Chapter 14: Chapter 14

It was a big and memorable day for the two couple, Hadiza and Ahmad. The whole men were getting dressed for the wedding Fatiha which was going to take place at yola central mosque. The whole ladies of the house dressed in enticing laces while the men wore their white Kaftaans.

After they have taken lots of memorable pictures together, the men left for the Nikkah.

Aunty sauntered into the room holding a plate of toasts and roasted chicken while she held a cup of hot tea in her other hand. "Dalia come and eat now please, it's already passed twelve and you haven't eaten much." She kept the plate on the side drawer and helped her to sit up. She was the only in the room. Fauzah and the rest were out taking pictures and helping the bride with the preparation before the knot gets tied.

"Or do you want something else?" Muhsin's mother asked. She slowly shook her head as she smiled a lit. "Thank you, aunty," she mouthed. Aunty returned a smile, "now eat before I come back. You need to take your drugs afterwards." She left dalia after she had started eating her brunch.

Salmah looked at her cousins again while she thought of their insane plan. She was still angry about what amira had done to her and how muhsin ignored it. "How can we do that when mommy and the rest are busy walking around the house?" She asked and fauzah quickly spoke. "They're all downstairs and soon everyone would head outside before the wedding Fatiha. You'll start going to her room then I will follow you, then Sadiya and the rest."

Salmah nodded as she smiled brightly. They all left the gazebo and headed back into the house. Salmah started walking towards amira's room and few moments later the rest followed her as they planned.

Amira raised her head when she heard the door squeaked open and close. She hissed and returned her attention to her phone. Even though deep within she was afraid of what Salmah was doing in her room, she still acted like she never cared or she wasn't afraid. Her stomach churned as she felt chills down her spine when she saw the rest of Muhsin's cousins barged into the room. They all sent daggers her way. Her mouth trembled as she spoke.

"What are you doing in my room? Look I don't have time for any of...." Salmah smacked her hard across her fair cheek. "This is for disrespecting my aunties and mother." Then she smacked her other cheek, "and this if for slapping me for no reason." Before amira could recover from the shock and pain, they all gathered around her before they started pouncing on her. She didn't know who started the first punch but all she could do was yelp for help.

They hit her till she was numb and in pain. "What is going on here? Oh ya Allah, amira? Get away from my daughter you rascals." Mommy pushed them away and knelt before her daughter. Before they could leave the room, Muhsin's mother came in together with Aunty Raliya, Yusuf's mother and Aunty Hadiza, salmah's mother. They looked at amira to the girls standing there as if they did nothing.

"What has she done to you? Why would you beat my daughter? A fully grown woman? Are you all crazy?" Mommy fumed in anger as she glared at them. "What? They did what?" Aunty Raliya being the eldest spoke. Muhsin's mother was so much in shock that she couldn't utter a word. "Salmah, what happened?" Aunty raliya asked the oldest. Salmah crossed her arms on her chest as she breathed heavily. "Yapendo, she did a lot of things and you guys didn't do anything about it so we took matters into...." The sound of the slap scared the rest of the girls there. "Thank you," salmah's mother mouthed. "Go and kneel down in Hajiya mama's room. All of you!" She yelled and they quickly left the room before she pounced on them.

"Please forgive them for their childish act. We need to take her to the hospital for check up," aunty raliya mouthed as she knelt down beside amira to check if they've wounded her and luckily, her eye was starting to swell up as she bleed from her mouth. "Wallah I will not agree to any apology. I must revenge, they cannot go scot-free for this! I will not agree to any of your apologies..."

"Will you shut up," her mother shouted. She looked at them and smiled a little. "Don't worry Hajiya, she will be fine. And it's okay. She deserved what they did to her since she decided to be stubborn and disrespectful," she finished talking as she glared at amira. Muhsin's mother left to get her some ice while Yusuf and salmah's mothers consoled her.

Hajiya mama looked at her grandchildren standing by the wall in her room. "I said what are you doing here? What's with the angry faces?" She asked them again. "Hajiya it's Mommy, please don't allow her punish us. We did something and I know she wants to punish us," salmah lamented as she approached her grandmother. Hajiya mama looked at her grandchildren to the women seated in the room. "You don't want your favourite grandchildren to get beaten right?" Salmah whines while she hugged hajiya mama. "My people look at this girl? Can you imagine? What have you done to Hadiza?" She asked filled with amusement.

The two women came in, Aunty raliya and aunty Hadiza. With their faces showing no mercy. "ha'an, you people should tell me what's going on. Hadiza? What happened what did salmah and her sister's did that you want to beat them?" Hajiya mama asked looking at her two daughter's ready to pounce on their children. "Mama we did not say we were going to beat them. Please don't allow them to deceive you. These five idiots went into Muhsin's room and beat his wife mercilessly and salmah is their leader. She's there with a swollen eye and a bleeding mouth."

Salmah quickly stood up from the bed before hajiya mama could land a painful smack on her face. "Come back here salamatu," she commanded. "Hajiyata please, at least listen to our side of the story," she pleaded. "Hajiya mama, these kids took the matter into their hands just because she disrespected me and her mother in law," aunty Hadiza cuts in while she glared at her daughter. "She slapped me, twice and Hamma Muhsin did nothing about it," she imparted to defend herself.

