When Stars Collide

#HibSalForever2

"Na me marry this man?"

Hibba and Chichi stopped plowing down a plate of tuwon shinkafa and Miyar Shuwaka, Hibba took a piece of soft stock fish and put it in her mouth. The amazing taste of the food spread throughout her mouth and she hummed happily, not minding Nafeesah who was mooning over what seemed to be a picture of Ayman. 

"Abeg abeg, we don't want to see your husband." Nafeesah frowned playfully, putting her hand to her chest in mock fear. "Who do you want to see then?" 

Chichi licked her fingers and asked with a mocking shake if her head, "Is he the groom? Tell him to send pictures of the man of the hour, before I fling you and him." Hibba laughed, then she choked on the pepper in the food. 

Chichi had wanted her to start the day with heavy food since they'd had put two major events together on the same day. Now though, the same woman was trying to kill her.

"I will not die because of you oo, but Nafeesah, tell Ayman I want to see Captain Baazinye na?" Nafeesah put a hand to her chest again and swooned. 

"Chichi you hear that? Captain Baazinye. She don dey take charge." Chichi put her hands in the bowl left for washing hands and washed her hands. Dabbing her wet hands on the towel, she hurried Nafeesah up to get pictures of Salman. 

The door got knocked very timidly and Chichi frowned, she turned because she was closest to the door and walked about five steps to open it. Her frown turned into a wide smile when she saw who was at the door. 

"Nana! Ummi!" Hibba jumped from her position, crouching beside Nafeesah to check the pictures Ayman had sent. 

"Hello Anty Hibba. Congratulations on your wedding, may Allah bless your new home." Hibba hugged the younger girl with do much happiness, squeezing Ummi as well. 

"Thank you so much, my love, but! How did you get here?" She asked with so much surprise. Ummi's aunt Maryam had said she wasn't coming to the wedding so she would not have to see Ummi's paternal family. 

"Uncle Salman sent us a car to the airport, aunt Maryam wanted to come yesterday but there were no flights to Kano, but Uncle Salman called her yesterday night that he knows you would love for her to be here, so, here we are!" She raised her hands in happiness since Chichi had taken Ummi from her and was kissing the toddler on the side. 

"He asked me to give this to you." Hibba faltered, feeling her heart beat a little faster than usual. She took the pink paper bag from Nana and walked to the bed, sitting so close to the headboard. Now, the attention of everyone in the room was now on her. 

"What did he send you?" Chichi asked, ever the inquisitive one. She moved Ummi from her left hip to her lap as she sat on the bed. Hibba shook her head as she tore into the bag, raising her head up in exasperation at the reminder that she didn't think to send Salman a gift, he'd thought to surprise her with something, to make her realize that he was thinking solely of her and she'd done nothing. 

In the bag, a soft pink Quran with a silk pink pouch, an acrylic tasbih in pink as well and an embroidered praying rug sat on the first layer. She held the Qur'an to her chest while trying to sort through her emotions, before taking on the next layer where a little box sat. 

She swallowed before taking out the sage green velvety feeling box, the logo of a popular luxury American jeweler was on it. Chichi screamed, so loud that Hibba thought back to it later that if she wasn't holding Ummi, she would have dropped everything in her hands. 

"Cartier's? And that has to be an engraved bracelet!" Hibba opened it up and it truly was an engraved bracelet. She turned it over to read the words and simply lost it;