Chapter 72: Chapter 72

It wasn't love at first sight, but there was a forceful string that held their hearts until it got them bound. Through the obstacles, they bounced forward and backward_until it felt like they couldn't move on the same path anymore; but as it was known_Love always conquers. Their love does that too.

Today, they have the eyes of their parents staring back at them with eyes swelled up with tears, they weren't tears of sadness_tears meant to solidify the streaming water of happiness in them.

They've never imagined today would come as fast as it came. When they could look at their son, his wife, and the child growing in her. The first ultrasound they have, they're together with Mom and Dad.

"Hayatee, I'm not seeing anything," Hayfah whispered audible for only him.

It had been two weeks since they got to know about the pregnancy, like a gateman would guard a treasure_theye've been guarding the child even before it was born. The night they were told about it, neither Adyan nor Hayfah could let their eyes close, it felt like a dream, or an illusion, or better_their imagination that would never come true.

They had tears in their eyes all long, until the next morning Adyan drove them to Mom's house_and they became guttural, out of words. Mom asked them questions but they could only look at each other and smile, not knowing how to break the news to her. They knew she would be more than ecstatic than they were.

After Adyan thrusted her the paper, which held the gigantic news that changed their lives_she bended into a sujudus shukur, before bursting into tears of joy. Adyan engulfed a crying Hayfah and Mom into an embrace.

Mom made sure every single relative of hers knows about the pregnancy, and Dad's relatives too. How Mom, Adyan and Dad were calling every number that came to their sight made Hayfah cried. They weren't tears of happiness, rather; the kind of tears she missed shedding.

She envisaged how Abba could feel, how his honey orbs would've flicked with happiness, with a sheen of tears. She could imagine him hugging her and patting her back, before he would urge her to take care of herself and his favorite grandchild-not that he had any. But she was his favorite, and her child would surely be his favorite.

She cried and brought out her phone from her bag. Who would she call? She doesn't have much contacts in her simcard. Abba-was the first name that popped on the list. She cleared a strand of tear and rolled down. Addah Amna-How could she call her? She was sure she wouldn't even answer her phone call. Even if she will, Hayfah doesn't have a heart in her to call the lady that blemished her soul.

Adyan-she smiled seeing his name. With the side of her eyes, she looked at his beaming face as he convers with Kassim over the phone. Besty! Oh god! How much of a bad friend she is, the last time she called Fareeha on her own will was when she realized she was married to Adyan not Jibril. And that was a month ago. She smiled, knowing Fareeha would cheer her up and make her forget she doesn't have a family she could call hers.

She was about to dail the number when a name below caught her eyes. Betty! She smiled, the kind of smile that emotes thousands of emotions that couldn't be fathomed by anyone but the one that smiled. She deleted his number and dailed Fareeha's number with a smile playing on her lips.

"Mrs. Adyan Ardo, you won't even call me until you have something to tell right? Now, what is it this time?" Came Fareeha's sarcastic voice, and Hayfah would imagine her rolling her eyes at the people around or even the walls confining wherever she is.

"Easy there, Mrs. Faruk, and I just called to ask how my Besty is doing, or that too is a crime?" Hayfah spoke with happiness laced on her voice. She could remember the time Fareeha called her all ecstatic about her new boyfriend; Faruk. They met at where she was serving in Enugu, though he was an origin of Zamfara, he works in Enugu.

"Don't Mrs. Faruk me. Okay, the last time I heard that word from you was before you kicked Fake Besty's ass out of your life! Hayfah, god!" Fareeha chortled, remembering how Malik called her crying like a baby that lost his mother, telling her how Hayfah rejected him and promised to leave her house if he insist on marrying her. She knew he love Hayfah, but she was sure Adyan loves her more.

"Besty! Don't make me feel bad this evening, you know pregnant women are meant to be handled with care." And she dropped the bomb with a flip of an invisible hair, closing her right ear with her palm, distanting the phone away from her left ear.

"Hayfah Talhah Muhammad!!!"Fareeha screamed at the pitched of her voice. And that's what Hayfah avoided.

"Tell me, just tell me I heard you wrong!" She screamed again, and Hayfah could imagine her roaming around the room.

"Fareeha Kabir Ibrahim is going to be a god mother! Her Besty is Six weeks pregnant!" And they screamed at the same time, giggled, before they became sentimental and broke into tears.

"I can't believe this, Hayfah. I just can't believe this. You see what I've been telling you right? Ya Allah!" Fareeha kept monotoning with tears and a smile playing on her face. How could she thank Allah? In the blink of an eye, everything changed in the world of Hayfah.

"Rania, you're not with us. Look there, our baby is curled up!" Adyan hushed for the hundredth time, jolting her out of her reverie.

She briskly cleared away a lone of tear and looked at the screen displaying the living creature in her. She looked at where Mom and Dad stood, they had their eyes fixed on the screen, and Hayfah felt like a mountain spurting a volcano onto her heart. How she wished those happy eyes were 8, not 4. How she wish those smiles were coming out of Abba, Mama, Ammi, and Dad's lips. She would've feel like the most luckiest human on earth.

