ASMAU
"Ibty, give it to me!!!" I exclaimed, playfully attempting to snatch the ice-cream from her clutches.
Abubakar had bought me ten tubes of Coldstone Ice-cream, and I had been eagerly digging into one of them. Instead of Ibty retrieving her own from the fridge, she was attempting to finish off mine.
"I will report you to Abubakar," I warned, playfully.
"Nima, I will report you to Tj," she retorted with a mischievous grin.
"You know what? Just finish the ice-cream; I'll go get another one," I relented, chuckling. I stood up from the bed and headed towards the door. Just then, it swung open, revealing Amir.
"Excuse me, Ya Mau, Ya Mukhtar is looking for you in Babaji's parlour," he announced.
"He's looking for me?" I asked with widened eyes.
"Yeah," he nodded before making his exit.
"What do you think happened?" Ibty asked.
"I don't know, but I'll go find out," I replied, quickly donning my hijab. I made my way downstairs to Babaji's parlour.
Upon entering, I said my salam and greeted each family member. There were Ya Mukhtar, Ya Jameel, Ya Hadeeza, Ya Hanne, Umma, and Babaji.
"Asmau, how are you?" Ya Jameel asked.
"I'm fine, Alhamdulillah," I replied, keeping my head respectfully bowed.
Ya Mukhtar cleared his throat, signaling he was about to speak. "So, Asmau, we've called you here to understand why you left Abubakar's house," he said, and my heart began racing.
"It's because--" I started, but he interrupted.
"Don't give me the excuse of Aunty being in the hospital because I won't accept it. I don't want to ask twice, Asmau. Now, why did you leave your husband's house?" He pressed, glaring at me.
"B-b-because we had a misunderstanding," I stammered.
"What kind of misunderstanding?" He demanded, and I struggled to find my voice.
"I asked you, what misunderstanding?!" He raised his voice, causing me to flinch.
"Yaya, please take it easy on her; she's pregnant," Ya Hanne interjected, holding my hand.
"I don't like this at all, Hanne. Just because of a little misunderstanding!??? This is foolish. Now tell us what happened?" Ya Mukhtar insisted.
How could I explain that I had witnessed my own husband kissing his ex-wife? Ya Allah, someone, please rescue me!
"Girls of nowadays take marriage as a joke. In our time, there was nothing like leaving your husband's house because of a misunderstanding. You would stay and solve your problems. Even if you attempted to leave your husband's house and go to your father's, you'd be sent back because your parents would never allow it. But now, you kids treat marriage as a joke. Danma, kinsamu miji mai hakuri ko? Keh wai gaki kinyi fishi ko? Yaran zamani sai adu'a," Umma lamented, shaking her head.
"Get ready, Asmau; you're going back to your husband's house, and I don't want to hear anything about it. Or else, wallahi, you won't like what will happen," Ya Mukhtar warned, pointing a finger at me.
"I'm sorry, Yaya, but..."
Suddenly, the sound of Ya Jameel's phone rang out, interrupting me. "I'm sorry," he muttered before answering the call. "What!!!" He exclaimed, and my heart skipped a beat. "Okay, we're coming to the hospital," he said before hanging up.
"What happened?" Ya Hadeeza asked, concern etched on her face.
Ya Jameel was silent for a few moments, as if struggling to find the words. "It's Aunty," he finally answered, his voice barely above a whisper.
My heart raced, and tears welled up in my eyes. I approached him my legs shaky, and my sisters quickly caught me as I nearly fell to the floor.
"Asmau, please calm down," Ya Hanne implored, her voice soothing.
"Please tell me she's okay!" I begged, my voice trembling as I stared at Ya Jameel.
"She's okay," he assured me, and relief washed over me.
"We have to go to the hospital now!" Babaji ordered, urgently.
"I'm going with you," I declared.
"No, Asmau, you should stay here. The men will go," Babaji replied gently.
"But I want to see my mother!" I cried out, with desperation
"You will see her, my child, but for now, just stay here for your health and your baby's," he said, his tone firm but caring. He left the room, followed by my brothers.
"Let's go upstairs. Aunty will be fine," Ya Hanne whispered into my ear, offering me comfort.
