His Proposal

Chapter 1.2

The feelings we have when you drive to an old friend’s house who you haven’t met in years but wish to see only to realize he is just a few street away from your residence!

Subuanallah! He said under his breath as he drove along the street towards the house, they had talk for longer periods on phone and they cannot wait to see each other. The house was situated in a very quiet area of Lagos and all the buildings in that area was fenced. He parked in front of the gate and went to press the bell, a man in his thirties appeared.

“I am looking for Jamal… Doctor Jamal?” Khalid explained to him and the man nodded.

“Does he know you are coming?” The gateman asked he and he nodded and he told him how they had talked a lot on phone a few minutes before his arrival.

“Alright sir, I will need to see him and ask him first.” The gateman said, excused himself to go in to inform his boss who came out with the man to welcome his friend in, he instruct the gate to be opened and his friend drove his car in to the large good looking compound.

“Ma sha Allah! Good to see you bro?” Khalid said as they both fell into warm embrace.

"Oh look at you, you have grown so big.” Jamal teased Khalid laughing as he led his friend into the building.

"Alhamdulillah, but you know I was taller than you back then. I wonder how come you grow taller now.” Khalid said, both of them were the shortest, smallest and the youngest that was why they became friends in the first place. They were usually teased because of their stature at the hostel because it was like they were the smallest in the whole school.

The living room was richly and professionally furnished, whoever had done the interior decoration must be a professional because everything in the room was where it ought to be. All the gadgets in the room were expensive and the latest, he need no one to tell him that he is in a wealthy man’s house. He remembered his friend’s father was comfortable then, at least only men like that would be able to send his children to such a school as expensive as theirs then.

“Ma sha Allah!” He said with satisfaction as he sat down and his friend went in to get him some refreshments.

“Alihamdulilah! I am sorry about your Dad, May Allah widen his grave, forgive him of his shortcomings and grant Al- jahnatul firdaus.” Khalid said to his friend who nodded. It's been two years now and even though they had adjusted to living a life without a father, they still miss him and his counselling. He was such a good father. He know the space he left can never be filled and he wish to be like him and he is indeed striving to be.

“And the guest of honor is here.” Aisha said as she joined them in the living room and Khalid smiled as they exchanged some greetings. She left for her room a few minutes later.

“How is your mum?” Khalid asked

“Oh, she is in Dubai with her brother and his family. I think she love it there. She still miss Dad so much and I understand she might find it very difficult to stay here after all they have been through. Since she is happy, we can live with not having her around.” Jamal asked and asked about his friend who told him about his life abroad and how he had returned home to take over his dad company after his dad fall sick a few months before and also to witness his eldest sister Nikkah.

“Ma sha Allah, I hope he is fine now, they need rest at this time of their lives.” Jamal explained and urged his friend to take all precaution.

They discuss so much till they went to the Masjid to perform their Salah and returned only to meet Dinner being served, it felt so good seeing each other again.

Khalid was seen off to his car after Ishai;

"I never got another best friend even after all these years, you know." Khalid said as they stood beside his car talking.

“Same here. I am still available.” Jamal said with smiles and they shook each other laughing, they know they can always start from where they stopped in school.

"Is sis around for a vacation?” Khalid asked before he entered his car. She would have been married, he thought, smart and beautiful women married early and only a wealthy husband can set his wife up that way.

"No, she lives here." Jamal replied and bade his friend a good night.

It was very late and Jamal was very happy to see him once again. He smiled as he remember their days in secondary school.

Jamal and Khalid were the youngest in their class during their first year and became friends the first day they resumed to school. They even share the same room in the hostel. Khalid did not resume the following session as he travelled with his eldest sister abroad to continue with his education. Even though it was like fifteen years ago, the two were happy to see each other and Jamal is glad, he is back, he never real grow fond of anyone other than him and when he left, his sister became his best friend instead and now that she is married, he felt so lonely once again.

Her name is Aisha, the first child of her parents and the only child of her father, Uthman, which she never met. Her mother, Soffiyah got married when she was twenty to her father a young graduate then, while he was working as a teacher, she was in her third year in the university, things were no so rosy for the young couple then but they understood each other so well and there was love between them. Uthman loves his wife so much and he never hide it, he do virtually everything for her and he took over the household chores as soon it was certified she was pregnant. She was in her final year then.

“People will talk.” She do tell her husband each time he volunteer to run errands for her, but he won’t hear of it. All he ever wanted for her to excel in her studies and deliver safely and she did, a few weeks to her final examination.

Uthman and Soffiyyah were orphans, and thus no one came over to help take care of the baby, they named her Aisha, during Soffiyyah’s examination, he would carry the baby and wait for his wife in school, this they did until the exams ended. Results were released two months later and she passed with a second class upper, it was a dream come true for both couple and Uthman was very proud of his wife, he talked to everyone about her.

