"Adda Nana. Welcome back. How I've missed you." Amal engulfs Fatima in a warm embrace making Fatima to stay stiff for a moment. What's happening? She hugs her back and tears gather in her eyes, she just hopes her cute loving baby sister is back. No more fighting for them.
Amal retrieves herself from the hug only to see that Fatima is crying. Even the Fatima herself doesn't know she's crying. She returns to Nigeria today and the first thing she gets is a long hug from her sister whom she thought hates her? Who wouldn't be happy?
"Haba Adda Nana stop crying. Let's get your luggage to the car." Fatima nods as she doesn't trust her mouth.
"So I know you must be wondering, why the sudden change of heart?" Fatima nods.
"Hamza called off our wedding."
"What? Why would he do that? What happened?" Fatima questions.
"I wouldn't blame him, even if I were in his shoes, I would've done the exact same thing. What happened was that..." and Amal narrates everything, the good and the bad.
"But, Amal who would you do that to me? What have I ever done to you?" Fatima is crying again. She's pretty sure she's going to have a headache.
"I'm sorry. I was stupid. But I did it because I thought Hamza liked you."
"Why would you think Hamza likes me?" Amal narrates the same thing she told Umma - Hamza's mother.
"Innalillahi, Hamza was infatuated for a while, but now, he genuinely loves you. I can see it in his eyes. And he knows that he can't possibly think of any romantic relationship between us. No way! He was my classmate, imagine me marrying my classmate. He's shorter than me fah. I'll just grow old while he remains young." Amal nods. She didn't think of it that way. She swerves left and finally parks the car inside the house.
"Look Amal, I really love you. I promise to explain to Hamza everything. He can't possibly think of breaking your heart." Amal nods and hugs Fatima.
"I'm so sorry. What can I do to make you forgive me?" Fatima laughs.
"Absolutely nothing baby. I love you Amalie nah." Amal smiles and they both enter the house.
"Fatima is back in Nigeria and I'm going to get her. She seems too strong for me." Azanraba tells his mother.
"I've given up on you. You can shove her down your throat for all I care." She says and Azanraba walks out.
Aqsam tunes out the pilot's voice as he thinks about where he will start from once he lands in Nigeria. He can remember the road to his parent's house but that's not the problem. The problem is that his parents are not aware of his arrival. What if they don't want him anymore? What if they're now contented with the remaining child they have? Numerous questions run through his mind but he knows there's no going back now. He has already boarded the plane.
After Fatima had finished dealing with Sa'eed in her own wierd way, she went to the hospital. She saw her mum and now, she's back at home with her dad, while Amal and Afnan stay over at the hospital with Ammi.
"Abba you need to understand Amal. She only did it because she was jealous. But now she understands and there's no reason to keep on ignoring her." Fatima says and Abba shakes his head.
"You don't get it. Amal has problems. Serious ones if I may add. She needs to learn to control her feelings. Her and Sa'eed are just too gullible for their own good. Can you believe that it was that Aleesha girl that charmed Sa'eed? If Sa'eed wasn't gullible, then she wouldn't have even been able to get inside the house. Then as for Amal, how can someone who you met just once tell you how to get rid of your own sister? Haba, try and reason this thing." Fatima nods.
"It's okay Abba. Amal has learned her lesson. Now Ya Sa'eed is just, I don't even know what to say about him. Do you know how much Halima is suffering? She looked so pale when I talked to her a few hours ago. And it's all thanks to Ya Sa'eed. He doesn't deserve her wallahi not at all." Abba agrees with her and he asks how her therapy went.
"Alhamdulillah it was okay. About my marriage." Abba grins and Fatima gulps. He must be thinking that she found someone she's willing to spend her whole life with. How mistaken he is!
"I know you want me to get married to someone I love and loves me too. But I just don't see that happening." The smile on Abba's face falls. Fatima takes a deep breath.
"So instead of me waiting around for love - which I know would never come - I think it's best if you get me married to a man of your choice. I know you love me and you'll never choose someone bad for me. With Ammi on a hospital bed with no chance of her getting better anytime soon, I think it's better if she witnesses my wedding. We don't know if she will live till I'm able to get someone who loves me.
"And I'm not getting any younger. So I think it's best if you get me a husband of your choice. I will accept whoever it is you choose for me. Your choice is my choice." Abba engulfs Fatima in a hug. Tears fall off her eyes but she catches it before it makes a mark on Abba's cloth. She reminisces all the times she spent in the presence of Aqsam. She wipes her eyes. No more! She's done crying for him. If he thinks he doesn't deserve her then two can play at the game.
"I don't have a man in mind but I'll get you the best In Shaa Allah. But are you sure you don't have anyone in mind?" Fatima shakes her head and Abba nods.
Step one in making her family happy has been taken. Tomorrow she'll take step two.
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BFFs: finding love again
आध्यात्मिकThird of the BFFs series. *** Fatima Abba Sulayman has always been the one to follow her heart. But after what happened to her while in senior secondary school, that event as she calls it that changed her life for the worse, she turned off anything...
