Chapter 13: Chapter 13

"Alhaji, I don't understand what you mean? Why do I have to go with her? She can stay home with the maids. And besides, I will only be away for just two days." Alhaji adjusted his Babban Riga before he packed his phones from the dressing mirror into his pocket. "The next time you will argue with me, Halima, you will not like the other side of me. I have told you you're going to Yola together with Dalia tomorrow and that’s final. You better go inform her to start getting ready." He finished speaking and left her in the room.

She hissed infuriated and headed out of his room to hers. She sat down on the bed and and picked up the intercom from her side drawer. "Tell that girl Dalia to pack her clothes, we're traveling tomorrow for two to three days." She spoke when the maid picked up and before she responded, mommy ended the call.

Amira call came through the moment she dropped the intercom. She picked up her phone and answered the call. "Mommy I've been calling but you weren't picking. When are you coming to yola? We are leaving this afternoon and you know I can't stand those annoying people!" Her mother sighed and rubbed her temple. "Till tomorrow amira, and you better behave. They're your in laws. If you keep misbehaving and push him to the wall, whatever he does to you don't even come here complaining. I have told you." She ended the call before amira could speak another word.

Amira looked at her phone and groaned. Why is everyone not on her side but Karima? She knows whatever she's doing is the right thing. If they fight her she fights back, that's a must. She stood up from the sofa and headed to her room. She opened the drawer and brought out her most expensive laces and atamfas. Her eyes caught sight of her gold set on the dressing mirror. She smiled happily and took them. She knew he would definitely return them eventually.

She happily arranged them back in their box before she started packing the things she knew it would be useful for her. After an hour, she was done. She rushed into the bathroom to have her bath because their flight was by 2pm and it was past 12noon already.

She stepped into the shower, toes flinching as they touched the chilled ceramic floor. Her mind was in shreds; she couldn't stop thinking about their trip. Deep within, she was afraid. Afraid that if she pushed them too far they wouldn't hesitate to deal with her. She knew if it wasn't for Muhsin, the last time she met them, they would've beaten her up. She hissed slightly as she turned the dial, new and metallic, releasing thousands of warm water drops.

He entered her room and looked around. He exhaled tiredly when he heard the water droplets from the shower. He waited patiently till she came out. "I thought I told you we were leaving one hour thirty minutes before the flight?" He furiously stared at her. She shrugged and walked over to her dressing mirror before she dragged the vanity stool and settled down. "I will be ready in ten minutes," she responded not gazing his way. He hissed and stepped out of the room to the living room downstairs.

"Sorry, my wife will be out in a minute." He smiled apologetically to Anwar. "No problem sir, I will be waiting in the car," he excused himself and stepped out of the living room.

Muhsin headed upstairs to his room. He brought out his suitcase and descend down the stairs with it. A call came through and he answered without hesitation. "Where are you now? I am already on my way to the airport," Yusuf spoke from the other side of the phone. "I thought we were leaving together?" Muhsin spoke, left open-mouthed.

"Just meet me there." Yusuf ended the call. Muhsin shrugged and continued walking down the stairs to the living room. He went out to Anwar's car and gave him the suitcase to load it into the car trunk while he walked to where the gateman was sitting.

"Malam Haruna, we're going to travel for three to four days. Take this and use it before we're back." He counted a bunch of money and handed it to him. He always does that whenever he was traveling. The gateman thanked him before he left to go check if she was ready. He was about to enter the house when she came out pulling her own suitcase. He took it without uttering a word to her and they entered the car.

Muhsin conversed with his manager while she listened to them. From time to time she looked at Anwar as she wondered where she knew him. She discarded the thought after many fails of remembering where she knew him.

He dropped them off at the airport and left. They had only thirty minutes left till the time to board the flight. They met Yusuf already seated in the departure. After they have exchanged pleasantries with Yusuf, she settled down beside muhsin. They waited till they heard the announcement.

•••

Yola, Adamawa.

The house already filled with friends and family. Everyone walking about, some catching up on what they've missed, some were eating while some were just looking around the big house of The Saraki. The entire house buzzed with excitement and elite chatter. Some kids ran around the large house compound in a good natured game of tag.

"So because you all are married now that's I am the centre of today's news, right?" Yusuf spoke jokingly. "Damn right you are. Ahmad is getting married to Hadiza in two days. I already have a kid. Muhsin is also married and you're here pushing all our cousins that shows the slightest interest in you."

