BFFs: finding love again

11. Lefe

"Amal right?" Dhun Nurayn says while Amal nods blushing, he even knows her name!

"Okay, so I want to ask for a favor from you. It'll help us both." He says and she almost says anything for you but stops herself last minute. She still has a bit of self-esteem and she can't throw it out the window just because someone she met today is asking for a favor from her. Moreover, she still loves Hamza. She is just attracted to Dhun Nurayn.

"What's the favor and how will it benefit us both?"

"Why don't we plan a meeting because your younger sister is coming. Just take this card and call me when you're free." Dhun Nurayn says hurriedly shoving a business card in Amal's hand before scurrying to his car with a smirk on his face.

"Adda Amal waye wannan?" Afnan asks peering at the blue pueguot 307 speeding away.

"Just a guy asking for directions to the closest pharmacy. He must be new around here. Let's go." Amal says moving to Innayo's car where their driver awaits them.

Back inside the house, Fatima huffs and goes to return the ATM card. As she enters the room, she sees a big black hard covered book slightly ajar sitting on the bed. She opens the first page but decides not to read it.

Once downstairs she calls Halima. She's supposed to be here almost thirty minutes ago. How comes she hasn't arrived yet?

She calls again and still gets the same response: "the number you're trying to call is not reachable at the moment. Please try again later. Thank you."

She decides to call Sa'eed, maybe he's with her. Sa'eed immediately picks on the first ring.

"Ya Sa'eed. Where's Halli? Yau ne fah kawo lefen Amal." Fatima says immediately he picks.

"Forget lefen Amal. Come to my house now. There's a problem." Sa'eed says and ends the call.

Fatima immediately rushes to her room and picks her car key and Gucci purse. She rushes downstairs without even telling Innayo that she's going out. Their extended family members have started arriving from the hotel while some are coming from Hajjo's house where they spent the last two days. The house is getting crowded so there's a slight chance that Innayo won't notice Fatima's absence.

Once in her car, she drives to the other side of Kuje, where Sa'eed and Halima's house is located. It's not that far so it won't take her more than fifteen minutes to get there.

Once in front of the house Fatima honks but suddenly remembers that they have no drivers nor gatekeepers so she parks the car and rushes inside the house.

As Fatima enters the smaller parlor, she sees Sa'eed begging Halima to talk to him while Halima just sits there almost lifeless. Fatima just rushes to where Halima is sitting and started shaking her, asking Sa'eed what's wrong with her best friend. Sometimes she tends to forget that he's her husband and he loves her too.

Sa'eed drags Fatima to the bigger parlor.

"We went to the hospital today and they told us that there's a ninety percent chance that she's barren. Since then she hasn't talked, eaten or even done anything. She just left the consultation room to the car and when we got home, she just sat down there. That was almost an hour ago. I honestly don't know what to do."

"But, how? I don't understand. When, how? Why did you go to the hospital?"

"I'll explain all that later. Just please get her to move or something. Even if she'll slap me just get her to do something, anything." They both go back inside and Fatima does some weird things to Halima.

Fatima looks at Halima.

"You see Halima, it's better if you accept your fate. You're barren! And nothing can change that. Better stop forming this nonsense shock you're forming because it won't take you anywhere. You'll never be able to carry your own baby. Never be able to irritate Ya Sa'eed with midnight cravings like you planned to. Never be able to see little Sa'eeds and Halimas running around."Halima doesn't even flinch so Fatima decides to go deeper.

"Infact, I think Ya Sa'eed might have to marry again to get a child. Maybe he'll marry Bella. Or probably Aleesha. Or even one of our cousins. Who knows?" And that did it. Halima stands up and lands a hot slap on Fatima's cheek.

"No! No! My husband loves me. He won't marry Aleesha. He won't marry anybody. I'm his only wife!" She faints and Sa'eed catches her before she reaches the ground.

Fatima quietly leaves the house with teary eyes. This is one of the reasons why she's never going to be able to practice her field. She's too emotional. She drives back to the house. She goes into the house, greeting every elder she sees on the way.

"Ahaf! Ai wannar kam sai a hankali. Cemuku tayi aure zatayi nan kusa ne? Wayasani ma koh karuwanci tajeyi shiyasa bata yi auren bah." Fatima hears one of the women sitting in the guest room closest to her room say.

Fatima just ignores them and enters her room only to see Ameela, Aneesah, Afrah, Sulayman, Haidar, Haisam and Ihsan sprawled on her bed.

Ameela is her step cousin. Aneesah and Afrah are also her cousins while Sulayman and Ihsan are Aneesah's children, five and three years old respectively. Haisam and Haidar are Ameela's twins, both of one year.

Fatima joins them on the bed and Ameela squeals.

"Fatima! Gosh. When last did I see you?" Ameela has completed her degree in English at a university in Lagos. Her education was sponsored by her husband, AbdulAleem. Now she lives in Lagos with her husband's family, her twins with her husband.

"Ah ahn! Maman 'yan biyu." Fatima exclaims. The last time Fatima saw Ameela was on her conveyance day. She's gotten fatter and fairer since then. That's almost three years ago. That was the last time she saw her extended family members. The first time she came back since she went to the UAE.