Flawed Perfection

Chapter Twenty-Nine: "What If We Rewrite The Stars?"

Growing up, Aisha Ahmad Makama had never believed in any of the supernatural forces the paternal side of her family were so inclined to. She could blame that on all the lies that were told to Baba about her innocent mother, she could pin it on how obvious jinns were, for everyone Baba disliked was either evil or responsible for his downfall.

Aisha hated the obvious. She hated how anyone who started associating with those supernatural forces only became more and more gullible with each passing day. She hated it because going to them was a sin in Islam, because nothing good came out of it and Aisha knew it.

But Baba's eyes. Those brown eyes she'd inherited from him had always intimidated her, a single glance at him would send shivers running down her spine. Aisha had always thought it was due to the thick herbal smoke Baba was always covered in.

But it was not, Aisha knew because her father no longer scared her. Right now, Baba was just a man with sins Aisha knew of, sins that stripped him of any form of respect Aisha had left for him.

Baba and Gwaggo had walked into her house in the early hours of the morning to have 'the talk'. It was right about time if he'd asked her, Baba didn't know the big number she had on him.

Yet.

"Sannu kinji, sannu Hajiya Aisha." It was Gwaggo's voice. The voice that repeatedly nagged her about how she wasn't good enough sifted through her pores, in words quoted by sarcasm.

"Baba," Her voice was soft and steel. "Gwaggo, Ina kwana." She greeted.

"Banaso!" The word caused a light ripple of fear within her. Aisha kept a nonchalant look on her face.

"Are you pregnant?" Baba asked in bold shamelessness. Her eyes bulged wider than they had ever done. In here Aisha had always thought Arewa, the northern part of Nigeria was known for shyness, that not all conversations could and should be discussed openly, especially with one's own 'parent'.

"No, how many months along are you?" He made a rephrase, Aisha nearly scoffed at that. She kept mum.

"No, are you deaf? Koh kin zama kurma ne?!" It was her step-grandmother's turn to speak, they had decided to gang up on her in finding out whether or not she was pregnant. How shameless!

"With all due respect, I'm not sure we should be having this conversation." Was it even right, Islamically, morally, Arewaly? Was that even a thing? who the hell cared, how can they even ask her that? The bottom line of her response would be a few or a million slaps on either sides of her face. She had anticipated it. Judging from the look Gwaggo lunged at her, Aisha knew it was a million.

Where on Earth was her husband? It was not like Aisha wanted Abdullah to ever be a part of this mini-investigation session. She just wanted to know.

Gwaggo faked a short laugh. "Since you have become such a big shot." Her tone was fierce and so unrelenting. It was a miracle how Aisha sat down with steady hands clamped together- she was prepared for this, whatever it was.

"Aisha, munyi lalacewar dazaki dinga fada mana duk abinda yazo bakinki? Since when did you decide what we should and should not talk about?!" Those were Baba's words. Two pairs of fiery-filled eyes tried to tear her apart. Okay, maybe she didn't see this coming, but it was a good thing it came.

She'd lived all her life under her step-grandmother's roof, doing what she wanted her to do, not doing what her step-grandmother disliked no matter how absurd it sounded. Aisha decided to draw the lines, since she had been fit to get married to Abdullah, she might as well stay married to him on her terms, on his terms, not on a third wheeler's.