57: Abbi's Baby

She was trying so hard to tie her headgear, but she couldn't, that was among the reasons why she hated Ankara so much, she wouldn't be walking around, long like one basket dumped with a heap of clothes. She groaned softly and her shoulders slumped in defeat. What the hell would she have to do now? “I should better change into my Abaya, safe and sound.” She whispered to herself and turned to go get changed. She knew Yazeed practically begged her to wear this Ankara today, but there was no way she would do that when she didn’t know how to tie her headgear. She would have to make him understand that nothing was meant for her in this life.

“What do you think you’re doing, Ballerina?” He asked softly from behind and she turned to look at him with a pout adorned on her lips, trying so hard not to break her cover of being at her cutest point.

“I want to change into an abaya, it’s so much easier. I don’t know how to tie this thing,” she lifted her headgear and he collected it from her hand, trying to glare at her from the corner of his eyes. He knew all her ways whenever she didn’t want to wear an Ankara, and this was the number one way she always chose.

“I can help you wear it; I think I know how to.” He lounged for her head and she slipped, stomping her feet on the floor.

“You know I can’t let you wear it for me, right? I'd rather wear it for myself. Why don’t you let me wear my comfy clothes, Yazeed? Please.” She drawled while giving him her best puppy eyes, but he shook his head before he laughed.

“You know all those pouts, puppy eyes and cuteness wouldn't shake me now, right? Ballerina, I love seeing you in Ankara and it’s not like those abayas don’t look beautiful on you, no. It’s just that I sometimes deceive myself that I'm married to some sort of an Arabian angel, I want to be brought back into my senses. That my wife is a Fulani queen, you know?” He winked at her and tried to get to her when she dodged him and ran out of the room, Yazeed would be her greatest weak point in this life.

He followed her while laughing at the way she was whiny and stomping her feet on the floor, “I want to change into my Abayas, I promise to wear it again on Friday, deal?”

He shook his head, “Today is Sunday, I can't wait until then.” He held her hand firmly in a way that she wouldn’t slip out of his hold. “What of this, we will go to Ummi’s chamber and Ameena will tie it for you. If it doesn’t look beautiful, then you can change?” He asked, he knew the moment she made the mistake of walking out of his chamber with these clothes on her, there was no going back.

She pouted her lips and nodded her head, “I know that will work then.” She put her veil over her head, and they walked out of the chamber hand in hand. She turned to look at him, “Will you be leaving tomorrow?” She asked softly and he stared into her eyes, pinching her nose.

“Do you want to follow me?” He asked, and she was so quick at shaking her head. They had been having this argument for months since Ummi came back now, she hadn’t followed him to Abuja, he didn't know why she was doing this.

“You know it’s a no, right? I’ll just stay here in Kebbi and wait until you’re back.” She giggled at the expression on his face and looked away. She loved Kebbi, and she didn’t know why. She just wanted to be staying here forever.

“Jalilah you’ll force to call Mama and tell her what you’re doing to me. How can I have a wife and not be with her all the time? I’ve been begging you, but it doesn’t seem to work. Do you want to see me cry first before you’ll agree?” He spoke with a whining tone and she squealed at the mention of her name, taking him I for a quick hug.

“Oh my god! You have no idea how much I miss hearing my name on your lips...” She pinched both his cheeks and he pouted further, which made her laughed so hard. “Do you remember the first day you called my name?”

He smiled and hugged her back, “I still have the recording in my phone. That was the day Yazeed jr was born, right?” He asked and she nodded her head in clarification, as they broke their hug.

“You this guy, you’ve made me suffered that just you calling my name made me so excited. Before, I could count your smiles and all the words you said to me. Why didn’t you talk at the time?” She punched his chest lightly and he wiggled his eyebrows before he threw his head back and laughed, just in time they walked into the chamber.

“I think I was afraid of having someone close to me apart from Wafiyya and Sulaiman, they were the only ones that understood me at the time. But then after you came into my life, everything changed. I could say I'm so happy with my life now, thank you, Ballerina.”

“Awww,” she began and let her words trailed off before she released her hold in his hand, “Ummi! Good morning!” She rushed to Ummi and softly hugged her before she broke their hug, smiling at her. She had always wanted to see the woman that gave birth to Yazeed, and after seeing her, Jalilah knew that she would love her as much as she loved her mother. “Ummi, I didn’t come back yesterday in the evening.”

Ummi placed her hand on Jalilah’s cheeks and softly smiled, “You were so busy, Khadija, I understood. Ameena was there, she washed the hair for me.” Jalilah took her hand and guided her to the sofa, smiling widely.

“But Ummi why wouldn’t you go to the saloon? I know you don't want them to see your hair, they’ll start asking questions and pointing at this old woman that has such a long hair...” The soft and loving smack on her shoulder made her stopped and she laughed.

