Chapter 26: Chapter 26

She stepped into the living room as she muttered a Salam. He looked up at her and answered her greetings as he smiled. "Good evening," she mouthed, head ducked. She was already seated on the one seater. "How are you today? How's school?" He asked and she nodded before speaking. Then it turned into an awkward silence.

He cleared his throat, "Dalia... uhh... sorry I came unannounced, again. If I had your number I would've called before coming. I hope I'm not disturbing." He looked at her with his desperate eyes. She glanced at him and smiled, the one he'd been daydreaming of for the past few months. "Oh no, not at all. It's fine." He nodded his head as he beamed.

"Uh well, I know you must be wondering who this man is and why is he bothering me with his unwelcomed visits. My name is Yusuf Abdulmutallab Saraki. I am a medical doctor, and... what else? Oh I'm Muhsin's cousin, you know him right?" She smiled a little and nodded. "Good." He mouthed as he smiled. "Is there anything you'd like to know about me?" He asked. She looked up wondering why he would ask such question. What was with the introduction? What was her business with who he is or what he does? He helped, and she would be forever grateful but why is he dragging things now? "Uh... pretty much that's it I need to know."

They sat there, talking, her and him. Only interested in keeping the conversation going is what he wants. Heaven forbid there be a pause...

He says something, followed by her pretendedly interested response. She says something and he politely chuckles. He could tell she was getting uncomfortable every minute that passed. How would she react then if he confessed? He needn't to waste her time. He had to be straight forward with her. No lies, just the truth. "Can I have your number please?" He asks the question politely and smoothly, the baritone of his deep voice ringing in her ears. "My number?" she looked at him, he nodded slowly. She wanted to ask why but thought it would sound rude to say that to him. Not after everything he had done for her. "Let me go get my phone first." She stood up and left the living room. She came back few minutes later together with the phone.

She could remember going through her contact list. She saw the number of the sim in the phone in her contact list. She gave him the number before he announced he was leaving. She accompanied him out to the door before he went back in. On her way to her room, she met mommy by the stairs. She stood still, head ducked as her heart beat accelerated. She tightened her grip on the phone in her hijab. "Why are you looking like you committed a sin?" Mommy spat looking at her. "Anyway, meet me in my room right now." She turned and walked up the stairs without a back glance.

She rushed to her room upstairs and hid the phone under her pillow before she walked to mommy's room. She settled down on the carpet while she waited for mommy to finish with her phone call.

Every sort of thought swirled in her mind. Why was mommy calling her now? She had done something wrong? Or mommy had find out about the phone she had been hiding for weeks now? Or they were tired of her living with them? "What did Yusuf tell you?" Dalia heard mommy asked. She took a brisk glimpse at mommy before she lowered her gaze. "Nothing mommy, he just told me he came to check up on me to see how I was doing after what had happened in Yola. And the he came today introducing himself, that's all."

Mommy stared at her for some seconds before she dismissed her. Dalia stood up and left at that moment. She heaved a sigh of relief the moment she left the room. That was a close call, she mused to herself.

Much later in the night, she felt a vibration coming from under her pillow. She heaved a sigh when she remembered she hadn't called muhsin like she promised. She fetched the phone from under her pillow and looked at it. It was a new number, definitely Yusuf, she declared.

She picked up the phone and placed it on her ear. "Salamu alaikum," he beat her to it. "Wa'alaikumus Salam, good evening," she greeted him in her sleepy voice even though she wasn't asleep. "Oh my, I'm so sorry for waking you up," he apologized to her. "No, no I was awake. I'm not asleep yet," she briskly spoke. He heaved a sigh, "I wouldn't forgive myself if I had woken you up." She giggled at the cheesy line. Was he trying to flirt?

"But I do hope I'm not disturbing you." She shook her head as if he was there before she responded. "Tell me about yourself if you don't mind." She wanted to protest and asked why he was doing whatever it is. She calmed her nerves and cleared her throat. "What would you like to know about me?" She asked him. "Everything if possible."

She chuckled a little and heaved a sigh. "Okay, my name is Dalia Ja'afaar. I live in Kuje but I am from Katsina. I attended my primary and secondary school here in Abuja. Now I'm currently studying Microbiology In Nile university. That's it I guess."

"I also did my degree at Nile university but I did my masters in India." He continued to introduce himself to her as they got to know each other more before he changed the topic to a different one. "I need to tell you something, dalia. And... I don't know how you would take it...." He let out a shaky breath. "What is it?" She asked him which made him more anxious that he already was. "Well I know we have met quite little amount of times and what I am about to say might sound insane to you but I saw you.... For the first time and my heart skipped a beat. And.... Uhhh... I got a little restless when I saw you the other day I came. I couldn't help it, dalia. You never leave my mind. I am not making these words up to impress you but as soon as I met you for the second time in my life, I knew you were the one, the one I would like to spend my days thinking of, the one I would want to share my life with, the one I would want to rejoice with whenever the happy moment comes. And the one I would love for the rest of my days. I knew all that as soon as we met."

