She was sitting in the court, but her mind hadn't been in the court ever since Ammi sent her the message. She had never imagined it would turn to this, never imagined something she took as feasible as a game would outgrown this much, but still; she didn't care even if it did. All she did care about was Ammi, and the situation she was in now. It had aready been a month, and she still hadn't seen Al-mustapha since the day she left him at the poolside, and she couldn't enjoy her life as much as she enjoyed it now. Everything was beautiful.

She had gotten used to Jannah more than she had expected, and the girl opened up to her as though she was her own blood sister. And boy, did Fatima Zarah loved the way they conversed when they were together. How they acted when they went out, in the house, when Jannah was in her room to help her with some things, she truly loved it. But now, every good thing that was existent in her life had vanished, she wanted to know the situation Ammi was in.

She rounded up and went out of the court, ignoring the way Aliyu was calling her. He had been telling her that he wanted to come over to her house, to meet Jannah, that she should tell her husband. Funny how he didn't know how they now lived. He had been on her neck since last week, wanting to introduce himself to Al-mustapha since when she told him how Al-mustapha brought Jannah home.

She quickly got into her car to avoid meeting with him and drove out of the premises, she could see him through the rear mirror, trying to call her phone but it was already off. With her heart pounding in her chest, she drove home and parked, Ammi was home. That was surely something. Ammi was never home until after Asr and even if she was, she had something important to attend to.

She quickly got down from the car and entered the house, Ammi wasn't in the living room. Only the hushing sound of the television which she was sure Ammi had used to take off whatever it is that was worrying her this much. She walked directly to Ammi's room and faintly knocked before she turned the door knob and entered. She saw Ammi seated at her studying table and Fatima Zarah felt her palms and she suddenly wished she didn't come. Because she could clearly tell where this was going.

Ammi turned from where she was seated with a file which Fatima Zarah was sure had 'Al-mustapha Muhhamad Maccido' on it and moved to where she was rooted to her spot. The next thing she felt was a loud striking slap on her both cheeks, and with both palms supporting her cheeks; she looked at Ammi, whom was fuming with so much rage Fatima Zarah had never seen.

"Ammi? You slapped me, what I have done?" She asked with a quivering voice, not making the mistake of letting her eyes onto the file in Ammi's possession. Her heart was beating widely against her chest that she got afraid may be Ammi might heard the palpitations it was making.

"You're asking me what you've done, Fatima?! Are you even asking me what you have done? What am I holding in my hands? Tell me!" Ammi clamored, lifting the file up in the air and Fatima Zarah's eyes followed the file, gulping down the lump in her throat. Ammi pointed at her bed for her and she moved with jelly legs and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at Ammi with misty eyes.

Ammi didn't seat down, she stood up in front of Fatima Zarah and her expression showed she was still demanding for an answer. "It's Al-mustapha's file." she answered, because she wouldn't want to imagine what Ammi would do to her if she didn't tell her who the file belonged to.

"Fine. And who is Al-mustapha to you?" One hot glare and those scorching eyes of Ammi were enough to set Fatima Zarah's heart into a standstill, and she knew Ammi wasn't in for her jokes.

She pulled up her fingers and began fiddling with them, something she had never done before. But in other to get away from looking into Ammi's eyes, she would do everything. "He's my husband, Ammi."

"And what have you done with the informations you got discreetly regarding your husband?" Okay, may be for the last one month she had never felt guilty of what she did, but Ammi's accusing eyes and how she was relating to Al-mustapha as her husband was enough to bend whatever rock she had in there. She looked up at Ammi with eyes getting misty and wished for a split second this angry Dr. Summayyah would be back to her Ammi.

"He started it, Ammi. He did alot of things to me that are uncalled for. And afterall, it was all a game, he knew it. He was even the one that initiated everything."

"Goodammit, Fatima Zarah! Are you telling me you sneaking into my room, getting into my confidential documents and finding out something you shouldn't have, is a game? Are you the hell telling me that saying that out loud to the whole royal family, no, to the whole of Sokoto state is a game? What the hell has gottrn into your head? What use is your knowledge?!" She lifted her hands up to smack her wherever she wanted when Hajjo held the hand, and Ammi heaved out an angry sigh.

Fatima Zarah didn't know Hajjo was home, but from her looks she was sure she got in only a few minutes or hours ago. She wanted to smile at Hajjo but the knock she landed on. the crown of her head made her retrieve that and she wailed instead. "I haven't done anything wrong, Hajjo. Okay, may be invading Ammi's privacy was bad, but telling the world who he was wasn't, right?"

