Chapter Two

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It was the next day and Amirah's headache still hadn't dulled and everyone knew the day before the wedding was usually the busiest.

She was woken up by Ya Adnan's estranged wife, aunty Samha.

"Wayyo Allah na!" Aunty Samha exclaimed as soon as she entered and saw Amirah was still on her bed, she immediately dropped her son from her hips and gave Amirah a harsh slap on her leg, Amirah flinched and cursed Samha in her mind.

"Will you get your lazy ass up! So you are still sleeping because Hajiya has gone out? You just wait till I tell her."

Amirah groaned, "Ummi Abdallah do you know how stressed I was yesterday? Even Hajiya knows that's why she hasn't sent anyone to wake me up so I advice you just let me rest unless you all want to watch me sleep throughout tomorrow." Amirah warned before lying back down.

"Get up you lazy girl! I know you haven't done anything, you are just running your mouth. Ya Hamidah just landed at the airport now and Lawal has already gone to bring her, if you like still be asleep when she comes to this house, that's no longer my problem."

At the mere mention of Hamidah, Amirah shot up the bed and ran into the bathroom. Amirah was Hamidah's immediate younger sister from Hajiya but from baba, they had Lawal and Samir between them. Hamidah was strict just like her father and Adnan, she never smiled and her words were like a sharp sword, hurting anyone at the recieving end of it's wrath.

She was widowed and living in Abuja with one kid, her husband had died three years after their wedding and nothing anybody said made her remarry again, she was a hotshot lawyer living big.

Hamidah was a beauty despite the scars on her face, a long, deep scar ran from her ear down to her jaw, threatening to mar her face, and the other scar on her other cheek was burns from a fire incident. She had gotten both scars seven years back but no one ever spoke of the incidents.

Amirah dressed in black big pants and a grey shirt, she tied a veil over her hair and went out of her room, Hajiya Lolo's voice revertebrated as she screamed praises to Allah, Amirah wondered what it was all about as she hurriedly went out through the main entrance to see Hajiya hugging the life out of her first grandchild, five years old Amana.

From the corner of her eyes, Amirah saw Aunty amarya, the second wife peep out through the door most definitely to know what the commotion was about, then she returned back to her house, a two bedroom built solely for her.

Aunty amarya and Hajiya Lolo never saw eye to eye, or rather it was Hajiya who never wanted to see Aunty amarya and no one knew how the fallout began.

Growing up, Amirah could recall Hajiya and Aunty amarya being close, they even cooked meals together but one day, the fight started and never seemed to end so Baba built a separate house for her in the compound, while her children still stayed in the main house and Aunty amarya was rarely seen inside it.

Amirah had felt Baba shouldn't have gone about things that way for it showed obvious favoritism towards Hajiya, but who was she to interfere, it was Baba and Baba was never wrong.

Hamidah simply patted her back as she headed inside the house and the house was plunged back into a beehive.

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It was just midday but it was obvious everything was desired to go haywire. The

snack lady's number wasn't going through, the boys that were supposed to bring the cows for slaughtering still were yet to be seen and the worst of all was when Amirah began to have an allergic reaction to the henna applied on her feet.

The pain was burning and her feet was turning red and swelling up fast.

Hajiya busied herself with screaming the head off the henna lady, "pray nothing happens to my child or wallahi-I swear by Allah, you'll spend the rest of your life in jail, try me and see."

"Samir!" Hajiya screamed walking around frantically.

Samir ran out of the house, "Na'am-yes?"

"Get the car ready to take your sister to the hospital" Samir immediately ran off towards the garage, Amirah was still screaming out in pain when Aunty amarya rushed out of her wing with a salve, she poured some of the ointment onto her palm and began to massage Amirah's feet, Hajiya eyed her warily.

Minutes later, everything was settled and the henna lady gone. Amirah laid on her bed with Hajiya talking about the same thing still.

"Are you sure you are better? I don't trust that your father's wife, tell me about any discomfort now fah."