"But I want to go see her," I protested, tears still streaming down my cheeks.
"You will, darling, but for now, you need to rest. Now, let's go," she said, leading me back to my room.
"Get some rest," she advised before leaving me alone.
I picked up my phone and dialed the one person I most wanted to see right now. He answered after the second ring.
"Hello, Hayatie," his voice came through, filled with concern.
"Abubakar," I croaked, my voice heavy with emotion.
"Hayatie, are you okay? Have you been crying?" His worry was evident.
"Can you come, please? I want you here," I pleaded.
"Of course, my love. I'll be right there. Calm down and stop crying, please," he reassured me.
"Okay, I'll be waiting," I replied and ended the call.
Moments later, Ya Aminah entered the room. "Ma'u, are you okay?" she asked, and continued "Please, you shouldn't worry. They called and said that Aunty is all right, and the person who attempted to harm her will be caught soon, In shaa Allah," she comforted me.
"But, Ya Aminah, who would want to hurt our mother?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"I don't know, Ma'u, but we'll find out soon, In shaa Allah. Let's just keep on praying," she advised.
"Yes, thanks, Yaya," I replied.
"I'll get going. Call me if you need anything," she said, standing up and making her way out.
"Oh! Abubakar," she suddenly exclaimed right as she opened the door to leave.
They exchanged pleasantries, and then he walked inside. As soon as my eyes landed on him, I rushed forward and enveloped him in a tight hug.
"I'm here, my love," he whispered into my ear after we separated from the hug.
"Abubakar, it's Aunty," I said, tears still welling up in my eyes.
"Yeah, I know what happened. I assure you she'll be all right. They're investigating the case, and they'll find out who tried to harm her, and that person will pay," he reassured me.
"But what if they had succeeded? My mother would have..." I began, but he gently placed his hand over my mouth, silencing me.
"Hush, please don't say that. We should just thank Allah that nothing happened and say Alhamdulillah," he said firmly.
"You're right," I sniffled. "Alhamdulillah that nothing happened, but I really want to see her."
"And you will. We can go see her tomorrow," he suggested.
"Okay," I nodded.
"Now, stop crying. I hate seeing you in tears," he said, using the back of his hand to wipe away my tears.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"I love you," he declared.
"I love you too," I replied, with sincerity. We pulled into another embrace, as I felt comfort in my husband's arms.
**
"I know who tried to kill your mother," read the message, and I found myself reading it repeatedly, wondering who could have sent it.
"Hayatie, are you okay?" Abubakar asked with concern as I passed him the phone.
"A number sent this, but I don't know who," I replied, feeling confused.
"It could be a prank, but it could also be true. I'll inform the authorities," Abubakar suggested.
"But maybe we shouldn't involve the authorities just yet. Let me try to talk to the person who sent this message. They might have information about who tried to harm Aunty," I suggested.
"Asmau, we shouldn't trust people like this. Sometimes they lie to gain money or create trouble," Abubakar cautioned.
"Alright, you're right," I agreed, nodding reluctantly.
Once he left the room, I decided to text the mysterious number since calling had given no response.
"Tell me who tried to kill my mum," I typed and sent the message.
The reply came swiftly, and I rolled my eyes at it. "It's not that easy. Pay up first."
I debated whether to proceed or heed Abubakar's words. Eventually, I decided to ignore the message and tossed my phone onto the bed before heading downstairs.
In the kitchen, I contemplated doing something useful, but a nagging thought hit me. What if they were discussing Aunty's condition in the parlour?
I hurried back to the parlour and took a seat near my husband. "Are you okay?" Ya Jameel asked, concern in his eyes.
"Yes, I'm feeling better now," I assured him with a smile.
"Were you guys talking about Aunty?" I inquired.
"Yes, we were discussing the person who texted you," Abubakar replied.
"Oh, I see,"
"Has the number messaged you again?" Abubakar asked, his eyes scrutinizing my expression.
I debated on whether to tell him the truth or not, "No, not at all," I replied, shaking my head.
"That's good. If they do, please tell me," he requested.
"Of course, I will," I nodded, my mind still racing with questions about the mysterious message.
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ILY❤️