Chapter 70: Chapter 70

"Six what?" Hajia asked, after two minutes of hiatus. She was too baffled to let the words assimilate into her brain. What kind of pregnancy? The one that gives birth to a new born child or not? She prays it's not like that.

Laila cried and said, "It is Hajia, she's six months pregnant, and wallahi Yaya already loves the child like his soul. She slapped me twice in his presence, but he put the blame on me at last."

Hajia sat upright from her resting position, she just had her breakfast, and what Laila is telling her now is making her nauseous. "Wait, don't tell me you're crying because of this? I'll be in the house in the next thirty minutes. Wait for me, don't say a word to him or her." Hajia assured and ended the call, she entered her room and took out her hijab from the closet and headed outside, where she met her driver patiently waiting for her orders.

"Take me to Aminu's house." She yelled and entered the car before he could even make it to the car. She was burning in rage, all she wants to see is Laila, and she could have the chance to vent out her anger to Al-amin and his slut of a wife.

They arrived at the house, before he could even park well, Hajia hopped out of the car and practically ranbinto the house without even a salam. She walked to Laila's room and knocked impatiently.

"Who's that?" Laila yelled from her room, from how her voice sounded hoarse, she had been crying since morning.

"It's Hajia, open up abeg!" Hajia banged her wrist on the door, yet again.

Laila rushed to the door and opened it, she embraced Hajia into a hug and let out a wail, she doesn't know what she's feeling, she could feel her world slowly crumbling at the pitch of her fingers, but she couldn't do anything.

Hajia patted her back and guided them to Laila's bed, they sat down and Hajia helped Laila gulped down a cup of chilled water and allowed her to cool down a bit.

"Now, tell me what it is." Hajia declared and turned Laila around so she could see her well.

***

Ummi was having a video call with Meeno, she had been laughing and talking merrily when Al-amin barged inside the room with a soft knock.

"Hey Arub!" He called softly and sat on the bed, opposite her. She glared at his fingers that dipped themselves into her plate without seeking for permission and continued her phone.

"Aisha, please allow me to tell Ya Yusuf about your pregnancy now, the new had been eating me up for the past six months!" Meeno had been begging about this since when they started the call. It first started as voice call before Meeno felt Ummi would be unnerved is she sees her in person; thus the video call.

"Meeno nah, that man will tease me for africa wallahi, dan Allah don't tell him yet. I'll tell Mama and she'll spread the news!"

Al-amin snatched the phone away, just when Meeno was about to insult Ummi. They exchanged pleasantries before he told her that she can tell Ya Yusuf, and he and Ummi would go to Kaduna in weekends so Mama could know, they'll go to Ya Husna's house as well. Before Ummi could utter a word, they ended the call, leaving her lips pursed in a pout.

"Habibi, why would you say dhe should tell him? That man can come here just to pull my legs!" She palmed her face in despair, knowing so well she'll be the talk of town when Ya Yusuf knows she's pregnant.

"He's your brother nah, you've been dealing with him since childhood, deal with him now too." Al-amin chuckled at how worried she seemed, it was really huge blow on a girl, for her family members to know she's pregnant.

"That aside, I heard you said we're going to Kaduna on weekend abi? Are we really going?" Her face lit up in a grin, he could sense the felicity in her tone, as she stared at him with eyes filled with hope.

"Yes, Arub, we're going on weekend, so Mama could see her pregnant Ummi. But get up and bath now, lets not be late for our appointment." He pecked her forehead and planted a smooch on her lips before he stood up with the tray in his hands.

"Tell Laila we're leaving toh, it's her right to know your whereabouts." With that, she entered the bathroom without waiting for his answer. No matter how it hurts, she couldn't contribute in omitting someone's right, she couldn't risk having tons of sins on the day of kiyamah.

Al-amin smiled warmly and walked out of the room, he first went to the kitchen and dropped the tray before he scuttled to his room, in a rush to take a bath before they could be late.

He entered Ummi's room and met her fiddling with her gown's zip, he helped her zipped it up before they walked out of the room together, with so much love and happiness written all over their faces.

"Arub, let's take a selfie, so I could show our baby when it's born, our first antenatal visit." Al-amin said and wrapped his hand around her shoulder before he lifted up his phone and snapped them.

"I want to use a filter!" Ummi whined amd lifted up her face, they scrunched up their faces at the same time before she snapped.

With their laughter echoing through the confines of the house, they walked out the house and they all sat in the car before Ummi looked at Al-amin with a serious expression.

"Habibi, have you told her?" She asked, not leaving a room for an excuse.

