Her Little Secret (Prime)

T W E L V E

HALEEMAH

"I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains."
-Anne frank

I MAY not think of all the miseries I've been through, but there weren't many beauty that remains. I had offered my early morning obligatory prayers at few minutes past five and had sent a lot of praises to the lord of mankind.

There may not be too many beauty that remains but I'm grateful for the gift of life. I've made a lot of supplication to forget the agony of what I've been through and even though I didn't forget completely, it became my strength.

I busied myself in my room trying to keep things away in hopes that I might be able to minimize the dust I'll have to deal with when I'm back. Mornings were my thing except if it had to do with end of the month gatherings in courtesy of Hajiya Babba.

That is something else. So it wasn't surprising that immediately after Subh, I was up and about hoping to be done by 6:00am. I'll have to leave early if I want to have ample time to myself at the airport. Sitting briefly to wait for the time to board is a habit I've come to love over the years. It gives me some time to spend alone with purpose.

I could do that well enough on the plane too, but I'll rather use the time for something else. The presence of someone beside me does not quite count as an alone time. I'm usually aware of my surrounding.

And now involuntarily, my thoughts went to a certain someone who took it upon himself to write the details of my flight days ago. I would normally be weird out by that and may even worry about my safety but surprisingly it didn't seem to bother me.

Maybe I look forward to what use he'll make of the details.

A message chimed on my phone and in as much as I thought it could be MTN (the service providers), I still checked.

You should make some time to see your father before you leave. –Mum

I sighed realizing there was no more reaching the airport earlier like I have planned. Deciding I don't want to waste more time in the room, I started to get dressed. At 6:00am I was holding a Nuban beauty serum to complete my morning skincare routine and ten minutes later I am dragging my suitcase to leave my room.

"Haleematu-s-sa'adiyya!" I recognised the voice and even if I didn't, there was only one person who calls my name like that. And that is Hajja.

So when I turned back and saw her spotting a huge smile on her face reaching out to have me in her embrace, I let her. But right behind her were my father's four wives. If Hajja's early morning trip was not a concern, I was sure the assembly of the four women of the house is not a joke. Add Hajja to make it five.

When the door I was trying to lock was pushed open, I let the door frame slip from my grasp. And next, I was being made to sit in the room while the women made themselves comfortable regardless of the state of the room.

"Toh, Haleemah," Hajja started. "kaddarar mutum dai bata wuce shi. We all know what you went through with Nadeer which is quite unfortunate. Your pain is quite obvious even if we don't know what exactly transpired in between you. But the retribution is between him and His lord."

I shut my eyes tight as the pain of betrayal shut through me again all the while wondering why I have to sit through the agony of the same issue again. Hajja has never put me in this spot ever since it happened.

She kept talking reassuring me of her support and strength and I just sat down with my head bowed, hoping to get through it in peace. I'm already falling in the realm of self-doubt and I recognise the doom that it usually lays every single time.

I felt a hand behind my back and when I raised my head up, Sarah smiled down at me and held my hands. It felt gratifying to feel belonged again because at that moment, her comfort was something I didn't know I needed. We might've fall out but we were still friends nevertheless.

"It is with pride that I suggested the union in between you and Mujahid to Alhaji and that is because I've seen enough about you both to trust you with each other. You are both dear to me and if there's anyone that knows both of you enough to say anything about compatibility, I'm sure it's me. And in Allah's power and miracle, Alhaji thought why not just tie the knot and have you guys work towards the relationship after. And so he did."

I looked at Hajja in confusion and wondered if what I heard meant what I thought it means. I found my eyes straying to Hajiya Babba and finally to my mum. I was sure none of these two women will let this happen to me, they understand my pain. Or so I thought.

Hajiya Babba will fight to the moon and back for every child in this household and my mother may be a quiet one but there's no way this is happening to her only daughter in her face. I cannot get married, they all know. Heck, it is impossible.

"How!" I cried. But I was sure no one heard because I didn't hear the voice myself.

"Haleemah, You've been tied in marriage to Mujahid, my grandson."

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My dearies 💕
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