Things seems so difficult for the couple as Uthman’s salary could barely take care of their needs and thus Saffiyyah started plaiting hair for women while she wait for her call up letter in order to support her husband.

She was in the room one day, when she one of the co tenants came to her and broke the sad news; Uthman’s slump. He slump while he was teaching in school and had to be rushed to the hospital, it was something she never saw coming.

She strapped Aisha on her back, she was four months and two weeks old then and off she went to the hospital.

“We will need plenty of money for your husband to be fine, his two kidneys had failed…” the doctor announced and that changed their lives forever.

She ran helter-skelter trying very hard to gather funds for her husband, she sold all what they had in the house for immediate start of dialysis, and it was a night mare for her.

“You are a strong lady, I know you will take care of Aisha.” Uthman said to his wife on his death bed and told her to stop searching for money.

“There is always reasons for everything.” He said to her as tears fell down from her eyes.

“I am sorry, I could not give you that life you deserved.” He said to her

“I prayed Allah give you someone better.” He said holding his wife who shook her head.

“Stop… stop that, you will be fine ins sha Allah!” she said with the strong iman but Uthman knows better, he passed away a day after leaving his wife widowed at twenty two and penniless and his only daughter Aisha orphaned and nothing to inherit.

Immediately after the Janaza, Saffiyyah knows what she must do; she know she must accept the will of Allah, only then can she be able to take care of her child.

And she did…

She knew what she went through as an orphan, hers was a life she never wanted for her daughter. The call up later came and she was posted to a school as a health science teacher, she was lucky she had a baby, so she did not stay in camp but resumed at the place of her primary assignment at the third month of her iddah, it was not easy being a widow in iddah, a Muslim corper and a nursing mother, while she teach, Aisha stays at the school’s day care.

The monthly allowance can hardly feed her and Aisha and there seem not to be any help from anyone, she struggled to pay back all the loans she took from people during her husband’s sickness, she teaches some students extra time and she was paid by parents, that was how she was able to bring food to the table.

After her NYSC, she could not get a job, thus she reverted back to plaiting hair round for women and she got a lot of customers on her street, sometimes apart from the money paid for her services, she was usually given food stuffs and some even give Aisha gifts.

Life as a widow for her was not easy especially as she has no one, she had a lot of disturbances from men who want to have relationship with her in exchange of money, she was a beautiful woman no doubt, but no one want to marry her with Aisha, she turned all advances down.

She made sure she give her daughter the best she could give, she enrolled her in a nearby school and got employed a year after in that same school later and life became better. In order to augment the salary, she made hair for women in the evenings and weekends and that way, she was able to take care of herself and her kid.

“Won’t you get remarried?” Mama Ramah as she was popularly called by everyone in the neighborhood asked her one day, she had been Saffiyyah customer from the very first day, Saffiyyah started plaiting for women.

“You are very young to live this type of life. You need to get remarry, Aisha need a fatherly figure, you need a husband and a security. Once the men know you live alone, they would keep putting you in a difficult position.” The woman said and saw tears in saffiyyah’s eyes. How would she find a better man like Uthman? She asked herself.

“You will never know if you never give it a trial my dear. And who knows you might get a young handsome single man” The woman said to her.

“Hmmm, who would marry a widow with a child?” she asked the woman

“Let us pray for the best.” The woman said and for the first time after her husband’s death, she gave it a thought, it’s been five years after his death then,

Just like an answered prayer,

She met him.

She know it was going to rain and thus she rushed to go bring her Aisha back from the evening Arabic class that she attended.

“It is going to rain.” Aisha said on their way home.

“Ins sha Allah.” She said and just like an answered prayer, the rain begin to fell heavily, the house was still a bit far, she carried her daughter under her khimar and searched for a place to stay, the street was deserted, she walked a little distance and stayed in front a small closed shop, with Aisha shivering under her khimar.

The rain fell for two hours and it was past Maghreb, everywhere was dark and yet the rain won’t stop.

“Subus ana llah!” she said, Aisha was already sleeping at time and she herself is tired. When she remembered the lonely room and possibility if not having power supply that day, her heart sank.

The horn woke her up from her slumber and she shivered, a car was parked in front of the shop where she was.

“Why are you here at this time of the night? It is late.” He said, she could not see his face so well at all.

“The rain is too heavy.” she said to him.

“But the young girl is going to catch cold as well … and you? Is your house around?” he asked.

“It’s on the next street.” She said to him and he invited her into the car. She hesitated.

“Don’t worry, I just want to help.” He said when he noticed her hesitation. She nodded, carried her daughter and entered the car with silent adkhar for protection….

Three minutes later they were home, it was funny that the house was so close yet so far because of the heavy rainfall.

“Would you call your husband to come help with your daughter?” he asked her as Aisha was sleeping peacefully at the back of the car.

“There is no need? I can do that myself.” She said to him and got out of the car to carry her daughter.

“Okay, let me help. I just think you should get your husband do that for you.” He said again, she looked tired to do that, he thought.