"Arub I'll tell her when we're back, I promise." He ignited the car but Ummi's hand on his halted him.

"Please Al-amin, for the sake of Allah, go and tell her, I don't want Allah's wrath on you. I know what it feels to be left alone untold." And she smiled, the kind of smile that lifted up the layer in the red flesh of Al-amin's soul, until it got to the peak and melted.

"I'm sorry, and I love you so much. I'll be back in a minute." He kissed her lips slightly and walked out of the car. Ummi smiled and brought out her phone to play candy crush, her favorite game.

Al-amin entered the living room with a faint salam, he walked over to Laila's room, but there were words being hushed that made him almost fall on the ground, he had to grasp the wall for support.

"What is it left to be done, Hajia? Do you how I suffered before I got that pictures of her from when she was in university? Not to talk of the person I hire to always snap her and that old friend of hers, and I made sure he took the pictures in such a way they looked like a happy couple." Laila cried, how wouldn't Hajia understand that there isn't a way out! What they've done before is enough to make Al-amin divorce Ummi, but he never did that, he impregnated her and isn't willing to believe whoever is going to tell him the child isn't his.

"I don't know what kind of a fool Aminu is, after all the things we did? Are you even sure when she went to her friend's wedding, those pictures were sent? The ones you showed me and told me were a photoshoot, but they really looked real." Hajia had been spinning the wheel of thoughts in her head, to bring out the solution to their problem but couldn't.

Laila groaned and softly smacked Hajia's thigh. "Hajia that was the one that made him married me nah. After that, you asked me to do something so he could completely hate her abi? Then I asked a friend of mine to write an erotic letter to her, it got delivered, he was the one that collected it. So, what's left to do, Hajia?" Laila slumped her shoulders in defeat, palming both her cheeks with her palms.

The next thing Laila felt was a striking knock on the crown of her head, she yelped and grudgingly looked at Hajia with a scrunched up face. "Hajia what have I done again? Instead of you to find a way out for me, but you're beating me. Hajia you've stopped loving me now ko?" And she burst into tears, she wants to be out of this mess for a while, she's tired of all the chaos that has been happening in her life lately.

"I'll never stop loving, because that means I've stopped loving my dear son Muddaha. But you're an idiot, Laila. Let me remind you if you've forgotten, wasn't I here in this house because you've refused to give him his rights? Then this is the outcome, so deal with it yourself!" Hajia thundered and stood, fixing back her hijab as she headed for the door.

A devastated Al-amin pulled his legs towards the exit of the house. His head felt like mountain Kilimanjaro. He need even a single vein in his body to function well but it doesn't, all feels like a rock. His legs were like a hundred years lived baobab trees, he pulled them with so much effort but they seemed to root in their spot.

What should he do? What is he to do? How's he going to act? Just what is he supposed to do?! He needs to see Maami! She's the only person that could lead him to the right path in this state.

The exit door felt like a stone blocking a cave. With aplomb, he opened it and his glossy eyes fell on Ummi's face, she was jubilating that she finally got to beat the level she had been trying for over a week. She smiling widely and looking at home, and a lone of tear slowly and painfully cascaded down his cheeks. He's doomed.

She looked over the window, getting anxious of what took him so long. A part of her was insisting that they might be making out with Laila, while another part kept bringing up excuses. Either of them, she isn't letting herself loose because of it. She has seen enough and felt more than enough.

She saw him walking zombie like with tears rolling down his cheeks. She didn't know when she dropped her phone and handbag aside and hopped out of the car in a rush. What happened? Laila died?

Al-amin saw how she was half running towards him, her eyes getting misty as well. He wants to tell her it's alright, nothing happened, but he couldn't, because what he's feeling in his heart has made his words guttural.

She was finally an inch close to him, he pulled her into an embrace with so much intensity. He broke into tears like a child that has seen his mother after being estranged for years.

She felt how his tears were painfully dropping on her shoulders, feeling like a sizzling honey being dripped on her. How he hugged her so tight, she almost feel suffocated, and her bumped belly was being meshed with his strong body.

He was crying profusely, every nook and cranny of his body was shaking with anguish and sheer melancholy_Ummi couldn't help but let out her tears as well. She kept patting his back and drawing some soothing circles on his back.

"It's okay, Al-amin. What happened? Please stop crying kaji?" Her voice breaks from each word uttered. She's so fragile to see him crying without feeling heartbroken as well.

He lifted up his face and looked at her crying face, slowly, he merged their lips in a slow, painful, yet; melancholic sync.