MARRED

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO - MEMORY SWORN LOST

Amanah

"This one will not do. Uh... Maybe this one? No. It's going to be too tight. It will make the other Ummus realize you are pregnant. We have to be careful of evil eyes now."

Mom was rummaging through my closet and all I could do was watch for I was technically bedridden.

"Where is that blue coloured... Ah! This will be perfect. Oya let me go and Iron it."

She walked up to me and raised my chin with her hand, turning it right left in assessment.

"You are pale Amanah." She observed then opened the cooler beside me which contained the Sidratul Maryam concuct that Umm Ahmad had brought for me.

I closed my eyes for what what was to come.

Mom sat at the edge of my bed and started to lament.

"Ah! You haven't taken this since yesterday Amanah. You are supposed to take it, morning, afternoon and evening. What will I do with you? Don't you want a healthy child? My daughter, now you are rolling your eyes at me. You think I am just exerggerating abi. You think..."

"Ah, Fatimah. What is it?" Umm Ahmad asked, walking into the room.

"Your daughter. She wants me dead before my time. She doesn't listen to me at all. Look at that Sidratul Maryam you brought for her. She has not had any."

That was one too many exaggeration. I had the slimy concuct until even the name made me feel like throwing out the contents of my stomach.

"Is that why you want to cry? See, leave these modern children that does only what they want and come and help me in the kitchen. Dr. Salmah, the gynecologist is coming to check up on her. Whatever she says, your daughter will listen." She said, pulling Mom along.

"But..."

"No buts. Come. Are these her clothes? I will handle them. The kitchen is in chaos. We don't know where you kept most things. You have to be there."

Umm Ahmad said dragging my clothes from Mom and pulling her along.

It was a relief. I came out of the bed and shut the door.

Mom was hosting their monthly gathering. Since it was her first time, Umm Ahmad came to help her out. And well, wherever Umm Ahmad went, she went with a cabal. Umm Ramlah and her sisters who in turn had their own cabal.

At the moment, the house was a raging mad house with everyone acting as though there was some kind of celebration going on.

When Dr. Sa'ad had instructed a bed rest for the next two months, Mom had immediately said I should move back into the house.

Umm Ahmad had agreed and had given me an option. Her house, or Mom's.

Ahmad and I had been bullied out of having a say. After much deliberation, we agreed Mom's was the better of the two options.

Umm Ahmad's place was more crowded. What with all her regular guests.

But we both soon realized Mom's was no different. Umm Ahmad and her cabal were always at the house.

Last week, Umm Ahmad brought Sidratul Maryam concucted by Abu Ahmad for the strength of the baby. The slimy water activated my nausea everytime I took it. It wasn't like that initially. In fact, I had loved it the first two times I had it, but now I couldn't stand it.

I glanced at the wall clock one more time. Where was Ahmad when you needed the man? Had Wuse Market always been this far? Just as I dialed his number, I heard his talseem outside my door. He was the only one with the key to my room.