Mrs Mahmud, Mrs Mas'ood

45

Mahmud flipped the page over, still very much in disbelief and it made her laugh. He nodded out of habit. "Five kids...Future Mrs Muhammad wants five kids."

Hauwa scratched away the itch by her ear, a wide and content smile on her face. "You'll be fine. Wanting five kids doesn't necessarily mean we'll have all five."

Mahmud raised his head. "And if we do?"

"Then that's what Allah wants for us two. Let's move on, Dr Muhammad. We still have some areas to cover since we are determined to finish this tonight."

It was past midnight but the house was still very much alive. Muhammad and Aisha were having a movie marathon down in the living room while Mahmud and Hauwa were up in the family lounge, munching on snacks Aisha had prepared as they went through their marriage journals.

They had covered more than half so there wasn't so much left. They discussed individual and family information (age, name, parents, siblings and every basic thing one would need to know), Religion (sects, Qur'an and Tajweed, scholars they followed and listened to, books they read, level of knowledge of the Deen and everything else), lifestyle (likes, dislikes, limitations and day to day activities) and relationships (past and current, finances, deal breakers, views on polygyny, expectations of the other partner, contributions to the relationship and so on).

They had skipped the Marriage and Intimacy section to the Family section because Mahmud had questions and Hauwa was glad to provide answers. So far, they were on the same page. The only thing they couldn't quite agree on was the number of kids they wanted. She wanted five and he was fine with just one.

She picked up a spring roll and bit into it. She spoke when she had swallowed.

"This marriage section wasn't so hard. I had answers to most of the questions. We already said we'll be getting married by September In Shaa Allah so the first question is out. The second question..." She nearly cooed. "Qalb, the description of the wedding you want is so beautiful."

"Yours is also beautiful."

She stuffed the remaining spring roll in her mouth and wiped her hand with a serviette. She then shook her head. "Yours is prettier."

Mahmud knew better (the hours they had spent in that lounge taught him well) than to argue with her. He wanted an intimate wedding with only family and close friends in attendance; just a Daurin Aure/Walimah and then lunch or dinner; far away from prying eyes and jealous spectators. Hauwa's wedding description was similar to his but she had more guests in mind and a larger lunch/dinner.

"We can go with yours." She told him. "But it won't be in Benin. Daddy said the house in Auchi will be complete by Eid. The compound is really, really big and there's more than enough space for a tent that'll take all of us. We'll have flowers and one long table and –" She stopped and blush crept up her cheeks. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Mahmud shook his head, still staring at her with so many emotions balled into one. "Nothing. I just like looking at you and I like the fact that you're smiling now. The last forty-eight hours have been a lot so this is a good aftermath."

Her face fell and she turned back to the open journal on her laps. "Well, everything worked out well, Alhamdulillah. I also learned that I'm never going to be a burden to anyone so I have to speak out when something's happening," She raised her head and smiled. "Especially to you. Like we always say, we're a team now."

His smile matched hers. "Exactly. We'll be fine."

"We will be. Let's carry on."

The next questions were already answered as they now had their own home and they were going to live alone. They did not have jobs in different cities and Hauwa tried to not think about the fact that she was officially unemployed. Mahmud knew where her line of thoughts went but he said nothing and he could see how grateful she was. When they finished with that section, they moved to intimacy.