A BOND OF FATE

Chapter27

Where do you think you're going, dressed up like that?" Ummi asked, her voice stern. "You're a married woman now, Jalila. You can't just go out without your husband's permission. Go change those clothes and stay home. Angle has cursed any woman who disobeys her husband's wishes."

"Ummi, innalillahi..."I'm not going out with anyone else, I'm going out with you. And I want to see the baby too, please, Ummi. Just this once?"

"Ask your husband first," she exclaimed, walking back to her room.

I sighed, frustrated. Aunty Bilkisu has given birth and she's at home, and Ummi is  visiting her. Both of them were telling me that I can't go out without my husband's permission. And to make matters worse, Ameer has set his phone to block incoming calls from my number, right in front of me that day. allowing him to call me but not the other way around,I can only send him a text messages. I felt trapped and suffocated by their rules and restrictions. Why did I need permission to visit my own aunt and see my new niece? Why is  my husband's permission more important?

"I slipped into my  atamfa gown, tied my headtie in a stylish knot, and donned my matching chantilly veil  I grabbed my phone and sent him a  text: "Going out with Ummi, bye!" I didn't bother waiting for his response, I mean, let's be real, I already know he'd try to ruin my day with a big fat "NO".

"I strutted towards my shoe shelves, Ameer's family have come yesterday with the kayan lefe 24 boxes of clothes, to be exact! I mean, I know i  want dresses  but seriously, 24 boxes?! That's like, a whole new wardrobe...or a small clothing store! I rolled my eyes, grabbed my favorite shoes, and headed out the door.

Ummi emerged from her room, a stern expression on her face. "Jalila, didn't I tell you..

I cut her off  'I already called him, guess what he said? "You're going out with our mother, why would you even ask me?"' Ummi 'Your in-law is so nice. I said with a laugh, trying to dodge the lecture. But my laughter is  short lived, my phone rang immediately after. I know it's him. Ummi gave me a stern look, 'Pick up the call!' she exclaimed.

I reluctantly answered, putting on a fake smile. 'Assalamu alaikum!' I mumbled , only to quickly cut him off. 'Insha Allah, I'll take care, don't worry. I'll extend your greetings to them.' I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my annoyance from Ummi.

"His  voice boomed from the other end of the line, 'You're not going anywhere, will you stay and listen?'

I rolled my eyes, 'Ha! Ummi is here, I'll hand her the phone se ka mata barka ' I exclaimed, thrusting the phone into Ummi's hands.

Ummi, yana so ya maki barka !' I smile sweetly after few minutes of conversation we finally headed out of the house and arrived at mamah's  house. These veils of yours are too small to be going out now!'Ummi exclaimed,As we made our way to the entrance.

"'Insha Allah, I'll change them!' I exclaimed, responding to her  my attention quickly shifted as soon as we entered the parlor and I spotted the baby in Aunty Bilkisu's arms. 'Oh my baby!' I cooed, rushing over to scoop up the little bundle of joy. I showered the baby with kisses.looking at him. Wanan dai hanci dagin baban shi ya dauko I settled down greeting mamah's mother and aunty bilkisu.

"Amarya, you're next in line for motherhood!" Aunty Bilkisu exclaimed, let's hope your baby doesn't take after their father's family, ahaha!"

sometimes I even forgot that I'm married wallahi and aunty bilkisu my husband's family has good genes, long nose and all!" I snapped a photo of the baby and posted it on Snapchat, earning a few laughs from the room.

Mara kunya, you'll understand when we  take you to your husband's house and you won't be seeing us for months on end.Mamah's mother exclaim.

I handed the baby to Ummi and headed to Mamah's room, laughing, "Mama, no, nothing like that will happen, Insha Allah!"

"Kaga Matar Ameer, you'll soon leave this Kaduna, oo !" Mamah  exclaimed.

I shake my head in disbelief. "Is this the welcome I get? Abi, just because I'm leaving Kaduna doesn't mean I'm abandoning it forever! I'll be back. I settled in the bed

"Come, come, come! Check, check, check! Your clothes, the henna artist, the guest list  everything's set! You're going to Ameer's house, Jalila, whether you like it or not!" Mamah exclaimed, thrusting her iPad into my hands.

I throw my head back on the pillow, exasperated. "Did you just sit there and make all this up? Please, for the love of all things simple, can we just keep the guest list small? Five friends, max. I don't want a big fuss, okay?

She raised an eyebrow, grinning. "Five friends? You want a wedding, not a girls day out!

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. "This is a nightmare. I'm going to have to hide in a closet on my own wedding day just to escape the chaos."my life has changed in such a short time. If someone has told me a few months ago that I'd be considering marriage to Ameer, I would have laughed in their face. But now, here I am , contemplating a future with the very person I have once thought is  the most annoying man alive.

Mamah clapped her hands together. "Isn't this beautiful? You and Ameer met just a few months ago, and boom! You're now married. It's like a fairy tale romance!"

Fairy tale romance" isn't exactly how I'd describe our situation. More like a "fairy tale disaster Ameer and I barely know each other, We've only had a few conversations, and most of those were arguments!" I'm pretty sure Cinderella and Prince Charming have better communication skills than we do.

Details, details! You'll learn to love each other. She waved her hand dismissively. And dramatically climbed down from the bed, her hands on her waist, her eyes squinting at me. "Jalila, wait. Do you know something? If you continue acting rude and sharp-tongued towards Ameer, his family won't love you. Let's not make this marriage one where his family doesn't like you. I have a solution to that. You'll start by calling Ameer daily, asking about his family more importantly, his mother.you will show interest in their lives, and they'll love you for it."

Does this even make sense?You expect me to call Ameer daily? the man has block my number from calling him right infront of me I can only send him text messages. that's insane.

She sighed, shaking her head. "Jalila, Jalila, Jalila. You're so stubborn.But  don't come crying to me when his family doesn't welcome you with open arms. You're playing with fire. They expect respect, and they expect it now. You're not in America.where you can just do whatever you want.this is Nigeria. This is a different culture, different rules. You need to learn to play by them if you want to survive.

I crossed my arms. "I'm not afraid of his family, don't expect me to be the one to make all the concessions. That's not how this is going to work

She nod her head I'll get my popcorn ready to watch this drama don't say I didn't warn you.

Hello, beautiful peeps ! I'm dropping by with a quick update since I've already drafted the next chapter but I won't be updating for a while due to exams and some health issues that need my attention.

I need some time to focus on studying and taking care of myself.

Thank you for your understanding. Please keep voting, commenting, and also sharing

Bear with me,🤝🏽 see you all soon!

Loads of love 💕
Ummeetarh05