Chapter 16: Chapter 16

She checked the time again before dialling his number for the umpteenth time. But this time around it was switched off. She burst into tears as she rose from the sofa and paced around the living room. She dialled her mother's number but no answer. She called again, still no response. The fear and thoughts looped around her mind. what could have happened to her husband? He was hurt? Kidnapped? He was involved in an accident?

No matter how late he stayed out, he never reached midnight outside, but now it was past one in the morning. The panic began like a cluster of spark plugs in her abdomen. Tension grew in her face limbs, her mind replaying the last fight they had. Her breath became more rapid, more shallow. In these moment, before her personal hurricane, she thought of many things that could happen to him. Or why he wasn't back. Then the idea suddenly popped in her head.

She called his cousin Yusuf and luckily, he picked the call thinking it must be because of her husband else there was no way amira could call him by that time of the night. "Yusuf, thank God you picked. Please are you together with muhsin? He hasn't come back home yet and that's very unusual of him to do that." Her voice told how worried she was. He bite his lip and held his laughter. He glanced at Muhsin and looked away.

"He isn't home? By this time of the night? That's serious. But has he ever done this before?" He asked her. He gazed at muhsin that was busy with the game pad. "No, he has never slept out except he has traveled. I have called several times but he never picked and at the end maybe he switched off the phone or it died, I don't even know." Out of the blue, the tears came rushing down. That was the moment she believed how worried she was and how she cared about him.

"Okay, okay calm down now. Did you have any misunderstanding before he left the house?" He asked her and she swiftly answered shamelessly. She told him everything that had happened and when he slapped her. He peered at muhsin, eyes wide open, "he slapped you? Muhsin did that?" Muhsin looked at him and shrugged before he turned his attention to the screen.

"I just hope he's okay....." She choked on her words while the tears flowed uncheck. For a moment Yusuf felt sorry for her, maybe muhsin had gone too far. "Then that might be the answer of why he left, amira." He was terrified to even start speaking to her about what she does. She was on his good side and now if he tried talking, she might end up writing him on her black list.

"What do you mean?" She asked the question. She closed her eyes and rubbed it. The headache started settling in minute by minute. "I mean maybe it's because of what you did. Look, amira I know you would not like what I will say but you have to change your behaviours concerning your marital home." She grimaced, now what was that? She listened to his next statement. "I love seeing you with muhsin more than anyone does, amira but you just.... You have to make some adjustments concerning your husband."

"I don't get what you mean, Yusuf." He could sense the anger in her voice. "Your husband loves you and I am sure you love him too, and if you want all of this to stop and be the happiest wife then you have to change. You have to start obeying your husband, amira."

"But, I do try my best to make him happy."

"How? Can you give me an example?" She paused, tongue tide. She stuttered as she thought of thousands of things but no prove. He was right? She did nothing to make her husband happy? "Well he isn't doing the same," she protested instead of answering his question. She heard his soft chuckle from the other side of the phone. She swallowed hard and adjusted her sitting position. "What should I do Yusuf? By Allah I love this man but I doubt if he does love me like you said." Yusuf was quiet for a minute. "Of course he does." Muhsin glared at him for the lie he had uttered.

"You should start doing the right thing if you want to keep your man. You know men, you will be the perfect wife and he would still add another wife not to talk of when you don't do the right thing. And I know you wouldn't want a co wife, right?" Her heart skipped a beat at mention of co wife. The words scared her. She feared it with all her being. "Wallah I don't and he said if I don't he will get married again."

"Then you should start changing as from today amira."

"But all the things he wants me to do I can't do it. I don't cook or clean in my father's house. Heck I don't make my bed, a maid always does it for me. I asked him to hire a maid but he refused so it's not my fault." She spoke shamelessly not caring that what she said was an embarrassment. He sighed as he rubbed his temple. Now he doesn't blame muhsin for complaining nonstop about her. She was very entitled and spoilt.

"And you have never thought of joining a cooking class or talk to your mother about it?" He was starting to get out of ideas because amira was impossible. She knew nothing about taking care of herself not to talk of her husband. What if she gives birth? How would she cope with that?

"He doesn't allow me to go out anymore. Look, it would be better if you talk to him about all of this not me because the bigger problems are from him. Good night, Yusuf." The minute he realized she had ended the call he knew it would be hard to convince her that she was at fault.

"I give up. I will not judge you for complaining about her." He let out a long breath and kept his phone beside him. Muhsin laughed heartily as he continued playing his game. "You thought I was the one being impatient or the bad partner?" He asked even though he knew Yusuf would still say he had faults in some ways. "You both are at fault and you have to get your shit together. I am going to bed now. Sleep whenever you want." He rose from the sofa and left muhsin in the living room.

**

The wind howl as the students walked around, some rushing to attend their next lectures while some were done for the day. The four young ladies walked out of the theatre as they made a convo along the way to the mosque to pray. After they had prayed, they moved to the cafeteria and had their lunch before they strolled to the garden, the place they all enjoyed staying while they wait to get picked up or they wanted to read for a test.

