O Allah! bless our lives, light every path we follow, give us wisdom and guide every decision we take. Enrich us with patience, strengthen our iman, grant us contentment, peace of mind and restore lasting tranquility to our land. Give us the best of this World and the best in the Hereafter. Ameen! Juma'at Mubarak

"How is Katsina?" Khadijah asked Kamla over the phone, she went to visit her brothers and siblings with much insistence from Hajiya Ladidi, she wanted to see her siblings yes but she didn't want to go back to all the memories, and knowing her mother wouldn't be there, she'd relented when her younger sister called crying that she didn't want to see them.

"I don't really like it again, I mean I miss them and all but I'm tired of greeting people, we visit at least five houses daily and I'm not even exaggerating" She laughed at Kamla's tired sigh.

"I can only imagine, but their warmth is all that matters," Kamla hummed in agreement but still made a grunting sound, Khadijah understood what she was going through because she was reserved and having to talk to that much people and they were very much must be taking a toll on her.

"That Hasiya is getting married," came her tired voice though she could hear the excitement, "She is so big and mature," the admiration for her younger sister was beautiful.

"Masha Allah, now I have a reason to visit Katsina." Kamla chuckled at that.

"You won't really like it because their cold is extreme."

Khadijah made a sound before replying, "That's beside the point, anyways did you know they are bringing Afnan's lefe this weekend?"

"Oh yeah, she told me, I'm so excited, thank Allah I'll be at home during the wedding, it would've hurt because we had plans," she squealed at the end.

"Well, let me not keep you yayan amarya, take care and my regards to Hasiya and everyone."

"Alright, greet everyone for me, kiss Adeel and Farhana for me."

"Will do, bye." With that she hung up and laid on the bed, she'd woken up more than two hours ago but she was having a lazy morning.

Busy with juggling between Sadiya's house and the things she had to do at the shop, both branches, she'd opened the second branch when the twins were two months old which was about two weeks before her birtday and everything was looking good Alhamdulillah.

She decided to not completely waste the morning, it was already eleven so she picked her sketchbook that Layla called a part of her, which was a gift from Huda that she inexplicably mentioned was paid for with her brother's credit card and without his knowledge too because apparently what he didn't know won't hurt him, that and he wouldn't notice.

She loved it though and called the teenager to thank her specially, she talked with Aneesah who was elated to inform her she helped in packaging and designing the cover, the rosewood colored hardcover with "Dee's" written in ivory in a clean cursive was undoubtedly her newest favorite.

She started sketching a dress she'd had in mind for a while but never got to starting, she used a light black pencil to outline the shape, mermaid gown, something Layla would look regal in. Her phone rang when she started shading the drawstring gathered sleeve, she picked without checking the caller, it was probably Fahad or Layla, or maybe ya Sadiya, they were the only people that called her most of the time, and it couldn't be Victoria because she got off the phone with her before she called Kamla.

"Hello?" she gave up and talked after hearing someone's breathing on the other side, another habit she had was she didn't talk first on the phone but she didn't have time for whoever it was that thought it would be a good idea to prank call her, she removed the phone from her ear to check the caller ID, a private number, with a low hiss she removed it and hung up since they weren't talking.

She closed the book and finally stood up to get her morning coffee, umma would definitely scold her for not eating early then she would do another round of scolding for her taking 'that bitter thing' like she conveniently called it.

"Yanzu kike tashi?" (Are you just waking up?) umma asked after replying her greeting, she replied with a no already working the coffee maker.

"What are you making?" she asked seeing the bag of flour already open and a dough sitting on the kitchen table, that made her look around the rest of the things she missed, chaos, that was the perfect word for how the kitchen looked.

Umma once in a while baked for weddings and thing like that mostly because she enjoys it rather than as a job but she hasn't done so in a while.

"Snacks for Afnan's in laws," she replied in a duh tone.

"Aren't they her uncles and aunts?" umma took her time to give her a blank look before releasing an annoyed sigh.

"And so? Traditions are traditions." She muttered something along the lines of modern children and forgetting their roots which made Khadijah raise her hands up in surrender, she quickly picked her mug of coffee and left the kitchen before she had to hear a full lecture about traditions of weddings, which will lead to the marriage talk and inevitably her own marital status would come in.

For the past months, umma had been quiet about it but she didn't want to jinx it, she knew it was just a while before she goes back to disturbing her, so she was enjoying the short time of her liberated freedom.

