Forever Yours (A Nigerian Hausa Love Story)✔️

Part Four**

She was obviously pissed off with me but I have no idea why. She sat on the couch shaking her legs glaring at me while I sat on the floor with my eyes glued to the carpet.
"Will you raise your head! You're keeping it down like a hypocrite"

I really don't understand my mum. The only reason I was looking at the floor was because she told me keeping my head high in front of her was disrespectful and now I am a hypocrite for doing as she says.

I raise my head but avoid eye contact.
"So is this what you want to do? Disrespect me?"
"You told me to raise my head"
"Not that".

I look at her confused.
"Whenever I ask you to drive me you act it's like hell. You always make excuses and if you have no choice you look like you want to shoot yourself but Mariya tells you to drive her to the market, the place you hate going so much and yet you do it eagerly and you two even come back laughing like you came back from a party".

I say nothing because there is nothing I can say, she is right.
"So you're not  going to give me excuses?"
"Except if you want me to lie to you, mama"
"Okay then. I want you to go and get dressed because you are going to go and see Fauziyya today with no excuses".

"Mama I'm busy" I say back irritated by the name she mentioned.
"With what? Huh?"

"Personal things".
"Like what?" She asks.

"Stuff".
"Abu you better start answering me".

"Yeah I am. I'm too busy to see her".

Just then Mami comes in.
"Oh sorry for barging in. Alhaji asked me to get him the papers he left in your car"

"It's on that stool" my mum points to the stool on the far right hand side in the living room.
"Thank you"

"You are going to meet Fauziyya, Abu" Mama gets back to me.

"But what will I even say to her".
"How you feel"
"That I don't like her? And she irritates me before I even got the chance to know her?"

Mama turns and looks at Mami, who was standing listening to our conversation.
"If you are not going to talk to him kindly leave" mama says to her.

Mami looks at me and smiles.
"Abbakar it's better for you to go now so they'd stop pestering you. You should know by now that your father and mother won't change their mind, why not just do as they say and get married that way they'd be off your case".

"Really?" I ask unsure.
"Definitely. That's what guys do when they are forced to marry someone they don't love. At the end they might eventually love them back or they will force themselves to bear with them" she says indirectly talking about baba and mama's situation when they got married.

"Okay then, I'll go get dressed" I get up and leave.

I know what most people are thinking at this moment 'How could you let her talk to your mum this way?' Well it's easy, my brothers and I never get in between Mama and Mami, no one ever does, not even baba. Mama is a very unbearable person, she likes annoying and irritating Mami. While Mami never starts fights but she always ends them with the painful words she tells mama.
Baba married anty 4years after getting married to mama and at that time I was 3years. Back then mama and baba worked together so Mami would have to take care of me whenever my parents left and that's how we got close. Even though they tried multiple times they didn't have a baby so she loved me like hers. But by the time Mama realized it, it was too late I was attached to Mami. So when mama had Kasim she always had him by her side.
But one thing was we always let them sort out their problems themselves that is how we all get along even Sumayyah who is Mama's niece got along with Hanan and Miruna who are Mami's nieces.

I get dressed in my clean sky blue kaftan, silver Cartier watch, Hermès flats, and of course my cap.

I told Kasim to send me the address since he and baba usually go together, and I leave.