"You're saying it wasn't, right? Let me tell you if you don't know, Fatima. Mama Fulani, the woman you think only have easy ways to make you clean up your mess, is the most powerful woman in the whole of Sokoto state. She's the one that gave me my job, yes! This job that fed and catered for you. And she used me as her son's psychologist in return. Do you know what she did now that you've exposed the secret I promised to take to my grave with? She made them fire me despite being a consultant in their hospital, and if she wanted; she would aim directly at my license, and these qualifications would be a total waste! But mind you, she won't stop here, she will definitely avenge for what you did to her son. But in her words, we did to her son!"

Fatima Zarah had never felt thunder stricken before. What had she just heard? Like Ammi was fired at work or something? No, she definitely heard her wrong, she was the best Neuropsychologist they had in Sokoto, the best consultant in the whole of Sokoto. Places like Birnin Kebbi and Zamfara transferred their parents specifically to come and be under her Ammi's care.

She shook her head, this was truly unbelievable. "Ammi, you said what? But they can't fire you!"

Ammi slapped her right across her left cheek and spoke in the most angry tone she had ever heard Ammi spoke, "Yes they have! And if she wanted she would have make them sieze my license, but I warn you; this is just a warmer from her. She'll do something that's worse than this, I promise."

"It's okay, Summayyah. That's not the end of the world, is it? Can we sit down and cool off for a bit? I get it, that woman is angry, but who knows if Fatima Zarah has something to say too? We can't forsake her even if she's totally at fault, can we? So what if you're fired? You father left all his assessts under your name and your brother's. You have never used any of yours, you're pretty rich yourself, what more do you need? Just find yourself a husband and let go of this hatred you have for men, perhaps this will be good for you."

Ammi looked away from Hajjo and placed her hands over her chest, still fuming. She didn't even show that she had acknowledged what Hajjo had said about getting a husband. Because of all the things she wanted to do with her life, marriage wasn't among any of them.

"Sit down, Sumayyah." Hajjo ordered, and she did. They both stared at Hajjo as she pulled Ammi's vanity stool and stood in front of them, with a soft motherly smile on her lips.

"You're just like her, Summayyah, and yet everytime you complain that she's too much of fire than she was, of ice. Ke, you did the right thing, Fadimatu. She also betrayed your trust by not telling you who the man you were getting married to is, if she had, you would have treasured the little secret."

"That's why I love you, Hajjo. I truly felt hurt the day I found out, how can she not tell me, fisabilillahi?"

"Fatima, one more word from you and I'll beat you up in this room." Even though Ammi was still angry, she had loosened up a bit, and Fatima Zarah smiled teasingly at her.

"Beat her up and I'll beat you too. I don't think you can forget that your father's belt I used to beat you with, Sumayyah? I still have it." Hajjo threatened, and Fatima Zarah laughed at the expression Ammi had on her face.

"I've never known Dr. Sumayyah is so violent, Hajjo. Check my cheeks please, I have the prints of her palms, right?"

Hajjo made an exaggerated gasp, "Oh my god, Sumayyah. Halan kasheta kinka so kiyi? (So you wanted to kill her?)"

Ammi had to laugh at the expression Hajjo made, "How can I kill her, Hajjo? As much as I'm angry at her for doing what she did, I love her, and she knows it." Ammi glared at Fatima Zarah after her last sentence, and instead of it to scared her, it gladdened her heart.

"She just said she loves me, Hajjo! Tell her you love her more than she loves me, may be she can stop frowning her face this much." Ammi laughed and smacked Fatima Zarah playfully, and she dodged. Hajjo stood up from the vanity stool and sat in between them, holding both their hands.

"I'll start with Fadimatu, since Sumayyah has now cooled off, you did something wrong, don't ever repeat that, okay? As a good wife, you can't expose your husband's secret like that..."

"There goes the good wife lecture..." Fatima Zarah singsung, cutting Hajjo off.

"Listen to me, this lecture might be useful to you someday!" Hajjo warned and smacked her head softly. Oh, she had really forgotten how violent Hajjo could get.

After she was done with the good wife lecture, she turned to look at Ammi for a brisk second and Ammi looked away. "Please, not now, Hajjo. I'm not even ready." She raised her hands up in surrender.

"You promsised me you'll get married after Fatima Zarah gets married, it's already been months, Sumayyah."

"Yes, Ammi. Please do fast and get married, I need some siblings I can play and take care of." From behind, Ammi smacked her back so hard that she had to yelp.

"Have you seen this, Hajjo? This girl will start seeing we're on the same level, please don't start on this marriage lecture, let her give birth first."

"Then her son or daughter will say I'm older than my uncle?" Hajjo would forever be sarcastic, and after Ammi, she was second to none in Fatima Zarah's heart.

"That's why I love you, Hajjo!" Fatima Zarah chorused and hugged her. Despite Ammi whining and grunting some words, she laughed at how happy they were and hugged the two of them. Three generation of women whose hearts were nurtured with so much love and strength.