Scarred For Life

Chapter 35

*
Halima had always had such beautiful hair, right from her childhood. It fell right down to her shoulders, thick and jet-black with a sheen unlike any other. Her hair was one of the many things Afrah was glad she inherited.

"Abba doesn't know how lucky he is," Amina said as she watched Afrah plaiting her hair. They were sitting in Halima's room, where the noise of the men down below couldn't be heard.

"He really doesn't," Afrah smiled at her mother's reflection in the mirror. Halima smiled as well, leaning back into the seat.

"How much time do we have left?" she asked.

"About an hour or so," Afrah replied with a glance at the wall clock. Her eyes shifted to the clothes which lay beside Amina. They had wanted their mother to wear the same clothes she wore on her wedding day, but finding them proved to be tougher than finding the lost city of Atlantis. Instead, they hired a tailor and showed him a picture of them. It had taken nearly a fortnight, but the finished product looked even better than the original.

"I should go down there and supervise the set-up," Amina said as she hopped out of the bed. Afrah studied her closely, wanting to see any sign of her being pregnant. For the most part, she looked exactly the same. Perhaps a little bit heavier than she had been, but otherwise nothing appeared to have changed.

"All done," she said as she finally released her mother's hair. It had taken over an hour and forty five plaits, but her hair was now done in the same style as thirty years ago.

"It's beautiful," she cooed as she ran her hands slowly over the plaits. "Thank you."

"Umma?"

"Hm?"

"You remember mentioning something about the joy a woman feels upon entering her matrimonial home," she said. "Can you remember how you felt when you came into Abba's house?"

Halima thought back to that bleak day in October, when the heavens rumbled with thunder and the earth was soaked to the core. She remembered the look on Aminu's face when he saw her for the first time as his wife, and the promises he had made that day. She remembered the tears in her eyes, and the reluctant smile on her face.

"Words cannot begin to describe how I felt that day, Afrah," she said. "It's just something one has to experience to understand."

They heard a knock on the door, and turned around to see Aminu standing there with a small package in his hands and a ginormous smile plastered across his face.

"Afrah dear," he said, "do you mind if I have a moment alone with my wife?"

"Not at all, Abba," she grinned. "I should get ready as well."

Aminu placed his hand fondly on her shoulder as she walked past, his eyes still on Halima. The latter had turned to stare at her reflection, noting how strange it was that he had found her in the same position as the last time he entered her room.

He must think I'm the vainest person who ever lived.

"You look beautiful," he said as he took a step forward, trying to stop his eager smile.

"Thank you," she replied, smiling at him through the mirror.

"You know I was against this from the start," he said. "Not a day goes by when I don't count myself lucky to have you as a wife, Halima."

He took another step, bolder and firmer this time.

"I got you something," he said, handing the package over to her. Halima took it carefully, dipping her hands into the bag. There was a small box inside, and a warm smile spread across her face when she opened it up to find a pair of earrings she had been dying to get several years ago. She remembered walking past the store where she had seen them nearly everyday, wanting nothing more than to walk away with them. Aminu had been unemployed back then, so he couldn't afford to get them for her.