Tumultuous Love

Chapter 11

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Fatima and her mom walked into the house to see a mess. Clothes were spread out on the chairs to dry and pillows were thrown everywhere. Mama Hadiza's youngest child; Aslam who is 11 was sitting in front of the Tv playing on his PS4. Fatima groaned on seeing the other person in the room. It was Khalida, the oldest child of the family. She was only 19 years old and older than Fatima by a few months but they didn't get along at all.

Khalida was that one relative who thinks she has made it in life. For what reason, Fatima didn't know but the girl was extremely snobby. She got married at the age of 17 because according to her mom, she didn't want to continue going to school so they married her off.

Fatima cringed at the thought, what kind of person would be proud to tell people her daughter is getting married because she hated education. Everyone knew the real reason she had let her was because the husband was rich and Mama Hadiza didn't mind her 17 year old daughter being a third wife to a sixty-something year old man as long as she would live a 'lavish' life like the one she lived in her fathers house.

She had been married for two years but she already had a walking baby and a clear bump that was at least 5 months old. Fatima sighed at the start of the ruination of her cousins life. She didn't like Khalida but she wasn't a person to wish bad for anyone no matter how they are and she knew, her cousins life has been ruined. She silently thanked Allah for the kind of mother she had.

"She just stepped out" Fatima heard Khalida saying as she adjusted her baby to burp him. She had just finished breastfeeding as they came in. Fatima's jaw dropped when it clicked, the audacity of mama Hadiza!

"But mama told her we were coming." Fatima said shifting her weight from her right leg to her left. "Yes she did, two hours ago. She thought you guys weren't coming again so she went out"  Khalida replies. Fatima was burning at this point. 'What kind of insolence is this?' She thought to herself .

Khalida stood up to go do whatever upstairs, "you can sit and wait for her, I'm sure she will be back soon" she said before walking up the stairs. Fatima took in a deep breath, trying to control her anger. Mama took a sit and motioned for Fatima to take a seat too.

They sat for almost two hours and no one came to even greet them talk more of give them water. Mama had to show herself to the guest bathroom to perform ablution and pray with her veil as a hijab and scarf as a prayer mat. Aslam was sitting there the whole time playing his game and he didn't turn even once to acknowledge them. It was already getting closer to Maghreb and her dad hated them being out of the house past isha'a unless it was for something very important or unavoidable.

They decided to wait 15 more minutes and then leave if she still didn't come back. Thirty minutes passed and at this point Fatima was not even angry anymore. She just wanted to go home and get out of the very uncomfortable clothes.

Mama on the other hand was skeptical about leaving, she knew the kind of person her sister-in-law was and she didn't want any trouble. They had already called her two times since they had been there and her number was switched off.

Aslam finally finished his game and stood up to leave, "sannu" he greeted them and walked away. Fatima was shook but kept her composure. Now she was sure mama Hadiza didn't give her children any form of home training.

"Mama gaskia I'll take an Uber and leave if you don't want to go. We've been here since four and it's already-", she checked her phone, "6:23. We've been here for two and a half hours and there is no sign of her coming back anytime soon." She whined. "Toh go and tell Khalida we are leaving, so they won't say we left without telling anybody" her mom replied finally complying.

Fatima sighed, finally!

"I don't want to go up there, let me call her number", she muttered as she dialed the number. Khalida picked up after three rings, "hello Fatima", she said. "Khalida we're going" she went straight to the point. "Oh, you guys are still here? I thought you left?" She asked.

Fatima swallowed the insult, "yes we're still here." She replied. "Okay, sai da safe" and she cut the call. Fatima looked at the phone in shock, did she just-

'Sabr; patience Fatima' she thought.

"Let's go, she cut the call" Fatima announced, picked her mom's bag and stormed out of the house. Malam Ahmadu was still sitting in the car waiting and she felt bad instantly, they left him sitting for so long. But what could she do? It's not like even they were treated well.

There was less traffic on the way back and Fatima was relieved about that. They got home in less than fourty minutes and Fatima hopped into the shower as soon as she got to her room. She changed into a set of pajamas and went downstairs to get food. It was already around 8pm and the only thing she had eaten was a breakfast of toast and milk. She was starving.

She met mama and daddy on the dining table conversing, evidently about his sister's behavior that day. Her dad knew the kind of family he had and he could sadly not do much about it. The most he could do was keep them away from them which he tried to do to best o this ability but meeting was inevitable. One way or the other they had to meet them either at family gatherings or for some other reason. Mama was eating while daddy sat and listened. He had already eaten clearly.

"Ina wuni daddy" she greeted as she took a seat on the table. The food was still kept there. "How are you?" He asked and she replied as she put some food in her plate. After serving, she went to the fridge to get a bottle of water and mama's phone shrilled in the living room.

"Get my phone Fatima" mana called and she hummed in response. Fatima let a silent hiss at the name, "it's mama hadiza" she announced walking back to the table. The call had ended by the time she got back and mama redials her number.

Fatima completely zoned out of the conversation and only hears the ending, "ai babu komai, sai da safe; there is no problem. Good night" and mama ends the call.

"What did she say?" Daddy asks. "She went for her friend's daughter's wedding and the woman didn't let her leave early." Mama says. Fatima shakes her head and continues eating with only one thought in her mind; her fathers family is the worst.

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I promised and I delivered so happy Independence Day and happy new month. It's sad how Nigeria is 60 and we sadly don't have much to show for our independence but I'll always keep this country in my prayers. We'll get better by God's grace.

Did you guys miss me? I know I did! And I'm happy to be back. Frequent updates from now In Shaa Allah.

Oh and who do you miss the most? Fatima? Amina? Saudah? Hammad? Who? You guys should let me know who and why in the comments section🥺

With love,
Fatima❤️