The Wedding

Chapter 12

Wednesday

17 days to the wedding

*"O-yoyo!"

*childish slang, means welcome.

Laila's conversation with Mukhtar is ended as they both hear their elderly maid, who felt more like a grandaunt say the childish slang. Laila ran to the kitchen where the words came from to engulf her sister in a bear hug. Ya Zainab laughed as she tried to not fall back due to the force.

"Welcome!" Laila grinned, stepping back to see her, "How was your trip?"

"It was fi-" Ya Zainab stopped as her eyes landed on Mukhtar who had come in behind Laila. She pulled her younger brother into a hug which they hardly ever share. "I'm so sorry Mukhtar" Ya Zainab speaks over his shoulder. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here earlier for Uncle Hassan, work was..." she shook her head "Alhamdulillah he's alright"

Laila understood her sister's guilt. It didn't matter that they had communicated on the phone every second since the day of the accident till yesterday. Being physically there for your family was different. They separate and Mukhtar assures his sister that it was okay and he understood. They smile at each other and Laila is about to speak when she notices a small girl, standing awkwardly at the doorway, looking at their kitchen. Ya Zainab saw where her sister's attention wandered to and she looks behind her. She waves the little girl over to her.

"This is Maryam" she says as she picks the child placing her on her hip. "Maryam, these are my brother and sister"

Mukhtar and Laila both ask nothing about the girl just simply smile and Laila waves at her. They are joined in the kitchen by their mother and Ya Halima. Laila takes the girl off her sister and carries her while Ya Zainab reunites with the two that had joined. Once they finish exchanging pleasantries Ya Halima looks at Laila, "Who's this?"

"Her name is Maryam" Laila smiles at the girl.

"Ya Allah, whose child did you abduct now?" Ya Halima sighed praying her sister hadn't just picked the child from the streets. Their mother shared the same worry

Mukhtar chuckled at how fast everyone was already accusing Laila. Ya Zainab summoned the younger maid who was in the kitchen, "Maryam asked to use the bathroom minutes ago. Please take her" once the duo had left Ya Zainab provided the explanation everyone was waiting for. "Her parents are out of the country, she was left in the care of her uncle and the maid. His maid left abruptly and he has work to attend to here in Abuja so she'll be staying with me for a while" she explained "He can't just leave her in a hotel room"

"So a colleague just handed his niece over to you?" Ya Halima voiced her confusion

"No..." Ya Zainab shrunk under the scrutiny. "We're not colleagues. I just know him"

It was their mother's turn to ask now, "Then how do you know him? And didn't he have any other family she could stay with?"

Ya Zainab's voice reduced a low level, "We're friends and he didn't mean to dump her on me, I offered. I didn't think it was a big deal"

Laila's mother had begun grinning the minute she heard 'friends' and her eyes met with Laila's and Laila could hear her mother mentally say 'My prayers have been answered'.

"I guess it's-bring-your-boyfriend's-sister-or-niece-home week" Ya Halima smiled referring to Rahma that had been dropped off earlier and now Maryam.

"We're just friends" Ya Zainab insisted weakly.

"It's fine" their mother said. "It'll be nice to have a child around here for once. Like having my own grandchild"

They talked, about Uncle Hassan's health, Laila's upcoming wedding and everything in general. And through the corner of her eyes, Laila saw Ya Halima slip out of the room. No one except Laila had noticed the U-turn her mood had taken on the mention of the word grandchild. Laila had had enough. Something was definitely up with her sister. Uncle Hassan was better now so she was allowed to worry about other things, one of which is why her married sister has refused to return to her matrimonial home. Their parents were too busy in their own upcoming divorce bubble to notice something wrong with their daughter. And Laila made up her mind to find out what.