Mrs Mahmud, Mrs Mas'ood

23

Lokoja, Kogi State

The Confluence City buzzed with activities. Mahmud stared out of the car window as his parents traced the hotel where they made reservations – the same hotel where the wedding reception would hold.

He sat in the back, tired to the very core. The journey of two and a half hours had stretched to five because of the numerous checkpoints and the car accidents they had gotten past. All he wanted to do was get to his room, bathe, pray and then call it a night despite it being early.

"Are you sure we're on the right route, love?"

Mahmud turned his head at his mother's question. She had been using pet names for a while now and it had been catching them all off guard. They did not stop her though. It filled their hearts with warmth.

Muhammad gave a side look. "Do you doubt me right now, Aisha? We have my skills and we also have this Google map. We're almost there, just hold on."

She made a face and looked the other way. "Let's see how your skills come into play when we get lost."

Muhammad smiled and made a right turn following the directive of the Google map narrator. "I love you."

Mahmud rolled his eyes while Aisha tried hard not to smile.

"There are still single people in this vehicle, Mama and Baba. Dan Allah have mercy on me."

Aisha turned in her seat to get a good look at him. "I'm taking it that you're never going to tell Hauwa how you feel, right?"

Mahmud nodded. "I guess so. It's hard to get a hold of her these days and I think she and Mas'ood are doing perfectly fine even though no one's talking about it. I'm not going to step in and complicate things. I'll just cheer from the side-lines."

Muhammad stole a glance through the rear-view mirror. "And we can trust you to be fine?"

Mahmud nodded again, his smile small. "In Shaa Allah you can. It still hurts when I occasionally think about it but I'll eventually move on. Baby steps."

Aisha smiled at him. "May Allah make it easy."

Mahmud's smile widened. "Ameen. Now, please let's get to the hotel. I just want to sleep,"

As in on cue, the Google narrator announced that they had arrived. Muhammad smiled proudly when he spotted the hotel in front of them. He turned his head to look at his wife. "We didn't get lost, Aisha."

She hissed. "Just drive in, Muhammad, and get that smile off your face."

Mahmud shook his head fondly and mentally made a reminder to call Amal who was in Cape Verde for work; the last trip she would make as an ECOWAS staff. She had resigned due to a recent incident with a fellow colleague and Mahmud tried not to think much about it because it drove him towards committing murder.

Reverton Hotel did not seem as luxurious as a lot of hotels in Abuja but it was just as good. The receptionists were friendly and Mahmud smiled politely when he and his parents ran into a lot of family members who were also staying in the hotel. The groom, Siddeen, was there too. He already knew Amal wasn't going to make it and he was more than happy to see Mahmud.

Aisha laughed. "He was looking for every reason to avoid this wedding, Sid. Don't let his smile fool you."

Mahmud's cheeks burned. "Mama, please..."

They all laughed. Aisha then asked about the bride and the smile on Siddeen's face made Mahmud a bit sad. For the first time, he found himself wondering if he'd get to smile that way in the nearest future or if it'd take a long time to do so.