FATE

Chapter 5

Badriyyah

Growing up without a mother is hard yes I know but alhamdulillah it wasn't that hard for me.

Yes I do miss Mama, alot might I add but I barely know her. Scratch that, I never knew her but i've heard alot about her which got me thinking I know her already.

I've heard everything there is to say about her from someone that knows her the best. None other than Abba, my father.

Ammi told me alot about her too. How she never saw her as a co-wife neither a competition. They lived in harmony except for the few squabbles here and there as expected.

She told me how Mama practically raised Ya Abba and Ya Bukar.

I do have some of her belongings though. Things she held dear to her and asked they be kept for me.

A day after my 18th birthday, Abba called me and gave me a box. It was old but it was obvious that the box was well hidden if i can say that.

"Abba what's with the old box?" I asked laughing.

His face held emotions I couldn't quite describe. Happiness, sadness, gloominess, sullenness and every other emotion there is.

"Here Badriyyah." He said handing me the box with quite trembling hands.

"These used to be your mother's belongings."

I moved closer to him and sat by his feet on the rug. I collected the box using my equally trembling hands.

"Go ahead, open it." He said

I did.

Inside the box were few stuff that used to be hers. A set of gold jewellery, a silver ring that looked like an heirloom and an old envelope which had a letter in it.

"She chose these jewelleries herself, the first time she and I went to perform Hajj."

"She took a liking to the set but didn't say anything about it but I noticed. And to prove my point, I asked Fatima, if you were to be given anything in this Jewelry shop, what would it be?"

"And she pointed out this very set. I don't know much about these stuff but it's simple and beautiful. Just elegant."

"So I took it upon myself and bought it for her the following day without her knowing of course."

"I will pay anything to see her reactions once again when I gave it to her two days after we returned home Badriyyah. Anything at all."

Abba said with a wistful longing for the old days.

"And it always looked good on her because she wore it with elegance. She wouldn't part with it because she wanted her daughter to have it."

"What if you have more than one daughter or two? I asked her."

"Then one can have the earrings, one the necklace and one the bangles and rings."

"What if you have boys then?"

"Then they'll share it among their daughters."

"But now you get to have the full set Badar."

I smiled with tears rolling down my cheeks as I took the set. It was indeed beautiful.

"And this ring, right here is made of pure silver. It has initials of your mother's name engraved on it. Your grandfather gave it to them on their wedding day. Your aunts have one exactly like this each."

Now that Abba mentioned it, it sure looks like the rings my maternal aunties have on their fingers.

The only difference is the gemstones. My mother's looks like sapphire. I'm not sure but yeah, it's blue.