Mrs Ahmed Shehu

35

SURAIYA

Ahmed returns home from work later in the day with Mama. I'm more than happy to rush into her embrace and have her hold me warmly and tightly. Today has been a lot and I've received messages from my extended family members who called Ahmed ungrateful and egotistic.

Yasmina was the one who got the full details and told me Ahmed called Mum earlier, asking her to stop hounding on me. She, alongside our other siblings, is grateful it happened and I would be lying if I said I'm not grateful too. I just hope she – Mum – actually listens this time. I'm really exhausted.

Mama cups my face with both her hands when we pull back and she smiles at me warmly. "Allah sarki, Suraiya. Your hormones are acting up already. Don't cry."

I laugh tearily before I sniffle. "I won't. Welcome, Mama. I'm so glad you're here."

"I'm even more glad I'm here." She pats my cheeks. "Don't worry, we'll have lots of fun and I'll take care of you more than this son of mine ever will. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Now, where are those my –"

The kids come running to their grandmother and she steps away from me with a laugh to attend to them. I step forward and hug Ahmed, glad and grateful that I have him. He wraps his arms around me and habitually kisses my hair. "You good, Suraiya?"

I nod against his chest. "I am." I pull back a little to look at him. I manage a small smile. "Thank you, Ahmed. I heard you spoke to Mum."

"I had to. She needs to stop."

"I hope she listens this time."

He sighs. "I hope so too...Come on, let's head up. Let's get Mama settled in first."

I nod and allow him lead the way. Much later, after we've eaten dinner and Mama happily watches a short movie with the kids, Dad calls. I'm a little apprehensive that he'll talk about what happened with Mum this morning but surprisingly, he doesn't mention it. He only tells me that Hamoud's wedding date has been fixed and that it'll be nice if Ahmed and I confirmed our attendance soon so they could sort out accommodation and logistics. It's a basic phone call but I love it. I tear up when he softly asks "Tu vas bien (Are you doing well), Suraiya?"

I nod with a small sniffle. "Je le fais bien (I'm doing great), Dad. I hope you're doing good too."

"I am." He then clears his throat. "I have some things to attend to. I should hear from you soon."

"Of course. Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight."

~*~

Minutes turn into hours and hours turn into days. Having Mama around is the greatest blessing, especially when the fatigue gets worse and Ahmed has to leave for his trips; going from one country to the other.

Thankfully, Mum lets me breathe. The only times we talk are when she has a message to convey or when she has to remind me that Ahmed and I haven't confirmed or declined our invitation. Those times, she lets one backhanded comment or the other slip. I ignore them though and it gets better to keep ignoring them as time goes on.

My siblings, especially Tafeeda, are excited about the pregnancy. Hamoud even cried and each time he comes on our group to talk, he goes on and on about how his niece or nephew would be loved in the best way possible. They understand why I don't want to tell Mum and when they ask if I'll tell Dad, I tell them I'll think about it. And honestly, I will think about it.

The kids are excited about us getting a new house and when Zayd comes around to ask what kind of house I would like (Ahmed told him I'll be making the decisions), I tell him the honest truth; a house with space (particularly the kitchen), a cosy interior, and a backyard that's big enough to take a swing and a garden table set that'll seat all of us. I also tell him it has to be in Asokoro and like Ahmed, he jokes about us being neighbours again. Although we laugh about it, I hope it happens. The Dantatas are the best neighbours and having them close would also be nice for the kids. They'll play and grow together. It can't get better than that.