A taste to remember

Chapter Nine

Munnira pov

We've been bustling, preparing for Ya Salim's arrival, scurrying about to ensure everything is perfect. Mama informed us that he had boarded his flight and would soon be with us. Despite his relatively short absence of six months, some family members were acting as if he had been gone for sixty years. I, however, was relieved he left due to a prior incident, hoping the time apart would help him forget.

After completing most of the preparations, I retired to my room to rest, leaving our maid, Ladi, to add the finishing touches.

"How is my angel doing?" Ahmad asked, his voice energizing my weary soul.

"I'm fine, I missed you. Adnan kept asking about you since the last time you came."

"My footballer, I have a gift to give him on my next visit; don't tell him it's a surprise."

"Your secret is safe with me."

Just then, Adnan burst in with a bowl in his hands. I quickly ended the call with Ahmad, preparing to tease him, when he exclaimed, "Ya Salim is back! Ya Salim is back!" I rushed downstairs to find Ya Salim embracing Mama, while Ladi attended to his luggage. We spent the evening together, listening to his stories about his short course in Ghana – the friends he made, the environment, and the food. That night, we stayed up late, catching up on everything he had missed.

The next day, after breakfast, I overheard Mama discussing my new relationship with Ya Salim. I entered the room, pretending to greet them again.

"There she is," Mama said.

Ya Salim turned to look at me, his expression less than welcoming.

"Is it true you are dating Ahmad?" he asked.

I nodded my head without saying a word.

"I hope it's not the Ahmad I know," he asked, his eyes fixed on me.

I remained quiet. Mama asked if he knew Ahmad already. He shook his head, then exhaled, "Yes, I do, Mama. He's not the right match for her. This guy chases girls around. Every day, there's a new girl in his room. He lives in the same compound as my friend Khalid, and he told me all I needed to know about him. I'm a witness to seeing a lady's shoe in front of his door the last time I visited."

He's truly going to believe Khalid, the same Khalid who confessed his love to me and I turned him down. The same famous Khalid known for his crazy lifestyle outside of school.

"Ahmad is none of the above. You shouldn't believe all Khalid tells you. He isn't the Khalid you knew back in secondary school. He does his thing behind closed doors; everyone knows that, and he's trying to paint that image on Ahmad," I explained.

He responded, "Of course, you'll say all this. You won't see the truth when you're blinded by love. You turned down Yusuf, a responsible guy who is grown and mature, for this small boy who plays around with girls."

"You're supporting Yusuf because he's your friend."

"Of course, because I know so much about him, and I trust that he'll do right by you, unlike..."

Mama quickly cut in, "Enough, please! I'm tired of these arguments early in the morning. Salim, you just came back yesterday, and you're indulging in this. Munnira, you don't have respect for your elder brother; he's talking, and you're talking back at him. Is that how I trained you? What's wrong with you? Because of a guy you're dating, you're disrespecting him. I won't take this in this house. Both of you, we'll talk about Ahmad another day."

I reluctantly left the room. At night, I finished cleaning up the kitchen and was heading to my room when I bumped into Ya Salim. I was about to pass him when he called out my name. I paused and turned, thinking, What is it now, I thought.

"You need to break up with that guy," he said.

I giggled; it sounded like a joke to me. "Why should I? You barely know him. Why are you jumping to conclusions?"

"I know him well enough to know that he's the reason I saw my sister coming out of his room. I know that he forced you to come using whatever trick he used. The Munnira I know wouldn't do that, but meeting him all of a sudden this. I won't sit back until he destroys your life."

Out of frustration, I replied, "Ahmad is a good guy; it's not what you think, Ya Salim. He was sick, and his sister asked if I could help check up on him from time to time since he didn't fully recover. He never forced me to do anything. I chose to help out; I chose to go to his house. It was my choice, my decision, so stop blaming it on him."

"What!!!" I suddenly heard from the background. I turned, and it was Mama standing in front of the kitchen, facing us. The expression on her face showed she had heard what I said. I could see the disappointment written all over her face. She shook her head and left.

Instantly, fear consumed me. I could feel my heart trembling beneath my chest. What did I just do? I knew she didn't hear all of it, but I'm sure she heard most of it. I quickly followed her to her room. I stood in front of the door, wondering what to say and where to start. My head was blank; I didn't know how to approach her.

After a few minutes of silence, I took a deep breath, gathering the little courage I had left. I opened the door, went inside, and knelt down in front of her. Trying to hold back tears, but I was too late. I explained everything from A to Z. After I finished explaining and apologizing, Mama hesitated before speaking.

"Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you ask permission from us, even though you, of all people, know that we won't support this? Are you a student or did you graduate since, and we didn't know about it? What's wrong with the nurses at the hospital he was admitted to, or are you the only nurse we have in this world? Charity work, there are so many less privileged people out there you could help. This isn't an excuse. Did you think of the risks involved in this? Did you think of your family and our reputation? Do you know what will come to people's minds the moment they see you coming out of his room, no matter how pure your intentions are? Nobody will care. Your image will be tarnished in their eyes, so will your family's. So that's what you want, to tarnish our image. Well, you have succeeded. I am highly disappointed in you, Munnira. I never expected this from you. We trusted you, and this is how you repay us. I am very disappointed."

She turned her back at me, then said lastly, "Leave my room and close the door on your way out." My body shaking, I quietly walked out of the room, closing the door. At that point, everything felt meaningless to me. Tears kept flowing profusely down my cheek. My heart was burning; the pain was too much for me to handle. I went back to my room, locked myself inside, and cried my heart out. One thing I feared the most has happened; my world instantly crumbled. I regretted everything; I regretted the wrong choices I made and felt as if I could turn back the hands of time to prevent it from happening. I didn't know when I fell asleep.

The sound of door knocking woke me up. It was Zainab, my younger sister. She informed me that Baba was looking for me. At that point, I knew my world was over, and there was nothing I could do but embrace whatever punishment befalls me. As I walked towards his living room, so many thoughts rang in my head. What if he disowns me and sends me out of his house? What if he sends me back to the village to live with my grandmother and spend my whole life there?

When I got there, I saw Mama sitting next to her husband, and Ya Salim sitting on the other chair. I knelt down in the center of the living room.

Baba then started talking, "I heard everything that happened; I am highly disappointed in you, Munnira. I really don't know what to say to you. I never expected this from any of my children, most especially you. Is that what we sent you to school for? Is that what you have been doing?"

He took a deep breath, paused, and continued, "Before this gets out of hand, we have made a decision. I am going to marry you off before this gets out of control. I'm going to talk to Yusuf tomorrow; he showed his interest in you since. Prepare your mind; Yusuf will be your husband soon. You are dismissed," he said lastly.

When I got back to my room, I sat down on my bed, closing and opening my eyes, trying to see if I was dreaming. I surely wasn't. I kept digesting all Baba said; I still couldn't believe this was happening to me. My phone started ringing; I picked up and checked; it was Ahmad. I kept staring at the screen until the call ended, then I saw his seven missed calls. He called again; my body shaking, I took a deep breath, then answered.

Ahmad's voice sounded strange; it was as if he had just finished crying. "Munnira, my sister has cancer. I don't know what to do. I'm scared; I'm confused. She is all I have left; I don't want to lose her," he said, then started crying. It took me time to calm him down, keeping my worries and problems aside. I couldn't believe his friendly sister had cancer. This wasn't the right moment to tell him. He needed me now more than ever.