Chapter 46

——————— Nigeria, Kaduna

———————————Kaduna Airport(8 Months Later)

" Well the surrounding's different and why's everyone looking at us Khalifa" I pouted as I looked at Najmah in front of me. " Well you hardly see many foreigners in Nigeria, so they stare when they get an opportunity, and besides most of the foreigners that come here are usually ugly, so you and Najmah are a different case" He said and it made me laugh a little.

We were in Nigeria, Kaduna State to be precise. I came along with my daughter, Khalifa, Farouk and my parents, along side Ummah, Naim and Firdaus. One big happy family.

Najmah was already 8 Months old, she grew up to look more like Khalid but still had some of my features. She always reminded me of Khalid and the perfect and happy family we would've made. But Khalifa tried all he could to play the role of Najmah's father and I was really happy about it.

Sophia had given birth to a very cute baby girl she named Kimberly. She was just two months old and from the pictures and videos she sends me. Her baby was a spitting image of her.

I asked about Khalid, Papa Brandon and Mama Zainab and they were all okay but sadly Khalid wasn't living a normal life. She didn't want to tell me the truth but I figured it out myself. Khalid was supposed to be married to Pamela.

They were supposed to have kids together.

I managed to find out through my PA that she was supposed to have twins but sadly she had a miscarriage and she lost her babies.

So she and Khalid didn't get married again.

They parted ways and I found out Pamela went back to her family.

A lot of things happened to their family when I left them.

The only good thing that came out of this drama was that their business kept on growing, that was all what Khalid focused on.

There were also some news and paparazzi gists saying we separated because of our religious differences. There were really different stories about our separation and all didn't even make a bit sense.

It was either I cheated or I stole

Or something crazy.

Well I had to forget about all that and focus on my vacation in Nigeria. It was rainy season here so I was bound to enjoy it. My Parents had already rented a house we were supposed to stay in for a month cause their wedding was by Friday and this was Monday. Khalifa was going to show us some places here.

Their wedding walima or according to them in Hausa is called "Daurin Aura" tying of the knot. Was going to be on Friday after Juma'ah prayers. Farouk's friends were going to be arriving by Tuesday which was tomorrow.

Raihanna was already here with her family, planning all her wedding details.

Thursday was supposed to be henna day, all the ladies close to the bride were going to her place for henna.

It was going to be nice I guess.

I didn't have to worry about work.

Yes I wasn't working for Nivea any longer. My Abbah made me the CEO of one of his car trading companies. We dealt with exporting and importing of cars and manufacturing of car parts for brands like Porsche, Toyota, Audi, BMW, Honda and others.

Working with cars at a high position was really fun and interesting.

I started working there when I finished my full 6 months nursing Najmah. Miriam always took care of both our wardrobes. So we always looked good.

" We'll be going to your house and when it's evening time, after Isha, we'll go see my family then tomorrow we'll go see the whole family" Khalifa said as he put all our things in the back of the van his family volunteered for us. " I can't wait to see the whole family we're getting into" I screeched as I looked at Najmah. Her dark eyes were scanning through the whole environment as she played with her hands. " They'll be more than happy to see you and Najmah, I can't wait to see their reactions"

" They'll be all MashaAllah and all that right?"

" yes, some of our cousins might be all over you and your daughter"

"Why?"

" you guys are beautiful" Khalifa never goes a day without reminding us of how beautiful we are. I smiled as Khalifa took Najmah from the baby carrier and sat down with her in the van. He helped me inside and I sat beside them.

Khalifa was usually, always around me anytime he was in Kuala Lumpur with us. We both loved his company and he took care of Najmah like she was his own. Ummah and Ummi talked to me about getting married to him. Even though I was still going to love Khalid, they advised me to do it because of Najmah. I still loved Khalifa and I knew I was going to try my best to be a good wife to him. I still needed to make a decision.

Abbah and Farouk advised me too. They all wanted what was best for me and Najmah. I was more than grateful.

The van started moving and I heard Khalifa whisper something to the driver. " Za ka kaimu Marafa Estate, sai en nuna ma hanya en munje" I heard him say. " Ai Oga, nasan inda zan kai ku, ba damuwa" the driver answered. The driver was quite old, but he looked so friendly and nice and he was pretty dark skinned with wrinkles.

" Okay toh, Ina wuni Malam, ban gaishe ka da wuri ba, ka yahkuri" Khalifa said and I felt as if he was speaking interesting chinese. But it was Hausa. Their dialect. " Ah, ba damuwa, ya hanya?"