Yusuf shrugged his shoulder because if there was anything he needn't to speak about was him being their eldest and still not married. "Hey guys, everything is time and his own time would definitely come sooner or later," muhsin defended him. "You see the reason why I love this guy?" Yusuf tapped him on the shoulder as he grinned.

"Keep playing with me, the news you'll hear next is I've told Hajiya Mama you like Salmah but you're shy to confront her. Just dare, Yusuf." Ibrahim threatened him. "Let's not go there, my lovely brother. C'mon it haven't reached to the point. And besides, everyone knows that Salmah has a huge crush on muhsin. I mean cmon, you guys are always flirting with each other. And the day amira will catch you guys..." Yusuf paused as he laughed heartily.

"Exactly what I told him earlier. Your wife is just.... Unique," Ibrahim spoke awkward. He remembered when they arrived, how she barely greeted his aunties and uncles plus some of the elders. She held a humourless face expression that no one dared to speak to her left alone joke around with her.

Muhsin hissed annoyingly. For a moment he had forgotten about all his worries, amira included. "Nothing is what she can do. Salmah is my cousin, she happens to be the one I'm closer to, so what if we joke around. And speaking about her having a crush on me is what I don't believe. It's already time for Maghrib, we should get going to the Mosque before Alhaji comes out." The men ended the conversation there and headed to the masjid.

They didn't come back till after Isha. Muhsin left them at the poolside of the house while he went inside the house to their room. He met her pacing around the room, clearly fuming about something. She stopped walking when she heard the door shot close. "Where have you been, muhsin? I called you but you didn’t picked or returned any of my calls." She kicked up the fuss. He rubbed the space between his eyes as he sighed. "What happened? Why are you roaming back and forth?" He asked knowing she would still tell him even if he never asked.

"I asked your cousin, Fauzah to get me a bottle of water but this girl glared at me and hissed before she walked out on me. Now if I had done something to her you'd start raining the blame on me alone." She ranted nonstop. "Okay, okay please that's enough," he mouthed as he came closer to her. He head her shoulders and looked at her fuming eyes. "Calm down please. I will go deal with her right now. But before that, are you sure you asked her in a polite way?" He asked. Her eyes widened as she opened her mouth. "You see exactly what I am saying right? You'll blame me and leave her go scot-free." She lamented.

"Okay, I'm sorry, have you eaten?" He asked and she shook her head looking away. "I will go speak with her now. Just get some rest before someone brings your dinner. I will be with the guys after that." He left after much convincing her that he would deal with Fauzah.

He followed the living room to the kitchen were he found most of the girls preparing dinner. "Fauzah, come with me." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder before they followed through the back door to the backyard. "What did my wife do to you? Why were you being rude to her?" He asked smoothly, not that he was furious. She swiftly gazed at him and shook her head, eyes widened. "Hamma Muhsin, I didn't. She told you I did? What happened was I took her lunch to your room and she said she doesn't like it. Yapendo asked me to cook another thing for her which I did. When I took it, she started yelling at me for no reason that she never asked me to cook that. I got angry and left without sparing another second in the room. Yapendo is my witness Sadiya is my witness too."

He heaved a sigh, just as he thought, amira was lying just to get attention or look for trouble. She always looks for a slightest chance to make him fight with one of his family members. "You can go now but make sure you take her dinner to our room." He dismissed her before he walked to the poolside where he knew the men were hanging out. "What is this boy doing here?" He asked looking at his younger brother. Zayd stood up from the beanbag chair, scratching the back of his head. "Leave this place now before I break your strong head," he threatened and before he made any move, zayd quietly left the place.

"Where's the groom?" He asked as he plumped down where his brother before. "He's by the parking lot, with his wife to be obviously," Yusuf retorted. They conversed about what they've missed about their hometown and their childhood memories while they waited for dinner.

****

The next morning, muhsin got dressed and left the house to the airport to pickup Amira's mother. He saw her together with the last person he least expected to see, Dalia. "Good Morning mommy," he greeted and she answered cheerfully. He loaded their belongings in the car truck before he opened the back door for mommy. She thanked him before she entered. Dalia sluggishly entered the front seat after he told her to. She was uncomfortable, not that she was around him and mommy, but the pain she had been experiencing below her abdomen for almost a week now. She sat there quietly listening to him and mommy conversing about the wedding and whatnot.

