Chapter Six

On his way to Hajiya Saude's place, Yusuf was certain he wasn't meeting any girl before the wedding, if she likes she can go ahead and cancel it for all he cares.

When he entered his aunt small living room which he renovated three years back, she was digging into her masa and taushe soup. Yusuf greeted her and sat opposite her on the carpet. He felt so out of it, but it was early in morning too be exhausted.

"How are you son?" The elderly woman in her mid fifties asked with a bright smile that seems to be brighter than Yusuf's future.

"Alhamdulillah, i am good."

"Did you jogged from your house?" His aunt asked observing him, he run his hand through his newly lowcut hair and blinks.

"Did i look that bad? I came by car." He replied with a smile barely visible and she sighed.

"Rahma, bring plate from the kitchen." The woman called out, and some girl answered from somewhere in the house. In less than a minute a young lady came in with the plate. She had a beautiful smile seeing Yusuf.

"Yaya Yusuf, good morning. I didn't heard you coming in." The girl said with the same enthusiast as her mother.

"Since you're always hiding in there, how will you know, kumatu." Yusuf jokingly remarked.

"Haba Yaya Yusuf, that was then. I have lost all the fat in my body all thank to your teasing. My aim is to be more beautiful than your future wife." She giggles and he grimaced.

"Oya, serve me! I am hungry already."

"That's what happened when you decided to remain a bachelor." Rahma winks at him and placed the plate that's generously filled with masa and a bowl of taushe soup next it.

"Let me wash my hands, before then make a cuppa tea." He instructed the girl and disappear somewhere. Yusuf came back  and sat on his previous spot and start digging in. Now that he is blessed with a good breakfast, he chose to eat it first before dropping the news on his aunt.

"Oh ni Saude, you're seeing things upon things with that father of yours. What is he thinking always pushing you like some wheelbarrow, ehye?" He had told his aunt everything after sending Rahma away. And she was shocked. She isn't sure of why his father is always making things difficult for her poor nephew. They keep treating him like a stigma in their lives. What's his fault.

"I am sorry for not telling you earlier, gwaggo. The matter slip out of my mind. And please don't confront baba with the issue, let not give him the pleasure." Yusuf really didn't want his aunt and father to fight anymore because of him. He is the one that always gets hurt in the process.

If it where upto Saude she would put Usman and his wife in their place, she was tired of their shenanigans against Yusuf. The poor man, does nothing but obey them.

"Ohh Yusuf, marriage is a big issue wallahi.  And your father decided to go ahead and planned everything by himself, Alhaji Usman is not doing it right." Her once bright face has darkened with sadness and feeling sorry for her nephew. She felt guilty at times for his misfortunes. If only she hadn't agreed in the first place, all these wouldn't have happened.

"Gwaggo, please just promise me you won't talk to him." Yusuf pleaded, he knew his aunt hates injustice against anyone not to even talk about one of her own being mistreated.

"Wallahi, I am letting it go only because you insisted, if not I would have gone there and give him a piece of my mind. Since when has that stops, in what century is your father living? That man is so set on spoiling my mood." Saude palmed her mouth for a while, deep in thought.

"Gwaggo, for the sake of Allah, let it be. Since I  have already agreed, okay. In sha Allah I will pulled through it." Yusuf added so calmly in other to calm his aunt.

"May Allah continue to bless you, Yusuf. And bless the marriage for you too." She sighed and he mumbles Amin. "I forget to ask from which family the girl belongs to?"

"Something Datti, I  don't know the full information about her." He appeared uninterested.

"Ohh ni Saude, may Allah continue to give you the sabr to handle your father."

"Amin gwaggo, thank you."

"What about that lovely girl that came to see me twice here?.... Uhmmm what do call her... not maryam...... Yauwa Marwa." When Yusuf didn't comment about the girl, Saude change the topic understanding her nephew's dilemma.

Allah with his blessing has blessed gwaggo Saude with only four children which are all girls, three of them are married. Rahma is the last born who is still studying in the university. She lost her husband many years back. Gwaggo Saude adores Yusuf as much as she adores her own daughters, there was a time she had to sell all her room furniture to pay for his school fees. And now he cater for all their expensive just like a true son, even though Saude have her own clothing and kitchen utensils business.

"Rahma and I  will go to the market in the evening and buy all there's needed for distributing to the family, I will also meet with Kawu Audu." That is Yusuf's eldest maternal uncle.

"Okay, do you need anything for the shopping."

"I will manage all that, just sit back and be the groom. I will call your sisters so we can all go ahead start preparing the lefe, before it get late."

"Gwaggo, since you didn't plan for this now, if you need anything just ask, okay." He said with a smile seeing how  his aunt is already on it. He knew she won't asked him money until she is so out of it, she has filled the void of his late mother, but it's  still wasn't easy for him to get over how she died. 

"Who said I didn't save for your wedding, half of the money you sent are there in the bank waiting for your marriage." She admonished absent mindedly, and she realised what she have just uttered, she smiled at the astonished looking Yusuf.

"But gwaggo that was yours to spend, why are saving it up for me, when I am working now. I have a good paying job." Yusuf complaints somewhat offended, but deep down he was happy that he still  received that much love.

