BFFs: Married To My Sister's Best friend

26. Birthday

"Halima for crying out loud stop dragging Aleesha into this!"

"Oh so now I'm not Habeebtee, instead I'm Halima. Just plain old Halima. Your younger sister's best friend who you married to cook for you... I'm just Halima, smelly Halima who you expect to cook for you despite the fact that you prefer one of your useless friends to her." Halima isn't going to budge and Sa'eed is getting late for work so he just goes back up, picks hie car keys, phones, wallet and everything he needs.

With one last apologetic look at Halima - which she ignores -, Sa'eed rushes out for work. Halima finally lets the tears fall. After all the times they spent together, this is what her thinks of her - a mere chef. How absurd!

This is all Aleesha's fault! They juat had their first official fight and it's all her fault. Halima decides that she won't keep beef with Sa'eed. She'll ask for his permission and go to the hospital tomorrow to start her treatment, once she gets pregnant, Sa'eed will do anything she asks for. With that thought on her mind, she takes her breakfast and goes to sleep.

Night comes by fast. Immediately Sa'eed reaches home he goes straight to Aleesha's room. After a short conversation with her, he walks back to his room to find Halima sprawled on their bed with a picture in her hands, held close to her. When Sa'eed drags it from her, he sees it's one of their post wedding pictures. The one the photographer snapped without them knowing when they were having their first hug as husband and wife.

Sa'eed looks at the time, it's after ten so that means he still has some more time. He walks out and starts setting everything up. Once it's 11.30pm, he takes his bath, changes his cloth to a pair of black slacks.

After making sure Aleesha has done as he asked, he disconnects the house's electricity from the meter and goes up to the room. 11.56pm. Sa'eed opens the door to see tears seeping out of Halima's eyes, and she's still asleep.

"I'm sorry for letting Aleesha come between us. I'm sorry for saying you're smelling. I'm sorry for everything and I love you." Halima opens her eyes and just then the alarm goes off. 12.00pm.

"Happy birthday to the best wife, friend, sister and lots more. I know I haven't been the best husband to you in the past one month. I've only caused you pain upon pain. Tears upon tears. But I won't make you cry no more. I promise you that I will try my best to be a good husband to you. It doesn't matter if my friends get hurt in the process. All that matters is you. So now, I beg that you forgive me for being such a jerk." Sa'eed is in a kneeling position as he says all these things. Halima's eyes are teary. Even she herself, the birthday girl, forgot it's her birthday. But he remembered. Even though they're not on the best terms, he still remembered.

"Thank you Habeebee. I love you." Halima lets the tears fall and Sa'eed wipes them.

"With every drop of this salty liquid that falls from your hypnotizing orbs, I feel my heart getting crushed by the wickedest crushing machine. And then to know I'm the reason for their fall, I feel my soul cursing me for being alive.

"I can't promise you that this is the last time we'll fight. I think I've said it before but it doesn't matter. I can't promise you that this is our last fight, but I can promise you that nobody, no matter who they are - except for my Ammi and Abba - can come between us. And as for having friends stay here, I'll make sure they stay far away from us so that we can have our privacy.

"No matter who - be it Aleesha or any other person - I won't let them come between us. I love you Halima Audu Kalshingi, and I wish you the best birthday ever. I pray Allah leaves us together forever in this world, and then reunite us in the hereafter. I pray to Almighty Allah that you become my light in darkness, my happiness in sadness, my smiles and laughs in cries, my health in sickness, my wealth in poverty and my best in worst." Halima wipes her tears. At least it's good to know that Sa'eed has learnt that no matter how close you are to your friends, your wife always comes first.

"Come downstairs. I have some things for you." Halima nods and follows Sa'eed downstairs. The lights are out, the only things that light up the room are the numerous candles floating in suspense. Hoping it's cake, Halima walks downstairs.

Two twelve layered cakes are sitting on the table. One has her picture on it and the other her name. There are some other things on the table but Halima can't make out what they are.

"These cakes are too big Habeebee. Where would i take them? You know too much sugar isn't good right?" Sa'eed chuckles.

"Do you remember the video you showed me of Jiddarh and Deezel? Her first birthday with him?" Halima nods frantically, not getting where he's heading to.

"You had said Deezel is goals. That no one would be able to have thought deeply of what to do for his wife or girlfriend's birthday. I was so jealous. So I decided to do this." Halima cuts him off.

"Isn't this a little too much?" Sa'eed scowls as if saying 'don't ruin the moment'. He breathes.

"For every layer of this beautiful cake, there's a gift inside. That gift is for every single year that I wasn't with you. These are two cakes, each having twelve layers which equals twenty four layers. The gift in each of them is for the personality of each of the Halima Audu Kalshingi of that age. There's an age on each layer. Happy twenty fourth birthday chacolate, i love you." Halima smiles at the nickname, chocolate, just the right definition of her.

"Thank you." Sa'eed nods and drags her hand a little bit farther away from the cakes.

"These are yours. Firstly, they key to a, guess which car." Halima smiles.

"Is it a Cadillac, a Porsche, a beetle, a Chevrolet? You know i hate Mercedes so it better not be that." Halima narrows her eyes. Sa'eed laughs at her facial expression then dangles the keys in her face.

"Is this a Cadillac? Oh my Allah Ya Omri I love you. I love love love love love love love you so so so so much." Halima squeals jumping on Sa'eed as she plants kisses everywhere on his face not skipping a single spot. Thank goodness Aleesha has already left, had she seen this, she might attempt suicide.

"But why didn't you get me a Porsche Cayman? I love those." Halima whines.

"Nop, nada, no, a'ah, la, not happening. Me? Get you a Porsche Cayman? Not happening, not in a million years. It's too dangerous and God knows you drive so roughly." Sa'eed shakes his head shuddering as he remembers the day allowed Halima to drive, he thought he was going to die!

"Ya Sa'eed mana dan Allah. Wallahi mummy doesn't want to give me her car. I drove Sophie's car fah, and nothing happened. See I'm right here without as much as a bruise. Please." Halima begs while Sa'eed shakes his head frantically signaling no.

"Toh shikenan. Don't give the car. Ai it's because I'm begging you koh? Ka cinye kayanka, banso. Na fasa. Idan kaga dama kayi chocolate da motar ka cinye." Halima hisses. Sa'eed sighs in defeat. He knows if he doesn't give her she'll refuse to pick his call and all, something he doesn't want. He's going to the Villa for his first day at work and he needs his sweetheart to be smiling so she can wish him luck wholeheartedly, she's his good luck charm.

"Yay! Thank you Ya Sa'eed. Get in let me show you how it's done." Sa'eed shakes his head and enters.

At first, she's driving it slowly out of the compound, at twenty meters per hour. But the moment they step out of Kuje, Halima turns haywire. She's driving at one hundred and forty meters per hour.

"But I'm grown up now." Halima stomps her feet.

"Next time chocolate, next time." Halima pouts but nods.