BFFs: Match Made in Heaven

7. Opening Up

Afnan looks at her phone like she's been doing recently. She feels so lonely with both her sisters now married. A chuckle escapes her lips as she remembers the drama that rose on the day her sisters' nikah occurred. It was scary but they scaled through. And now two weeks later, her two sisters are happily staying with their husbands.

Now she is the only single child of her parents, not to be married until two to three years from now. The thought makes her want to shout out in frustration. She simply doesn't understand her father's logic of holding a BSc before getting married. It's not like she's going to use the degree certificate anyways. She doesn't plan on working at all. She just wants to be a full-time housewife, stay at home twenty four seven and care for her husband and children. That's it.

But her father won't have any of that. Whether or not she uses the degree is her problem, but to Abba Sulayman, nothing sounds as bad as a girl getting married without getting a degree.

And since that rule has been set, Afnan is going to be the first to break it. Well, try and break it. And she knows how exactly she's going to do that.

She wears one of her numerous floor length hijabs and walks out of her room. Without stopping anywhere, she heads to her father's room. She knows he won't be around by this time of the day. He's most definitely at his place of work, or out with his friends as usual.

Her mother on the other hand is either checking out new designs from Pinterest, or she's drawing graphical presentations to post on her page. Being an interior decorator is far more work than people think it is.

"Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh." Afnan says and knocks on the door to her father's room. She rocks on her feet as she counts to ten.

"Wa alaikis salam. Shigo." Innayo's tired voice comes.

Afnan twists the swirly knob on the umber door and pushes it inside. Her mother raises her head and let her eyes take in the sight of her last daughter, the one that didn't take after any of her parents.

In looks, behaviors, everything. She's like someone else entirely, and Innayo can't be more happier. She's not a bad person, neither is her husband. But they have behaviors they don't want their kids to inherit. After all, no one is perfect.

While Innayo is busy thinking about her daughter, Afnan trudges into the room, pushing the door close. She settles at her mother's feet, her hijab making a pool around her crouched form.

"Ammi an wuni lafiya?" Innayo drops the iPad she's working on and removes her photochromic glasses to look at her daughter.

"Lafiya kalau Alhamdulillah." Afnan nods. Here goes nothing.

"Ammi, actually. There's this guy..." Innayo's eyes widen in surprise, her brows shooting up as a small smile graces her lips.

Afnan keeps quiet, she doesn't know if her mother is pleased or... She doesn't want to raise her head and see the disappointment, anger or whatever written in bold on her mother's face. She is her only hope and the only shot she has at this.

"Ya kikayi shiru? I'm listening my dear, go on." Afnan takes a deep breath.

She tells her mother about her and Dr. Kwami, skipping some parts that she feels are unnecessary for her mother to know.

"Maa Shaa Allah. My daughter is all grown up." Afnan didn't raise her head all through everything. But hearing her mother sniffles have her whipping her head up.

"Ammi, why are you crying? I didn't mean to..." Innayo raises her hand to stop her daughter from talking anymore.

"Don't mind your mother." Innayo lets out a short laugh, wiping the stray tears that managed to cascade down her aging face.

"I'm just sad that you'll be leaving me already. It feels like yesterday when I held you for the first time in my arms. You didn't look like anyone, not me, nor your father. Everyone kept saying you'd grow up to look like me, but look at you." Innayo laughs again and holds her daughters hands.

"Farida na, I won't tell you to not fall in love, because love isn't something you can control. It takes you by surprise in the worst way that has you questioning your sanity. The problem will be convincing your father." Innayo's face goes hard. She knows hownl strongheaded her husband can be. He's worse than a bull when it comes to being stubborn. They say women are stubborn, but men are way more stubborn.

"You're right," Afnan could've sworn she heard the beat her heart missed. Innayo's hold on her daughter's hands tightened.

"I won't be convinced." Abba completes his sentence sitting away from his wife, but in such a way that he's facing his daughter.

"Keh! Kalle ni nan." Afnan raises her head for a split second before lowering it back. For the time her head was up she had seen the pure fury painted on her father's face.

She's sure if she was one of her sisters she would've been holding his gaze now. But she's not them. She can't even have eye contact with any of her parents. It gives her chills. The moment their eyes meet she'll find herself lowering her gaze immediately. Some say it's shyness, but her parents know it's something more credible than that - respect.

"Waton har wani karamin yaro ya fara rudan ki koh?! How many weeks did we spend at the hospital? And you're already in love? Is this how I trained you?!" Afnan flinches at her father's voice. She hates it when her father shouts at anyone, or her mother shouts at anyone. It scares her.

And today, for the first time in her eighteen years of life, she's at the receiving end of it. And she hates it more than anything in her life. It making her teary and she hates crying. It always shows through puffy eyes, hoarse voice and a splitting headache.

"Zanyi maganin ki. Get me your phone!" Afnan stands up hurriedly, almost tripping over her hijab. She leaves the room hurriedly and comes back a minute later.

"Bani nan!" He snatches the phone from her hand making her flinch.

"Bace min a daki. You're not allowed to leave this house no matter what till this week runs out." Afnan walks out with tears in her eyes. He wasn't supposed to hear that. Innayo was supposed to bring the matter up. Wives always have their ways around their husbands. And she was hoping her mother would use that to help her.

A/N
Hey guys. It's still Saturday so...😁

Y'all should blame Jannah and Aishatu, I've been reading their books that I forgot I'm supposed to be writing mine too😂

Sha how was the chapter?

I hope you guys enjoyed it.

Vote and comment. Thank you.

Ciao!