"Your father had taught me a good lesson, when he did what did before. And now that we are not waiting for his money, he is shoving it at our faces. Wallahi no matter how I  try,  I  can't seems to understand that man. My dear sister Saratu, May Allah  continue to let her rest in peace, and may He repay her kindness towards that family.  She had tried her best for him and his chameleon wife." He had said amin for the prayer done to his mother, and just like his aunt all he does is wonder if they will ever understand his father.

At twenty nine years, Yusuf have everything working for him, except his sore relationship with his father. No matter what he do or said it was never good enough to please his stubborn father.

However, deep down Yusuf knew he was only agreeing to the marriage to get into his father's good book. He was barely six years old since he seen his father has smiled at him, if he can remember correctly.

Yusuf loves his father and it is important for him to get accepted by him. To have his approval, he doesn't ask for love. He just want his father to look at him and smile, not to always look at him as if though he was the biggest mistake of his life.

With a stepmother who abhorred him to death, the woman will do anything to land him a situation like this. He was sure she knew about Marwa which was why she was pleased with his father's idea or she insinuated the whole thing yo begin with. What Yusuf doesn't understand is if Luba is vituperative toward him as a stepmother, why would his father be?

The sound of his front door opening caught him off from his trance. And Saif tall figure come in to view in the living room, he is the only one that have Yusuf's house keys.

"Assalamu alaikum!" Saif greeted  him with a hand shake and sat on the next sofa. Yusuf got up from his laying position and sat straight rubbing his face. "You're looking... Saturnine, bro."

Yusuf gasps and leaned his head on the headrest of the sofa, "is it that obvious?"

"Of course, did someone died? You didn't even go to the gym today." Saif  dubiously looks into his friend face.

"I am two months away from marrying your supposed disabled girl. I made with Baba this morning and the engagement might be happening right now. So bro, I  am officially engaged as of today." He smirks.

"Stop that bro, it looks as if you are some seconds away from crying like baby." Saif pointed at his friend's smug face, he really do looked disturbed.

"Believe me, I am just being virile."

"So getting married, is it?"

"I guess so. Isn't it too soon, I mean I needed sometime to think." His shoulders slumps and he briefly close his eyes. Saif handed him the malt he just grabbed from the fridge in th dinning area behind them, which is lifted by three step stairs from the living room. By the left side of the living room is a frameless double size door covered in brown curtains, it leads to a small empty living room and housed all the four bedrooms, which only one of them is furnished.

"Then take this." Saif tucked out the house keys from his black jeans and hand it to Yusuf who was looking puzzled. "Come on bro, stop looking so clueless. You know I  can't have this keys now. Your wife will be here soon, so I will starting learning how to  ask permission before coming inside here."

"It's going to be that drastic, right?" Yusuf asked sipping the liquid from the small can and his friend nodded. He was feeling like his life is going to be over in the next two months. Sure, so many things are going to changed. He was getting married but not to the woman he have chosen. It's a big responsibility that he still don't think he is ready for. His fear is if he will be able to accept the girl as his wife and be just to  her. The more he think about it, the more complicated it comes. Why baba? Why?

It was already after magrib, Aisha and her  relatives are still classifying the traditional ceremonial items they received from the engagement. Earlier, two of Abubakar younger brothers had brought so many cartons of biscuits, sweets and few bags of kolanut saying is for the bride's mother's and her relatives. As they have already took their own share which was equally divided between the bride's parents. They also bought a fine sum of money as a token to the bride.

"It's really getting real, Yasmini." Ikram voiced out, she is still in awe, she can't content her happiness. She believed it is a very big progress from her cousin.

Marriage was something that was never in Yasmin's dictionary, men terrified her. So her, agreeing to marriage is like she was ready to get over her fear. Yet that's all Ikram assumptions. The two of them are in Yasmin's room still on the prayer mat, waiting for isha prayer while they chat away.

"You were so excited on your engagement, why am I  not feeling the same?" Yasmin asked leaning at the side of her bed and her head on the mattress. Ikram looked at her still contemplating on what to say. She had seen her almost have a panic attack at the advent of the so many aunties which most of them are still in her aunt's living room.

"Uhmm, my own case was different. I have been fantasizing over my wedding for years and seeing a glimpse of it, was magical. And the biggest fact was, I am in love with my fiance." Ikram explained as if reliving the moment once again.

"To be honest, Ikram. I feel like crying, what if I am just deceiving myself and can't do it." With a smile Ikram take Yasmin hands into hers and the two sat facing each other.

"Yasmin, you're a brave person. I know you have to deal with so much, but there's nothing greater than what you can do. I know you believe you're broken somewhere in there, maybe you're. But that's you pulling yourself down, letting  your fear dominate you. Cooking was never your thing before, you prepare anything but that.

Yet when you decide to be a cook, you became the best. So why not give marriage a try too. Not all the men out there are bad and worst. They're some nice ones, like your fiance in sha Allah.

Trust Allah and open your heart, make a small room for this guy to enter. Communicate and share a little, you can do it. If he dares to hurt you, you have tons of soldiers to depend you, it won't even come to that in sha Allah." No matter what the case maybe Ikram will choose to be positive, even if that means she is in a sinking ship in the middle of the ocean and alone.

Yasmin's case is different, she and negativity have been working hand in hand over the last twelve years. She nearly got killed but someone dear to her brutally died in her place. And it still hunt her.