynah. "He understood when I explained to him. By the way, where is my baby Adnan?" "His father took him out," Zynah replied. A flicker of concern passed over Ramlah's face. "Oh! Just the two of them?" "Yes," Zynah confirmed, gazing sagaciously at her. "Is there a problem with that?" Ramlah but her lower lip, her gaze darting away. "I'm just worried he might...you know? Try to take him away." "Be rest assured he will do no such thing," Zynah's reply was almost immediate.
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