MARRED

CHAPTER SIX - A PEEK THROUGH THE OPENING

Ahmad.

Mom looked from me to Dad speechlessly and Dad just went through the newspaper.

"Yusuf say something!" She probed dad.

"Something." Dad said as he continued to flip through the day's newspaper, looking for a headline worth reading.

"Yusuf!" Mom exclaimed. Summayyah's eyes glowed with constrained laughter. She was clearly failing at holding it back. She was seated at the visitor's chat area working on her computer.

Mom sent her dagger glares and she quickly looked back to concentrate on her work.

"Something?" Mom exclaimed again turning to Dad. With the way she was raising her voice, it was a good thing all the buildings in Dad's estate were sound proofed.

"Something?" She repeated. "Your son just announced that he is getting married to some girl we cannot even identify her background and all you can say is Something?"

My heart pulled at hearing Amanah being referred to as "Some girl." by Mom. But I left Dad to deal with his wife for now. Ask expected, the man rise to the challenge.

"Uh uh. First, her name, I have heard, is Amanah. Secondly, She is our tribe and lives in Kaduna with her adoptive family - that, is hardly, unidentifiable to me. And thirdly, you asked me to 'say something'." Dad concluded, adjusting the frame of his glasses without looking away from the paper in his hand.

He was seated sideways with his back against the arm of the chair. He raised his nose in the air. That stubborn poise that meant he was not going to give in, but dared not to look Mom in the eyes for fear that his resolve might break. But he continued.

"And to think your son is finally ready to settle down. With the way you are trying to bring the roof down, one would think you were not happy for him."

Mom's stupefied expression was unmatched. She opened her mouth to throw a comeback and then shut it again. Mom was expert at this. She knew how to keep the harshest words out of her direct conversations with Dad only to express them all when he was out of sight but could still hear her. She usually said; 'Your dad still reminds me of the days I pretended to be bashful.'

Coming to seat beside her husband and taking the newspaper from him, she said stubbornly. "Do you understand what is happening at all or are you, again, taking your son's side without trying to?" Dad moved to take the remote control from the center table, but Mom beat him to it.

"Now listen to me old man." Mom began. "I am not against Ahmad getting married. You know I have been waiting for him to take a wife. But this woman... this Amanah, we have never met... Is she kind? Religious? Will she take care of Ahmad? And wasn't Ahmad going to marry Faaiza?"

Dad's response was curt. "Ahmad never said he would marry Faisal's daughter."

"Yes. But they have been friends since childhood..."

"Uh uh" Dad said again, sitting up right to face Mom. "First of all, Faaiza is Summayyah's friend. Not Ahmad's. Again, Faisal is our family friend, not just Ahmad's. Since there was never a commitment between them, I do not see why he cannot choose who to marry."

Mom looked like she was reasoning with Dad's logic for a second and then sprung into argument again. "We know her. She is good girl from a good background. She has good Islamic values. Treats us well and is definitely in love with Ahmad." She didn't stop there. "A girl like her, I am sure has had a lot of suitors but rejected them all. Yusuf, what is wrong with you? I thought you liked her." Mom ended soberly. She was going there. That last weapon of hers.

Dad saw it too, and quickly came to his feet. He was going to leave me to handle his wife's last blow.

"I have had enough woman. I like Faaiza, but I respect Ahmad's Choice." Then he picked his phone. "I... I...will be in the private living room. When you are done with your sole speculations, fix a date, let us go and see your future daughter-in-law. If she could pull Ahmad's attention, I am really curious about her."