A Peculiar lovestory (Completed)

12.

Days have passed; Hajiya Ruqayya hasn't summoned the courage to go meet Dr Zinat regarding Asma'u's issue, seeing she hasn't had any episodes yet. Asma'u on the other hand was using her time to learn how to cook. After a disastrous dish she'd prepared for Ahmed on a Wednesday morning, had she decided to learn how to cook. She hadn't been able to swallow a spoonful of that rice, yet he had eaten it without any complaints. Ahmed is really an Angel. He only came back home with a cooking recipe book for her, and had asked MamaNanah to put her through.

Today had started like every other normal day, Ahmed had gone to work. Hajiya Ruqayya still in her room, whereas Asma'u and MamaNanah tidy up the house. They had made breakfast together and MamaNanah had promised to show Asma'u how to make Masa_a pancakey Hausa delicacy. At about 12noon, they heard a Salam at the front door. Asma'u had dropped her chopping stick in which she was using to learn how to flip the Masa. She wiped her hand on the apron and ran to the living room. The visitors were already half way into the house.

"Good afternoon" Asma'u greeted, staring at the two elderly women and two younger girls, each looking like her mother. It wasn't hard to know which woman mothered each girl. One is a Muslim and the other a Christian.

"Where's your madam?" The Muslim woman asked dropping her handbag on the arm of the couch, as she plopped down the chair surveying the whole place.

"How are you my dear?" The Christian woman asked smiling at Asma'u politely. The two girls, who might be Asma'u's age mates, stared skeptically at her. They were assessing her. The Christian girl was quick to go back to swiping on her phone, but the other wasn't so keen to show she was assessing Asma'u.

"I am fine ma. I'll go call her" Asma'u said not comfortable with being stared at. She jogged to Hajiya Ruqayya's room. "Mumina what is it?" Hajiya Ruqayya had asked grumpily.

"Some people are here to see you" Asma'u called out opening the door to Hajiya Ruqayya's room. She met the woman on a prayer mat; it's obvious she's been crying. Her eyes said it all. "Are you okay?" Asma'u asked lowering herself on the mat. She cupped Hajiya Ruqayya's face with a pout.

"Ofcourse I am not okay" Hajiya croaked out allowing her tears run down her cheeks. Asma'u saw an old Album by her side. It's obvious she was looking and reminiscing about old times.

"You've cried for too long, don't you think?" Asma'u found herself saying as she wiped the woman's face slowly. That question got to Hajiya Ruqayya, for she has cried for too long. She had cried for twenty eight years. The only good part of her relationship to Nasiru was when they were dating and the three peaceful years of marriage. He had snapped and changed like a chameleon the very moment the doctor informed them about her predicament. He had been loving, caring and devoted to their relationship before she gave birth to Ahmed. Things took a turn for the worse after the complications she had encountered during child birth, as if she hadn't begged him times without number to allow her go back home to her mother while she was pregnant. He's always on different business trips. She stays all alone. He wasn't around to keep an eye on her. Had it been she was with her mother, any slight change from her being would have been detected immediately.

Alhaji Nasiru had refused her going home, being the last born in her family; none of her sisters could leave their own matrimonial home to come stay with her. He said whenever she's feeling unease; she should call his doctor friends. He didn't think about the fact that one is a neurologist, while the other is a pediatrician. They might know the basics; they can't know everything about gynecology. She wasn't blaming him for her condition, it would be wrong to do so. She just felt, the situation could have been avoided if she was under her family's guide.

As usual Alhaji Nasiru was on one of his various business trips. She had been in labor for long. After calling the mighty Dr Sani to inform him, he felt she was overreacting, so his advice was for her to calm down and wait. It got to the extent he refused picking up the call, she made up her mind that he was with a patient then, even though she felt it deep in her bones that he wasn't.