"Hajiya I've told you already so please drop it, it's not every slight thing that should be a cause of fight between you and Aunty amarya, she helped me while I was in pain so let's at least appreciate that." Amirah said her voice laced with irritation.

"Toh do whatever you want, you have started supporting your father's wife again, why am I surprised when your favorite sister is her daughter." Hajiya said with a scoff.

"Hajiya please don't start again with this talk about I and Khadijah's closeness..."

"I will start! Why won't I? You neglected Zarah and choose to do everything with Halima's daughter but the child that come from your mother isn't even your favorite." With that Hajiya walked out of the room.

Khadijah came out of the bathroom where she had been before Hajiya came into the room.

"Do you think this hostility between our mothers will ever end?" She asked.

Amirah sneered, "there's no hostility between them, it's Hajiya that's the hostile one, Aunty amarya is ready to call truce but Hajiya doesn't even want peace obviously."

"Don't say that, she's your mother, you should be behind her in every situation." Khadijah chided.

"Which hadith said you should support your mother even when she's doing wrong?"

Khadijah shrugged and said nothing.

"I can't wait to even leave this house, it's becoming suffocating."

"Says the girl whom yesterday was lying on this same bed moaning about not wanting to get married.

"Be corrected! I was moaning about being sleep deprived, who wouldn't want to get married? That's every girl's dream."

Khadijah laughed, "your alter ego is gone, welcome back Amirah, ya Adnan's sister."

"Shut up abeg and go to your room, I wonder why you are always here."

•••• •••• •••• ••••

"This is purely preposterous and unheard of, what will my friends think when they hear of this? No! No! No! I refuse to accept this." Hajiya Lolo was screaming again and honestly, Amirah was getting tired of her mother thinking she has to raise her voice so as to afford being heard by people sitting in the same room as her.

Muhammad and his parents were also present in the main parlor also with Hamidah and Baba. Muhammad had come to deliver the good but sudden news, he had just recieved his promotion letter which also came with a transfer letter, he's been transferred from Kaduna all the way to Lagos and he has to leave the day after tomorrow so as to enable him get to work by Monday.

Hajiya's problem was the suddenness in which everything was going, how could he be asking that he leave Kano with his bride the day after their wedding?

Tradition demands they both still be present in Kano at his parents place for a week to recieve well wishers and gifts before they move to their homes. When Hamidah had gotten married, there was a whole week of singing, dancing, cooking, eating and sheer celebration in her husband's family house at Jigawa before they both moved to their house in Abuja and Hajiya and her friends went back to Kano.

Now how will her friends look at her? Muhammad has just come, gotten married to her daughter and taken her away the next day. Ya Allah! She felt faint. No big celebration, no singing and dancing and inviting of the reigning northern singers who'll perform almost everyday and be the envy of her friends. Aisha's wedding had been grand and everyone kept talking about it which was why she had set up everything to beat Aisha's and put mama Umaimah's event to shame with how much hers would've outshine theirs.

"Hajiya calm down, you are really making a big deal out of this whole thing fah. Staying in Kano for a week after the wedding is important and all but we all know it isn't compulsory and you and your friends use that one week to just show off at your children's wedding." Hamidah said flatly exuding a gasp from Hajiya.

"Hamidah you are insulting me ko? No problem, continue. Keep embarassing me in front of strangers, just watch, karma will come after you and Amana will do the same to you."

Muhammad's parents exchanged a look between themselves, Alhaji Aliyu noticed it and cleared his throat indicating he had something to say,

"Muhammad, for the fact that you are marrying my daughter, I now regard you as my son, just as my daughter said, the one week after wedding celebration isn't compulsory neither is it even mentioned in the holy book. Tomorrow In Sha Allah-by the will of Allah Amirah will become your wife, go with her to where you want, you've then become her husband and she has become yours to love, care and cater for. May Allah bless your union."

"Amin!" Everyone muttered excluding Hajiya who couldn't wait for her husband to leave the sitting so she could march out for how much she was brimming from anger.