Her selfish nose

That’s the only way I can explain your creeping into bed without so much as a look in my direction, despite playing one of your favorite songs on the CD player.’ He complained.‘I’m very sorry but I thought you were asleep. And the volume was so low I couldn’t hear what was playing.’ I replied.‘Ok, […]

That’s the only way I can explain your creeping into bed without so much as a look in my direction, despite playing one of your favorite songs on the CD player.’ He complained.
‘I’m very sorry but I thought you were asleep. And the volume was so low I couldn’t hear what was playing.’ I replied.
‘Ok, let me increase it, just for you.’ He offered. And in a moment I heard Kenny Rogers’ seductive country lyrics filling our bedroom.
‘We know the journey to a better life, better love And we’ll never truly let it go You’ve got a right to be lonely to find what you’re living for Making love on a mid-summer night I love those mid-summer nights’.
Smiling his way I still slid under my duvet cover and put my head on the pillow.
‘Admit it Bint you are getting rusty. I mean you once said to me this song puts you in the most romantic of moods. But look at you now slipping deeper into your bedcover as if the only agendum on your mind is sleep.’ Tahir observed.
‘I’m sorry again but there is something troubling me and that’s probably why I can’t turn my romantic buttons on.’ I apologized.
‘Ok and may we know what it is?’ He asked.
‘Please Tahir, answer this question truthfully’ I pleaded, rising up to sit by the headrest. ‘If I were to die while our children are still minors, totally dependent on you, what will you do to ensure they are well-protected?’ I asked.
‘What kind of question is this Bint? Why bring up something so awful at this time of the night? Did the doctor tell you you have a terminal illness?’ He demanded in alarm.
‘No Tahir, I was not told of any terminal illness and I wouldn’t have brought this up now if you hadn’t insisted on knowing why I wasn’t my normal self. As for the very awful topic I brought up, well I couldn’t help it after what I witnessed at Maryam’s cousin’s house this afternoon. It got me so disturbed I decided to know what you would do in his place.’ I explained.
‘What I would in whose place? You aren’t making much sense Bint.’ He complained.
‘Ok, let me start from the beginning. I accompanied Maryam to her cousin Makiratu’s house today. When we arrived at the sitting room, Makiratu was not there though her house help had told us that that was where she will be found. We sat for a while until Maryam got impatient and rose up to look for her. The moment she peeped through the corridor she saw Makiratu stuck to the door of her husband’s sitting room, as if listening to something. Walking towards her Maryam touched her cousin and asked what she was doing by the door.
‘Shhhsh,’ Makiratu whispered leaving the door. ‘Don’t raise your voice, nobody knew I was there listening.‘ She replied, walking back with Maryam to the main parlour.
‘But why were you eavesdropping? It’s not right and you know it.’ Maryam chided.
‘He is with those demanding sons of his. Anytime they are here, they ask for this and that you would think they are his only responsibility in this world.’ Makiratu answered before moving over to shake my hands in greeting. ‘You are welcome Hajia Bint, how have you been?’ She asked, sitting next to me on the settee.
‘I’ve been fine Alhamdulillah. I hope you and the children are well also.’ I replied.
‘Yes we are. Let me get you something to drink.’ She said rising up.
‘No don’t go anywhere Makiratu, I will ask your girl for a drink if we need it.’ Maryam ordered her younger cousin. ‘Now tell me exactly why you were eavesdropping on your husband’s meeting with his sons.’
‘But I’ve already told you. The boys are very demanding. And he has this guilt spot for them he is always ready to give them everything, even what he can’t afford it comfortably. It is when I eavesdrop that I get to know what they are demanding so I can scuttle them.’ She replied, remorselessly.
‘You mean you have no guilt about doing this to your step-sons? What kind of a monster are you?’ Maryam protested.
‘Look, the real monsters here are those boys. Left to them their father won’t have anything left to take care of me and my children.
They are always making impossible demands on his meager resources.’
Makiratu defended herself.
‘But how do you know that he couldn’t afford them?’ I joined in the conversation. ‘You know men never really tell us what they have, if he likes giving in to their demands it must be because he can afford to.’
I offered.
‘No, Hajia Bint, half the time he can’t afford it it’s just that he allows his sense of guilt to becloud his better judgment.’ She explained.
‘What guilt are you talking about?’ I asked.
‘You know he divorced their mother when they were just ten and eights year old. He can’t seem to get over the fact that she deserved it. All he thinks is that he had separated them from her and must make it up to them somehow. So he was all set to spoil them rotten until I stamped my foot down. I made sure that whenever they are here they do all our household cleaning as well as our laundry. The only thing my house-helps did when those boys are around was to cook and take care of my children, the rest of the work was done by my step-sons.
They must have gotten tired of the arrangement because the next thing I knew they had moved in with their grandparents and been taken to a school in that town. Now they only come to see us when they want to make demands on him. This is why I need to hear them so I can fight for my children’s interest. Left to these boys my children and I can go starve to death once their needs are met.’ She concluded.
‘But Makiratu what kind of demands do they make that bother you so much?’ I asked.
‘Last year the eldest said he had graduated from senior secondary and wanted to study in Malaysia and my husband jumped up and began to seek him admission there. I quickly reminded him of the cost implication and suggested that if he didn’t want his son in a government university because of incessant strikes, then he can send him to a private university here. I managed to convince him and the boy is now in one of our private universities. Now the second one has graduated and from what I heard now, he is trying to convince his father to go abroad because he wants to be a pilot. I intend to convince my husband to send him to NCAT here. He doesn’t need to go to any South Africa to become a pilot.’ Makiratu declared.
‘Can you hear yourself speak?’ Maryam asked in anger. ‘How can you boast about standing in the way of two young boys just because you are not their mother? What do you gain out of it? Like Bint said, who told you their father couldn’t afford it that you will continually be scuttling their ambitions? I feel quite ashamed of you and your unrepentant selfishness.’ Maryam declared.
‘But what is selfish about the alternatives I suggested. It has worked well before. When they were in an expensive secondary school, I suggested to him to move them to a federal government college, whose standards are still high but they cost much less. And that was what we did which made it easy to transfer them to another federal government college when they returned to their grandparents. And look at how well they did, they both made good WAEC results.’ She argued, defensively.
‘But couldn’t get the universities they wish to go, you made sure you impose your choice of tertiary institutions on them just to save your husband money. Doesn’t it occur to you that if they end up well-educated they will be in a better position to take care of both you and their father in future? Why can’t you see beyond your selfish nose?’ Maryam scolded.
‘Yes, and they will be able to sponsor your children through schools when their father is either too old or not buoyant enough to do so one day.’ I added.
‘And remember Makiratu that there is no guarantee your husband will not marry again or that you could die or get divorced from him. That will make your own children someone else’s step-children. You wouldn’t want the evil you’ve been doing to your stepsons to be visited on them would you?’ And with that Maryam rose up angrily and invited me to leave with her. Makiratu was probably too angry or too thoughtful to bid us farewell.
But since then I’ve not been able to get the incident out of my mind. It has kept me worried Tahir. That’s why I wanted to know what you would do if you were Makiratu’s husband.” I concluded.
‘If I were him I will in sha Allah listen to my children  and always decide what is in their best interest not what any wife will force on me. But may God forbid such a situation between us Bint. I don’t hope to see it.’ He answered.
‘Ameen, hubby dearest, may we never see that in sha Allah.’ I replied, moving closer to his side of the bed.