Journey to 'I do'

34 - Allahs plans?

NARRATORS POV

"That makes two of us." Nadia said turning to Aunty Jamila.

Nadia's enigmatic statement lingered in the garden, casting a veil of uncertainty over the scene. Muhammad, grappling with the weight of those words, couldn't resist seeking clarity. "What do you mean, Nadia?" he questioned, his voice cutting through the tension.

Nadia, turned the spotlight toward Aunty Jamila with an innocent inquiry. "Aunty, what is he saying?" The shift in her tone hinted at a calculated move, Aunty Jamila, caught in the crossfire, shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She felt the burning gaze of her husband, who wondered what new twist she had introduced into the unfolding drama.

Without awaiting a response from her aunt, Nadia pressed on, "While Aunty Jamila was on holiday at home, she informed my parents that, since you would be getting married soon, you would be getting married to me."

"Haba Jamila," Alhaji Salman interjected, facing his wife with a disapproving look. Muhammad's laughter, dry and devoid of amusement, cut through the tension. "Did I say I was going to marry you, Nadia?"

"Aunty," she started, but Muhammad swiftly cut her off, his voice cold and resolute, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Did I say I was going to marry you, Nadia?"

"N-no," she stammered.

"Good, then there's your answer."

"Ai wallahi baka isa ba!" Nadia retorted, summoning a newfound bravado.

A'isha observed the unfolding drama with a mix of amusement and discomfort, the earlier dinner now churning in her stomach. Goosebumps prickled on her arms, intensifying her sense of displacement.

"Nadia, calm down," Fareeda urged, attempting to diffuse the escalating tension.

"My family is expecting you, Muhammad! For years you have led me on, given me empty promises, and now I will not let a nobody steal you from me for some Cinderella story!"

"Nadia, watch your mouth!" Muhammad admonished, still composed beside A'isha.

"Haba Jamila," Umma sighed, shaking her head at her sister-in-law, the instigator of this turmoil.

"We've all known her for the longest time, and you've led her on. When Alhaji said Muhammad was getting married, I assumed it would be to her. Who else? He was not courting A'isha, and she never came to the house. And he was still talking to Nadia; she came around often."

"That is not an excuse for what you did. Now, you need to go and apologize to the young lady's family for this situation," Uncle Sani interjected, attempting to quell the mounting chaos.

"Wallahi, Muhammad, you will marry me. It will be embarrassing to go back to my family and say, yet again, he has refused to marry me!" Nadia exclaimed, earning disapproving sounds from the onlookers.

"I will not," Muhammad replied firmly.

"Why not marry them both?" Aunty Jamila suggested with an evil smile playing on her lips, planting the seed of a twisted solution. The idea lingered in the air, suggesting an unsettling resolution to the tumultuous situation.

The garden transformed into a battleground of arguments, Muhammad and A'isha remained silent, her heart heavy with the weight of the situation. Amidst the chaos, she found herself rooted in place, unable to summon the words that could alleviate the tension. The turmoil around her echoed the ache in her heart, and though her external demeanor remained calm, an internal storm raged.