“I'm not old, am I, Yazeed?” Ummi turned to Yazeed and he quickly masked up his sentimental expression whenever he saw Jalilah interacting with Ummi, he felt something clouding his heart.

He smiled widely and walked to the sofa they sat down, “Who can say such a beautiful woman is old? You aren’t old, Ummi. Where’s Ameena?” Yazeed asked and he stood up, “She’s in her room, right? Always doing makeup on her face, I'm kind of afraid for this girl, Ummi, is she okay?”

They laughed and Ummi nodded her head, “She has always been that way, she loves makeup and that time all my savings end up on makeup products, I couldn’t say no to her because I know if I didn't take her away from her father, even if she didn't have his love, she would have all the worldly things she wanted.” He hated it whenever Ummi spoke about their lives, they weren’t wretched, but she had to work so hard for them. And he was so proud of this strong woman he had as a mother.

He walked up to Ameena’s room and left them as Ummi kept telling Jalilah the way they took care of their hair in their cultural way. He knocked softly and heard when she answered from the room as he thought, she was in front of her mirror. “Yayid! Good morning!” She said excitedly and rushed to stand in front of him, taking both his hands in hers. “How do I look? Better than the last time, right?”

“I think I should better get you enrolled in a makeup school, Ameena, you can’t be looking like a zombie following all these YouTube tutorials.” He laughed at the expression she made and pinched her cheeks, “I was just joking, Ameena, you look beautiful. Who else would look this beautiful if not the whole Yazeed Adam Bunza’s baby sis? You’re so beautiful.”

She giggled and hugged him, he had to break their hug so she wouldn’t smudge his kaftan. “Should we go downstairs? You have to help Jalilah wear her headgear, you know how to do it, right?” She vehemently nodded her head, and they entwined their hands before they descended together. They met Ummi and Jalilag where they left them and after they exchanged pleasantries with Jalilah, telling how she had improved with her makeup skills, she began to tie her headgear.

When she was done, Jalilah moved to the console and stared at her reflection through the mirror, “Yazeed, I still don’t look so good. I need to change this dress, please?” She whined when she turned back, and they all smiled at her.

“No, you look beautiful, Jalilah.” They chorused at the same time, and it was only Yazeed that referred to her as Ballerina, which she melted for. He moved to where she was and took a picture of them with a pout on her lips, “You see? You look so beautiful.”

She knew the only way to escape from his trap was to run away, back into their chamber and before he got to her, she had already changed. She tried running but luck wasn’t on her side, he caught her on reflex. They all burst out laughing when she whined an Ummi spoke after minutes of silence, “Khadija, have you tried seeing a doctor?” She asked, and they all stared at her.

“What? No, Ummi, I'm not sick.” She answered and looked up at Yazeed with a confused expression.

“She’s fine, Ummi. Or did she tell you she’s sick? Or maybe you noticed?” Yazeed asked, instantly as he began to scrutinize her body to see if she was okay or not, and she laughed before she shrugged him off.

“Yazeed! You’re frightening me, I'm okay.” Ummi moved to where they were standing and she took a hold of her hand, she stared at her palms then pulled her lower eyelids.

“You have to go and see a doctor today, Yazeed. I’m not sure, but it shows that she’s pregnant.” No, that wasn’t what he heard, what they heard! They all turned to look at Ummi with their mouths hanging low, and she didn’t look like she was joking.

“Ummi, do you mean this? I mean, can she be?” He stuttered while he asked and she laughed before she smacked his nape, “What do you mean by can she be? She’s a woman, and right now your wife shows that she’s pregnant. Take her to a doctor to confirm.”

In a windspeed, he had his car keys and Ameena had her veil around her body too, she wanted to go with them. They were already in the car, their hands entwined with each other but none of them spoke a word, maybe they were afraid that if they spoke to each other, Ummi’s prediction might be wrong, and Yazeed could sacrifice everything he had for it to be real. They went to the doctor and after all the necessary tests were taken, they sat in his office and waited for the result. With each move of the hands of the clock, their heartbeats raced up, she was seated beside him, but she couldn’t keep calm. Normally, Jalilah made him feel calm and safe and no matter what the situation was, he would feel so much at each. But today was different, he was still feeling uneasy.

They heard the door clocked ajar and the doctor made an appearance into the office, their bodies became stiff as they waited for what his answer would be. First, he dropped the paper and adjusted his eyeglass before he spoke, “Congratulations to you two, she’s four months pregnant.” No, by Allah this wasn’t what they heard. For a split second, their hearts stopped beating and it was Jalilah that broke the silence with a very weak and unsure voice.

“But...” She wanted to ask, to confirm but then she was also afraid to make the doctor change his words, she wanted this to be real more than anything.

He cut her off with a soft smile, “I know, it’s normal for some women to have their period at their first trimester. You’re okay and hopefully, the baby is okay too.”

