BFFs: finding love again

2. Happy Married Life Bestie

Fatima wakes up to see a worried Afrah towering her. She looks at her confused then stands up. She tries to move but her muscles refuse her. She feels pain piercing every single part of her, both inside and out.

She whimpers and lays back down. The panic on Afrah's face is clear.

"Were you dreaming? Did you have a nightmare?" Fatima's brows knit in confusion.

"Huh?"

"You were shouting and thrashing the bed in your sleep. I was so scared. Gashi Ummu isn't around." Fatima smiles at Afrah. She's glad UmmuKalthum isn't around, she would've blabbed Fatima's secret to Afrah.

"Yeah, I had a nightmare. But I can't seem to remember what happened in the dream." Fatima lied. And she knows she lied. But she can't tell Afrah the truth. She can't tell anyone except those who are already aware of the truth.

Fatima makes to stand up again but she grunts and fall back on the bed. Her body is aching all over, as though she has been run over by a truck..

Afrah rushes into the bathroom then comes back with a steaming bowl and a white face towel.

"Remove your gown and lay on your back." Fatima does as told and Afrah places the towel in the water. She soaks the towel then squeezes all water from it.

She plants the hot towel on Fatima's back and Fatima whimpers. After repeating the process several times Fatima feels the pain ease away.

She wears her gown back and Afrah helps her zip it up. She stands up and walks to the bathroom. After bathing she dresses in a red boubou.

She prays her Maghrib prayer and decides to talk to her best friend over FaceTime. Halima's face appears on the screen and Fatima wiggles her brows.

"Shegiya amarya. See how she dey shine."

Halima shakes her head amused at her best friend's childishness. They exchange pleasantries.

"How is the business is going?" Fatima's eyes shine with what one can say is interest.

"wallahi it's going fine, Alhamdulillah".

"Toh fashi that talk first. Are you going to attend the wedding as my best friend or as Ya Sa'eed's sister?", Fatima hasn't even thought about that. She thinks for some seconds.

"I know exactly what I'll do, I'll attend three events as the groom's sister and three as the bride's best friend. Ya kika gani?" Halima nods then they start talking about how the wedding is going to be. After some time, Fatima ends the call and prays Isha. She calls Afrah and UmmuKalthum into the room.

"So Kalt where are the ankos? "

"I'm coming suna dakin Adda Afrah." UmmuKalthum says then stands up and goes into Afrah's room which is next to the one they are presently in.

Minutes later, UmmuKalthum comes out with a ghana must go in hand. She drops it with a thud then places her left hand on her bosom.

"Kai this thing is too heavy wallahi." UmmuKalthum pants wiping non-existent suderosis from her forehead making Fatima and Afrah shake their head. Dramatic as always.

She opens it and pulls out a sky blue beaded French lace with sequins at the edge.

"This is the one for the kamu, it's the bride's friend's anko. Amma ai you're the bride's best friend so yours should be different koh me kika ce Adda Afrah?" Afrah nods thoughtfully.

"You're right. Amma you know what? Since the bride's cloth is royal blue and yellow, me zai hana na Teemah ya zama yellow?" Afrah says bringing out a bright yellow French lace with royal blue flowers.

"Eeh, kuma you're right fah." Kalt says nodding her head in understanding. After some time they settle down for dinner, the anko matter completely taken care of.

Almost immediately after they finish having dinner Sa'eed comes and takes Fatima with him.

Two weeks later.

"Keh Teemah be fast dallah we don't have all day." Afrah shouts from the ground floor making Teemah rush to go down the stairs, tripping in the process.

The wedding events have all been concluded excluding the Kamu. Fatima enters the car and Afrah hisses.

"Took you long enough." Fatima just ignores her and let her mind wander. Seeing Amir and despite knowing he never loved her, she still has feelings for him. She has tried so hard to get rid of those feelings but it's like it's imprinted or tattoed on her heart in such a way that nothing can remove it.

But she hates him too. She hates the sight of him. She doesn't even want to breathe the air in a room where he's been. And even with a knife to her neck she'll still hate him. Who did he think he was to play with her heart and still have the effrontery to act like they're the best of friends?

And now, she had automatically grown to be disgusted by the sight of a man. She hates the entirety of them, with an exception of her father and her older brother. Men are scum, huge pieces of smelly black shit.

She is brought out of her reverie by Afrah.

"Nana ya akayi ina ta Surutu kin manna min hauka?" Fatima sighs.

"Babu, I'm just thinking about stuff ne." Fatima says forcing a smile on her face. Afrah shrugs.

"Just know that if you need to talk, I'm just one ring away." Fatima nods in appreciation and they pull up in front of the Audus.

After the knot has been tied Fatima bumps into Amir. She tries to move but he holds her wrist, she looks at him with a glare that says you're digging your own grave. He lets go of her and she leaves only to get stuck in the same car as him again.

After the kamu they follow Halima to her matrimonial home to perform the last thing, sayan baki. After extorting five hundred thousand Naira from Sa'eed they leave the couple to enjoy their night.

On Fatima's way to her car that arrived a day to the wedding she faints.