Mrs Ahmed Shehu

28

AHMED

Suraiya and I shop for most things together and then I'm forced to wait in the car while she shops at a female store that focuses on swimwear and everything intimacy-related. It takes a lot of strength and self-discipline to not dwell on the images that pop up in my head.

Wanting to focus on something else while I wait, I think about how the past three days have been. I was so sure that having Suraiya in my house before we got married was enough for me. I'm realising now that it wasn't. Being married to her is even better; knowing I can hold her hand and be clingy as much as I want, knowing I can spoil her rotten and hang out with her whenever I want even when I don't have a reason, knowing the walls that have been between us this past year will come down one after the other, and then knowing that when I wake up on most mornings, she'll be right there. Just like this morning.

A part of me was sad when she said she wanted us to sleep in different rooms last night but I told myself that all of this is a lot so we'd have to ease into it. I couldn't sleep and I was already on my way to check in on her when she knocked on my door. Was I happy? I was over the moon. She was nervous at first but she eased out the more we talked and eventually, we moved to the bed and laid facing each other, our voices lower and softer and our conversations as crazy as they can be.

Suraiya in pyjamas is the manifestation of a beautiful dream I didn't even know I'd had and having her there in my bed felt perfect. I learned new things about her too, things I'm not sharing with anyone else but myself. We slept with little space between us and I woke up first to us being a tangled mess. She's even more beautiful when she sleeps and although I told her I woke up minutes before she did, I spent an entire hour admiring the blessing she is and taking everything in.

I'm going to make the most of our honeymoon and by the time we return, I hope she moves into my room quickly. I meant what I said; I'll wait until she's ready to get intimate with me. So far, I'm seeing that it might not be the easiest journey but I have no doubt it'll be worth it. Everything related to Suraiya is always going to be worth it.

I turn my head and sit up straight when she steps out of the store, bags in hand. I'm more than curious to know what she bought but I know she won't tell me now. I'll see them in due time. She opens the back door, adds the bags to the ones already there and then she gets into the passenger seat.

She smiles at me and like every smile she's given me today, my heart gladly takes it. "I didn't stay too long, right?"

I shake my head. "No, you didn't. Did you get everything you wanted?"

She nods, looking away and I catch the rosiness of her cheeks. "Yeah, I did. I got some more too." She clears her throat and turns back to me. Her cheeks are still rosy and it's hard to fight my smile. "We just need to get the remaining things and then we'll head to the clinic."

Glad I left the engine running while she stayed inside the store, I put the car in reverse. "You hungry?"

"A little."

"Let's grab something before we get what's left."

"Sure."

We get sandwiches and fruit juices which we eat in the car. We then get what's left; sunhats, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellents, beach friendly sandals and flip flops, toiletry bags for our boxes, a Maldivian friendly adapter, recommended medication and a medical kit, and a beach bag. Suraiya asks if we can get a kindle tablet because she'll like to read and unable to say no, I take her to where we can get one. We end up getting two; a black backed one for me and plum backed one for her.

Her excitement makes the purchase worth it and then we're on our way to a clinic close to home. In Shaa Allah we'll deal with setting up health insurance for her when we come back since she'll be based in Nigeria now with me and the kids. For now she'll use mine.