A Trial On Love

17

It felt as if something had jolted him to his feet and he took a few breaths to steady himself from stumbling. He wasn't just going to let her slip away from him. Not after he had been looking for her for four years and not a day and passed and he didn't think about her and felt the strong ache of her absence in his life. He didn't know what had happened to make Rayhan hate him as much as she did, but he was going to try for her, for them.

He didn't know what the 'them' meant or would be, but he was so going to figure it out all later on. For now, his main concern was Rayhan and he wasn't going to let himself miss her. He rushed downstairs as he prayed that he would see where she went to. But he didn't take a glimpse of her and on the way, some of their relatives stopped him and tried to strike a conversation with him, but all Nameer could do was excuse himself with having something urgent to take care of.

It was hard passing through all that crowd and the amount of eyes staring at him and some Aunties yelling his name and asking when they'd be back for his own wedding. If only they knew what was going on with his life. Spotting Hajia on those tables filled with older women wasn't easy but he found her smiling as she chatted with a friend.

He rushed to the table and she instantly looked up at him. Maybe she had sensed something was wrong from he first look they had shared. Because she gave her friend her bag and stood up.

"What's wrong, Nameer?" She had asked, taking a hold of his wrist and he heaved a sigh out of relief. Hajia might not be his biological mother, but she was his mother. She had given him all that mother feelings, love and protection his mother failed to. And with her, lied his safe haven.

"I need to urgently talk to you, Hajia," he said, looking around to see where he could find a place in the house that wasn't crowded. If he said they should go upstairs, it might waste enough time that would have been enough for Rayhan to leave the house. He wasn't willing to make that mistake. Not again.

Still holding his wrist, Hajia walked away from the crowd with them and Nameer was aware of the heated look he was getting from the Aunties from his mother's side, his mother was probably seated with them as well, but he didn't care and wouldn't. They were the ones that hated him at first, and all of a sudden they wanted him to act as though they meant something to him? He was no longer that little boy that followed them despite the hatred thrown at him.

Hajia didn't release her hold on him until they stopped at the worker's chamber in the house which was eerily silent and she looked at him, worry laced in both her tone and her expression. "Tell me, Nameer, what happened? You've scared the life out of me."

Nameer sighed for the umpteenth time before he willed himself to calm down and explain things to Hajia, she could make things right. She could find a solution for him. She wouldn't let him miss Rayhan for the second time. He knew she wouldn't.

"I've seen her, Hajia. She was in my room, as a worker and she walked to the balcony after she was done cleaning my rooms. But it's her, the same as she had always been. With the eyes, the expressions, everything." He informed in a raspy breath and when he realized the look Hajia was flashing at him that spoke wildly of the confusion she was feeling, he breathed out softly. "Rayhan. My Yar Fulani, she's here in this house, Hajia."

"Really?! Do you mean this, Nameer? How sure are you that you aren't dreaming or something? How did she end up here from Katsina? I mean..." Hajia started rambling before she took a hold of herself and held both his hands. "Wait, tell me that you've spoken to her, right? What did she say? Did she recognize you?" She was smiling broadly, obviously happy that her boy had finally met the only woman he had pinned for for years and wouldn't budge no matter how much she tried to make him do so.