Mrs Mahmud, Mrs Mas'ood

34

June, 2022

Mahmud stopped in front of the mirror attached to his dresser. Holding the stare of his reflection, he exhaled very slowly. The man who stared back at him wore black from head to toe; a black turtleneck sweater tucked into black loose jeans. His feet were covered with black socks and he knew he should put on his shoes but was suddenly too lazy to do so. His hair was barely brushing his shoulder and he had no plans of trimming it until he returned to Nigeria. His stubble was as neat as always and it was now a part of him.

Mahmud sighed again. "Here we go..."

There was a soft knock on the door before it was pushed open to reveal Aisha who was casually, yet beautifully, dressed. She smiled as she stepped in, adjusting her veil as she did. "All set, Qalb?"

Mahmud nodded, turning away from the mirror so he could fully face her. "Yep...I thought we agreed you'd stick with Hubb?"

She eyed him. "We reached no such agreement. I told you I'll alternate just to frustrate you and future Mrs Muhammad." Her smile reappeared and her sigh was so lovely. "Oh Allah, I can't wait."

Mahmud nearly laughed. He walked over to the loveseat and made himself comfortable. He then leaned forward to put on his shoes. "Please don't frustrate her, Mama. That reminds me, I haven't spoken to her today."

"She's busy with the wedding preparations so give her time. Call her before take-off though. If you don't, your father and I are going to kill you."

Mahmud raised his head and shot her an amused look. "Mama, you're turning against me."

Aisha happily nodded. "Of course I am. You should get used to it. It's going to be this way forever." She put a hand on her chest and adorably exhaled. "I just have to calm my horses. You two have decided to officially get together when you finish your diploma. We have about five months to go In Shaa Allah." She softly patted her chest. "I can wait. I also can't tell Amal. Oh Allah."

Mahmud rolled his eyes and went back to his shoes. It still felt like a dream to him. Hauwa had called on her last day in Abuja back in May. When she confirmed he had the day off, she asked him to meet her at the 2-D/3-D restaurant in Wuse; Sketch. Once again, they ended up wearing the same outfit and they laughed about it for a straight minute. She easily got him talking and when she told him she had seen Mas'ood that morning, he knew what was coming.

Hauwa took the conversation slow and he was always going to be grateful as it prevented him from dealing with palpitations. When she told him that she had chosen to be him, Mahmud cried and it took him a while to get the tears to stop. She told him why she picked him; a lot of reasons he recounted whenever he felt down because they made him feel so loved. Only he and she knew the reasons she shared and he was willing to keep it that way for the longest time.

She also told him about how calmly Mas'ood had taken it (Mas'ood asked her to talk about it so Mahmud did not bad or guilty) and then she asked for two favours. One, she wanted them to officially get together when he was done with his diploma because she wanted the best for him and she didn't want to be a distraction or a liability (Mahmud tried to argue but knew better when she glared at him). Two, no one – except their parents – could know about them being together. She wanted to break the news to everyone when she was in a much better state and Mahmud understood. He preferred it too.

Aisha snapped her fingers in front of her son's face. "Mahmud Muhammad!"

He snapped out of his head and looked at her. She clicked her tongue and shook her head. "You and your father are not going to kill me."

"It's not my fault. It still feels like a dream."

"Well, it's real." She reached out her hand and pulled him up when he put his hand in hers. "And In Shaa Allah, you two are going to be happy for the rest of your lives." It took sheer willpower to not squeal. "Now, we need to get you to the airport. Germany awaits."