"Don't be sad , Allah is with you"
(9:40)
Malik Residence.
Kano, Nigeria.
"Mamy!" The three of them shrieked shaking her numb body.
"You guys should call Ya Khalil!." Ariana cried still shaking her numb mother.
"Mamy please wake up!"
Khalil and the twins returned back shortly and Khalil worriedly scooped his stepmother in his arms before heading to the car with the three of them trailing behind him. They all got in and zoomed off to the nearest hospital.
"Ya Khalil will she be fine?" Ariana cried pacing the cold tiles of the waiting hall.
"Keep calm my Ariana,nothing will happen to her In Sha Allah Mamy is a fighter." Khalil assured drawing her to his arms.
"In Sha Allah." Ariana whispered tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Doctor how is my mother doing?" Ariana asked as she sighted the doctor.
"We've managed to save her life but you need to be extra careful so as to not let her get into any kind of stress." The Doctor explained.
"Thank you Doctor! can we go see her now?" Khalil asked.
"Sure but keep in hush."
They met her lying on the hospital bed looking pale and fragile. Ariana teared up at the sight. This was all the result of the pain her father inflicted on her mother.
"Mamy." Ariana whispered moving closer to her mother.
"Shush she will be alright In Sha Allah." Khalil consoled also pitying his step mother's condition.
Two days later Hajiya Fatima was discharged from the hospital, neither Alhaji Malik nor Hajiya Nusaiba came to visit her. He only sent the hospital and medication bills.
"Mamy! dinner is ready!" Ariana smiled dropping a tray of food on the bedside.
"Thank you my baby. May Allah bless you and also bless you with children that will be the coolness of your eyes just like you are to me." Hajiya Fatima smiled caressing her her daughter's face.
"Amin Mamy na." Ariana smiled sheepishly ducking her head.
"Aye, my baby is shy? don't worry the time will soon come and i will send off my baby to another man's house." Hajiya Fatima smiled deep down knowing she might not be alive to witness the day.
"I can't leave your side Mamy! if you insist i must get married then the husband will have to follow me here." Ariana pouted making her mother and the twins to laugh at her.
"Toh may Allah allow us to witness the day in health and wealth my Ariana."Hajiya Fatima prayed and they all answered with an 'ameen'.
Hajiya Fatima ate a little portion of the food before taking her medicine.
"Ariana." She called and Ariana returned her full attention to her mother.
"From today onwards i want you all to be sleeping with me!i want to be feeling you all." Hajiya Fatima smiled drawing them to her.
"In Sha Allah Mamynah, i always love sleeping in your room Mamy na and please stop crying."
Hajiya Fatima smiled and wiped her tears. "Okay i've stopped. But i want to give you a little piece of advise my kids before we sleep."
"Okay Mamy." Ariana smiled.
"No matter the situation you find yourselves in life my girls always be patient, patience is the key that will help you in moving forward and achieving greater things in life.
"And most importantly trust,do not let anyone loose their trusts in you, always be honest and faithful in whatever situation you find yourselves in. Because it takes years to build a trust, but it only takes a second to loose it completely and if trust is lost. It can take forever to be restored.
"My girls always be obedient to your elders, don't give anyone a reason to complain about you and i have my faith you. I know you will never disappoint me In Sha Allah. Always stick to your deen and never lose hope in Allah no matter the situation you find yourselves in. Allah is and will forever be with you. May Allah bless you with loving spouses that will lead your hands to Jannah. I love you my girls."
"Amin Mamy, we love you more." The three of them smiled hugging her tightly and that night they slept peacefully not knowing the tragic news that will awake them the next morning.
And so the next morning which happens to be a Friday,the Malik household awoke with a sad news of Hajiya Fatima's demise.
"No Mamy! please wake up! how can you leave us all alone?." Ariana cried hugging and shaking her dead mother.
"YaKaka! won't Mamy wake up again? i thought she's sleeping. Mamy please wake up it's already morning." Marwa innocently said looking at her deceased mother whose face was etched with a beautiful smile.
"Yes YaKaka please tell Mamy to wake up." Safaa pouted making YaKaka and the rest members of the room to break down in tears. Ya Allah!
"Allah will reunite you all in Jannah In Sha Allah." Yakaka said drawing them to her embrace.
"Mamy please wake up! please don't leave me! how can you die and leave us alone in this cruel world?you promised to never leave us fa!" Ariana cried shaking her dead mother.
"That's it! i have no one else. My life is shattered, how can you leave me Mamy?Oh death! why did you take my mother away? why didn't you take me instead." She cried hugging her mother.
"Sabr my dear Ariana you have us In Sha Allah, now pray for her before she's taken to her final home." YaKaka cried hugging a crying Ariana.
That was when the twins started crying also shaking their Mamy to wake up.
Ariana let out a heart wrenching sob, hugging her mother tightly. "No!no! this can't be Mamy! She's just sleeping! we were together last night and you promised you won't leave us! then why aren't you waking up now?" She cried her breath seizing.
"Shush Ariana, all Fatima needs now is our prayers okay?now stop your tears and pray for her before she's taken to her final home, she's in a better place In Sha Allah." YaKaka prayed wiping her tears.
"In Sha Allah." Everyone muttered praying for Hajiya Fatima. Everyone knew how good and kind hearted the woman was.
Alhaji Malik salaamed and entered the parlor, he greeted the occupants of the room before kneeling in front of his deceased wife.
He looked intently at her smiley beautiful face. He doesn't even know what he was feeling right now?. His woman was so soft and kind hearted always smiling and full of life. The pain he inflicted on her, the torture he did to her! Ya Allah! and now she's left the world for him and he knows that Fatima is in a better place In Sha Allah. But, why isn't he feeling what he felt for her before?!
His thought cut short through he heard Ariana's angry voice.
"What are you doing here?" She blazed looking at him with her bloodshot eyes shocking everyone present in the room him included.
"What are you saying Ariana?." Alhaji Malik said.
"Weren't you always wishing and wanting her to die? so you could finally rest? you were always torturing my poor mother emotionally, mentally and even physically!every single night i watched her cry herself to sleep all because of who? because of you!" Ariana sniffed wiping her tears.
"Wallahi,; by Allah Abbi, you're the one who killed Mamy and i will never fail to say that because you were the one responsible for her death!my poor Mamy! what wrong has she ever done to you? Just what? wallahi i will never ever be able to forgive you Abbi! Never! for you took the thing i love the most in this world away from me." Ariana cried hugging her mother. Everyone teared at the sight. Alhaji Malik was taken a back by his daughter's outburst.
"Ariana, it's okay.Fatima is in a better place In Sha Allah."
"No Aunt! do you know what he said to me and Mamy five days ago? That if he had his way he would've killed Mamy since and send us off to an orphanage! what kind of a husband and father will ever say that? tell me? Those hurtful and painful words he said to us triggered my Mamy's pain and now she's no more, wallahi i despise you, i really do."
Alhaji Malik stood up and silently left the parlor without saying a word feeling guilty and also angry by the hurtful words his daughter said to him in front of many people.
"It's time for her to be taken to her final home."
"No! my Mamy isn't going anywhere!you won't take her away." Ariana hugged Hajiya Fatima's body.
"My dear! please get a grip of yourself." YaKaka sniffed holding Ariana.
"Mamy! Mamy please wake up." The twins cried.
"No Mamy! please don't take her away!my Mamy please come back to me Ya Allah! Mamyyy!!." Ariana sobbed. YaKaka held her tightly and that was how she helplessly watched as her mother, her rock, her confidante and most especially her life was taken away from her.