The very first flaw that began to show in Sakina was her dirtiness and laziness. Until her mother hired housemaids for her, the house was always untidy. Whenever Safwan grew tired of seeing the filth during weekends, he would clean the entire house himself—though he kept warning her, in the end he just watched in silence.

As for cooking, Sakina never considered it important to prepare food for her husband. The only thing she could make was instant noodles; beyond that, she knew nothing. Every day the housemaids cooked, while Safwan often went to his mother’s section (Mommah) to eat. Worse still, Sakina disliked staying home—she was always traveling to Katsina or Kano. Even when Safwan spoke to her, she paid him no mind, which left him staring at her in frustration.

Her rudeness extended even to Mommah. But because Mommah was patient, gentle, and forgiving, she never fought her. Even when insulted, Mommah simply smiled. She was only 48, yet Sakina treated her with scorn, shouting at her without shame. The only person Sakina feared was Hajiya Mama, because she was her greatest problem in Safwan’s household.

Hajiya Mama was an elderly woman of about seventy, firm and outspoken. She never tolerated disrespect, unlike the patient Mommah. She was the kind of old woman who, once something concerned you, would tell you directly. She was cheerful with neighbors, treated them as family, but she would never hesitate to interfere if she saw wrong. For this reason, Sakina despised her, believing she meddled too much in her marriage.

Sometimes Hajiya Mama even defended Mommah, scolding Sakina when she disrespected her. And whenever both of them upset her, she would lash out at them for the way Sakina mistreated Mommah—despite being her co-wife in the house. Safwan himself did not know what to do. Anytime he wanted to discipline Sakina, Mommah restrained him.

The worst of his anger came when Sakina fell sick and started bleeding. On examining her, Safwan realized she had secretly gone for a womb procedure, where doctors had sealed her cervix. But destiny is stronger than human plans—the pregnancy pushed through from the side of her womb. He said nothing to her. Instead, he performed surgery, returned the pregnancy to the uterus, and discharged her.

For the first time, Sakina saw Safwan’s fury. Not only was he angry, even her father the Commissioner scolded her for her recklessness. But in her heart, she despised the pregnancy. She had never wanted to give birth, believing children would make her age quickly and allow her husband to marry another wife. This was advice her mother Hajiya Kari and her sister Laila had filled her head with.

---

About Dr. Safwan

He was named after Mommah’s father. She could never call him by name, only “Babana” (my father). He was a man of patience and dignity—traits he inherited from Mommah. At 30 years old, he was calm, respectable, and deeply religious. Though a medical doctor, he had memorized the Qur’an at the age of 14 under Mommah’s guidance, and studied classical Islamic texts like Muwatta Malik, Sahih Bukhari, Sira, and Fiqh.

He was handsome, sociable, and cheerful, but his greatest love was Mommah, his pillar and foundation—alongside his grandmother, Hajiya Mama.

In dressing, he preferred traditional wear—shadda, gezner, or fine brocade. But because of his profession, he often wore suits. On Fridays, however, everyone knew him for his majestic traditional attire. His anger was slow but lasting: once offended, he never forgot. In food, he preferred traditional dishes like dambu, faten kifi, fankasau, and tuwo with okra soup.

His marriage to Sakina brought him nothing but decline. From the start, problems kept surfacing. His gentleness made Sakina disrespect him. She ignored his words, while he avoided quarrels—partly out of respect for her father. Among her siblings, only Salma and Ummi respected him; the rest sided with Sakina, especially Hajiya Kari and Laila.

Even in intimacy, he found no satisfaction. Sakina knew nothing about pleasing her husband, nor did she care for his needs. She focused only on herself. After every encounter, he was left weak and in pain, while she showed no concern. To protect himself, Safwan fasted every Monday and Thursday, seeking God’s help.

During her pregnancy, Sakina constantly insulted the unborn child, regretting it bitterly. Her father had even warned her that if he heard any bad news about her pregnancy, he would disown her. She grew withdrawn, stopped traveling, and only visited Hajiya Kari. She despised Mommah, believing she was unworthy of respect.

---

The Day of Labor

One morning, Safwan left for the hospital while Sakina was asleep. But she had already called her mother earlier, saying she felt unwell. Hajiya Kari rushed from Katsina with her driver. By the time she arrived, Sakina had gone into labor. In a panic, she carried her out to the car. Mommah, who had just stepped out, ran to ask what was wrong—but Hajiya Kari only glared at her in contempt.

Mommah rushed to call Safwan: “We’re bringing Sakina; she’s in labor.” Safwan, startled, told them to hurry. As they drove, Hajiya Kari phoned Laila, insulting Mommah and Safwan, claiming they had abandoned Sakina to die until she arrived. Mommah, as usual, kept silent and smiled.

That was how Sakina was brought to the hospital.

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Inside Safwan’s Office

Later that day, Dr. Tahir entered and found Safwan drenched in sweat, trembling in his office chair, lost in deep thought.

“What’s wrong, Dr. Safwan?” Tahir asked, alarmed.

Safwan sighed heavily, his eyes bloodshot with pain. “I’m tired, Tahir. Wallahi, I’m tired. Every time, you and Mommah tell me the same thing—be patient, be patient. Is there no other word for me except patience?” His voice broke as tears welled up.

Tahir held his hand gently. “There is no other word, Safwan. I know you. Keep holding on, Allah knows your struggle.”

Safwan stared at him, silent. Then with weary steps, he pulled out a drawer full of medical supplies and headed to the toilet. Tahir called after him: “Alhamdulillah, both Mommah and the baby are fine. I’ll discharge them soon.”

A faint smile flickered across Safwan’s face before he disappeared inside.

---

At the Ward

Dr. Tahir checked on Sakina and her newborn, with Mommah by their side.

“Congratulations, Madam,” he said warmly.

But Sakina only shot him a scornful look. “Of course, you say that—you dumped all the work on me!”

Knowing her nature, Tahir laughed softly. “It’s a woman’s duty to give birth, not a man’s. What better fruit of love than children?”

Sakina ignored him, while her mother muttered angrily. Tahir only smiled and handed her iron supplements. Mommah, full of gratitude, kept blessing him until they left.

As the driver pulled away, Hajiya Kari sneered: “Even if this child were born out of wedlock, Safwan should have come to see him first.”

This time, Tahir replied directly, locking eyes with her: “Wallahi, this is your handiwork. You can’t even admit the truth—you carried nothing, suffered nothing, yet you belittle him.”

Ashamed, she kept silent.

---

Back at Home

When they returned, Mommah proudly carried the baby. Hajiya Mama was outside listening to the radio when she saw them. Delighted, she exclaimed: “Congratulations, you have a new master of the house!”

But when she realized Sakina had given birth, she frowned. “So she finally delivered? I thought she could never give birth on her own.”

Inside, tension rose again. Hajiya Mama confronted Sakina directly: “So now you’ve become a mother? And you expect others to raise your child for you? You carried the pregnancy—so raise it yourself!”

Angrily, she stormed out, leaving Sakina and her mother fuming.

“Is that old woman even sane?” Hajiya Kari hissed.

“She’s just a nuisance,” Sakina snapped. “And Safwan supports her too much.”

Her mother nodded. “We’ll deal with her later. But first, let’s handle this baby.”