" Lafiya lau"

" Toh madallah" The driver said and laughed a little.

" You were speaking hausa right?, it sounded so nice" I said as he adjusted himself on his seat. " Yea, I told him to take us to your house but he was already given orders, so we're good" He said as he cupped Najmah's cheek and made her laugh, making her show off her flawless gums. " I would actually love to learn your language, it sounds fun" I said as my watched my daughter smile and took out my phone to take her photo. " Sure, Raihanna will teach you"

" Can't you teach me?"

" Maybe"

" come on now"

" My Baby has dimples, it's sooo cute" He said as he changed the topic. " ugh, I'm angry"

" look at your daughter's bright smile" he said as he faced my daughter to me. " She's so MashaAllah" Khalifa said as he kissed her cheek. They were so cute. " She really is" I answered and admired my daughters beauty.

I looked outside the window of the van and looked at the surroundings. Their roads weren't as good as those in Malaysia or other countries that I know of I guess, cause we occasionally drove past some portholes.

" You see these golfs are the taxis we use here" Khalifa explained as he pointed at one for us. " You don't have normal taxis here?, I thought your government were supposed to provide them here?" Abbah asked. " They provided them yes, well they're not really much, these golfs are like privately owned, you understand?, all the taxis here take you to certain bus stops, then you either take a tricycle to your destination or you take a motorcycle, or you walk the distance" He added. They were still developing, the process was gradual. " You see we also have transport buses that take you to different states in Nigeria, we also have railway stations, they're all very efficient and the airport" He added. Well their means of transportation were nice. " And yes, I forgot to add, there's this app that was created, OPay, it helps you get a tricycle or a motorcycle or a car around you, that's Otrike and Ocar, I'll show you the app when you want to use it” Khalifa said. " The person who created it is pretty brilliant to be honest, that's like their kind of Uber" Farouk said and we all nodded in agreement.

I saw some young children either hawking some food stuffs or holding a rubber plate begging. These kids were supposed to be in school, learning how to help their nation in the coming future. " I wonder where their parents are, even if they're orphans, aren't there orphanage homes to contain them?" I asked.

" Most of them you see around were sent by their illiterate parents" Khalifa answered. " That's so cruel, look at that young girl over there, I have many questions, why will her parents let her go out wearing such nonsense on her face, what's up with the blue brows, I know she feels she looks extremely beautiful, all these old men can take advantage of her and rape her" I nagged. I couldn't stand the makeup on the young girls face. She looked so beautiful, with her fine complexion.

" well some Nigerians are ignorant, the government is still trying their best to eradicate all these but some of them are ignorant and aren't willing to accept the truth" Khalifa said. " Yeah that's the main problem of this country, illiteracy" I added as the driver took a right turn. I couldn't wait to reach our destination.

" You know there are many tourist centres in Kaduna, we have zoos and yeah don't worry, we'll be going to see some soon, after the wedding Insha’Allah" Khalid said. " You'll like to see their central mosque, it's called Sultan Bello Mosque, it's very big and beautiful" Khalifa added. " There are also many eateries, ice cream shops and bakeries, trust me Kaduna is a place you'll enjoy" Khalifa added. " We will Insha’Allah" Ummah answered as I continued looking outside the car window.

I watched as the Van took a turn and stopped in front of a black gate with tall dark blue fences. We were here. The security in the area was so very tight. " This is your home for now" Khalifa said to me as a security guard opened up the gates and the driver drove in.

It was a mini mansion, it was painted blue and the exterior decor was nice and full of greens. It looked really nice. The security guard helped us open the van door and I got down before Khalifa and Najmah and the others.

The house was not quite big, pretty normal. It was painted cream and brown. It was a small duplex. It seemed okay to me. " How many bedrooms here Khalifa?"

" Just five” Khalifa answered. " well it's cool, we can use it" Farouk answered. " yeah you can"

" The security guard will help you take your things inside and there are some maids my mother hired to help you guys, you don't understand their dialect so they'll try speaking English to you, their English isn't really okay, but I guess you'll be able to understand them a bit" Khalifa said as I walked up the few stairs with Najmah and we walked inside the house. The house was already completely furnished and everything looked fancy. There was a large living room, decorated with five sofas, a centre table and a carpet and different art pieces. The inside of the house was painted blue and white and the sofas were silver and everything looked so nice, even the curtains were silver coloured and it was all so pretty.

