Fallible

twenty

This was too much to take in. Her mind flashed back to where she saw the name first, it was a package for Mubeen while he was away. Or could this be a mistake, maybe it was wrongly delivered. Mubeen was never married, that she was sure of. But Mubeen confirmed he knows the lady bearing that name at the University of Bath. Well, it may be a name coincidence. Mubeen was never married and this was a wrong delivery, she wasn’t going to feed the suspicion she had. She was still going to ask him though, to clear her mind from negative thoughts. She had a warm bath and rehearsed how to break the news to him. Mubeen had always said her smile was contagious. She would keep smiling and tell him to guess or just hand over the result to him. She was still in the middle of her drama when he walked in.

“You said you would come home early” she whined like a baby

“I’m sorry dear. This one you look radiant. What’s up? How did the visit go?”

“I told you I’m fine and I got the confirmation letter from the doctor” she picked her bag and checked in it for the test result

“You got a parcel? Oh! I was wondering what the excitement was about? Who sent it? Saalim or Sakeenah?” he picked it up to see it’s a card.

“Yeah, I wanted to ask sef. You can go through it. I think there’s a mix up somewhere. But the name sounds familiar, Faariah Bakare”

“What?! She sent it?” Mubeen was caught unaware and he regretted it the instant he spoke in such an alarming way.

“You know her?”

He didn’t utter a single word till he was done reading the card. This was it and he knew it. He had dreaded this moment. He rested his hands on his hips, wiped his face nervously and hung his head, looking everywhere else but Salmah.

“Wait, you know her?! This is a lie, right?” Salmah kept her calm. When he did not reply, she took some few steps to stand facing him.

“Mubeen, you were married...in the UK...and you didn’t tell me” she said more like whisper scrutinising him with her stares. And when he still didn't look at her, she got the clue.

“I’m not your only wife, am I?” she took some steps away from him as if he had been plagued.

How the tears found its way out, she was unaware. As far she knew, she was trying hard not to break down in his presence. There was no point acting all strong again. She didn’t shed a single tear when Maymah died, it was unusual of her. She tells herself more often than needed that she had to stay strong for the babies and her husband who just lost a sister. Even close pals were surprised.

That night, all the emotions came running. She cried in hysterics as her sobs grew louder. This couldn’t be true, she trusted him wholeheartedly. The tears were hot and flowed rapidly, unable to control her sobs, she cried harder with every energy left in her, her body shaking rigorouly. All the pent up despair, sorrow and now, betrayal were let out as she sobbed even louder, not caring if the neighbourhood could hear her. It was as if Mubeen was stung seeing her cry that hard. He hated himself for doing this. He was in trouble, a deep mess.Mubeen tried to hold her in a way to explain what happened, and she ran from him like she was going to contract his disease. As he tried moving closer to her, repeating that it’s not what she thinks it is, she tumbled over the huge flower vase just outside their bedroom and let out a scream holding her abdomen. Mubeen rushed to her, kneeling beside her, she quickly got up and attempted leaving when the pain hit her again in full force. She fell unconscious and Mubeen was shattered.

“What happened? Who is crying? What happened to her?” Mamman Suhail asked breathlessly from the spontaneous steps she took to get upstairs.

He was doomed!