Thirty minutes later they arrived at Muhsin's family house, where almost everyone was. They were warmly welcomed by his family. Mommy was taken to a private room while Muhsin's mother took Dalia to where Fauzah and the rest were since they were age mates.

Later in the evening, Dalia's pain got worse that it dragged attention to her, what she had been avoiding. "Please can you tell me what's wrong with you? You have been crying for about ten minutes now, or should I call amira's mother?" She spoke smoothly as she rubbed he back. Dalia shook her head while she grimaced. Fauzah and the rest of her sisters kept on asking but she couldn't utter a word to them.

Fauzah swiftly left the room to call Muhsin's mother since she is kind of the only person she tends to get free with. "Dalia, what's wrong? Your stomach hurts?" Aunty asked softly. She slowly nodded her head as beads of sweat cascading down from her forehead.

"Sadiya yuhu nyunu Yusuf junta do. Be do les bedo taska. (Sadiya, go and call Yusuf for me right now. They're downstairs getting ready.)" Sadiya quickly left the room and did as she was told. She came back shortly together with Yusuf. "Yapendo, ko hebimo? O yecci mun ko ta mo na. (Yapendo, what happened to her? Did she tell you what's wrong with her?)" He inquired as he moved closer to Dalia. "I think it's period cramp," she spoke dolefully.

"Salamu alaikum, what's wrong with her? She was okay just this morning when we left home." Amira's mother interrupted them. Amira stood by the door and peeped from where she was. She shrugged her shoulders and walked away in her elegant dress, ready to kill for the night.

"Do you experience this pain whenever you're going to have your period or when you're on your period?" He asked her and she briskly nodded. The pain sears through her bladder and back better than a branding iron. Her mind conceding to the torment, unable to bring a thought to completion. Her mind only knew pain. Every thought she had confused her as the burning pain licked up her bladder like scorching fire.

"Fauzah, do you have any heating pad?" He asked but she shook her head. He looked at dalia again as he thought for a while. He stood up from the edge pf the bed. "You guys should finish getting ready for the dinner and leave. I will go get her some drugs and heating pad." He averted his gaze to the middle aged women, muhsin's mother and amira's mother. "Mommy you should go finish getting ready and go. She will be fine in sha Allah."

He left the room in hurry and headed back to where he left the Grooms men and the groom. "What happened? Where did you go to?" Muhsin asked as he adjusted his Babban Riga. "That girl, dalia isn't feeling well. I'm going out to her some aspirin." He told him as he searched for his car keys. He took it and left in a rush without retorting to muhsin's question.

He went to a pharmacy and bought the preferred injections, drugs, heating pad and also pad for her before he went back to the house. Most of the people, including the groomsmen and the brides' in the house have already left for the event. He met aunty still together with her. "Yusuf, you're back."

"I'm giving her injection but has she eaten?" He asked. "She ate not long ago so I think she's good to go," she spoke worriedly. Even though she knows not much about Dalia, she admired the girl. She's very calm and kindhearted.

He gave her the injection with the thought that she might throw a tantrum at least but she was calm. Just few minutes after the injection, she finally slept off. "You should get going to the event, Yusuf. Everyone has already left," she urged him. "Aunty aren't you going?" He asked but she shook her head. "We have some guests here so your mom and I are going to stay here with them."

After they've spoken, he left and went to the dinner also.

The music was as loud as thunder; it made the cutlery on the tabletops rattles. Neon lights flashed everywhere like police siren, but much more colourful. Everyone beautifully adorned in their dresses and Kaftaans. The whole time amira was with her mother, watching every move he made. Deep within she was boiling with anger by the way his cousin, salmah was clinging unto him the whole time. She hated her the most.

She watched as muhsin spoke with one of his male cousins while salmah wrapped her arms around his arm. He looked at her smiled before looking away and continued talking to the person before him. A knot tied in her throat as she furious stood up and left the place. She has had enough of their stupidity.

Burning rage hissed through her heart like a deadly poison. It was erupting like a volcano; furry sweeping off her like ferocious waves. The wrath summed like, engulfing her morality and destroying the boundaries of loyalty. She scanned through the audience outside and peered at Zayd. She walked over to him, "hey zayd, could you please take me home? I don't feel well and I don't want to bother your brother." He looked around first to make sure he was the one she was referring to. "Oh, sure, no problem. This way please." He spoke, giving her a weird look. He led the way to the car and they zoned out of the place.

