Gemini

Chapter 15

Sara and Fadila haven't spoken to each other for since their fight, which Fatima was determined to find out what caused it.

She spoke to Fadila and heard her side and spoke to Sara and heard her own side.
From what she gathered the two of them had completely different things going on and they were taking it out on each other.

"Don't take it personally" Fatima said as she sat with Sara outside.

Sara just huffed and took a puff from her cigarette.

"Why is she so unwelcoming" Sara really wanted her siblings to like her but she wasn't getting anywhere with Fadila.
To be honest she didn't go that far with Halima and Fatima, but their relationships were better than hers with Fadila.

"A long time ago, when our dad died" Fatima began making sure to get Sara's attention.
"Fadila and I had just gotten married, she had just moved to the U.K with Zaid, when this girl came to her house, she claimed to be our father's daughter. A long lost sister" Fatima shook her head and chuckled

"What happened to this girl?" Sara was clearly interested in why her sister was so cold to her.

"Fadila welcomed her into her home. She lived with them for three months, until one day she robbed Fadila and Zaid and left" Sara felt bad "Fadila asked our father's twin sister about this girl and she said our father had never been married to any other woman and he had no children out of wedlock. In fact when Fadila sent her the girl's picture she said she had never seen her before"

"She was a scam artist" Sara hung her head.

"Yes" Fatima answered.

"Fadila reported her to the police and she was captured and deported I think, or she served jail time. I forgot what happened to her really. But I do know that's why Fadila doesn't want to trust you"

"There's no way I could be lying!"

"I believe you, Sara. But Fadila doesn't, at least not yet" she placed a hand on her sister's shoulder "She will though, give her time" Fatima got up to go back inside to escape the smoke.

"No more fighting" she said as she walked through the doors.

Sara thought about what Fatima told her and decided it was time to be the bigger person.

She met Fadila in the living room and sat on a chair near her.

"I'm sorry I've been so difficult" Sara said and in doing so got Fadila's attention. Fadila said nothing and kept on playing her game on her phone.

"I know you don't trust me and I haven't given any reasons to either, but I would like that to change, if we don't do this for us let's do it for mom" Sara was really trying. She hasn't been the most pleasant guest and she knew it, this was her way of making amends.

"Since you've been here you've insulted my parenting and-"

"And I'm apologizing for all of it" she cut her off
"You're not a bad mother. You're an excellent mother and I wish I had one like you growing up" Fadila looked up at her older sister.
"I grew up practically black with white parents who knew nothing about how people like me were treated. Sure my dad wasn't black, but that didn't show on my skin and it's definitely not showing on your boys' skin either" Fadila looked down.

"The boys need you" Fadila said.

"You're the only one in their whole family that looks remotely like they do. They love you already" Things we're looking up for Fadila and Sara.

"I'm sorry" Fadila said through gritted teeth. Sure she was getting on better t Mrs terms with Sara, but that didn't mean she had let go of all her trust issues and doubts. But it was a good start.

***

Mama woke up feeling weaker than usual and so they had her on bedrest for the entire day.

Mama would usually walk around the house and sit outside until the evening when she would have to go back inside because the weather got cold.

"Aliyu is coming today, he is going to take Ameerah to his father's house, he wants me to go with them, to see everyone; his mother, his sister, Sarah; I haven't seen her in a while and she wants to see her niece. I also haven't seen Javed since Aliyu told me about him and I heard Saema is also around with little Anwar" Fatima rambled on, she did that when she was nervous.

"Sounds like a full house" mama commented.

"Yes, so they won't miss me if I'm not there. I feel like I should stay" she stretched out her hand and placed it atop her mother's.

"You should go. If you keep staying apart your daughter will start to wonder what's going on"

"But nothing is going on-"

"Exactly, so don't make it seem like something is. Ki je ko za mu yi fada" 'go or we will fight' Mama was being her cheerful self.

"Toh" 'okay' Fatima sighed and got up to leave.
"Ina zuwa" she said and exited the room.

Fatima and Aliyu's relationship had been a little off since she found out her mother was sick. She refused to leave her mother and he wasn't particularly happy about it.

Fatima knew how Aliyu got when he wasn't happy and so she tried her best to keep that Aliyu at bay. They did not have a house in Kaduna, which was how she was able to do it.

Fatima left the house hours later with her daughter and went to her husband's family house a few minutes away.
She wasn't particularly excited to go, for some odd reason she felt like she needed to stay.
But Aliyu had insisted and so did mama.

She felt a strange pull towards home. One that she hasn't felt in a long time.
But she shook it off. She thought she was just being paranoid and nervous about meeting everyone with her protruding stomach.
Everyone told her that twins showed a lot earlier; boy were they right.

***

After Iftar mama said she was feeling a little weak and she was struggling to breathe so they got her oxygen tank and they all sat with her in her room, Fadila texted Fatima to come home as soon as she could but Fatima didn't see the text message.

After a while they all started to do one thing or the other. Sara didn't leave though; it was like somehow she knew, as if she knew she didn't have much time left with her only living parent.
One by one Halima, Abubakar and Fadila made their way back to mama's room.
Everyone sat in silence as they watched their mother.
Tears streamed down Halima's cheeks and Fadila brows furrowed.
Sara sat beside mama and held her hand.
They all knew her time was coming to an end. And there was nothing they could do but sit around and pray for her.

It was 8:47 pm when their mother took her last breath.

Sara didn't move, she didn't cry.

Halima began to wail and Fadila held her sister as they cried.
Abubakar sat beside her and said the du'a before he closed her eyes.

Mama died.

****

😔

Like x Comment x Vote

Fatimah Shema
XOXO