The next morning at 5:20 am,
Mum: (peeking through the door) Hmm... Mustakeemah!
Mustakeemah: (jumps out of bed) Ma! (heart racing, she suddenly notices that everything is dark) Am I dreaming? Gush! I must be dreaming! (She tries to lie back down, but her mother roars at her)
Mum: Don’t make me break down this door!
Mustakeemah: (jumps out again) Ma! I thought!
Mum: Open this door right this instant!
Mustakeemah: (nervously opens the door) Good morning, Mum (on her knees).
Mum: What is so good about the morning? Do I always have to come knock at your door before you realize you should be awake 20 minutes ago, doing your chores and preparing our breakfast? If it's pretending to be a saint, you know how to do that.
Mustakeemah: (bows her head sadly) But Mum, this isn’t the time you usually wake me up. Why so early now?
Mum: Are you questioning me? You've grown so much nerve, girl. Should I start by slapping your face this morning, or will you get your behind into the kitchen and make us breakfast?
Mustakeemah: Sorry, Ma.
Mum: Sorry for yourself, and make it delicious, because if you dare prepare that rubbish again? You are inviting war.
Mustakeemah: What should I prepare?
Mum: Yam and egg, and make it snappy! At your age, you can't cook well, and people will think I didn’t train you properly. Your peers are in their husband’s houses, working their lives out. Nonsense!
Mustakeemah: (sadly enters the kitchen and breaks down in tears) Why is Mum treating me this way? Why? As if I'm not her biological daughter, and she wasn’t like this before. What did I ever do wrong to deserve all this from her? Why?
Mum: I can hear you! You're the one who needs to work on yourself instead! Work on yourself, and we won't have issues. That new path you've chosen is what's causing the problem, not me. I can't watch you being misguided by those masquerade women claiming to be pious, making you view everyone, even your own family, as misled. Never! So better start peeling.
Mustakeemah: (wipes her tears and moves to the store)
A few days later at 5:43 pm,
Mustakeem: Ekule oh! (heads straight to the kitchen) Anything to eat, people? Najat!!
Najat: Sir! Welcome, sir.
Mustakeem: You guys didn’t prepare anything for lunch?
Najat: Yes, sir.
Mustakeem: Why?
Najat: Well, Mum failed to drop foodstuff for us, so we all drank garri.
Mustakeemah: Where is my twin?
Najat: She is inside, doing her assignment.
Mustakeem: (heading to her room) Kehinde!!! (barges into her room) Kenny, how far? Why is there no food for us?
Mustakeemah: See! I’m not up for talk today. Please just go away and sort yourself out.
Mustakeem: (notices her cold mood) I don’t care about your attitude. All I know is I want to eat, so find something for me to eat!
Mustakeemah: Do I look like your maid or what? And besides, there is no food in the house!
Mustakeem: I know, so I will drop money. Just prepare food for me, please.
Mustakeemah: Is something wrong with you? I said go and find something to eat. Why are you stressing my life? And as you can see, I am busy with an assignment. So, get out!
Mustakeem: Okay, fine! I will go and buy noodles, and I want you to prepare it for me.
Mustakeemah: (can't believe her ears) Are you kidding me right now? Okay! Najat is around; she will prepare it for you.
Mustakeem: No! You are the one I want. You prepare it better with love and hatred, and I want you to prepare it.
Mustakeemah: If you don’t want God to punish you this evening, then get the hell out of my sight before I descend on you.
Mustakeem: Do whatever you want! All I know is you are preparing these noodles, and that’s final.
Mustakeemah: (roars at him angrily) Is something wrong with you? I said leave me alone and get lost! (she gets on her feet to face him) Get out! (pushes him) Get out!
Mustakeem: Please now, Kenny! Please!
Mustakeemah: Mr. man, get out! Maybe I look like your slave or your wife! Get out! (she pushes him out and locks the door) Wetin happen? Una wan kill me for this house? (doesn’t realize when tears begin to roll down from her eyes) Mum gives me pain, same goes with Dad! Now you? Do you guys ever care about me? What I want and what I don’t want? No! (breaks down in tears) All I want is a quiet life, but no! All you give me is pain! My mates are out there at the hotel and club committing huge sins, but I am here, trying my best to live a normal life, and you guys won't give me peace. Wicked people. (wipes her tears)
Mustakeem: (stands by the door) Are you done? Now come out and prepare these noodles for me.
Mustakeemah: (furiously gets up to deal with him as she opens the door; he stretches out a one-thousand-naira note) What was that supposed to mean?
Mustakeem: Keep the change. Now, are you gonna do it or not? I know you're just being moody because you're close to your period, and I get it because we're all used to that, but I’m starving.
Mustakeemah: (hijacks the note from him, throws it at him, and slams the door) Nonsense!
Mustakeem: Please now! I’m starving. Do you want your twins to die? Remember we came to this world together? And if I die, you die with me.
Mustakeemah: Pele! (chuckles) See, better get out!
Mustakeem: (stomach grumbling) Can you see now? Is it until I die? Please, Kenny, have mercy on me. (rests his body on the door)
Mustakeemah: (furiously opens the door, leaving him to almost land on his face) Go and buy the noodles, and I give you two minutes.
Mustakeem: (bright smile on his face) Thank you!!! You are the best. (he runs out of the house happily) I can't imagine my life without you!
Mustakeemah: Definitely going to be a forest without a tree. (shakes her head and slams the door) I have had this one already.