Mommy sighed and shook her head. She knew if she had followed her out, it would only draw attention to them. Muhsin never noticed she had left till zayd called and informed him. He called her multiple times but she never picked. Whatever it was he would find out when he gets home.

**

He walked towards the door and turned the doorknob but it was locked. He rubbed the back of his neck while he knocked but no response. He knocked again many times before she unlocked it. He entered and closed the door behind him.

"Why did you leave without telling me? What if Zayd haven't told me you left? What do you expect me to do?" He questioned. She settled down on the edge of the bed as if she was the only one in the room. "Amira, I am talking to you," he spoke much louder. She looked up from her phone and glared at him. "I didn't think you'd even noticed that I was there when you were all over that old rag." She referred to salmah. He couldn't help but chuckle. She was jealous of her?

"If you're jealous because I was with salmah then you need to work on your mind setting. Salmah is only my cousin don't forget," he reminded her. His words made her more infuriated. He was supposed to be on his knees apologising for what had done but he was here laughing and smiling at her. "I will send someone with your dinner because I know your jealousy didn't allow you to eat there." He smoothly walked out of the room. She threw pillow at the door and shrieked. She had to learn how to control her feelings for him. She can't be the one always hurting. But how was that possible when she knew he wasn't in love with her. She was the one going nuts about him.

It was already past 1am but he never came back. She roamed around the room, thinking where he could be. Maybe he was with his cousins but he never stayed that late yesterday. Why tonight? Or he was with that girl again? She swiftly wrapped her scarf and stepped out of the room.

"Its not my fault that I fell for you Hamma Muhsin. I mean, how can someone help it if you are so handsome and breath taking?" She flirted jokingly. Muhsin suppressed a smile, "each time I look at your beautiful face, it makes me wonder, what is an Angel doing among human?"

"Hamma Muhsin, you guys should go somewhere else and flirt with each other, we're trying to watch here..." Hadiza lamented. "Who asked you to...." Salmah wasn't done with her sentence when she felt a sharp pain across her fair cheek. The slap was as loud as a clap and stung her face. She swiftly looked up and before she could utter a word, amira's hand cracked across her face again and the living room went silent.

All the ladies and men in the living room looked at amira with awe. "You slapped me?" She furiously stood up to revenge but muhsin held her hand. "How dare you try slapping my wife? Are you okay?" He thundered before he glared at amira. "Leave this place," he ordered. She hissed loudly and walked away. "She slapped me for no reason and you're telling me not to revenge, hamma muhsin? I did nothing to her and she slapped me, twice." Her voice cracked as she spoke. "She hissed at my mother earlier but none of us did anything to her. She disrespected your mother, still you didn't do anything, now she slapped me and you're yelling at me?"

He looked at the preying eyes on him. They sat there looking at him in silence. They started to whisper to each other. He was now the centre of attention. He left the living room without a backward glance. He met her pacing around the room as she fumed with anger. "I never knew you were this insane...." He connected his hand with her cheek , snapping it back with the force of another smack on her other cheek.

When the black dots quit covering her vision, she stood up right holding both her aching cheeks. Her tears blurred her vision as she tried to look at him, baffled. "You slapped me, because of that stupid girl?"

"Insult any of my family members again and I will do more than what I just did," he thundered moving closer to her, however she shifted back. His temper was on a hair-trigger. The smallest thing would have him flying into a rage, yelling, and spitting out each jagged word.

"My mother was speaking to you earlier today but you were being rude her, I did not say anything to you. Salmah's mother was scolding you about what did to my mother but you hissed at her and walked away. Now you slapped her daughter, still you're wondering why I slapped you? What do you take yourself as, amira? You're very useless in my life, we both know that. You always disobey me but I leave you to that but now it has reached to the extent of disrespecting my mothers? No, I will not take this! The next time you will try something as dumb as what you did today, consider yourself as divorcee!" His holler reverberated in her ears like a clap of thunder, such was his rage. It was a roar of pure anger. He barged out of the room after he had finished talking.

She slumped down there, as she screamed in anger. She cried like her spirit needed to break loose from her skin, desperate to release an elemental rage on the world. Now they have bought themselves an unending war from her.