" Faryah, my mother personally decorated your room, there's a big cradle for Najmah there and some toys, it's actually a baby's room, your bed is just by a corner there" Khalifa's mother loved Najmah with all her heart and I was so glad she did. She always sent us gifts from Nigeria and said she couldn't wait to see me and my daughter again. "And our rooms?" Farouk asked.

" Firdaus and Naim will take a room, Mama Aleeyah and Abbah Milton another room, Farouk, you'll take a room, and Mama Sumayyah you'll take yours, complete, all rooms are actually similar, Just Faryah's a little different cause of Najmah" Khalifa said and they all nodded. " Thank you very much Khalifa, we'll personally call your mother and thank her" Ummi said. " Okay then"

" Faryah, I'll be back to take you to see my family later on okay?, you should rest now" Khalifa said as we walked up the stairs to my room. " Najmah, sweetheart I'll see you later" He added again and kissed her forehead. " I love you sooo much" he whispered to her. " Khalifa thank you so much, for everything, I'll always be very grateful, always" I answered as I smiled widely at him. " And you'll always be welcome, I'll go ahead now okay"

" let me see you off"

" No don't, stay and rest and get ready for later okay, Ma'assalam"

" Fine, Bissalam" I called as he hurried down the stairs.

The maids had already put our suitcases inside our rooms. They were all dressed in their native apparels and they all looked pretty young and beautiful. MashaAllah. Nigerians were beautiful. The room was painted pink and purple with many butterfly and stars stickers on the walls. Khalifa was right, my bed was at the far corner of the room, the room was pretty big. There was a big wardrobe and a mirror with seats, for making up and all that. It was nice.

Najmah's cradle was close to my bed and there were some soft toys and books for her to play with all the around the room. She could play freely here. Her cradle was big, with stars all around. There were some Islamic books and stories of almost all the prophets. This is what my Najmah needed.

It was already 4:20pm.

Our journey was quite long. We left Malaysia to Lagos yesterday, it was a 14 hours flight and we spent the night in Lagos. We then left Lagos by 2:40pm and by 4:00pm we were here. The traffic in Lagos was more than bad. It was annoying and the heat. Oh lord. I felt for Najmah, the weather in Nigeria was quite harsh.

I took a look at the bathroom and I was stunned. The bathroom and toilet were fully equipped with all what Najmah needed. It was so nice and pretty cool. Her baby bath was here, bigger than the one at home. It was pink and purple. The whole bathroom was pink and purple.

I needed to call and thank her personally but I needed to pray and take a shower and get ready to meet Khalifa's parents. I haven't actually talked to his dad. His dad was pretty reserved and always busy, according to Khalifa.

"Najmah honey, we need to take a bath and pray Asr, so Allah will be pleased with us" I said as I kept my daughter on my bed. She hadn't messed up her diaper yet. Alhamdulillah. She was smiling widely as I took her clothes off then removed my scarf and rolled up the sleeves of my shirt and took out all her bathing materials and arranged them carefully in the bathroom and some on the drawers below the mirror in the room.

" Let's go" I said as I tickled her a little and we went to the bathroom. My baby always enjoyed her bubble baths. She always giggled and laughed whenever she was taking a bath. I loved that about her. I loved everything about my daughter.

I dressed her up and fed her a little after I took a shower and let her play in our room, after making sure I locked all the windows and doors and took anything dangerous away from her. She was a fan of hide and seek, it always almost gives me a heart attack. I turned the Air Conditioner on and made my Salah and made my adhkar.

"Faryah, come on down stairs, my mother-in-law sent something to us" Farouk said as he knocked my door. " Okay" I answered as I quickly threw my hijab back on and headed to open the door. Najmah was right behind the door and her fists were in her mouth. She removed her fists from her mouth immediately I came close to her and she smiled widely as I picked her up and opened the door.

" She brought food for us and snacks and some drinks, she's very kind, they're all very kind here" Farouk said as I walked outside my room and closed the door. " I'll show you what she got us, I'm honestly starving" Farouk said as he rushed down the stairs. Najmah was making her usual cute and funny noises. She was pulling my hijab and I tickled her a bit and made her stop.

" She got us kebabs, and something they said was fried rice and here chicken" Farouk said as I looked at the large bowls of food in the middle of our dining table. There were also plates of Samosas and spring-rolls. " Aren't these too much?" I said as Ummi and Abbah came down the stairs. " Faryah, you can never have too much food. Besides I'm already craving those kebabs over there, they look so spicy and hot" Firdaus said as she sat down on a seat beside Naim. " I want to taste the samosas" Abbah called as they got down and took their seats. " We've already called her to thank her Faryah, you should sit down and eat, the fried rice looks really colourful" Ummah said as she came down the stairs and sat down too.

