Mrs Mahmud, Mrs Mas'ood

15

Kano, Nigeria

It had to be the longest day of Hauwa's life. Between leaving Edo for Kano first thing in the morning to watching Hanan being welcomed officially into the Dantata family and then to the Yinin Biki held at a nearby event centre, there was barely time to sit and breathe.

The northern traditional event was colourful and enjoyable with enough food and drinks to go round more than once. Present at the event was Zayd's uncle and the richest man in Africa – Aliko Dangote. Hauwa got a chance to speak with him and she knew she wasn't going to forget the moment any time soon. She saw Mas'ood most of the day. He stayed beside his brother and his gaze met hers a number of times but that was it. They did not get a chance to speak and it was totally understandable.

Mahmud was someone she had not seen. He was absent during the Kai Amarya like he said. Now that the Yinin Biki was halfway gone, she still couldn't find him. She did her best to look around the hall twice; still she found no trace of him.

Her lower abdomen began cramping during one of the dance performances by the hired traditional groups. She tried to ignore it by breathing in and out but to avail. With a soft swallow, she turned to Hussayna who sat beside her. "I think I'm going to step outside for a minute."

Hussayna, the lovely soul, immediately worried. "Are you okay?"

Hauwa nodded. She pushed her chair back as quietly as she could. "I am. I just need some air." She stood. "I'll be right back."

She found her way out of the hall through one of the side doors and gratefully sucked in a lungful of the natural air. She wore a boubou sewn out of the indigo blue batik material reserved for the bridesmaids. Her hair was covered with a matching shade of aso-oke that had been tied quite nicely. She had not had time to get make-up done before they left the house so her face was just dusted with brown powder and a light coating of gloss on her lips.

She regretted her decision to wear heels on her way to a gazebo at the back. Each step seemed to worsen her cramps and it was tempting to remove the shoes so she could walk barefoot. She ascended the four steps leading into the gazebo and came to a stop when she saw who already sat in it.

Mahmud was dressed in grey-green. Hauwa told herself he was probably the only one who could make that shade of green look amazing. She smiled. "Found you."

He smiled back with an obvious hint of amusement. "You were looking for me?"

She nodded and proceeded to sit on the opposite chair so they faced each other. She removed her shoes then. "I was. I know you said you weren't coming to the Kai Amarya so I assumed you'd be in there with the other groomsmen." She brought her line of sight back to his face, straightening in her seat. "I guess I should have known a little better."

He had his arms folded across his chest, his cap on the chair beside him. "It's loud in there. I'm probably the only one who felt unable to breathe. It's not that it's hot or anything."

"It's not just your thing."

Mahmud nodded. "Exactly." He unfolded his arms. "Why are you outside though? Did you feel suffocated too?"

She shook her head with a sigh. "My uterus wants to kill me. I've been alright since yesterday morning so I have no idea why it decided to be annoying right now."

"I'm sorry."

She gave him a small smile. "It's fine. It'll pass, I guess."

"Do painkillers help?"

She nodded. "Yeah, they do. The unfortunate part is that I left them in the guest room at the house. It's right in the side of my travel bag. I didn't think I'd need it tonight so I left it back there." She sighed again. "I should really trust my instinct sometimes."