21. Mother vs Daughter

The crisp morning greeted Safiya with its soft light streaming in through the open window, accompanied by the cheerful chirping of birds.

She slowly woke up from her slumber, stretching her back and letting out a long yawn. As she rose from her bed, she made her way towards the table where a clay pot sat. Nearby, she grabbed a cup and filled it with water, quickly drinking it down in one gulp to quench her thirst.

Just as she finished, a sudden knock echoed through the room, breaking the peaceful silence.

"Come in,"

Shyly, Sheby entered the room, glancing around nervously and keeping her head lowered.

"I'm not holding a sword," Safiya remarked casually as she settled back on her bed, her gaze fixated on Sheby. "So, you want to talk?"

"Is your mother, she wants you to...

"Try a new dress, I know. You people never stop coming up with the same thing," Safiya sighed, her voice tinged with exasperation.

She leaned her head against the edge of the bed where it met the wall. "Well, go back and tell her the same thing I've been telling you—I'm not coming."

Sheby's hands clasped together as she looked at Safiya nervously. "She said if you don't come, she will come here by herself," Sheby explained, her eyes welling up with tears. "Please go. If you don't go, she said she might... I might never be here again."

Safiya's mouth hung open in disbelief. "She said that?"

Sheby nodded, and Safiya narrowed her gaze at her. Sheby has worked here for as long as she could remember, so why would her mother say that? "Or is this your way of making me try a dress?" Safiya asked skeptically.

Sheby shook her head fervently. "No, she really said it."

Safiya sighed, "Well then, dear Sheby, I'm sorry to say that you just lost your work here."

Sheby looked at her with wide eyes, and Safiya almost regretted saying it. She saw Sheby's shoulders slump, and her expression crumble.

"Safiya, please, this is...this is..." Sheby trailed off, on the brink of tears.

"Hey," Safiya stood up and went over to her, taking her shoulder in her hand. "I was just joking, okay? Don't cry. You're staying. You're not going anywhere. It's Mama's fault...argh!" Safiya ended in frustration.

Sheby nodded slowly, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Okay."

Safiya sighed and left Sheby behind to go meet her mother. She couldn't understand why her mother was doing this; she had told her countless times that she didn't want to wear dresses anymore.

Safiya walked into her mother's room, finding her standing there wearing one of her long wrappers wrapped around her waist and another one on her head. She stood there beaming, looking at the clothes she had arranged on the bed.

"We're going to keep going back and forth with this, Mama," Safiya said, walking further into the room and crossing her arms as she watched her mother.

Her mother smiled and took one of the dresses, measuring it against Safiya's body, picturing how it would look on her. "I knew it would look good on you," she said excitedly.

Safiya sighed, feeling frustrated. "Mama, what in... Seriously, I'm not wearing that dress, and you shouldn't have said that to Sheby. Poor girl."

Her mother's smile faded slightly. "Well, it was the only way to make you come here. But look, you're here now," she said, still staring at the fine clothing with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Feeling a mixture of exasperation and disappointment, Safiya sat down on the bed. "What is all this, Mama? I thought you were okay with me being myself. You said that in front of your in-laws. Do you really not mean it?" she asked.

Her mother sighed and dropped the cloth, her face reflecting a mix of emotions. She gently held Safiya's shoulder, her voice filled with sincerity. "I meant everything I said, Safiya. I do respect your father and I don't want to hinder you from pursuing what you love. But..." she paused, her words trailing off.

Safiya waited anxiously, her eyes fixed on her mother's face. Finally, her mother sighed again and averted her gaze. "But... you are ripe for marriage, my child," she admitted hesitantly.

Safiya's eyes widened in disbelief. "What are you saying, Mama?" she asked, her voice trembling with a mix of shock and confusion.

Her mother took a deep breath, gathering the strength to explain herself. "Listen, Safiya. I have met some really nice suitors, young and handsome, who are ready to settle down. They are respectable and come from good families. I think you should consider meeting them."

The shock quickly turned into frustration, and Safiya couldn't help but stand up and start pacing the room. "Mama, no!" she threw up her hand in frustration, "This is not the life I want, and you know it. You know that's not who I want to be!"

Her mother stood up, her face stern. "Do you mean you will never get married, Safiya?" she asked.

"Positively, Mama, I won't," Safiya replied.

*Slap.*

Safiya felt the hotness on her cheek and her eyes showed horror as she watched her mother. She had never seen such anger coming from her mother before.

"Mama, you slapped me," Safiya said, shocked.

"And I will slap you once more if you utter any more stupid words," her mother replied.

Safiya dropped her hand from her cheek, still in shock of what had just happened.

"You know how hard it was living without your father. Do you think I want to see my daughter living that life?" Her mother said angrily.

"I'm not going to war, Mama. Well, I could, but they will never pick a female warrior," Safiya shrugged.

"Oh, shut up!" Tears welled up in her mother's eyes as she sat down on her bed, holding her head. Her mother's voice was resigned as she said, "Fine, I'll let you have your way. Do what you love. I'll let it go because I'm sure your father wants you to be happy as well. But you saying you don't want to get married," she looked at Safiya, her jaw clenching, "that's never going to happen."

Safiya squatted next to her mother, her voice calm. "Mama, this is the only thing that makes me happy," she said.

Yes, she wanted revenge for her father, but Safiya was happiest when she held swords. "This is what I want, Mama. Let me be happy. If getting married makes me happy, then I will do it. But Mama, that's not who I am."

Her mother scoffed, "What if seeing you with your husband is what makes me happy? Would you do it?"

"Mama-" Safiya began, but her mother cut her off.

"Enough!" She stood up, folding some clothes into a basket. "I will be heading to the market, and when I come back, we will go visit those handsome young men I talked about. No, I won't pick for you." She started heading towards the door with the basket.

"You will pick which one you like, and if you don't know which one you want, then I will look for the one suited for you."

Safiya frowned and stood up from where she had been squatting. "Is that what happened with Meka? Did you also pick Jelani for her? Because I was quite surprised about the quick wedding-"

Safiya's words were cut off as her mother swiftly reached her and slapped her across the cheek. Safiya was taken aback, feeling the sting of the slap resonate through her.

"Don't push my buttons, Safiya," her mother warned sternly. "We will talk about this when I get back." With that, she turned and left, leaving Safiya holding her cheek in disbelief.

A heavy sigh escaped Safiya's lips as she realized that she had been wrong to believe her mother had finally let her be. She couldn't help but wonder what had triggered this sudden change in her mother's demeanor.

"You don't have to peek, what is it?" Safiya exclaimed in frustration as she stared at the slightly open door.