CHAPTER FORTY-TWO - No. I Will Not Give It Up

                                    

                                          
The sight of two figures entering the room eased Umamah’s anxiety somewhat. She promised, gritting her teeth. We will treat you better, Anisa. We will definitely treat you better, In Shaa Allah.
Anisa entered the room and took a seat beside her father. The older man began to speak, “Well, these men say they’ve come for your hand in marriage, Anisa. Do you know any of them?”
Anisa didn’t look up but nodded in response.
Mr. Abubakar continued, “That’s good. In that case, do you agree?”
Without looking up again, Anisa nodded her agreement. She was getting bored of this, already.
One could hear from their voices that Mr. Abubakar's questions were somewhat nonchalant. Clearly, even if Anisa had expressed disinterest in this marriage, it might not deter him. He added, “Well, this is your decision, Anisa. Marriage is not something you go into and plan to come out of. The moment you leave this house, this becomes your family. I hope you understand that.”
Anissa nodded, acknowledging the gravity of her decision. Leaving her family’s house meant saying goodbye to them forever. Truthfully, she was t afraid of the outside world. She was tough enough to take care of herself. It gas always been leaving this house that has been difficult. Now, her father was reminding her that she shouldn’t even think of coming back to a house which was owner by her own mother.
Seeing that his meaning had sank, Mr. Abubakar then turned to his wife, prompting her to share her thoughts. The woman cleared her throat excitedly. “Well, Anisa, you have chosen this family, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.” She repeated her husband’s concern albeit distractedly as her hand fiddled with the necklace around her neck and the gold bangles on her wrist. “Not that any of us are shocked at your choice. From the beginning, you have always wanted a rich and elegant lifestyle. So, I wish you well dear daughter.”
No one missed what she hinted at. She simply meant to say that Anisa was materialistic and that has gotten her hitched in a loveless marriage. Umamah scoffed. Look at that irony.
The two girls, looking up at Anisa, offered smiles and curious remarks. The younger daughter wondered aloud again why Anisa’s husband hadn’t come himself mockingly asking if he might be deformed or ugly. Throughout this, Anisa remained silent, responding only with a simple “yes” or “okay.”
Mr. Abubakr received the envelope from Faisal and then handed it to Anissa, calling it her dowry. Without hesitation, Anisa accepted the gift, and it appeared to be the first thing she had ever received directly from her father. She smiled inwardly, pondering the irony.
Anisa confidently declared, “Yes, I accept.”
With that, the family exchanged handshakes with Faisal once more, and Mr. Abubakar commented, “Well, I guess we’re now in-laws. I hope to meet, or read, his name, right? My son-in-law very soon.” His tone lacked enthusiasm, but the words conveyed their intent. To Abubakar, that was sufficient.
“There is one more thing I need us to discuss,” Mr. Abubakar said just as Faisal made to stand.
Anisa sighed. She thought to herself, “Wow, it wasn’t even going to take time for him to mention this. I had thought he was going to let this go, but of course, her father was not going to. He was rather going to embarrass himself than let her mother’s company be.”
Faisal’s eyes narrowed. He was getting irritated as he asked, “Yes?”
Mr. Abubakar looked at his wife, whose hands were clutched around his arms, and then said, “Well, there is something I would want Anisa to hand over to us. She hasn’t been able to do that all this while, and we hope that you will be able to convince her to do it. In the end, we are family. She is our daughter. Since she is moving to another country, she should be able to just give this little thing to us. Her younger sisters will soon be medical and law students, and they need a lot of money. There is nothing we’ve done for Anisa unless out of love...” He fiddled with words, searching out the best way to bring them out without sounding greedy or covetous.