OCTOBER 10TH

TWENTY

MANO DAYAK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AGADEZ, NIGER.

Mahnoor searched around for her father or mother but couldn't sight either of them. She frowned, they said they were going to be here waiting for her before she arrives but not a single familiar face is at the vicinity. Wandering around like a stranger because the place really looks more good than when she's left almost three years ago. At long last, she heard her name being called loudly by someone from behind her, the lilt in the voice sounds familiar but she cannot place out where she knew the sound.

Yawing around, her eyes widened at the sight of her cousin sister with a small infant perched across her arm. Mahnoor beamed at her because she is seeing her for the first time since she got married five years ago to an Egyptian. She walked hastily to meet her up midway, enveloped her in her arms and they twirl around with the baby. They both won't stop smiling, overwhelmed at the sight of one another after so long with the same childish smile engraved on their faces. The two of the are the most mischievous girls ever found in Agadez.

"Oh, my goodness! I thought aunt was just jeering when she said you were coming back. Oh, I miss you so much." Farrah wanted to keep her baby away and hug Mahnoor closer to her. Things have changed ever since they grew up, adulthood is a nightmare to them. Being young was a blessing.

Mahnoor grinned widely, feeling the baby within her rising. "I miss you much more, darling. You wouldn't come back from Egypt and we have no money to go there. Who's this little baby?" She moved back to scrutinize the one year old baby she's heard about him.

"Meet Muneer." She beamed at Mahnoor's astonished expression because that is her father's name. Farrah didn't tell her she named her baby after her father! She's been evading the whole what is his name thing until now.

Taking the baby slowly away from it's mother, she swallowed something painful that blocked her throat because she is suddenly recalling that beautiful feeling of holding her own son in her arms. The son she's lost before she could fully engage herself in his life. The son they've taken away from her in the most barbarous inhumane way known to mankind. Oh, will this pain ever disappear because the justice she's gotten isn't blocking away the pain like she thought it would.

She blinked back tears, she's been crying nonstop for a whole week which is why she decided to take a break away from Bauchi and go to her hometown to be with her parents so the pain can be eased a bit. Asad will be there with her in a few days and their marriage is going to be knotted after her iddah, something they've decided right after he came back with the news of her divorce from Aman.

She was both efficacious and miserable about the news. Her first marriage ended when she'd vowed to never marry more than once in her life but she is going to have to go through another marriage mainly because she wants that for herself. She is not going to give up on love and happy life because of what has happened to her. She can decide to be wicked and a lonely spinster with many cats but she won't, Allah has given her the strength to face the world again and she will use it wisely.

"Hi there, Pére. You look so much like me than her." She cheered, nuzzling her face with his earning a loud giggle from the boy, her heart swirled. This could be her and Aasim but Allah loves him more and took him away from the cruel world.

Farrah huffed at her statement. "Don't deceive yourself. Let's go home, Mére is a bit sick so they couldn't come."

That got Mahnoor's attention, her brows coming together in distress. "Why didn't anyone tell me about it? What are we waiting for here? Let's go." She hurried out with the baby in her arms and his mother following in quicker strides albeit taller than Mahnoor with few inches, Mahnoor's luggage in one hand.

Mahnoor settled inside the car she pointed out, allowing the driver to unload her luggage before Farrah joined her inside. Why didn't she tell her about it? Her father should've at least called to tell her her mother is not feigning well but he didn't. She stared outside the window, her brows so deep with worry. Had they told her about it, she would've gotten a taxi herself the minute she landed, not wasting her time waiting for them to appear only for her to see her long lost cousin. Not that she wasn't ecstatic seeing her sister.

They arrive at their family house, nothing has changed. The red bricks are still there, the height of the fence heightened a bit but even the door was not changed. They refuse any sort of change in their home because they want to be reminded of their forefathers that lived there before them. Mahnoor don't understand anything about the notion but let them be, she won't force them.

She didn't wait for Farrah, just dismounted the car and barged into the house with a breathy taslim. There are people outside the compound, all her relatives but she didn't stop to acknowledge anyone of them, only rushed straight to her mother's room where she could see her father's favorite sandals. Peering inside to make sure it's safe for her to enter, she did so with another taslim.

Her father yawed around to look at her, stopping mid action, feeding her mother some herbs. Her face clearly showed how flushed and sullen she is about being in the dark because her father gave her a watery smile, her mother only beamed. Even as she lie down there on the bed, looking sick and pallid, her smile is still beautiful and very comforting. Mahnoor rounded the bed, sat down close to her mother without uttering a word. She is suddenly nostalgic, wanting her mother to wrap her arms around her so she can weep like a baby.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The question is directed to no one in particular, not her father or mother but it hanged in the air till her father sighed and decided to talk.

"It's not a big deal, baby. She just got down with fever this morning and she is better now."

Much later into the afternoon after Mahnoor has exchanged pleasantries with all the other people in her compound, her cousins, uncles and aunties, she went back to their room to eat lunch with her parents. That's always been their routine before she left. They usually eat breakfast and dinner with her father but lunch, it's always been her mother and her. Her stomach filled up sooner and she moved to side sipping on her sprite, watching her parents exchange eye contacts that only they understand. She's stopped asking them what they mean because there is a way they do it that she never understand how it works till date.

Her father was the first to strike a conversation, something she knew is coming. "Now what are you planning to do? Come back here or go back?"

Mahnoor shrugged her shoulders, she cannot live here again no matter how much she wants to stay close to her parents. There are so many things she cannot do here while she can do it back there in Nigeria.

"I want to stay there because... I'm going to marry Asad after my iddah is over. We love each other." She sputtered the last part when her mother gave her an incredulous stare.

She's heard a lot of good things about the Asad guy, he has to be the one that helped her gave birth to her baby. He was so nice, an obedient little child that couldn't see anyone in pain. She will be more than glad to have him as her son-in-law, her Noor deserves all the good that comes to her. They accepted the idea with open arms, showing their happiness and joy at the news. Mahnoor suspire, she thought they were not going to accept the entire thing easily.

Then a question struck her, she needs to ask them this. "Why don't you tell me why I married Aman in the first place? Why was it so important for me to marry into the Ajujis when we have far more influential nice people here? It's clearly not because they have wealth, so tell me."

Her father looked uncomfortably at her mother who nodded her head, her eyes filled with emotions. "It is high time that she knows why she was forced into their care. There is nothing to hide."

But the man shook his head, not able to form words clearly. "Do you trust me, Baby?"

Mahnoor sighed but nodded knowing whether that sentence is uttered, she won't know what is going on so she gave up. With time.