She felt the way Yazeed tightened his hold on her hands and through her peripheral view, she watched as the doctor left the office, he knew to give his patients this privacy after a revelation like this, they would need a moment of their own. She turned Yazeed to face her, there were already tears in her eyes. And when she looked into his eyes, the emotion there was so strong that she broke into tears nodding her head at him, “We did it, Yazeed. We’re going to have a baby in five months.”

Her words felt like an opener to him, and he heaved a sigh before he held her shoulders, his tears washing down his cheeks. He knew it wasn’t impossible, but he had never imagined a day would come when he and Jalilah would have a real baby. His hand got to her stomach and it was as flat as it had always been, she chuckled, and more tears gushed down their cheeks. “It’s still flat, Ballerina, is the baby okay in there?” He asked with so much innocence and love that she had to hug him while laughing.

“How can we ask it? But I'm sure baby is okay.” She spoke on his shoulder and he tightened his hug on her, laughing now.

“You promised to follow me to Abuja whenever you get pregnant, right?” He asked bringing her closer to his body. He wanted to make sure this was real; he wasn’t dreaming, and the doctor didn't make a mistake.

She chuckled amidst tears and nodded her head, “Abbi needs to take care of his baby.” It felt strange, weird even. That she, Khadija Ibrahim Fufure was finally going to have Yazeed Adam Bunza’s baby. She was no more his Mrs., but now the mother of his kids. Wasn’t Allah the greatest?

“Ummi please you should let her leave with us, please?” Yazeed begged, Ameena wanted to leave with them but Ummi was so adamant, she didn’t want to.

She turned to look at him, then glared at Ameena that was seated across the living room with an innocent expression on her face, “Your father will be back next week, she can’t leave. I promise to let her come the day Khadija gives birth if that will help.” At this point, they knew there was no more beseeching that would make Ummi agree to let Ameena follow them. Yazeed’s shoulder slumped in defeat before he walked to where she sat, the only god knew what he told her because she kept giggling while nodding her head.

They got ready to leave, and Jalilah felt as if she couldn’t leave them but she knew she had to. The driver took them to the airport and after they all sat down on the plane, Jalilah held his arm and he looked down to her with a smile. “What? Has it moved already?” He asked softly into her ears and she didn’t know when she burst out laughing.

“Yazeed! Oh my god! It can’t move for now until after a month or two. I just remembered something.”

“The first time we went to Adamawa? That quiz we miraculously won? I don’t even know how we did that.” She was laughing and nodding her head, they had so many weird yet funny memories together. And it felt good to be reminiscing them all. As much as she felt that they had some bad memories, the good ones were so bright that they filled her heart whenever she remembered them.

She slept on his shoulder throughout their flight and he didn’t wake her up even after they landed and the whole passengers until he was sure they were all alone, “Ballerina,” he called out, and she squinted her eyes at him.

“Are we home?” He nodded with a soft smile, “We’re home. No, that’s not right, you’re my home. Whenever you are is home.” She smiled and sleepily pecked his cheeks.

They got down and at the arrival, Wafiyya was waiting for them while she now held Yazeed jr that couldn’t stop running around and the only way to keep him in one place was to hold him. The toddler was so energetic that she sometimes felt him weighing her down. The moment he saw them walking toward them with a smile, he kept moving until she set him free and he ran to Yazeed, lifting his hands for him to hold him. “Abbi! Abbi!” He stuttered with his baby voice and every time he called him that, Yazeed couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with emotions.

He ducked down and took him, bringing him up, Yazeed jr touched Jalilah’s smiling cheek with an excited baby’s grin. “Mammi!” He shrilled excitedly and she laughed before she kissed his palms.

“Yes, Beloved, it’s Mammi! I'm back, are you so happy? And I have a gift for you, Mammi will bore you a brother or sister soon.” She said with a laugh at how happy he looked, moving in Yazeed’s hand in such an exciting way. It felt as if he understood what she was telling him.

Wafiyya hugged her so tight before she squealed, “Congratulations, Baby girl! But my baby boo wants a wife!”

Jalilah looked at her before she chuckled and she stared at the way Yazeed was playing with her Beloved, the name she chose to be calling Yazeed jr now. “If it’s a girl, just call her Yazeed’s wife, right, Yazeed?” They turned at the same time with the sound ‘hmm?’ On their lips and the two women couldn’t help but burst out laughing. They had so much in common, so much connection and love between them. It wasn’t a mistake when Sulaiman named the boy Yazeed, he was born to wear the name.

And it would be so amazing for her daughter to have a husband like Yazeed. She knew Yazeed jr wouldn’t hurt her daughter and she was sure he would love her as Yazeed loved her now. They walked to the car and even though they were so much engrossed in a conversation with Wafiyya, she couldn't take her eyes off from Yazeed, how he was playing with Yazeed jr in such a loving way that she became rest assured, she had gotten the best father for her kids. She chose the best man for them, the most loving of them all.