RUWAIDA ✔️

CHAPTER FORTY ONE

He'd been sitting and giving and ear unwillingly to the people that filled Baba Sarki's lounge room conversing about business, oil and things he was probably disinterested in, up until a message came in that his wife had gotten a little unconscious and had almost fallen in the kitchen.

With thoughts of why on earth she was in the kitchen in the first place, he crooked round his hand the phone then marched out. The people in the room were too occupied with their discussions to not have noticed his sudden exit.

As funny and unbelievable to him as it sounded, it was the formal meeting of his friend's family in regards to Zarah which was taking place in Yamma, hoping to make things official at the earliest.

His little munchkin!

Marriage was absolutely not among the things he'd viewed for her in those early years, rather her medical school. Just like he remembered when she called in full blown excitement that she'd gotten admitted into the most authentic medical school in the nation after her first try which she wasn't successful and had to start in their district UNI. Where she'd studied with Ruwaida.

He was at work at that time, so he ended the call, took a photo of him with drowsy eyes and a cup half filled with cold coffee that had stayed on his table for over 6 hours. And he quoted "how delighted I'm to congratulate you! This is you in the next few years haha" pathetic it was!

And look at her...her first year in medical school, already up for the M certificate. Before he agreed that he'd allow her into polygamy, he'd sat her down with numerous questions pertaining her decision, only concerned about her well-being.

He knew Maryam and she must not have taken the news lightly as of her bizarre nature. He was certain that she'd thrown thousands of tantrums if her maneuver of changed ways does not work. Then she'd cry, report him to her obnoxious aunt, then finally pack out of the house and swear to only return if Abdullah calls the engagement off.

He swung open the double doors that led into his mother's flat and walked in a little hastily. A discomfortable look smeared across his face as he stopped every now and then to greet the elderly women in the room. He wasn't actually discomfortable; just how he decided to paint his lack of confidence as they endlessly blessed him.

"Oh Muhammadu neh Haka? When last did I see him" one of his grand aunt's chimed as she moved her stick to rise but her granddaughter pulled her back unto the sofa with a nervous laugh.

"He's always buried in his work, you know how doctors are," He almost huffed at that! He would like to take a break too, but even sickness couldn't get him a leave, only a duty switch and boom! He'd be on the very next day. The way people fancy medicine...it kept him wondering if they actually know what they are  signing up for. Tho, a way to help people is a good course!

Better more, there were parts of medicine that required only little time and you'd wonder why a person would only be called once in a month for a dermatology examination in this country. People tend to care for their skin at a scale of 1-10, something behind the decimal point perhaps.

When their conversation dived down into the history of the Yamma family, he got the best opportunity to awkwardly walk away and into the supposed inner rooms, which he hopes one had his wife. While he checked for her, he found Raihana and she informed him of Ruwaida being in his mother's room. One word.

Weird.

As far as he remembered, Ammi did not talk more than a few words with his wife since their arrival, so having Ruwaida sent to stay in her room because she almost fainted was unsettling for him.  Nevertheless, he made a beeline and went to see her.

Mildly, she turned her head as the door cricked open and she looked up, suddenly wanting to see the comforting figure of Turaad. A little occupied with the glass of milk blended with apple cinnamon in her hand, it was the best milk she'd ever tasted, she beamed.

"Someone scared me that you aren't well...how are you feeling now?," Ruwaida smiled too broadly even, rocking her head in the affirmative. It seemed like she was ready to move to stay with Ammi to have such good milk every morning. He looked at her hand as it moved up to her lips and she again sipped from the glass. "Don't tell me Ammi made you her famous Apple cinnamon milk?," He sounded extremely shocked.

She nodded. "Uhm,"

He smiled then sat beside her on the bed. "Did she ask why you were suddenly dizzy?," He knew it wasn't right that he kept such news from his mother, but to avoid drama, he thought it was the best option that he said no word in relevance to Ruwaida's Leukemia.

Waida stared down at the glass and smiled shyly then she burst in an embarrassed laugh, squinting her eyes as she spoke. "She thinks I'm pregnant," Muhammad was sure that paralysis had caught him for about 10 seconds before he responded with an even louder laugh.

"Oh, My Allah," He murmured softly, shaking his head as if that wasn't typical of Ammi. When Zarah's mother was expecting Maryam, she was first to claim it; sadly she was wrong this time' Muhammad thought with a small grin. "Now that was flustering,"

"It was! But I got this at least," He raised his brows at her and she had lifted her shoulders in an indifferent shrug with the glass in her right hand.

She did not get a chance to explain the situation to her mother in law, all she heard was her ordering the maids to help take her daughter-in law to her room and then, later walked in with a glass of milk.

"You need all the rest, just lean on the bed okay? Why did you have to work knowing your situation? Please don't do that again...here have this, it would help you both," Ammi went on and on, until she'd to leave to see some guests, strictly ordering Ruwaida to stay put in bed.

"But how do you feel now?, any aching?," Ruwaida placed down the glass on the bedside drawer and she slowly looked up. Should I tell him' no...there's nothing to worry, you don't have to' again, a mindless debate was going on in her head, she couldn't tell which was against which, but she'd talked at the end of it all, the debate happened to be absolutely useless.

"Erm I just noticed a little lump on my bottommost back, I don't know, it looks...er...swollen, but it's nothing to worry about right?," She grinned nervously just to assure him or herself possibly that it wasn't anything major.

He in an instant had a worried expression. "Really? Why did not you inform me earlier?Show me,"

She hesitated by acting as if she did not here him. She couldn't hate herself any less for informing him in the first place. She'd caused deride upon her soul!

Zarah emerged into the room and a relieved sigh escaped Ruwaida's lips. She was over reacting.

"Oh!," Zarah exclaimed and stood motionless a few steps from the door as they both skeptically stared at her. "I'm sorry I did not knock, Ya Muhammad, Aunty Zuwaira  was asking for you earlier, she's in Ammi's inner living room,"

"Okay," he turned to Ruwaida as he stood up. "I'll be back in a jiffy," He said then walked out leaving the two to continue their conversation which they'd started earlier in the morning. Nothing peculiar, just two discussing the feats in their lives.

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SilentWriter 🦋