The Next Day

She bathed, dressed simply, wore her jallabiya and jalbab, and waited. Then came a knock.

It was the gatekeeper:

“Your mother said I should tell you—your visitor is in Alhaji’s sitting room.”

Nabila said, “Tell him I’m coming.”

She composed herself and went to the living room. Alaramma Sa’ad was sitting on a single-seater chair. She greeted him and sat on the carpet.

With a smile, he replied and said:

“Malama Nabila, you might be surprised to see me. But I told you I would follow every required step to seek your hand properly. So this is the first step. What remains now is your support—your approval is what will allow me to fulfill my intention to marry you. Think about it. I’ll take my leave.”

Nabila, her voice heavy, said,

“Thank you. Go safely. May Allah protect you.”

He left. She returned to her room.

---

The Next Day

Jabir was sitting in a quiet place reading his handout when Nabila suddenly appeared.

Startled, he asked:

“Are you alright? What’s going on?”

Nabila said,

“I’m not alright. Something that started as a joke is becoming reality. I once met a man who liked me, but I didn’t give him a chance. Yet he kept following my life. One thing led to another until he asked my father for permission. And yesterday, he sat in Abba’s sitting room with my parents’ approval. I didn’t want it, but I obeyed them and listened.”

Jabir dropped his handout and stood up.

“Nabila, my ears cannot decode your message. Tell me directly what you want from me.”

Nabila said,

“I mean that things have reached a stage where you must do something. Try your best to send your father to my father regarding our marriage.”

Jabir said,

“Nabila… earlier I begged you about sending him. But you insisted we must wait for your mother to return from Saudi Arabia. I never understood your reason because my father would have gone to your father—not your mother. And you know we couldn’t have gotten married while she was away anyway. But discussing it with them would have secured our future—even if the marriage happened years later. No one would then have a chance to come forward. But you refused. And now my father is in Japan—he travelled suddenly from Italy due to urgent duty. He won’t return soon. He’s processing visas for me and my mum. As soon as we finish this semester’s exams, we will be traveling for vacation.”

Hearing this, Nabila burst into tears:

“Jabir, you know my heart has grown attached to you. I don’t know how to live without you. Please do something so we can be together forever.”

Jabir wiped her tears and said,

“My dear, don’t cry. A beautiful girl like you shouldn’t waste her precious tears. Calm down—I know what to do. I’m going home now.”

Nabila said,

“I’ll come with you. Drop me at home afterwards. But let’s pass through the old market first—Abba is in his store, and I want you to greet him.”

Jabir said, “No problem. Get in.”

He drove straight to the large store. They found her father sitting on a plastic chair. Jabir got out and greeted him:

“Good afternoon, Abba.”

He replied, “Good afternoon, Jabir. Where are you two coming from?”

Jabir said,

“From school, sir. We just finished, and Mubaraq hadn’t arrived. I was heading home, so I asked her to join me so I could drop her off. On the way, my mother called asking me to come to the market. So since we were nearby, I thought I should greet you.”

Her father said,

“Ah yes—your father called me recently saying he was in Nigeria, but I never heard he traveled again.”

Jabir replied,

“Yes, sir. He got an urgent call—that’s why he left suddenly.