ENSHROUDED

37

Her whole shoulders shook, this was the first breakdown she had ever since she came back to Bauchi. She had stayed in this house alone with neither laughter nor tears. But today, as she told Mama all that had been happening in her life, Aisha had the most painful breakdown. Mama was crying so much that she couldn't even console Aisha to stop crying too. She had never imagined the kind of life Aisha was living in Taraba, but now that knew; she felt disgusted with herself. If she hadn't begged Aisha to marry Abba, all this wouldn't have happened to her.

She brought Aisha to her chest and they made a mess of their cheeks. "Aisha, please forgive me. I'm the one that caused this on you, I'm so sorry, Aisha." This was what Mama had been monotoning until Aisha closed her mouth with her palms.

"It's okay, Mama. It was written for me Mama, even not Abba, I must experience that kind of life. But Mama, please I have a request to make." Mama looked at her and nodded her head while blowing her nose with the ends of her wrapper.

"Please don't tell anyone he has divorced me, not even Baba. Can we leave it with just the violence?" She knew it would be hard for Mama to hide this away, but since Mama was able to conceal her rape case, she knew she can do this for her.

Mama took Aisha's hands in hers. "I can't promise you that, Aisha. But I will have to tell Baba, this is too much for me to conceal. Ya Allah, I can't believe I raised someone like Abba. Forgive me, Aisha." The tears came back, and they cried even more. It was the saddest story Mama had ever heard, and to think her son was behind all these tortures, to follow everything up with three decrees of divorce. She was in so much pain.

"I'll call Nasir and he'll come and pick us up. You're going back home, Aisha." Mama pulled her phone out and tried dialling Nasir's number when Aisha took it out of her hand.

"Mama please let me live here for two more days until the guests leave, I can't mingle around too many people." Her eyes were still making a downpour, it felt like she broke a barrier she had been dreading to face.

"But how do you live here, Aisha? Food?" Mama asked, looking around the house.

"Oh Mama, Baba made sure our store was full and you had our fridged filled with everything. I seldom eat unless at night and mornings, it sufficed and there are a lot more left." She smiled, even though it wasn't genuine but she figured out that she had to smile and act like all hadn't been eating her up because she saw the dreading look on Mama's face.

Mama stood up and walked around the house, she entered Aisha's room and stood there. She seemed to have lived a peaceful life after she was back from Taraba. "I have to leave now, some of the guests are leaving so I'll have to see them off. Make sure you take care of yourself, Aisha. And you should forgive me please."

Aisha smiled and placed her head on Mama's shoulder, "I've been fine for the past three months Mama, two days wouldn't do any harm. You should stop apologizing to me please, it was bound to happen." When Nasir arrived, Aisha didn't come out lest she saw him. She wanted nothing to do with the men in that family except for Baba. Both Nasir and Abba looked the same for her. She had seen Abba as Nasir and Nasir as Abba. She wanted to be far away from them.

Mama didn't voice a word out of her lips despite the way Nasir had been pestering her. She arrived and the moment Firdausi rushed to her she knew they wanted nothing but to know what Aisha had been through and what brought her back home without anyone knowing and why she didn't come back home.

Mama didn't speak about it until after two days when all the guests had left and even though Nasir wanted to go back to the house to check up on Aisha, she didn't let him. They were seated in Baba's living room and all there attentions were on Mama as she told them everything Aisha told her, only omitted the part he divorced her. Baba already knew about the divorce, it was only the full story he knew nothing about. They were all distraught by the time Mama was done, tears washing down her face as well as Firdausi's face.