GO TO HELL, CAPTAIN (Preview)

13: UNFURNISHED LIAISON

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ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA.

"Zayd, you need to listen to me carefully." Fatima held his hand in both her own as she sat beside him outside Layla's room on the waiting chair he's been sitting on with Benazir.

Zayd gave her a wary glance knowing whatever she wants to talk about won't be in his favor, he is hundred and two sure of that. She just said his full name, her face merged with utter sobriety that makes any child's stomach get tied in a tight constricting knot. Her expression reveals nothing but the earnestness of the matter she is about to discuss.

He gave an uneasy wrung chuckle, his eyes dropping to the floor. "I really don't want to listen to you at this moment. Can we have it delayed? I don't like your expression."

She became more stern, eyes slicing through his in a way that makes him want to placate her and wait for whatever felony she is about to give him. "No, it shouldn't be delayed another minute so we are going to talk about it now!"

"Mom, you are scaring me." He threw another wary glance, pushing both his hands inside the pockets of his jeans to keep them from reaching out to her. His posture perked up in awareness, head tilting to the side.

"You shouldn't be scared." Fatima sighed, swallowed the lump in her throat because she is about to do something she's never done in her entire life. Not to her son at least. She hates having to use emotional blackmail but it must be done. "I'm going to ask you for a favor for the first time in my life."

His muscles tensed and a sudden tightness gripped his guts. Something is terribly wrong or about to be. "Ask a favor? Mom, what the hell is wrong? Stop beating around the bush and talk to me like you've always done!"

Fatima thought, it's either now or never. What is the harm in it anyway? It's not like she is asking him to do something haram, it's totally halal and it's something that is going to complete half his deen. It's just that his hatred for Layla may ran deeper than his love for her that he will be blinded and downright reject her Einstein idea. Okay, maybe not so bright but scintillating one nevertheless.

"Nothing is wrong but is about to be. Layla needs our help now more than ever. She is suffering from endometrioma, a serious illness that causes infertility problems and so on. Painful menstrual cramps that feels like death, this is another one. I've told you about my own similar problem, endometriosis right? This is just the same. It's either surgery, which doesn't always work out and end up killing it's patients most of the time or marriage. Now the solution is marriage. She needs to. . .you know, share a bed with a man to help her seize half the pain with medications." She made her face really stringent to say the last sentence though things have never been awkward between them, even sexual ones.

Ahmad who's been standing beside them for a while now went to take Benazir off her seat so they can get the prescribed medicines for Layla in the pharmacy close by. He wants them to have this conversation privately and not corrupt his baby girl's head.

"So what are you saying now? You are not making much sense and I'm afraid I still can't locate this favor you want from me in all this." His head flinched back slightly in confusion. She is still beating around the bush and not making sense at all.

Taking a deep breath, Fatima ricocheted out. "I want you to marry Layla."

Zayd went completely still but a smile played out on his lips because this is something straight out from a movie. He absently licked his lips, eyes and expression now dull just in case this isn't an incubus. But what will this be? It's definitely the worst nightmare he's ever had and wished his mother wasn't included. He sat straighter, removed his hands from his pockets and placed them in front of him between his open knees.