Her Boyfriend, My Husband

CHAPTER 4

Yusuf's POV

These days, I have been spending more time at the Alhassan Villa owing to Baba's ill health. Today, I rounded up work earlier than usual and left the headquarters driving to the Villa in record time.

I was going to tell Baba what he was aching to hear and though it was not as I would have liked it to be, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I felt relieved.

I didn't bother parking inside and left my car outside the gates hurrying into the house. As I approached baba's room, I saw one of his nurses exiting and pushing a trolley fully laden with what appeared to be untouched containers of food.

The nurse nodded her head at me as I passed by her. "He hasn't eaten at all today." Nurse Edna said when she saw me looking down at the trolley.

I said my salam before entering the room and closing the door behind me. Baba sat upright on his bed supported by multiple pillows at his back holding a remote in his hands and watching a business program on Bloomberg with the sharp beep of his EKG monitor domineering the cold ambience of the room. He was extremely pale and his voice, hoarse when he answered my salam.

"Zo nan ka zauna da na (come and sit down here my son)" he smiled at me and patted a place on his bed next to the EKG monitor.

I sat down and enquired about his health to which he replied "Da sauki Alhamdulillah. (I'm better thank God)" it was evident that that was not the case, in fact he looked even sicker than he did yesterday.

"Baba I've found a girl."

His face lit up the moment I said that and he edged closer to me. "Who is she?" he asked.

"Her name is Maryam Muhammad Rabat, she's from Sokoto state but lives here in Abuja with her aunt and uncle and..."

"Her aunt and uncle? Where are her parents?" Baba asked before I finished my sentence.

"Actually Baba she's an orphan. Her parents both died in the UK when she was twelve years old and so she was brought back here to Nigeria to live with her grandparents in Sokoto or here in Abuja with her aunt and uncle." I said having known all that when Zainab told me everything about Maryam yesterday when we planned how I was going to tell Baba.

Baba shook his head and relaxed back unto the pillows. "And you want to marry her?" he asked.

"Yes Baba"

"Alhamdulillah" he said sounding like he had released a breath he was holding. "Have you asked her permission?"

"Yes Baba her uncle asked that I send my guardians as soon as possible."

"Then I should inform Alhaji Haruna about this and send him over with your uncles to her house." Baba said with a wide smile on his face. His appearance had completely changed in just a moment. "Is tomorrow fine?"

"Yes it is. I'll tell her about it."

"Alhamdulillah." he kept mumbling under his breath. "You've made me very happy today Yusufa. Allah yayi maka albarka kaji? Allah ya saka maka da alkhairi (may God bless you, may God reward you with good.)"

"Ameen. Bari in wuce (Ameen I'll take your leave)" I said getting up from the bed. He gave me permission and I walked to the door.

"Yusufa," he stopped me as I put my hand on the door handle to open it. "please ask Nurse Edna to bring me some food."

I smiled and nodded walking out of the room. I was extremely happy at the fact that this news was enough to change his appetite and ultimately uplift his mood. I saw Nurse Edna seated outside the room looking through some files when I told her much to her delight and she hurried away to bring the food. The Russian lady was only a few years older than me and has been Baba's nurse for over five years now. She had always treated him and cared for him just like she would her own father.