She heard her phone ringing again and she groaned but didn't rush to it, she kept the half full mug on her desk then proceeded to pick the phone, five missed calls from a private number she deduced was the same person, she stared at the phone blankly feeling annoyed for no reason, like it wanted to infuriate her, it started ringing again, she didn't glance at the caller before she rejected the call, it started ringing again almost immediately.

"What?!" she almost yelled after picking.

"Wow, is this a bad time?" her eyes closed momentarily before she removed it from her ear and looked at Fahad's name.

"Sorry, I've been receiving blank calls from a private number."

"Anything serious?" he asked concerned.

"No, probably just children making numbers up,"

"Right, how is your morning going?" she made a sound which made him chuckle, "That bad?"

"Not exactly, I'm just anticipating a very busy week and my niece is getting married and all that?"

"Oh, may Allah bless their union," he was quiet for a moment before asking, "You have a niece old enough to be married?" she chuckled lightly at his baffled tone.

"I wouldn't exactly say old enough for marriage, what's the age limit for marriage anyways?" he made a incoherent sound.

"I certainly have no idea,"

"Well, she's just a teenager," he was quiet, maybe surprised she didn't know.

"Teenager? Like Aneesah's age or early twenties like Kamla?"

"She's nineteen I think," she did a mental calculation before nodding to herself in affirmation, "She turned nineteen last month,"

"What?!" she would've found it funny if she didn't think it was too early too but she believed marriage was time and it was Afnan's time, and the prophet said to not delay marriage.

"What does she know about marriage or life? Isn't she supposed to be crushing on infuriating bands and annoying actors by now, I mean Aneesah is eighteen and I wouldn't leave a cat in her care talk less of a whole household," he sounded panicked which brought a smile to her face.

"You sound like you're seconds away from a meltdown." She said instead trying to change the topic, she didn't like all the marriage talk.

"I'm just so surprised I guess, I certainly won't let even Nabila have a boyfriend at her age and you're talking about marriage."

"Some things are inevitable you know, so why delay it," she was trying to convince herself more than him, there was nothing she could say or do that'll change Baraka or even Afnan's mind, she might as well pray for her to have a blissful married life. It's not like she was against love or marriage or anything of the sort, she just didn't get what the rush was all about, how old was he anyways? Maybe twenty four at most twenty five, she shook her head to get rid of the thoughts, Suleiman had been twenty five when they got married, they'd all believed he was matured and sensible, look how that ended up? She thought bitterly.

"Dee, are you here?" she heard Fahad ask.

"Yeah, sorry." She shook her head again.

"Before my heart stops from this news and I certainly hope my mother doesn't hear anything of the sort, it'll just make her double her efforts." She mentally thanked him for helping her change the topic.

"Double her efforts for what?" she heard herself ask.

"Finding me a wife, she is convinced I have this perfectly laid out plan to remain a bachelor."

"Is she wrong?"

"Not exactly, I don't have a perfect plan yes, but I've never really thought of it." She was taken aback by his answer, who hasn't ever thought of marriage? During her university days she'd thought of her wedding and all, she hadn't really put much thoughts into who the husband would be, she'd wanted someone like Abdulrahman or close she'd always thought, he was religious and cared about her sister and he respected their parents, that was all she'd ever really wanted in a man.

At a point she'd thought it was because she'd always mentally designed the perfect husband as him that she didn't appreciate his efforts, she was naïve and had even felt bad when she felt like he was trying, it took her a while to realize that the problem wasn't her or her thoughts, it was just him, it took longer to convince herself to believe that.

"Khadijah!" her name being called snatched her from her reverie, she answered absentmindedly. "Are you sure everything is fine?" he sounded worried.

"Yes everything is fine, I'm just distracted, busy week you know." She mustered up enough energy to let out a laugh that didn't sound convincing even to her.

"Okay." He hesitated. "We'll talk later then, let me not keep you from your work." She hummed and said goodbye before hanging up.

She sat there for five minutes or more, she couldn't really tell but when she finally snapped out of it, her coffee was cold and she had three more missed calls from the same private number, she didn't hear it ring. With an annoyed sigh, she switched the phone off completely and feeling a burst of energy from nowhere she resumed her work and when it was time for zuhr, she was already done with Layla's gown and have started on Sadiya's own.

**** **** ****

After his call with Khadijah, Fahad had stopped to think of what she'd told him, a nineteen years old was getting married, in the present age and time, it simply baffled him, he was sure her parents knew what they were doing, what was his business anyways? It's not like he knew anything about marriages and relationships, but still. He groaned and abruptly stood up, he needed something to distract himself with.

The meeting.

