In My Heart

Meet The In-Law; Part 6

Yesterday's decision still hunted Jalillah. Although she did say yes to Inna, she also did not say no how she had planned to. She was in deep misery only she understood. Nothing seemed right except that her grandmother was fulfilled she was getting married. She thought of the office gossips, Eki would want her to talk about it if she heard she was marrying Mo. It was the last thing she wanted to talk about. Then there is dealing with Mo. What did he think of her? She was certain he had no feelings for her, but what was he making of the entire situation. How was he intending to handle their arranged marriage, with contempt or kindness? Jalillah took a deep breath while lying on her bed. It was a weekend and Jalillah was in her room locked away, when there was a knock on her room door, it was Merro and she said

"Inna is calling you Aunty Jalillah" through the door.

Merro had become part of Jalillah's small family. Her mother Deluwwa was Inna's longtime help before she moved back to her village located on the border between Nigeria and Niger. When Merro's mother died at childbirth, Inna went to the village and came back with Merro. Merro's father had three other wives, with about twenty-six children. He did not mind that Merro was coming to live with Inna. She was about eleven when she came but had no form of schooling, in western or Islamic background. The little Quranic recitation she knew was taught to her by her dad together with all his kids in front of the huts they lived in, and some of her brothers were sent to metropolis for Almajiranchi (a practice of studying the Quran under an Islamic teacher, while begging for money and food on the street). Inna enrolled Merro in one of the primary school in their area, and she has been doing well. She is almost seventy, and now in her second year in secondary school, but she was a delight to have around. She always had the funniest stories of when she lived in the village. Everyone was fond of Merro in the neighborhood.

Jalillah's home was located at Garki, which was one of the first area housing developments when the Federal Governed decided to transfer the nation's capital from Lagos to Abuja. It has always been family friendly, and kids played football on the street and rode bicycles all around. Charisma was a festival celebrated by both faiths, so was Eid (Salah). Food was shared amongst neighbors, with genuine merry, although things were better in the past, her area still maintained the sense of neighborliness compared to other new areas in Abuja city. Jalillah remembers visiting her school mate, Aisha at one of the new housing terraces in the new and posh areas, and they did not know who their next door neighbor was.

Jalillah grabs a black abayya (long usually black dress worn by Arab women) to cover up. She was in her nightwear, which had become rotten since the proposal. She did not see any reason to dress up or go out. She opened her room door, walked down the corridor to the living room, and right in front of her seated on the rug was Mo. Her heart skipped. She has consciously avoided Mo at the office and was glad when she heard he had traveled for work to Lagos. So he was back and was at her home, hopefully, to tell Inna he was not interested, and his mother had made a mistake, but something told her he was not here to withdraw the proposal but to meet his betroth.

Of course, his mother sent him. Mo wouldn't come to her home on his own accord, Jalillah thought. How penetrating of Madam to send her son to come to her home. She was manipulative and calculative. She had a goal to marry her son to her, and she was going to achieve it regardless. One can only see how she became the formidable businesswoman she was today. Jalillah couldn't look at Mo. She found the farthest corner and also sat on the rug. Inna started to talk, much of which Jalillah could not remember. What was important for her was fighting back the tears in her eyes.

"May Allah bless you both and fill your hearts with happiness as you have done same to us" Inna was saying and she could hear Mo's voice saying "Ameen" sounding like he meant it.