<p>Munnir said, “May Allah bless us with all that is good.” He replied, “Ameen.” He dropped Munnir at his house and then drove to his family home in Kwarbai, Zaria.</p><p>The house was an expansive mansion, reflecting wealth and perhaps even a touch of royalty. He parked his car at their section of the house, gathered his phones, and headed into the spacious living room. There, Badi’a was seated, applying ointment to Hajiya’s leg.</p><p>He sat on a rug near Hajiya, saying, “Good afternoon, Hajiya.”</p><p>Badi’a quickly stood up and greeted him, “Welcome, Yaya.”</p><p>He replied, “Thank you, Badi’a.”</p><p>Hajiya asked, “Shatima, you’re back?”</p><p>“Yes, Hajiya. I have some work to do at home,” he replied.</p><p>“Will you work on your laptop?” she asked.</p><p>“Yes,” he confirmed.</p><p>“Alright, I’ll have them bring your food to your room. It’s the meal you like—Burabusko and some cow leg pepper soup. Shall I serve it?”</p><p>He nodded. “Alright, Hajiya. Let me head to my room first.”</p><p>Hajiya called for Badi’a, who promptly responded, “Yes, Hajiya.”</p><p>“Call Uwa from the kitchen,” she instructed.</p><p>Uwa arrived respectfully and was told to prepare food for Shatima. “Should we serve him kunun zaki or zobo?” she asked.</p><p>“Just bring cold water and packaged juice,” Hajiya replied. “You know he won’t drink it unless I prepare it myself.”</p><p>Upstairs, Shatima buried himself in work. When Badi’a knocked and entered with his meal, he barely noticed, muttering to himself, “If only I were married, my wife could feed me while I worked.”</p><p>As evening approached, he prayed Maghrib at the mosque, joined the last rak'ah, and then decided to visit his grandmother, his father’s mother, in Tudun Wada. He was accustomed to receiving her complaints, as he hadn’t visited her in a while.</p><p>Passing Aliya’s house, he glanced at it wistfully, thinking, Though her chapter in my life is closed, I still care for her. Out loud, he said, “May Allah’s blessings reach you wherever you are, Aliya.”</p><p>At his grandmother’s, she immediately scolded him for his absence. “You’ve been back for a while, but you haven’t come to see me!”</p><p>He apologized, explaining the workload of his new government job. She softened, though she teased him about his past heartbreak with Aliya.</p><p>“Grandma, I’ve long made peace with that. Wasn’t it you who encouraged my parents to arrange my marriage to Nafisa?”</p><p>“That’s true, and Nafisa is intelligent and educated,” she replied.</p><p>Shatima then said, “But what if I decide to marry two wives at once? What do you think about that?”</p><p>His grandmother chuckled, saying, “Islam permits it, and neither I nor your parents can object. But do you mean Aliya will be one of them?”</p><p>He shook his head. “Aliya? She’s married now, with two children.”</p><p>“Who told you that? She never married,” his grandmother revealed.</p><p>Shatima was stunned. “She never married?”</p><p>“No. She’s still in the house where they said she wouldn’t wait for you. If you don’t believe me, let Maryama fetch her for you,” his grandmother said.</p><p>Maryama was sent to summon Aliya, and Shatima grew anxious, unable to focus on anything else. When Aliya entered, they locked eyes, both standing in shock.</p><p>He broke the silence, asking, “Aliya, you’re still here? You didn’t marry?”</p><p>She sighed deeply before greeting him.</p><p>His grandmother teased, “Are you two going to catch up standing?”</p><p>They sat, and he asked how she felt seeing him again. She admitted she couldn’t believe it was real. He smiled, confessing his surprise that she hadn’t married. She explained how suitors came and went, but she couldn’t bring herself to marry any of them. Eventually, her brother enrolled her in nursing school, where she focused on her studies.</p><p>“Now I’ve graduated and started working at a private hospital,” she concluded.</p><p>He marveled at how much time had passed since their separation—over three years. They reminisced about their last meeting, where her parents had refused to let her wait for him and arranged for her to marry someone else.</p><p>“I never stopped thinking about you,” he admitted.</p><p>Aliya shyly responded, “And I never stopped praying for you.”</p><p>When he mentioned his plans to marry three women—Aliya, Nafisa, and another woman, Amna—Aliya was startled but tried to mask her jealousy. He told her about Amna, a poised young woman from Kano he met during his studies abroad.</p><p>“Will you be okay with this arrangement?” he asked.</p><p>Aliya hesitated but finally replied, “If Islam permits it, who am I to object?”</p><p>Before leaving, he handed her his phone to save her number, and she mischievously saved it as My Love. He smiled when he saw it and promised to call her that name in public.</p><p>Returning to his grandmother, he shared his plans. She encouraged him but reminded him to seek Allah’s guidance in all things.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
