Just the girl next door

‘No he’s not feeling too big, he’s rather feeling too angry to come into my room.’ My elder sister replied from where she sat on her bed. ‘Too angry? Is this true Musty? How can anyone be angry with his mother?’ I asked perplexed. ‘I am not really angry Anti Bint, I am just keeping […]

‘No he’s not feeling too big, he’s rather feeling too angry to come into my room.’ My elder sister replied from where she sat on her bed.

‘Too angry? Is this true Musty? How can anyone be angry with his mother?’ I asked perplexed.

‘I am not really angry Anti Bint, I am just keeping away to enable Mummy to cool down before we talk things over again.’ He replied stepping into the room.

‘And I have told you that there is nothing more to talk over because I have said my final words on the subject.’ My sister Rabi’a said rather angrily.

‘What is going on here? You two are keeping me in the dark’ I observed.

‘Musty ’ Yaya Rabi’a began to explain ‘took advantage of the fact that we all sympathised with him when he cancelled his wedding with Fatima over what he called her deceptive ways. Now he has decided to court and marry someone totally unsuitable, a step he might live to regret. So I said to him “no way”, I will never allow such a match.’

‘Really?’ I remarked, turning back to face him. ‘Well, first of all I am very glad that you have fully recovered from the pain of Fatima’s deception and moved on but I want to know why you have to go for someone so totally unsuitable. Shouldn’t you wait and take your time to choose? You are still very young Musty.’ I observed.

‘I know what you are trying to say Aunty but why don’t you ask Mummy why she finds Aisha unsuitable before you believe I am being hasty?’Mustapha asked.

‘Yes, you are right. So Yaya, what makes Aisha the wrong choice?’ I turned to ask my elder sister.

‘He knows why Bint. Let’s not bring up that unpleasantness. The thing is I have made my position very clear on the subject. I do not wish to bed ragged into it again.’ She replied angrily.

‘So where will I get to know what is going on if neither of you will tell me what is wrong?’ I asked exasperatedly.

‘Ok Aunty I will tell you what is happening. Aisha is the daughter of our neighbours next door. Her family is relatively poor, at least compared to us. She is a young, pretty, well-educated and well-mannered young lady. God knows I have always admired her but I restrained myself because I still remember her as the little girl who used to come and play with my younger sisters years ago, I therefore see her more as another little sister. We often meet whenever I drove out and I’ve been giving her lifts to the campus or elsewhere whenever I saw her by the roadside. After the failure of my wedding plans with Fatima I saw her one day trying to get a taxi. I offered her a ride and found out that my feelings for her had not changed. I therefore decided to be honest with myself and express them. I asked Aisha for permission to see her at home and she said that I was welcome. That was how it started Anti Bint. Today we are very happy and in love but Mummy said it was an unsuitable match.’ He concluded.

‘Is that all? I mean does Yaya disapprove because Aisha is just the girl next door or because she is your younger sisters’ friend?’ I asked perplexed.

‘No, Mum disapproves because Aisha’s family is poor.’ He replied simply.

‘I never said that’ Yaya Rabi’a denied heatedly.

‘Maybe you didn’t say it in so many words, but all your arguments suggest that’ Mustafa responded to his mother. ‘You said I can’t marry her because they are the same people you always give our old clothes to whenever we bought new ones. You said they are the same family my father sends Ramadan grains and sugar to every year. You said our father still sends them cloth material every Sallah and a ram every Eid-el-kabir. Then you concluded by saying that we do not marry people like that because we do not belong to the same class.’ Musty narrated.

‘Tell me you didn’t say this Yaya, it just doesn’t sound like you.’ I reacted, looking at her.

‘Unfortunately I did, but Musty is making it sound worse than I put it. Hearing it from him you’d think I’m a snob. Look when we first moved here 20 years ago, I went over to the house and introduced myself. I saw the way they lived and Aisha’s mother was heavily pregnant with her third child. At the time Aisha was about two years old and her elder brother was about four or five. I came back here and packed all my children’s old clothes, you know they were generally in good condition, it’s just that they had outgrown them. I sent him to take the clothes to them. When she delivered I bought her some wrappers and added a few of my old ones as well as baby dresses and went to see her. Seeing that they still needed help I advised Musty’s father to help them with some money for the naming ram. He did more than that, he bought them the ram and also the kolanuts and sweets they needed for the ceremony. From then on it became a trend whenever she delivered, my husband took care of that till she had all of her remaining five children. I, of course, continued with the old clothes routine and we lived happily all this while. My point is we’ve always discharged our duties to them as good neighbours and they were like an extension of our family. Now Musty has to complicate matters by going there to marry one of them.’ Yaya Rabi’s concluded.

‘I’m sorry if this offends you Yaya but you do sound like a snob saying this. Yes they were your neighbours who had been at the receiving end of your generosity for decades but that doesn’t make them inferior to you people in any way. And from what you said they were not even the ones begging you for something, you understood their needs and just decided to be helpful, that is not a deficiency in their character. They didn’t choose to be poor, no one chooses to be poor, but a poor person with a good character is hundred times better than a rich but corrupt human being.’ I argued.

‘Additionally Anti Bint, they were not poor in the things that mattered.’ Musty joined in ‘I mean their father never ever came here asking for help with school fees or with their daily feeding. He worked hard to feed his family and provide them with good education. Today two of the children, namely Abdul and Aisha are university graduates. Abdul is an engineer with the electricity authority and Aisha just finished her NYSC after graduating as a Computer scientist. The others are all in school pursuing their education. In fact these last few years, I can’t help thinking that they were only accepting our old clothes out of courtesy, because there is nothing we send to then now that they can’t afford.’ He added.

‘Even if they are still poor and needy, one thing you need to remember Yaya is that the Prophet SAW had said that a woman may be married for any of four reasons; her beauty, her wealth, her pedigree and her faith or commitment to religion. Then he added that one should choose the religious one and prosper. If Aisha is as decent and religious as this love-stricken fellow would like us to believe, then please give your blessings and let’s begin the formalities.‘ I urged.

‘Yes, I think that’s one thing you can say about them all’ she answered ‘they all seem well-brought up, very respectful. And one thing struck me when you said they never begged for anything we were the ones helping on our own volition. Indeed their mother had never asked me for a thing. Which is more than I can say for many of our other neighbours. Some live ten houses away but when it comes to pestering me for one thing or another you’d thing they live next door. Thanks for making me see things from a better perspective Bint. I will talk to his father so we can both give our blessings to this match. I hope it will turn out to be a match made in heaven.’ Yaya Rabi’a said, smilingly in spite of herself.