Road to Jannah

Chapter Eight • Stay

Well now I'm starting to get really scared, I've never seen my dad so agitated at me before. Yasin was usually the only who got this side of him not me. Umma must've told him a lot of things about how I was ruining my life and turning down every suitor that came my way, planning to stay a spinster my whole life just so I could continue working for the Jada Foundation. I look at her and by how smug she looks and satisfied with Abba's reaction she is, I know that indeed that was what she did to unleash this side of him on me.

"Yes Abba, it's enough for me if you approve of him because I know there's no one in this world who loves me and wants the best for me like you two do. But this is a question of marriage, don't I atleast get to know who it is I'm going to spend my whole life with?"

He took a deep breath and put his cap back on his head. He had softened up, finally. He then looked at me with that kind of fond and caring expression I was used to seeing on his face. That was my dad for you, his emotions were the definition of dynamic.

"To me, he really sounds like a good person," Abba started, "I know his family and I've even met him a few years ago so Mamana, what I want you to do now is give that boy a chance. Your mother told me that he complained that you don't even pick up his calls nor do you meet him at the university when he comes to pick up his sister. If you keep that up, how are you going to know him? Mamana, just try and give him some of your time okay?"

The nerve of that guy. He actually reported me to my own mom? Even making Abba call me by my pet name, Mamana which literally means "My Mother" so now I have no choice but to be the perfect daughter and do what it is Abba has asked me to. Since I was named after Abba's mother, he has never called me by it, he has never called me Asiya and hence why I was nicknamed Jannah. Though according to Umma, there was a different story apart from that. She told me that since the Pharaoh's wife, Asiya had been promised paradise since she was on earth, the nickname Jannah was given to me out of the hundreds of other options and it did make sense to me.

"Okay Abba I will, I promise." I smile at him.

"Now that's like my girl." he beamed and I feel like a ten year old girl again. "So he's outside waiting and you can start by letting him drive you to the university today okay?"

I looked at Abba and then at Umma in shock. So this has all been a set up? Though she had been silent, I know that she was the who planned this whole thing. She knew I couldn't argue with my dad so she had masterminded this whole thing.

"O-okay Abba." I agree reluctantly and before I had excused myself to go to my room and get my veil, I noticed the wide grin that grew on Umma's face. Her plan had been a success.

I have no idea why she's so hell bent on getting me married when Yasin is right in front of her, desperate and yearning to marry Maryam. His anger at me has long blown off over this week and I know that he has been busy concocting another way to convince her since I wasn't going to help. I'm sure that if Umma had been as interested in getting him married as she had been to get me, then they would have figured out something by now. But no, according to Umma, I'm the girl so I have to get married first.

She even has a whole store room full of items she had saved for me to take to my "matrimonial home." I know it's our culture and stuff but Umma's was just too much. I think her life's goal is to get me married. Was I really that much of a pain in her neck?

I had wrapped my brown veil over the lemon green ankara skirt and blouse outfit I had on and as I put my leather backpack over my shoulders and ran out of my room, I didn't even bother touching up my makeup or looking at the mirror to see if I looked acceptable. I don't care since I don't care about the person I'm forced to spend atleast thirty minutes with as well.