Farouk pulled a chair for me as I served myself some rice, Najmah could eat these, since they were soft.

" Woah they're really spicy" Firdaus called as she ate more from the kebab stick. " And hot" Farouk added as he ate some more.

The fried rice was nice too and it seemed that Najmah enjoyed it. She tried eating the chicken but all she did was suck the part I gave her and she made me eat it, plus she drank lots of water.

I so pity her diaper.

The Samosas too were nice and they tasted different from those we made back in Malaysia. Theirs was pretty satisfying. Farouk fed Najmah from his pulpy orange and she seemed to like it too. My Baby liked Nigerian food.

We washed our hands after eating and it was already 5:30. Farouk and the others were going to see Raihannah’s family and I was going to see Khalifa's. All after Asr.

I went back to my room, leaving Najmah with her grandparents. I was going to pick what I was going to wear. Deep down inside me, I was honestly nervous. Me going to meet Khalifa's family was like he was introducing me as his soon to be wife and I hadn't even made up my mind yet. But I still wanted to make a good impression to his dad and other siblings.

I sighed loudly as I opened up my suitcase and arranged my things inside the wardrobe as I carefully selected what I was going to wear.

A light purple palazzo long sleeved jumpsuit and a white sleepless jacket. And I was going with white lacy large scarf and silver coloured heels.

I guess it was okay.

I should probably look good.

I was going to add some accessories to brighten up my look.

I was good to go.

I already bought a fabric for Khalifa's mother, Arafah from Kuala Lumpur and I knew she was going to like it but I didn't get anything for his siblings and father.

I was going to get something on our way.

————————9:00pm

" Khalifa please be honest with me, how do I look?, should I change?" I said as I walked down the stairs and found him holding Najmah. " No, don't do that, you look very good, my siblings are going to love you" Khalifa said as I got down from the stairs. " please be honest"

" honestly you look good, but Najmah looks cuter than you" He said as I looked at the outfit I picked for her.

A floral gown with a white hijab and cute white sneakers.

" well let's go, I don't have much time to change anyway" I said as we walked out of the living room. The others had already left for Raihannah’s place. I was going to see them tomorrow Insha’Allah.

We got out of the living room and I used the key Farouk gave to me earlier before they left to lock the door.

We got into Khalifa's car and I buckled Najmah in the car sitter he got because her. I honestly loved how thoughtful he was. We drove out of the house as the security guard closed the gates.

The night breeze here was cool.

" Khalifa, can I get something for your siblings?" I asked as he drove carefully on the road. " sure, what do you want to get for them?" he asked as he slowed down a little. " well I don't know, what will your siblings like?"

" They're foodies"

" okay then we'll get something foodie for them" I said as I watched him smile and it took my breath away. He was so handsome. MashaAllah. And he had flawless white teeth and his beard was so.

Oh My Goodness.

MashaAllah.

I always admired his beauty.

" There's a place where they sell roasted chicken and tilapia around this area, we'll just buy them some, they have to love it" Khalifa said as he continued driving. " okay then I guess" I answered and continued looking outside the window.

" You really dulled yourself up for tonight"

" No, I didn't even apply powder"

" But you still look beautiful, you always look beautiful actually" he always complimented my beauty everyday.

" Thank you Khalifa"

" You know when my grandmother saw me earlier, she cried"

" oh Grandma Humairah?"

" Yes"

" why did she cry?"

" she said I was too handsome" he said with a smirk. Khalifa himself knew that he was handsome, very and he always appreciated himself and thanked Allah. Every single day.

" well you are" I answered and watched him smile a bit. " you have a pretty charming smile y'know"

" I know" he said as he stopped the car at a point.

" let me get you the chicken okay?"

" okay, Ill like to try some too" I called as he got down from the car. " okay then, wait for me" he answered and I turned back to find my daughter asleep. Car sitters were like sleeping pills for babies.

"Here" Khalifa said as he handed me two polyethene bags that contained chicken. One was quite bigger than the other. " You know you can start eating yours now, cause by the time we reach my place, I'm sure you'll be starving"

" it's that far?"

" quite far"

" okay then, they actually smell good" I said as I perceived the nice aroma coming from the chicken. " They taste good also" Khalifa said as he smiled at me and continued driving.

" let me be the judge of that" I said with a wide smile as he drove on.