"I am telling you that Abdulwahab guy is total into you." Hamida spread the mat for them before they all settled down on it. Dalia hissed for the umpteenth time that they because they kept bugging her about her new crush. "I actually don't even know how to explain this to you again Hamida. This isn't what brought me to school. And even if I would like to have a male friend or a boyfriend, I don't wish to get myself involved with someone that almost everyone knows."

Hamida looked to a sudden way and grinned, "speaking of the devil." He walked over to them, his eyes on Dalia the whole time. She looked up when she heard his greetings. She looked away and slightly hissed. "Oh my driver is here already." Amina rose to her feet and took her bag as she answered the call. "I need to go buy something at the cafeteria, accompany me please, Asiya." They all left the two of them. Dalia got infuriated knowing hamida did that on purpose. "Can you give me some minutes to talk to you please? I won't waste your time, I promise." He pleaded when he realised she was also leaving the place.

"Please Aliyu or AbdulWahab or whatever, I am begging you to leave me alone. You're just going to waste your time and mine like you always did for the past one week." She stood up from the mat and folded it. She turned to leave the place when her eyes caught sight of him. She couldn't help but smile. "I have to leave now." She walked away and walked over to him. "Good afternoon." She greeted him when she approached him. He smiled awkwardly as he retorted. It was a bad idea to show up all of a sudden. "How are you? How's school and everything?" He asked while they walked to his car.

"Everything is fine Alhamdulillah. Daddy's driver isn't coming?" She had to ask because she couldn't remember when daddy told her Muhsin was the one to come pick her up. "Uhh... no.. not really..." He felt embarrassed. She gave him a questioning look as they entered his car. "It's been long since we've met so I decided to stop by to check up on you." He closed the door and started the ignition before he turned on the air conditioning. She looked at his fair hands and then to his pleasing face. "But I was at your house last week Thursday."

"Yes I can audibly remember when you almost burn down the house." Her eyes widened as she shook her head. He couldn't help but laugh heartily at her facial expression. "Relax I was just kidding. I know it wasn't your fault," he defended her before she had the chance to. "But I know your wife is still angry with me." She averted her gaze from him and looked at the students passing by. She bit her lower lip while she thought of the slaps amira gifted her with. She certainly knew she wasn't done dealing with her.

"And I am sorry again for my wife's behaviour. As you see she also doesn't respect me." He let out a distressful sigh and shook his head. She scanned through his face, he looked unhappy, stressed. "You look stressed," she uttered still looking at him. He looked at her as he raised his brows. "Why did you say that?" He inquired smiling softly at her. "When I mentioned your wife, your facial expression changed, your mood." He stared at her in awe. She could observe that he was unhappy.

He changed his awe expression with a smile. "All I can say is Alhamdulillah." He looked away and averted his gaze to her bag. "How's classes going? When are you having your mid semester?" He asked and she shrugged. "Probably next month," she returned. "I have an assignment to do which I have to go to the cafe and do it now," she mouthed looking around the parking lot.

"Where's the assignment? I can help you with it." She couldn't help but chuckle. "I need to browse before I can do the assignment."

He brought out his phone before he unlocked it and handed it to her. "Here you can use my phone." She looked at the phone and looked at him before she shook her head. "Don't worry, I can do it at the cafe now, it won't take long." She rejected politely but he disagreed. She attempted to reject again but he stopped her. "You are not getting out of this car till you do the assignment. In fact I am calling daddy to inform him I'm taking you home."

Without wasting time, he dialled daddy's number and informed him he was going to take her home. "Now where's the assignment?" She sighed defeatedly and brought her book out from her backpack. "But I still have to print it out after writing it."

"When are you going to submit it?" He asked. "Next week Monday." She retorted as she collected the phone from him. He watched her as she browsed through google before she started writing the answers down. He focused on her face, she had long lashes, a round face but not so round. A tiny, plump pink lips. He tilted his head deep in his thoughts, his eyes still on her. Her heart thumped so hard that she swore it was audible. Their eyes had met and he smiled. It was only a smile but it made her sink in her seat as her head thumped louder.

"Are you done?" He asked her but she shook her head. She turned her head back to what she was doing even though she could no longer concentrate. She was uncomfortable, he observed. He turned his head away before he brought out his other phone. She let out a sigh and hurriedly continued. All she wanted was to leave the car and she knew he wouldn't allow her to till she was done with the assignment.

He was on a call when she was done with the assignment. He looked at her as he continued to answer the call. She kept his phone and returned her book to her bag. He changed the gear and zoned out of the school when he discovered she was done.

Half way through the journey he ended the call and looked at her before he fixed his head back to the road. "You're done with the assignment right?" He asked and she nodded before she answered. He continued to drive her home without uttering another word to her.

She found herself heaving a sigh of relief when he finally dropped her off at home without speaking to her about anything again. She noticed he enjoyed teasing her when he was in a good mood or just to get a reaction from her. She entered the house and walked passed the empty living room to her room.