Sabeeha cried profusely as she nursed the wound on her arm. She was seated in the hut, wiping at her tears and wincing whenever it pained a bit more and when she was done, she palmed her face and cried some more. She knew that she had promised herself that she was never going to cry, but there was no way she wouldn't. It wasn't even because of the pain she had felt when Hajia had beaten her, no. Even though that pained as well. But it was what had transpired before and after the beating.

She couldn't believe that because of her, Anas nearly got cursed at by his mother. And she could vividly hear how he had cried openly in the kitchen after Hajia had walked out of it, along with Meeral and when he tried to come close to her to maybe console or help her, she simply stopped him. Because right now, she feared for him and what would happen to him and his life. His mother should never have uttered those words at him. It was probably the most painful words he had ever heard in his entire twenty three years of existence.

She knew she should get back in and finish the breakfast she had started, serve it and proceed to clean the entire house. Her back made a sound when she got to her feet and she wondered if a day would come that she'd wake up without having over a million things to do. She wiped at her tears, even though more cascaded down and walked back into the kitchen.

Walking while wiping her tears in the process had never been so heartbreaking but today. Because, she believe she was only this calm before the storm and when it finally happened, she didn't know if she'd be able to withhold it in her heart or not. But for now, she had to finish her works and then proceed to think of what would be of her. Now that she knew it would never be too old for her to get beaten by Hajia, Sabeeha figured that the best thing she had to do was try to avoid all the things that triggered Hajia to do that.

Especially now that she was going to be their housemaid; permanently. If she married Idi, which she knew she would, she would be stuck with this family forever. And she couldn't afford getting beaten in front of Waleed. Yes, it wasn't the first time Waleed had seen her got beaten by Dahiru, this was entirely different and she didn't want to bruise his heart far more than it already was.

She was done with the cleaning some minutes before noon and decided she would take her bathe within that period before she went back to the kitchen for lunch. Waleed, bless his soul, now watered the gardens for her unfailingly, everyday. It was as if he knew that she had a bad memory attached to that garden and it would probably be hard on her if she tried to walk in there alone and work. And the little boy offered it himself, telling her how he had been taught how to take care of plants at his school and how it was beginning to be something he loved and enjoyed.

She took her bathe and stared at the less then twenty clothes she had, which had all been worn out and looked so dull. But Sabeeha couldn't remember the last time she had gotten a new clothe, save the one Zaid bought for her that day and she knew that was solely because there was a reason attached to it. And she had intended to take it back to him. Because she didn't even know how she'd start explaining to Hajia where she got the gown from.

There was a gown she loved wearing and she brought it out today. Yes, today might be her most dreadful day, but she was going to look at least a bit presentable. So, she wore that gown and slipped off her headgear to comb her hair. When was the last time she even had her hair pleated? Since in Damaturu and this was why she told Zaid no matter how bad Damaturu was to her, she still got to do a lot of things that she dare not to think of here.

She quickly brushed it and tucked everything safely under her headscarf, because the last thing she wanted to happen was for someone to throw one more rude comment about her hair and then she didn't know if the day could get any more worse for her. She quickly went down to the kitchen and started making preparations for lunch when she heard Waleed's voice.

"Ammi! I just came back. I'll go and wear my Friday clothes so we can leave for the mosque with Uncle Zaid." She stared at the window she had heard his voice from. It had became a tradition between them, for him to always speak to her through that whenever he was back from school. And sometimes, all the gists he had for her were conveyed through that.

"Ammi? Are you in there? Should I come in?" She quickly moved to the window, her body slightly shaking, hoping she'd be able to stop him.

"No, Waleed, I'm here. That's good. Quickly go and do that, I'll bring lunch over for you guys in some minutes, okay?" She heard as he started walking away before she sighed and walked back to her work.

She worked tirelessly without allowing anything to come to her mind. Whenever she spotted the place she had just gotten beaten on few hours ago, Sabeeha would feel the way her heart squeezed with agony and she'd blink back the tears. Reminding herself that she had something bigger than that coming at her and the hours kept reducing that it only left less than three hours now.

She continued working as fast as she could and when she was done making lunch, she put on her hijab and walked to their chamber with the food she had arranged for them. She knocked softly, holding the tray she had prepared everything on while she waited. Her mind was telling her that she brought it solely so Waleed could eat, but she knew that deep down, she brought it so Anas could eat as well. She doubted if he had even taken breakfast. No, he didn't.