"Can we know the gender?" Adyan asked the doctor, grisping Hayfah's hand as he looked into her eyes.

"I want that to be a surprise, Hayatee. We should just leave that until he or she grace us with it's presence!" She exclaimed and looked at Mom with seeking eyes, she knew only a mother could understand the feeling she's having in her heart.

"Yes, Amore. We all should wait for it, and we will be more happy if it comes as a surprise!" Mom spoke, all enthusiastic.

Adyan looked at Dad and they fleetingly smiled, knowing they would never beat this argument. Just like they would never understand the feeling ebbing in the hearts of these women, they too would never understand the eagerness of a father before his baby is born.

They finished everything at the doctor's office and walked out hand in hand. With every crinkle of Hayfah's eyes, questions aroused from the family she belongs. She would smile and tell them it's okay.

"I want to visit Mami today. Don't say no, Hayatee," Hayfah spoke with a slow and seeking voice. Since Dr. Aysha declared she was pregnant, Adyan have never let her walk even a metre around the house alone, not to talk of around the city.

"Rania, let's not talk about this again. You've seen how Dad had been begging me to go back to the company, but I can't risk letting you alone in that house. What if something happens?" He asked, his eyes roaming from her puppy eyed face to her stomach that looks nothing like a pregnant woman's stomach.

"Hayatee, this isn't how it's done fah. Mami visited me almost thrice, but I've never visited her since when I got married. Please! And if you say so, my NYSC completion, what of it?" She was at the verge of bursting into tears, but was just holding them back because of the presence of Mom and Dad.

"Your NYSC or whatever is it is never a problem. My problem here is; who will look after you when I'm not around? It's a No. Let's get into the car, the sun is casting it's rays on you, it may tan the complexion of our unborn baby!" He spoke with sheer determination and held her wrist, trying to put her into the car when she broke into tears.

"I'm seriously not getting into this car! I'm not a baby, Hayatee. I can take care of myself, just because I want to go and see Maami and Rayhan? Even Addah Zulfa arrived yesterday. Please..." The rest of her words became muffled by his shoulder. He hugged her and kept patting her back, drawing some soothing circles on her back.

"It's okay, you should stop crying. You know Hayatee loves you right?"

"Yes. But you should please let me go." Her red puppy eyes looked so innocent Adyan wanted to rip her off and glide the whole of her into his soul.

"Okay, you can go. I'll drop you off now and come back before magrib. Don't bring up another issue after that, deal?"

"Yes! That's my Hayatee! I love you!" And she cupped his face, planting a kiss on his left cheeks.

"Now that's my Rania. Let's get moving."

They entered the car, Adyan made sure she buckled her seat belt before he started the car and they drove out of the hospital premises.

"Hayatee, where's Ammi and Abba?"

"Oh, they left when you were crying." He answered and stifled back a smirk, knowing she will surely freak out.

"Oh my god! They saw me crying over this little issue? You hugged me! They saw that too?" She kept ranting questions on him, but Adyan only answered with a chortle and yowl when she punched his shoulder.

They arrived at the house, Hayfah hopped put of the car but stood there looking at him with glassy eyes. "I'm already missing you, Hayatee," She whimpered and hugged him tight. It baffles her how she's so much in love with him. Everything in her soul revolves around him, she loves him more than she could ever imagine loving a creature of Allah.

"I've started missing you since in the hospital. I'll be back soon, don't worry okay? Have fun with Mami, Rayhan and Addah Zulfah. I love you." He was staring deeply into her eyes, his hands placed on her shoulders before he leaned in and merged their lips.

"Take care of yourself, eat well, and don't check those potteries until I'm back and we will check them together." She warned and pecked his cheeks again.

"A!" Rayhan screamed and ran towards them, gigling.

"Ray!" He screamed back and scooped her into his arms.

"Thanks for bringing Addah Hayfah here, I've been missing her and my Baby." Rayhan spoke with shrilled voice of happiness, pecking his cheeks.

"Rayhan, stop pecking my husband!" Hayfah shreaked and yanked her off Adyan, and they laughed at the same time.

"A! Is she jealous?" Rayhan asked innocently.

"She probably is!" They hi-fived and laughed.

"If you're done, Hayatee I'm in. Bye, and take care." Hayfah yelled and sprinted towards the entrance door.

"Rania, be careful with my child!" He yelled back, panicked.

***

She had been having the cramps for more than three hours ago, and now_nothing could be done around her that she could understand what it meant.

She rolled left and right around the room, her tears tired of streaming down. Had it been Umma was here, she would've massage her lower abdumen for her, until she feel alive. But where could she find even a medicine that could help reduce her cramps?

She was in pain, when her husband's sister; Laminde barged inside the room with a bucket filled with water_and the next thing she felt was the water streaming down her whole body.

"How dare you insult our mother?!" Laminde clamoured and walked towards Amna like a hungry lion.