“Thank You, I am a widow and I have been carrying her all by myself for as long as I can remember.” She said with misgivings and this shock him, first she looked younger than a usual mother of five or six would look, now he just realised that not only had she married early, she has also widowed early, slowly, he offered to help her carry her child and without much struggle, she led her to her room, she collected Aisha from him at the door entrance and forced out a smile at him.

“Jazakallahu khayr, please forgive me for my utterances toward you earlier, I am just tired.” She said and went in to drop her child. She has hardly sat when she heard a knock, she wondered who it was, her daughter was sleeping peacefully on the bed and she was already thinking of what food to cook that night, it is just a few minutes to Maghreb!

She opened the door and was surprise to see him standing there, his hands were in his pockets.

“So sorry for the disturbance. I came back to give you this” he said and showed her the purse she forgot in his car. She collected the purse and he left only for him to show up at her house the following weekend with pack of food stuffs.

“See it as a gift.” He said, it was the first time someone would give her such gift and what he brought were enough for a month. He brought Aisha some dresses and just as if they have known each other before, the young girl developed likeness for her, and he showed up again and again and again. Even though he never entered her room, he prefer staying outside with Aisha and love answering her childish question.

He made his intention known the second month and Saffiyyah was surprised.

“I am a widow with a five year old girl.” She said to him that evening.

“Okay.” He nodded, waiting for more from her, he had Aisha in his arms as they stood beside his car talking.

“I don’t even know your name.” she said trying to find a reason why their marriage might not work, his presence remind her a lot of Uthman.

“Uthman.” He said to her and her heart miss a beat.

“You said?” she asked to be sure

“My name is Uthman. You never ask anything about me.” He said and went on to tell her about himself. He had returned home to live close to his sick mother after losing his father few years earlier. He told her about his work, a medical consultant and he work at the federal hospital.

“You can ask further about me from the street imam and his wife; she is my sister.” He said and her heart missed a beat!

His sister is Mama Rahma, her customer and she know her very well.

“How about I meet with your wali?” he asked her when she would not say anything about what he had said. He had made some findings from people about her and all he had gotten were great news. He had grown to be fond of Aisha as if she was his own child.

“She is a beautiful and well behaved lady, no doubt, but do you think she is the best for you?” his sister told him when he finally told her his intention to get married to Saffiyah.

“Why do you think so?” he asked her wondering what was on his sister’s mind.

“She was once married! She has a five year old girl! She is an orphan! Nobody know her much in this neighborhood!” his sister said.

“But you told me long ago that she is well behaved.” He reminded his sister.

“Yes I did, I thought you only want to assist her, I do not like the idea of you getting married to her. It’s your first marriage.” she said,

“Yes, it is and I will love to get married to her. In as much you do not have any tangible reasons why I cannot go on, then, we should forget that this discussion ever happens. Assume you are already an Aunt to Aisha.” He said to his sister with an air of finality and against his sister wish, he got married to Saffiyyah.

Life with Uthman was the best thing she could ever wish for, he stepped in as Aisha’s father and no one knows he was not her father, Jamal came exactly eighteen months after the Union and twins who never stayed four years after, no child came after, no matter how much they tried, and thus Aisha and Jamal remained their only child.

The two couple tried to give the best to their children morally and spiritually. Aisha grow knowing Uthman was her step father but she knew she could never wish for a better and he will always remain the only father she knew.

Thirteen years after the union, Uthman returned home from a medical Seminar held in the UAE and came with a great news; he might have found a relation to his wife who grew up as an orphan and could not traced her lineage.

Her parents died in an auto crash, she barely survived and she grew up at the orphanage, none of her father’s relatives came forward, so she believed she was an only child, only to realised her father had an elder son he left behind. This boy grew up also an orphan as no family members took him up, he trained himself alone and never knew his sister lived, he thought she died with their parents until he met a colleague in a seminar who between their discussion realised his wife might be his lost sister, he promised to come over to Nigeria for probably a DNA and see if they are a related.

And they are!

It was a dream come true for Saffiyyah and thus the family circle grew wider.

During her second year in the University, Aisha competed and won an essay competition from local to the international level and won a huge sum of money with a scholarship and this change her life forever, before she finished her first degree she already had four stores and by the time she was done with her MSc, she already had fifteen stores and two plaza. Ais Stores is very popular in the city and if not because her mother forbade her, she would have expanded her business because it keep growing bigger and bigger.

"What you should be concern about is how to get married." Her mother told her.

Her parents especially her mother became worried about their daughter ever getting married, no man came, even though she got a few proposal when she was in her early twenties but none lead to marriage, who would want to get married to such a wealthy woman, people will say. Her step father struggled to see her get married to a worthy man but without success.

“Do not rush dear, a man worthy of you will surely come because you are the best thing that can happen to anyone.” He said to her a few hours before his death and that was she keep believing in.