Again, Zaid was the one that opened the door for her and she quickly tore her eyes away from him the moment her eyes fell into his. She didn't know why she hated him, well, maybe not actually hated him, when she could tolerate a bit of him. But she didn't know how she could dislike this boy and be rude to him at all times but whenever she mistakenly looked into his eyes, she always found him staring back at her with so much softness and kindness that she had never thought of getting from him.

"I brought lunch. Is Waleed inside?" She asked, watching the way he kept staring at the big tray in her hand before he gently collected it from her, not a word shared between them.

She watched the way he walked inside without either answering her question or even saying she should get in like he used to. And she figured out he might be angry at her over what had happened between them two days ago. She shrugged off her shoulders and went in uninvited. Because at least, her son lived there and she went there for him.

"Waleed? I've brought lunch. Quickly come out so you can eat and I'll also get to see your kwalliyan juma'a, okay?" She spoke a bit loudly, so that whatever room he was, he'd be able to listen to her.

"A moment, Ammi!" He called back from the last room and she chuckled at how frantic his voice had sounded.

She sat down comfortably and placed her hands on her face, entirely closing her eyes until she heard him walked up to her and he stood right in front of her. "You can now open the eyes." He said excitedly and she slowly opened her eyes to the cutest little boy she had ever seen in her life.

"Oh my god, is this really my Waleed?" She gasped happily and he broke out into a series of chuckles, clearly happy.

She knew that Anas had been taking care of her baby for her, but this was too generous of him. Waleed was wearing a Gezna that was sewn beautifully that it fitted his body and he even had a Baban Riga worn on top. And there was a beautiful cap marched on his head. Wait, it looked the same like the one Zaid was wearing now.

"Ya ilahi. Is this cute man really mine? Come, let me give you a hug, habiby." He grinned and moved to her. Sabeeha hugged him to her chest and felt the way her heart was swelling with her love for him and she felt her eyes getting filled up with tears. Only less than two hours left, and her life, their lives will fully change and she wished this change Waleed had so far gotten since when they came back to Adamawa would still be there after this.

They broke apart and he adjusted the cap on his head and moved softly, turning back and front for her before he stood in front of her again. "How did I look? I'm so excited, Ammi, I've never worn a Babban Riga before."

"You look so handsome that it's even blinding my eyes, Waleed. Come on, I gave birth to you, so you'd definitely not look anything short of handsome, you know?" They both laughed at the sam time while he nodded his head in agreement.

"Sure. My Ammi is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." She smiled at him. Sometimes he told her that and she used to feel light in her chest. No one had ever called her beautiful but Waleed. Even though she knew that to him he had no choice but for his eyes to see her as the most beautiful because she was his mother, but she felt good whenever he said that.

"Now, remove the Babban Riga and come eat, okay?" He did, removing the cap too and they walked to the dining table together. He sat down while she served him and after she was done, she sat down beside him as they spoke all about him and it was always something about school.

She had purposely came to see Waleed before he left for mosque so she could feel a bit better, and she did. And she had came here so that she'd be able to meet him before the event that'd change their lives forever enfolded. And unknowingly, Waleed was doing magic to her heart.

"Ammi? You have a wound on your hand." He pointed at where she had just finished dressing and she quickly hid the hand away from him. "Ah! Your eyes, what happened? And your neck too. Ammi..." He said painfully as he got to his feet and stood in front of her, examining her face.

Because somehow, she had taken off the hijab so she wouldn't get it stained and she quickly put it back before he could notice other places. Tears were already accumulating in his eyes when he watched her put the hijab on as she tried to paint the perfect fake smile she had mastered for his sake.

"I slipped and fell on the stairs today. Nothing to worry about, okay?" But his tears were already on his cheeks and she closed her eyes for a moment. "Come on, Waleed, I told you what happened, why are you still crying? Do you want to make your clothes dirty?"

"Someone beat you, Ammi. I swear someone beat you. Look..." He hiccuped the words out and pulled her hand, tracing the blue shade the belt had left on her body. Perks of having an extremely fair skin. "Ammi I know what your skin looks like and this isn't it. Who beat you? I thought no one does that here since we're not in Damaturu and Adamawa is so sweet. Who beat you, Ammi?"

