My superstar

‘Good morning, I didn’t expect you to be up so early on a weekend morning. That’s why I continued to sleep off my exhaustion.’ I explained sitting opposite him on the dining table. ‘I understand how exhausted you are after your hectic wedding schedule, that’s why I didn’t disturb you. I’ve already made myself some […]

‘Good morning, I didn’t expect you to be up so early on a weekend morning. That’s why I continued to sleep off my exhaustion.’ I explained sitting opposite him on the dining table.

‘I understand how exhausted you are after your hectic wedding schedule, that’s why I didn’t disturb you. I’ve already made myself some tea and eaten some oranges. I had to go for a stroll because I have abandoned my Golf sessions for a while. Can’t afford to become a couch potato at just the time I need to fight off middle-age spread.’ He explained.

‘I see, you should have woken me up to go with you, or don’t you think I need to fight off the same middle-age spread?’ I asked reaching out for some pieces of orange he left on a side-plate.

‘Yes you do but after the rigorous schedule you had organising this wedding with Maryam, I think you’d had more than your share of exercise for this weekend. By the way congrats on how successfully you pulled off this controversial wedding thing. I can’t help admiring how you bamboozled Maryam into moving from opposition to supporter, then push her to singlehandedly confront her parents and recruit her uncle into the final show. That was heroic, but I’m still against meddling in other people’s affairs. It doesn’t always end in happily ever after.’ He cautioned.

‘Yes I know, but I would never have been able to live with myself if we hadn’t done anything to help those two. I hope we never have to encounter such a problem again but it was all worth it if you had seen the joy on their faces, at the dinner, last night.’ I enthused.

‘I might not have seen the two together but I have certainly seen the happy groom at the wedding Fatiha. He did seem on top of the world. I wish them both every happiness. And here comes the real heroine of the piece’ Tahir suddenly added, looking towards the parlour entrance where Maryam had just entered.

‘Assalmu alaikum’ she said walking in ‘hope I’m not interrupting anything. I know it’s a bit too early to call, but I was already out of the house I decided to come and drop your additional souvenirs.’ She explained joining us on the dining table.

‘What can you possibly interrupt at this hour of the day?’ I replied. ‘After our exhaustive night yesterday, I’m surprised you are up and about so early.’ I observed.

‘Good morning Tahir.’ She said taking a chair, ‘I had hoped to lie in too, until at least about 10am but my next-door neighbour stepped in and gave me a neighbourly mission, which I had to leave the house to fulfil.’ She explained.

‘Couldn’t it wait till later in the day, didn’t she know about the wedding? Some people can be very inconsiderate.’ I complained.

‘To her, she believes she’s been considerate enough since she waited till after the wedding to tell me about the problem. At exactly 7am when I’d just finished my Qur’an reading and morning supplications and was about to start my after-sunrise prayer, she knocked on the door and demanded to see me.’ Maryam explained.

‘Well, I’m sure it’s a lady’s problem that she came to see you about, Tahir said rising from his chair. ‘I will leave you two to your ladies’ chat while I rush in to have a bath. You are welcome, Maryam. Hope the new-lyweds aren’t fighting already.’ he joked, walking away.

‘No they aren’t, at least I hope they aren’t.’ She replied smiling back at him.

‘So what did your neighbour want?’ I asked as soon as he had gone.

‘You know the lady living across the street from us had lost her husband last week. Altine, my next door neighbour was like the deputy chief mourner because she was always sitting right next to her receiving condolences. I never knew the untold story of the man’s death until she told me today. At first, she said I had to go and tell her friend Lami to stop her extreme mourning because she neither eats nor sleeps since her husband died. I replied that that’s not unusual, she should give the woman a few more days and she will get used to the tragedy and resume her normal life. But she told me that Lami had to be stopped because her husband wasn’t the type to be mourned at all. I asked her what she meant, I mean I can’t imagine any husband who must not be mourned. And she answered:

“Did you know that he died while beating her?” Altine said.

“Haba, how can that be possible? Altine you mustn’t be listening to rumours, especially about someone who is as close to you as Lami is.” I warned.

“But it is true Hajiya Maryam, I was there when he was beating her up, I tried to stop him, in fact you could say I had a hand in how he died…..” She suddenly stopped talking.

“You had a hand? What is that supposed to mean?” I asked.

“I mean he returned from work while I was in the room with her. He went straight to his room without even asking about her. She was just getting ready to go and greet him when he stormed out of it and began to complain that the sugar in his room was finished. He demanded to know how the packet that was opened only five days ago had only two cubes remaining. She said it must be the children who used it up because she was trying hard to see that it reaches one week like he had decreed. At her explanation he reached out and hit her on the face.

She screamed and moved back and he followed her and continued beating, calling her a wasteful woman who didn’t know how difficult it was to earn money. I had often heard from other neighbours how abusive he was but since she never told me herself, I never discussed it with her. But there I was witnessing everything first hand. Since he didn’t know I was around, I quickly peeped through her room door and appealed to him to stop beating her but he said I should shut up. I got angry and said what was there in a packet of sugar finishing in five days that he had to be beating up his wife. At that point he said I should leave his house immediately.

Lami appealed to him to stop shouting at me and he lifted his hand to hit her one more time, but I couldn’t bear to see it. So I pushed him away with all my might and he fell on the floor. We waited to see him rise thinking maybe he was feeling ashamed that he had fallen in front of us, but he just couldn’t raise himself. I rushed outside and asked some men to come and help a man who had fallen down and they came. They helped him to the car because he could neither speak nor walk at that point. Lami followed them to the hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival. Since then Lami has been blaming herself for his death. She keeps saying if she hadn’t made him so angry maybe he wouldn’t have ended up that way.” Altine concluded.

“What an unusual tragedy”, I said “you know if we were living in developed countries they will put you on trial for murder. And the lightest you will get away with is manslaughter because you were the one who pushed him to that fatal fall.” I added. But Altine simply said “You can’t make me feel bad or responsible for that man’s death Hajiya Maryam, my pushing him away was not intended to cause harm, I was just trying to prevent him from hitting her. His death however is from God. I had no hand in that. And that’s what I want you to go and drum into that widow of his. I have tried my best but she wouldn’t stop starving herself. You however are more like a big sister than a friend, she will listen to you, especially if you put up that no-nonsense voice of yours.” Altine encouraged. So I went and gave Lami a lecture on perseverance and predestination and how she must start preparing for the future as an only parent with young children to raise. She promised me she’ll stop her extreme mourning and take care of herself. And from there I proceeded here to bring your stuff.’ Maryam concluded.

‘MashaAllah, even in your state of exhaustion, you did a great neighbourly job. You are more than just Tahir’s heroine, you are my superstar.’ I said, patting her shoulder.