***************************
4 MONTHS LATER
Morning.
Ridwan: Baby, this one you’ve been acting funny since yesterday. I am 100% sure you are pregnant. Let's go to the hospital and confirm the goodness, please.
Zainab: (weak) I have told you that I’m not pregnant. I have used the P.T. tube, but it was negative. It might be malaria or something else.
Ridwan: It might be because you didn’t use it well. Let's just go to the hospital and clear our doubt, please. Besides, today is Saturday, so get dressed, and let's go.
Zainab: Baby, I’m fine. All I need is just some rest.
Ridwan: Take this as an order and get up! I can't watch you in this state for long. Let me help you with your scarf and shoes. We are leaving now!
--------------------------------------------------
At the hospital, the couple enters the doctor’s office.
Doctor: Please kindly have your seat.
Ridwan: Thank you, sir. (pulls out the chair for her) There you go, honey. Be gentle. Don’t hurt yourself, please.
Doctor: (smiles) You are highly welcome.
Zainab: So, doctor, what's the result of the necessary tests?
Ridwan: Yes, doctor? Is it a boy or a girl?
Doctor: (confused) Excuse me? Even if she is pregnant, that’s not how ultrasound works.
Ridwan: So you are saying she isn’t pregnant?
Doctor: Yes, Mr. Ridwan. Your wife is just suffering from food poisoning, so she will be fine. I will write down some medications for her, and in a blink of an eye, she will be back to normal.
Ridwan: So you are saying all those symptoms, she isn’t pregnant?
Zainab: (notices the disappointment written all over his face)
Doctor: Well, actually, food poisoning has similar signs to pregnancy because it causes some hormonal imbalance and indigestion. But she will be fine.
Ridwan: (bows his head sadly) Okay, thank you, doctor. (handshake) Come on, let's get you your drugs.
Zainab: (sadly follows him out of the doctor’s office)
____________________________________________________
Later in the night at 10:45 pm,
Zainab: (in a deep sleep when she begins to caress the bed, trying to locate her husband’s body, then realizes he isn’t sleeping) Baby? (she wakes up) What's wrong?
Ridwan: Nothing... Did I wake you up?
Zainab: No, but I noticed you aren't sleeping. Are you still worried about the result?
Ridwan: No, not really. (fake smile)
Zainab: (sits up and touches his face) I’m sorry. I know your expectations were very high on the pregnancy. But we plan, and Allah makes it happen. You know what? How about we try to make a baby tonight?
Ridwan: No, don’t worry. You must be weak anyway. When you get better, we can try it one last time.
Zainab: But obviously, you are not happy. Please, we will make the baby together soon. We will hear good news. I just want you to put your trust in Allah, and let's keep praying for pious children. I’m sure our baby is on the way. (she sits on him) Please don’t be sad. (she embraces him) I never knew this was how eager you are to be a father until today. And you are going to be the best father in the world. I promise you, my next sickness will bring goodness, Insha Allah. So, come on! Hold your property; let's make a baby.
Ridwan: (forces a smile) You have no idea how long I have been craving to be a father. You know I lost my parents when I was a teenager. Being alone and not having any relatives to love or be loved almost killed me. Ever since, I realized I can't have real love except if I make one, and that is with my children. Look, baby, I don’t care if it's a boy or a girl. All I want is kids. Please make this work soon.
Zainab: (touches his lips) Stop talking and let's get into action!
Ridwan: (chuckles) Don’t play with faith! My hand is not there. (unbuttons his shirt)
Zainab: Come on! My King Kong! Come on, my fearless lion.
*************************
(8:40pm)
Mustakeemah: (crying bitterly on the prayer mat) Dad, I’m sorry, please.
Dad: (continuously whooping her) How dare you, Kehinde! So you have completely turned into them... Ahhh! Before you start dressing like them, I would have almost shredded your skin. So far I'm your father in this house, you unfortunate child. Before you destroy this family and give us a bad name, I will be the one to discipline you.
Najat: (crying next to Mustakeemah)
Mum: And she didn’t initiate herself alone, but with this one, this rat! So my sister can question how I trained her child in the grave, right? If you want to live a certain lifestyle, do it openly; let us all see it. Rather than using that hijab to cover up your tracks, be open about it. All this you're doing, we all know it's fake! And you know Allah will be really displeased with you for this.
Dad: Where are the masquerade wears? Bring them all out. I will burn them all tonight.
Mum: (she opens her wardrobe and throws out all her new khimar) Where did you even get the money to buy them? Look how heavy it is. Can you even wear this for long without suffocating, Mustakeemah? This path you are heading will ruin your life. We are trying to guide you.
Mustakeemah: Mum, Dad, please don’t burn them. They are very expensive, please. I will do as you said, but please don’t burn them, please (begs bitterly in tears). Ejor daddy, please.
Dad: (picks up the khimars and drags them on the floor out of the house) Bring the kerosene and matches. This madness must end tonight.
Mum: (hands over the matches to him) I didn’t even know it was my daughter that I saw this afternoon. I even greeted her. Can a man even approach her like this? Not in my house! Burn them, dear!
Mustakeemah: (crying bitterly in the room as she checks out her bruises) Ahhhhhhhhhh! Look at my body! (She falls her head on the prayer mat and increases her cries while Najat runs to embrace her.)
Najat: I’m sorry, sis... I'm sorry.