She chuckled, but the tears she had been trying to stop rolled down to her cheeks and she didn't even care to wipe them because she knew more would come. "What will you do to that person? No one beat me, Waleed, believe me." But he was crying so hard for him to even listen to her, and with each tear that rolled down his cheek, Sabeeha felt as though they were fire droplets on her heart.

Subconsciously, he began wiping at her tears with his thumbs and that broke her heart even more. "If you don't like here, can we beg Uncle Zaid to take us to Kano with him?"

She laughed as she shook her head. "Who told you I don't like here? Remember my Alhaji Babba? We used to live here with him. I love Adamawa so much, Waleed, it's my root. I just don't like this house. But no, we aren't going to Kano, I think we're stuck here for life." She made a funny face and he chuckled, so she proceeded to wipe at his tears.

"One day, I'd get rich and build a house for you, Ammi. Then I'd hire a maid, a cook and all the people that'd do everything for you. All you have to do is eat, sleep and pray. And then I'd come and talk with you everyday. I can see you everyday because it's our house and no one can stop us from seeing each other."

She laughed, forcing the tears out of her eyes. "What will you become then, when you grow up?"

He thought for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders while she helped him get back into his Babbar Riga and then donned the cap on his head. "I don't know. I'd have to ask Uncle Zaid or Uncle Anas, what do I need to become to take you out of this house and punish whoever it is that makes you cry? And then I want to become rich. And I'd spend all my money on you and do whatever you like."

She laughed. She loved it when he made such promises. Which even though she was hopeful that Allah will change the narrative of their lives through Waleed, she believed she must've died by then. Because with the pain her heart was forced to accodomate, she believed that one day, she'd just have a heart attack and that would be it.

"Won't you get married then? So that I can be playing with your kids and we will be so happy with them, Waleed."

He shook his head as he scrunched up his face in such a displeased way. "If someone marries, he has to beating his wife everyday but I don't want to do that. I don't want my wife to be crying every night like you do, Ammi..." She surged in a breath that paused the circulation of blood to her heart and for a moment, she thought that it was the heart attack she had just thought about that was happening to her at the moment.

What had happened to her? What had she done to the mentality of a ten years old to make him believe that it's mandatory for a husband to be beating his wife and also to be pathetic in his eyes, enough to make him know that he didn't want to be beating his wife and make her cry like she always used to? Did she make a mistake by simply enduring all that abuse so they could stay with Dahiru? Did she make a mistake by telling herself that the abuse would stop for years while her son watched with teary eyes all in the name of being under the roof of his protection in the name of marriage?

She didn't know she was crying so hard until she heard someone cleared their voice and she looked up with eyes filled with sheer agony and she quickly wiped at them, even though more kept gushing out. Zaid flashed her a look that spoke to her even though he didn't utter a single word to her. But there were words flowing from his eyes.

'This? What had just happened? It's only a fraction of the damage you've done on your child.' She felt as though those were the words his eyes wanted to pass to her even though she knew he might have a different wording if he were to use his mouth instead.

She got to her feet and fondled Waleed's hair, all the while trying to force a smile out of her lips but failed woefully. "I need to go back inside and you have to go to the mosque as well, right? Pray for me, okay?"

He nodded his head, "I will, Ammi. And I'll pray that whoever beat you today will be punished by thunder when it rains." She chuckled bitterly and nodded her head.

"Do that, Waleed." And she wordlessly walked out of the chamber. Immediately she had a safe distance between herself and the chamber and there was a place she could hide to cry, she slid down to the floor and broke into tears.

What had she done? Why was it that while she sucked up all that abuse she had never thought about the damage it'd do to her son? Why didn't she ever think of what it did to her child whenever he saw her getting beaten up or heard the horrible words thrown at her? And the worst part? He would think it was a necessity he had to do as a man. Just why?

She was crying so hard and softly beating her heart, right where her heart resided because it hurt so much in there. She wished she could bring her heart out for a moment and let it cool off a bit.

She wiped her eyes as determination surged through her. She wasn't going to continue living this way, she didn't even know how to do it, but she would. She wasn't going to get married to Idi, what she was planning to do might prove futile, but she at least had an hour before the nikkah time and it would be better than not trying at all. At least, if she tried and failed, she wouldn't blame herself for not trying at all.