Before They Wilt

It is true that when spring arrives, comes the beauty of the world and so it is with a woman. In her spring, she blossoms like a flower. Mesmerizing the world with her beauty and enchanting it with her voice and colourful characters.

And most of the time, little is thought of the winter period until it arrives and the flower starts to wilt and eventually withers if proper actions are not taken.

That was what happened to the first daughter of Alhaji Sabo; she was not plucked in her spring even though she was the most beautiful among her peers. And that has changed the way Hajiya Fatima, his wife, now sees the universe. With her having two more daughters with no son, the truth of the spring and winter is so well fixed in her mind that her sole purpose in life was to get her daughters married and that could be achieved by visiting and going to functions.

"My dear Alhaji," his wife said to him one Saturday morning, "have you heard that Hajiya Maryama is holding a big walima for her son? The one abroad?"

But Alhaji Sabo replied that he had no such news.

"But she is," she replied, "he is back to the country after ten good years." putting emphasis on the number of years the young man was away from home.

Alhaji Sabo made no answer, reading his newspaper quietly.

"Do you not want to see him?" Hajiya Fatima cried.

"He is not my son to begin with and yes, I would like to know he has arrived at his parent's home in good health."

Frustrated, "why can't you see the good in front of you my dear?"

He dropped the newspaper and removed his glasses. "What good?"

"Sabo, why are you acting indifferent? Hajiya Maryama's son is the good I'm talking about. He is a young single man with a large fortune; works as a car designer in Germany, owns five houses across the country including one in the federal capital. What a fine thing for our girls."

"How so?"

"How can you ask such question!" She exclaimed, "you must know that I'm thinking of Hajiya Maryama being our in-law."

"In-law you say my dear wife?"

"Yes and we must go to the walima for that to happen."

"I don't see why we should go for the walima when there is no invitation."

"How can you be so tiresome! We are neighbours for crying out loud. We need no invitation."

"Says, who?"

"I see, you are happy seeing our daughters at home when all their peers are married or about to," her eyes brimmed with tears, ready to roll down each cheek.

"you and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be better. I am sure he will appreciate the sight of younger girls."

"Are you calling me old Alhaji Sabo?"

"No man in a good state of mind will think of you as old. You are the most beautiful of women."

She smiled hearing him say that, "you flatter me my dear. I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary, having had three grownup daughters already."

"You will always be the most beautiful in my eyes."

"Good to know you still see me as such, we must go to the walima together. Alhaji Auwalu will be going, so I heard."

"It is more than I engaged for please."

"But consider your daughters. You should…"

"I visit nobody without relevant reason," Alhaji Sabo interrupted, "go with them or you all can stay home."

"I am doing this for the good of this family, not for myself." She said, annoyed by the lack of interest shown by her husband.

Hajiya Fatima was a woman of uncertain temper, impatience and many words. She would flame up when things did not go her way. While her husband was quite the opposite. An odd mixture of reserve, sarcasm and vagaries, that their twenty five years union had been insufficient for his wife to fully comprehend his character.

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