Our Fates: Book III of the Fate Trilogy

Nineteen: Noor's girlfriend, I think

Meena Lawal

I hear a knock on the door but it sounds far away. Maybe it’s fake. But I hear it again. I hiss and continue my sleep.

“Amina!” A female voice calls. It reminds me of the time Bushra came to wake me up. But she won’t dare call me Amina. So who’s this?

Someone moves beside me, then hisses. There’s a click, then, “Ya Allah!”

I open one eye, “what now?”

Badr turns to me, “6 o’clock o!”

I hiss, “As per 6pm or what? It was not long when we slept na.”

“As per 6am, we’re late for Subhi.”

I sit up, eyes completely open and wide. This has never happened before. Quickly, I get off the bed and run into the bathroom. Once I’m done, I come out, ignoring Badr’s  glare. Why didn’t he go since?

Later, I have finished preparing boiled yam and egg sauce for breakfast. Ummu Badr comes out of her room. I go and meet her. “Assalamu alaykum, ma.” I bend slightly.

Wa alaykum salam. I thought you people will not wake up today. Is this how you do all the time?” She glared at me.

“Ah, no, ma. Last night was the first. I’m usually an early riser.”

Badr joins us, wearing a white kaftan and a matching skull cap with a black laptop bag in his hand. He greets his mother and she replies. “I see some things haven’t changed.” She says. Badr sighs, and I recognize it. He doesn’t have her time today.

“Won’t you have breakfast first?” I ask him.

He shakes his head, “Have a meeting by 8.” As he opens the door, we see aunty Iftar, gloved knuckle mid-air. Badr greets her, and from the sound of his voice, I know he’s smiling.

“Oh, I even forgot.” He says, turning to his mother. The wedding is today, right? He dips his hand into his trouser pocket and brings out a wad of cash. He hands them to her, “for transport.”

Ummu Badr shakes her head, “I spent seven years praying for a male child to ease my burden. But look at the child God gave me.” She points at him.

I gasp. Aunty Iftar just stares at her sister.

Badr swallows. “I’m sorry. We woke up late and I had to prep-“

“I don’t want your useless excuses.” She bellows. “All you do is the bare minimum, but still, you can’t do it right. I came to your house, but you acted as if I wasn’t important. Your wife sat down with me while you were inside, sleeping.” She leans forward, “You claimed that you were cooking for me but you abandoned it till it got burnt.” She turns to aunty Iftar. “Is this the training he got from the school you sent him to?”

“Maami, that’s enough!” Badr says, halting her. Face crumpled, he takes a deep breath, “What do you want from me? You said I should move back to Nigeria. I did. You said I shouldn’t pursue a teaching career, I obeyed and studied Architecture. You said I should break up with my girlfriend because she wasn’t Yoruba, I obeyed and married the girl you wanted.” He points at me. I stumble back in shock.

He opened his arms. “I’ve begged and begged for your forgiveness. Why can’t you just accept me and let’s move on?”

“Did you accept us?” Ummu Badr counters. “When I came for you, did you accept me? Didn’t you look down on everything I did for you? Didn’t you choose her over me?” She points at aunty Iftar.

“But you abandoned me first!” He shouts, tears running down his face.

I watch them in shock. Whatever the problem was, I’m not prepared at all.

“Stop it!” Aunty Iftar says, her voice slightly higher than usual, but still calm. “Maimuna, that’s enough.” She turns to Badr, “Go to work. I’ll take care of her transport.” She turns back to her elder sister, “He’s not your enemy, I am. So take it all out on me.”

Badr nods and sniffs, and without looking at me, he leaves.

“Don’t even try making me look like the bad person here.” Ummu Badr says, standing before her sister towering over her.

“I wouldn’t dare.” Aunty Iftar calmly says, then moves into the room. She sees the money Badr left on the chair. Picking it, she gives it to me. “For your transport. Tell Mardiyya to reschedule all my activities to 12pm.”

I nod, glance at Ummu Badr, then go to the dining table to get my veil and bag, but not before putting my food in a flask. I can’t work on an empty stomach. I also can’t think, and with all that has just happened, I feel I should get to the bottom of it. There’s so much to learn about my in-laws, and I’m determined to find out every single last detail.

As I step out of the house, my phone rings in from my zipped palazzo trouser pocket. Maybe it’s Badr. But as I see the name, my eyes widen. It’s Uyoon. Noor’s girlfriend, I think.