"Shut up! Who did you inform about that? You just went ahead to beat someone's wife not thinking of what her husband might do to you? And who told you he did nothing about it? Were you together with them the whole time?" Hajiya mama Bawled. "Look, you people should get out of my room. Whatever your mothers decide to do to you, you deserve it and prepare for your brother's punishment too." Hajiya sent them all away when she remembered the preying eyes around them.

Aunty Hadiza grabbed salmah by the ear and pushed her out with the rest.

Immediately after prayers, the knot was tied. Hadiza Abdulmutallab Saraki was finally married to her cousin, Ahmad Adam Saraki. After the wedding reception, they headed back home just for Muhsin to find out what happened and deep in him, he was happy about what they did. He acted like it was nothing and ignored her throughout the day while she spent the whole day in their room tearing up.

Later in the evening, his mother summoned him to her room. He met her sitting on the edge of the bed. She eyed him the moment he entered her room. He found a spot on the soft carpet and settled down before her. "Aunty you were looking for me," he muttered, gazing at her displeased expression before he lowered his gaze.

"You think what you have done to your wife was the right or a cool thing? Pretending to be ignorant, you know I have noticed you the whole day that you didn't check up on her despite knowing what your sisters did." He knew this was going to happen the moment he came in and observed her facial expression. What exactly has he done wrong here? "Aunty whatever happened, it was her fault. You keep saying we should let her be and she keeps on disrespecting..."

"You don't know what I mean right?" She cuts him off with a question. "Her mother is around for Allah's sake why would you be treating someone's daughter like garbage when their parent is around." He was quiet for a while because he couldn't argue anymore. His mother was right but his problem was he could not pretend to be someone he isn't or pretend to do something he knows it's not true. He exhaled and looked at his mother. "Aunty you're right and I'm very sorry for the selfishness I have done. I will go and apologise to her right now." She freed her face and smiled. "That's better and I will send in your dinner now. You should eat together with your wife. I don't want to see you hanging around with the men tonight, stay with your wife and take care of her."

He answered her commands before he rise to his feet and left the room. He knew drama and commotion was about to unfold when he go meets her.

He sauntered out of the house to the mosque and prayed Isha before he went back home together with the guys. He conversed with them for some time before he bade them good night. He gently opened the door and entered before he closed it back. He turned on the lights in the room. He looked at her figure buried underneath the soft sheets. He walked over to the bed and pulled the blanket away. She turned her head to the other side to avoid meeting his gaze.

"Amira, sit down let's talk, please." He pleaded but she acted like she was fast asleep. "I know you can hear me," he spoke again when she wasn't ready to move an inch. "I'm so sorry for the things I have done. I'm sorry I slapped you last night and for being ignorant for what happened today. Surely I will punish them for this foolish act of theirs." She still ignored him and pulled the blanket over her head.

He pulled it away same time a knock came from the door. He looked up to the door before he gave whomever it was permission to come in. Salmah walked in with a tray of warmers while fauzah walked in with tray of refreshments. Amira glared at them as she sat upright. If salmah could get another chance to hit her, she wouldn't hesitate to. "Just drop the trays on the carpet and get out," he fumed when they greeted him. "But, hamma we want to apologise to her..." Fauzah tried to explain but when he bawled at them again, the ladies hurriedly left the room and closed the door for them.

Amira wanted to smile at what he did but she pretend like she wasn't impressed. He looked at her swollen eyes and bruised lip. "Have you taken any drugs?" He asked now that he was actually concerned about her. "I have," she retorted not glancing his way. "C'mon Hauwa'u, I said I was sorry, please forgive this your ignorant husband. I can be on my knees if you want me to." She glared at him when he called her by her real name. "What? Hauwa is a beautiful name and it has a beautiful meaning." He defended himself knowing she was glaring at him because he called her actual name.

"Have you prayed?" He asked but she took off her eyes away for him. He knew the answer. He rubbed his temple as he sighed. "C'mon get up, let's go. You need to pray before we eat." She tried to protest but he never budged.

After she had prayed the prayers she intentionally missed, he served her the meal that was cooked and urged her to eat which she did because she spent the whole day fuming and tearing her eyes out without eating. They were done eating within thirty minutes before he moved her to the bed.

"We need to talk," he said as he handed her the pain killer and bottled of water. She took it and sip some of the water before she threw the pill in her mouth and swallowed it. "About what?" She coldly asked. He cleared his throat as his facial expression changed to the muhsin he used to be, always. "I don't want to hear your voice throughout the time I will be speaking," he warned her.

"What you did right from the day we arrived here was totally out of hand. These people are also like your second family. If you don't treat them right, who are you supposed to treat right? You didn't perform in any activities of the wedding..."

"How can I involve myself with the people that don't like me?" She interrupted him. "Haven't I told you not to speak till I'm done? And speaking of that, if you behaved like the righteous person you should be, none of this would be happening. Now look at your face please. Seventeen year old girls beating you up...."

"Now what are you trying to portray?" She interrupted again. He groaned tired before he sighed. "Look, amira. Please just enough with this bad behaviour. If you want my family to start liking you then drop this attitude and start acting nice. And don't think I'm commanding you, I'm simply giving you an advice. You should be nice, not just to my family but to everyone because you don't know what life could surprise you with in the future." He finished speaking and stood up. "You should get some rest, I'll be back in two hours, if you need anything call me." He breezed out of the room afterwards and left her there with her thoughts.