Beyond

LOVE BITES AND REVELATIONS

Fatimè decided against bringing up the picture on their way to her parent's house. The discussion required a calm and sane atmosphere, so she decided to wait until they got home, especially since they were leaving for Lagos that day. The trip had drained all her energy, from the camera incident to the pregnancy news, and now this picture has left her head feeling fuzzy. She had so many questions she couldn't wait to ask.

"Please don't dwell too much on what happened," her father assured her. "I'm handling it."

Fatimè and Kamal said their goodbyes to everyone, but her mother called her aside at the last minute. "Ajamo?" she asked, lifting Fatimè's chin with her index finger.

Fatimè swallowed nervously and replied, "Yes, Mami, Mijamo."

"Hmm..." Her mother scrutinized her, her gaze filled with knowing. "Take care of yourself and eat properly since you're now eating for two," she added.

Fatimè felt beyond embarrassed. Her mother knew, which meant her father would know, and by tomorrow morning, the news would spread throughout Abuja and Gombe.

There goes her plan to hide for nine months.

---

Lagos, Nigeria,

"Are you alright?" Kamal asked for the hundredth time after they arrived home. He had noticed that she had been acting strange ever since they left his parents' house. Could this be the beginning of hormonal changes?

Fatimè sat on the couch in the living room, staring off into space, pondering the best way to approach the topic. This is a delicate situation, and I need to handle it carefully.

"I found something at your house..."

"Okay?" Kamal waited for her to continue, curiosity etched on his face.

Fatimè produced the picture she had taken without Hafsah's knowledge and handed it to him.

Confusion filled Kamal's face. "Why are you giving me a picture of my cousin and her friends?"

Now it was Fatimè's turn to be confused. "Take a closer look at the picture."

Kamal examined the picture again. "Isn't this your sister?" he asked after a second look. "Did she happen to go to Istanbul University?"

He doesn't recognize Furaira in the picture. How is that possible?

"Yes," Fatimè replied.

Kamal pointed to the girl on Furaira's left. "This one. She's my cousin, Safaraah. She also attended the same university."

Oh, so that's the connection.

"Oh, no wonder," Fatimè said. "I was wondering why my sister's picture was in your family's photo album."

"I've never noticed it before. Safaraah used to spend holidays at our house, so she must have forgotten the picture during one of her visits," Kamal explained.

It's a simple explanation, but why did it bother me so much?

Fatimè nodded. Her sister had a reputation for making many friends, so it wasn't surprising that Furaira had even connected with Kamal's family.

"What a small world," Kamal remarked. "Unrelated, but you and your sister really look alike, Kaman twins."

Fatimè asked, referring to Furaira's picture, "Can I keep this?"

"Of course. Why not?" Kamal replied.

Fatimè looked at the picture again. They did bear a striking resemblance.