———————————9:40pm (Gwamna Road, Kaduna)

"We're here" Khalifa said as he pressed his car horn in front of a black humongous gate. " why's the gate so big?" I asked as I licked chicken sauce off my fingers and looked for a tissue to clean my mouth and fingers. The chicken was so good MashaAllah. I had to feed Khalifa some as we were coming he couldn't resist the aroma and I almost spoilt the blue kaftan he was wearing. It made him look manly. " Ask my dad" He answered as we drove into the compound. The lights around the house made it glitter. And there was a water fountain at the middle of the driveway that led to the parking area.

There was so majestic and beautiful.

" Woah, pretty fancy" I said as I wiped my lips. " Yeah, it's cool" Khalifa answered as he parked his car and turned off the engine and sat looking at me.

" You know you're very very beautiful right?"

" Alhamdulillah" I answered with a shy smile. " I'll always be by you and Najmah's side, always okay?, even though we're not married or ever going to get married, I'll still be here for the both of you, I love you two sooo so much" he said and I felt my heart soften to his words.

" and we love you so much too Khalifa" I said as we stared into each others eyes. I knew his feelings for me were more than genuine and I knew for a fact that he was never going to hurt me. I knew that. For sure.

"let's go now, I'm sure they'll be rushing to welcome you now" Khalifa said as he opened his door. " yeah" I answered as I unbuckled my seat belt and got down from the car. Taking their chicken and Hajiya Arafah's fabric and my bag that contained some of Najmah's things. There was a very cool breeze that hit my face immediately I got down from the car. Khalifa had already taken Najmah out of her chair as I sighted Hajiya Arafah and her daughters coming our way.

" Assalamu Alaykum" I greeted as she came closer with a wide smile. " Wa'alaykumussalam darling" she answered with a smile as she gave me a motherly hug. " it's so nice to see you again, how're you and Najmah?" She asked and I smiled. " we're doing fine Alhamdulillah" I answered with a smile. " look at you, so beautiful" she said as she looked at me again after letting go of the hug. " Alhamdulillah ma'am"

" Don't be formal, kash, call me mummy or mama" she said and I smiled at her. " Faryah, Assalamu Alaykum, it's so nice to see you again" Aneesah said as she smiled and hugged me. She was so beautiful. " it's nice to see you again too, how're you?" I asked. " Well Alhamdulillah" She answered. " this is Ruqayyah, my sister" Aneesah said as she introduced another pretty lady to me. We greeted and we all headed towards their house. " Uhmm Faryah, I love what you're wearing, it's so classy" Ruqayyah said as we walked to the house. Mama Arafah was carrying Najmah and talking to her son in front of I and Khalifa's sisters. "Thank you very much, we got some chicken for you guys on our way coming, here" I said as I handed the big polyethene bag to her. " oh my goodness, thank you very much" Aneesah squealed as we walked up the stairs into their house. Their house was covered with blue and white tiles. So pretty.

"Assalamu Alaykum" I greeted as I walked into their house and I looked around. It was beautiful, everything here looked so majestic. " Wa'alaykumussalam" I heard a deep voice call.

"It's nice to finally meet my daughter-in-law, Khalifa has told me many things about you, he's always talking about you" I listened as I watched a pretty huge handsome old man walk down their stairs. Khalifa's father.

His voice was pretty deep and loud.

" ai Abbah, she's not your daughter-in-law" I heard Khalifa say. He looked really embarrassed and cute. " well I am" I said and surprisingly my voice echoed round the living room and everyone paused and turned to look at me.

"Are you serious right now Faryah?" Mama Arafah asked and I smiled at her. " Yes" I answered and watched as a big smile spread across all their faces. " oh my God, We have an Arabian sister-in-law" I heard Ruqayyah squeal.

I looked towards Khalifa and saw him trying to hide his blush. I stared closer at him and he was still hiding a smile. I looked at his Father and found him smirking, his dad really looked like someone I could get along with.

I suddenly caught a sight of Khalifa jumping up and down squealing like a very close to me. He looked so happy as he stood beside me after his episode. His smell always felt comfortable and nice.

Even though I still had feelings for Khalid, I knew I was going to have a better future with Khalifa. But Allah knows best.

I smiled at myself as he hugged me tighter and saw a several flashes from phones and squeals from the girls.

I was happy they liked me.

" Alhamdulillah" I and Khalifa said in unison.

" I love you so much Faryah" He said

" I love you so much Khalifa" I answered and I smiled genuinely.

I was happy again.

Genuinely.

Alhamdulillah.