Scarred For Life

Chapter 11

*

"In the name of everything that is good in this world Umma, please don't make me do this," Afrah pleaded.

"It's just this once, Afrah," Umma said. "All you have to do is meet with him. I'm sure he's a very nice guy."

"We've been through this a million times already, Umma. I wouldn't want to meet him even if he was the last saint in the world."

There was a long pause, before Umma said in a soft voice "Do you think this is doing you any good?"

"What exactly are you talking about, mother?" she asked.

"All I want is for you to be happy, Afrah," she said. "Please, you never know what Allah has in store for you."

"Umma, my happiness does not lie with a man," Afrah argued. "I don't need the presence of a man to make me feel validated. I am perfectly happy just the way I am."

"Afrah, you are being deliberately difficult," she said.

"I'm not being difficult, Umma," she said. "I'm calling it like it is."

"Listen to me," Umma said in a matter-of-fact tone, "he is coming to Kano today. I want you to meet with him, and listen to what he has to say, even if it is just for thirty minutes. His mother and I have already discussed everything, and you don't have to worry about it at all. I've also spoken to your Aunt Maimuna, so you don't have to."

"But Umma,"

"No buts, Afrah," she cut her off. "You will do as I say. I am your mother, and I know what's best for you. Trust me, you will thank me later for this."

With that, she hung up the phone.

Afrah sat on the bed silently for several minutes, still holding the phone to her ear. She wasn't exactly thinking about anything right then. All she wanted was for it all to be a joke. She had only met him once.

Just once.

Why would Umma do this to her? She was perfectly aware of what happened the last time they had a conversation similar to this. Why then would she bring up a topic like this again?

Sometimes, it felt like Umma didn't really care about how she felt at all. All she ever seemed to care about was finding a ''good man'' for her. Why couldn't she understand that she didn't need a good man, or even a bad one? All she wanted was to be left alone. As far as she could tell, men were more trouble than they were worth. No one knew that better than she did.

Taking the phone away from her ear, she decided to call the one person who understood her mother the way she did.

"What is it?" Amina said irritatingly the moment she answered the call.

"Wa alaikis salaam," she replied sarcastically.

"Don't mind me," Amina laughed. "I didn't know it was you. I've been going over the seating arrangements for the dinner, and something just isn't adding up. There seem to be more people than there are seats. And Ibrahim specifically said that he doesn't want more than three hundred people at the dinner. He invited only a hundred people, while I was to invited two hundred people. Now I'm looking at the list, and I'm seeing over five hundred people, and I don't understand where two hundred extra guests came from."

Afrah refrained from telling her about their mother's little escapade.

"How's school?" Amina asked, assuming a calmer tone.

"Same as always," Afrah replied. "I'd rather be anywhere else than here."

"Why? I thought you loved your precious little school to death," Amina scoffed.