"I think I'll try that then," he said. "How are you though?" 
                          
"Alhamdulillah," she sighed. "Everything is right in the world, which I haven't been able to say for a long time now. But I'm fine; we all are." 
                          
"That's good to know," Adnan replied with a sigh of his own. He could already predict where the conversation was heading, but he didn't want to get into that right now. He had never been comfortable with his mother sharing her marital problems with him, as they always made him feel uncomfortable. Hearing about his father's faults from her was bad enough as it was, but he always started to see him in a different light whenever they had that particular discussion. He knew the man had his faults, but he was his father nonetheless, and he felt torn between wanting what was best for his mother, but always giving his father the respect he deserved. 
                          
"Are you doing anything later?" she asked. 
                          
"Not particularly," he replied. "Do you need me to get something for you?" 
                          
"Actually, there's a little favor which I need you to do," she said. "Your aunt called and she said Afrah is coming to Kano today, but there's no one to pick her up from the airport. Would you be so kind as to help her out? The poor girl will be stranded there if you don't."
                          
Adnan felt a jolt of electricity at the name. But just as quickly as he felt the surge in his chest, it died down immediately when his eyes were drawn to the house in the distance. 
                          
"When will she get here?" he asked. 
                          
"In about an hour or two," she replied. "Thanks for helping out. And please be gentle with her. Nafisa said she's not very comfortable around people." 
                          
"I'll do my best," he said. "Do you have her phone number?"
                          
"She's on a flight, Adnan. Just go to the airport and hold up a sign or something. You'll know her when you see her. And besides, I don't even have her number." 
                          
"Your wish is my command, dear mother," he laughed. "I have to go now. I'll call you when I get there." 
                          
"Bye," she said before hanging up. Adnan took a deep breath before turning back towards the house. He continued to stare at it for several minutes, envisioning himself here in a few years. 
                          
"Can I raise a family here?" he asked the wind and the trees surrounding him. 
                          
The answer was immediate: 
                          
Absolutely not. 
                          
His mind made up, he headed back through the doors, unaware that in the next few hours, his life was about to change in ways he had never thought possible. 
                          
* 
                          
The seat was much too uncomfortable for Afrah's liking. But she would have to make do with what was given to her. It was a short flight really, and she would soon be in Kano once again, safe and sound. A part of her felt as light as the wind, with nothing holding her down to the earth just like the airplane she was in. It felt good to let her mind dwell on nothing but a blissful emptiness. She needed it. 
                          
Beside her was a mother who was holding her child close to her chest. The little boy had stubbed his toe on his way back from the bathroom, and his hysterical cries had begun to irritate everyone before she picked him up and began to console him. 
                          
With the boy's head resting on his mother's shoulder, he was staring directly at Afrah while his eyes continued to brim with tears. Occasionally, Afrah found herself staring at him out of the corner of her eyes. Whenever she did that, the boy would smile weakly at her, a silent giggle erupting from him. Afrah smiled back once before turning her attention to the book in her hands.