Mrs Mahmud, Mrs Mas'ood

35

Asaba, Delta State

Kaycee was a jittery bride and it surprised every single of them. She always mocked the jittery brides she had met in her life, having no idea she was going to be worse than all of them combined. With the move to Dubai added to mix, she was emotionally unstable.

Hauwa, Tobė, her parents and her sisters were her anchors alongside Afe. They kept her away from people and things that triggered breakdowns and when inevitable, they did their best to make her feel better. A bridal shower – courtesy of her sisters and friends (particularly Hauwa) – was held in her honour on Friday June 24th, right after the colourful traditional wedding.

Kaycee cried a lot and Hauwa did too. In the weeks they had spent in Asaba, both women stayed close to each other, valuing each moment while mentally counting down to the day they'll have to go separate ways. It wasn't so far off anymore.

That night, both of them lay facing each other. Kaycee gave Hauwa a small smile. "I can finally say thank you."

Hauwa smiled back. "I thought you'd want to keep postponing our goodbye until the ceremonies are over."

"It'll be a crazy aftermath. You know that, Hauwa."

Hauwa nodded. "I do." She laughed lightly when she teared up. "We've cried so much today, why am I still so emotional?"

Kaycee teared up too. "We have a lot of more tears to shed." She then chuckled. "Remind me never to mock any bride. This payback was painful."

"You couldn't help it. I have a feeling that if you didn't have to leave for Dubai, it won't be as bad as this."

"Everyone's acting as though I won't come back."

Hauwa's smile did not waver. "Obviously, we know you'll come back to visit but it's not going to be as much as you normally would if you and Afe stayed in Nigeria. It won't be the same, Kaycee. You know that."

Kaycee said nothing a minute. She then sniffled and her hand found Hauwa's. "So, here's what I have wanting to tell you."

"I'm listening."

Kaycee slowly exhaled. "I'm glad we ran into ourselves that day in 2017. Thank you for being selfless, Hauwa. A lot of people saw me and walked past but you didn't and I'll always be grateful for that."

Hauwa could not try to push back her tears. "Kaycee..."

"Thank you for sticking with me since then. Thank you for never complaining and for your patience. Thank you for fighting for me too, you did that a lot."

Hauwa sniffled. "Of course I had to. You were the best thing that happened to me and there was no way I was going to let you go."

"But I'm the one leaving now."

Hauwa used her other hand to clean her tears. "It's for the best, Kaycee. It's for a better life. A life with the man you love and with the kids you two will have."

"You're the best thing that happened to me."

Hauwa laughed. "Afe will kill both of us if he heard us. He's also –"

"Afe is an important part of my life, Hauwa, and so are you. You're always going to be important to me, with or without him. I wouldn't have made it this far without you so I'm always going to put you on this pedestal that a lot of people will never be able to reach."

Hauwa cried silently. "You– You're so sweet."

Kaycee was crying too. "You're sweeter...Thank you for every minute we've spent together. I know I've been a handful but you tolerated it well and I'll always be grateful."