He thought but quickly disregarded it, meeting with that crazed man was the last thing he would do on this earth.

He sighed and brushed his hand over his face, his mind drifting back to Khadijah while somewhere at the back of his mind, Dahlia's words kept ringing but he pushed them aside, she'd completely gone rigid when she talked about marriage, she'd brought the topic up, what happened? His head was starting to throb with the multiple thoughts.

The adhaan for zuhr brought him some calm as he performed ablution and walked the small distance to the mosque, there weren't much people who lived in the area because of the insecurity and kidnapping, his mother would flip when she heard that, speaking of which, he made a mental note to call her, it's one thing to sidestep her not so subtle mentions of her running out of patience with him and a whole other thing to travel out of the blue and not call her.

He did talk to his siblings the night before and his father immediately he'd arrived but he hadn't called her, he would hear it from her certainly, and it might help if he called before she her, otherwise he might as well just move to Nigeria, change his identity and find new parents.

He stayed and exchanged pleasantries with few of his neighbors at the mosque, some of them he knew from when the house was being renovated and others he was introduced to before going back home.

"I thought you wouldn't even call me, you've done freedom then." He scratched the back of his neck and put on his most sorry look, she'd spoken in fulde which she rarely did except when she was threatening them or trying to be serious, or worst of all scolding them and that was her scolding voice.

"Ammie I wanted to call last night but I was jet lagged and many things were going on," he flashed her his best smile but she didn't bat an eyelash, it was going to be harder than he thought, "I missed you," she glared at him, the miles not reducing the force of it.

"I talked with mamie, she had the courtesy to tell me you arrived safely and even visited her," he squinted and tried his most regretful look.

"Oh she did?" he was aware how ridiculous he sounded but he didn't care at the moment.

"So this your jet lag only applies to calling me, who did you go to visit before that? Your flight landed in the morning and you went to the house around ten, so spill," her excited face certainly wasn't what he expected but beggars couldn't be choosers, and what was it she was talking about.

"I didn't go anywhere that would guarantee you getting excited," he focused his gaze on her, "We only went to see Layla's friend's sister who recently gave birth and that was it." The truth was always better, chances she already knew what she was asking was a ninety out of hundred.

"Isn't it the designer Huda and Aneesah won't stop talking about?" she did know.

"Yes," he murmured not knowing where she was going with it.

"You should've said so," a grin made its way to her face, "I've heard so much about her, I remember everyone talking about her when mamie and the kids returned that one time," he saw the glint in her eyes and quickly stopped her mind from reeling.

"Yes and there's nothing to think about ammie I can see your brain already forming ideas." She gave him a blank stare.

"Why are you getting defensive? I didn't say anything." He groaned, his mother was certainly a special case.

"Ammie please, I'll call you later," she hummed looking at him with a mischievous smile.

"Okay, stay safe and sleep please, I know you're not staying with your aunt so make sure you eat and take care of yourself, also don't come back without a wife." She waved and disconnected the call before he could argue.

"I wonder if she just calls me to remind me of that." He muttered to himself with a grunt ignoring the fact that he was the one that called.

His lunch was delivered not long after and he dished the food then called Zaynulabideen to hear if he got anything new. He called twice but he didn't pick, he didn't keep the phone when it started ringing again.

"Barkindo, I didn't expect you to stand me up," he heard the voice he dreaded hearing, his mood went from one to zero.

"Then you certainly do not know me," he muttered annoyed.

"Well that says a lot," the man chuckled darkly which didn't really sit well with him.

"I didn't bother because I know you'll only send one of your airheads my way and I'm too busy for that, come yourself." The man laughed again.

"You want to meet me?"

"It'll be an honor," he replied sarcastically.

"Tomorrow, same place same time," he man said in a low voice, "Don't play with me." His voice was threatening when he said that and the line went dead after that.

•••••••

Hello, you know I love a Friday update, barely forty eight hours until I'm legal, yeeeee, I'm not so sure anymore because it certainly doesn't sit well with me that I can be arrested (not that I plan on doing anything arrest worthy) but don't test me🌚 I know how to shoot and I know how to fight (this is a song o)

Anyways, almost at 18k I'm screaming guysssss, I love you people.

Now that I said I won't disturb talk wit surutu,look at me💀

Anyways, what's the chapter like?
Where Dem dey see this husband?😭

Anyways, go on my Instagram and follow, may Allah help me be social (I literally do not know how to be that!) I'm trying Sha, okay not really.

I'll try to be more social, have a great weekend

Amyrah