She was expecting him to say that but she had never thought it would be that soon. She tried to remember how to breathe, unable to speak, totally stunned by his words. Marry him and end up like binta? Or she would completely get separated from her mother? She blinked her eyes as she came back to reality, why was she even thinking about being his wife already? "You are joking about this right?" She found her voice. "No, no please I am very thankful but no thank you, I can't do this."

"Please tell me the reason why you don't want to give me a chance, dalia?" He sounded hopeless and down casted. But he wouldn't give up, not just yet. "Because I'm not ready for any of this," she whisper yelled at him. She clutch on the phone when it was about to slip from her sweaty palm. Her heart throbbing audibly. "That isn't a reason dalia. look... I know you are afraid but can I give you some time to think of it." Losing dalia was the last thing he would want to do. She was priceless and muhsin had proved to him that she was a precious gem, a gift from God.

"Please, I'm not ready, I won't be ready anytime soon, I have school to face and my mother to consider."

"Your mother would be genuinely happy about this, I'm sure. Who wouldn't want to see her daughter getting married."

"Good night Dr Yusuf." And she ended the call. She shoved the phone back under her pillow and burst into tears. Why would he say that he loves her? Why would he even think of that? At her young age? How old was she to even start thinking of love? That's child abuse, she mused to herself.

She sobbed into her pillow and clutched on it. Why was she crying? Her inner self asked. She was turning nineteen in two months, she wasn't getting any younger. And he was right, if her mother would find out about it, she would be happy. Especially now that she was back in school.

Was she considering giving him a chance to prove the love he claims to have for her? She hissed, annoyed with herself. But what if she actually gives him a chance? He was going to marry her? Separate her from her mother? Was he even going to allow her continue with school? Because she knew most men don't allow their wives to continue with their education.

Maybe he was different. Maybe he would make her happy, some part of her inner self told her. Tears blurred her vision as different thoughts swirled in her mind. What was she going to do now? Why her? Why wouldn't he marry one of his cousins like their cousin, ahmad did?

She didn't sleep. She couldn't. She stared at the ceiling through tears, wondering who she was up against.

**

She massaged the spot with her hand as she grimaced in pain. Few seconds later it decreased but increased again, much worse than before. She hissed annoyingly before she dropped the heating pad on her side drawer.

Her mind screamed out as the pain drove through her lower abdomen. Every thought she just had became so confused as the pain licked up her lower abdomen like scorching needle. She weeped at her own suffering.

She tried to stand up to get help but a wave of more pain suddenly washed over her. She knelt down there before she yelped for help. She struggled to get up but failed. She suddenly heard a faint knock from the door, weeping, she asked whomever it was to come in. "Subahanallah, Dalia, what's wrong?" The maid asked as she approached. "Just go and tell mommy, call her now...." She winced again and yelped in pain. She doubted if anyone suffered from period cramps like she did.

In less than two minutes, the maid came back together with mommy following her behind. "Dalia? What's wrong with you? Why are you on the floor?" Mommy asked her and Dalia pointed at her lower abdomen. "Is it your period again?" Mommy asked and she nodded. Mommy looked around the room, she spotted the heating pad on the side drawer and a pack of pain killers beside it. Mommy stood up and rushed out of the room. The maid knelt down and helped her up to her bed.

She came back together with daddy. "Sorry dear. The doctor would be on his way now," he soothed and she nodded her head, eyes closed. They stayed with her till the doctor arrived.

She quickly opened her eyes when she heard his voice. He moved closer to her, "sorry, how are you feeling now?" He asked her and she nodded before she closed her eyes again. She needn't to see his face, not after he had just told her he loved her barely a week ago.

"Have you taken any pain killer? Or used heating pad?" He inquired. She slowly pointed at it seated on her side drawer. He looked at daddy and mommy staring at them. "She needs injection because the pain isn't responding to the pain killer or the heating pad she used.” He rise to his feet as he walked out of the room together with daddy.

Yusuf left to buy the preferred injection for her while daddy went back to the room. She grimaced in pain again and curled up like a ball. Mommy felt sorry for the girl. "She's really in pain. That's how it does to her every month," she mouthed looking at daddy. "She will be fine in sha Allah, we would find a permanent cure for it, if possible." Mommy slightly nodded her head. She stood up and left the room before she came back with a plate of spaghetti and urged her to eat before he came back.

In less than twenty minutes, he gave her the injection and waited to see how she'd react to it. Luckily, after a few moments, she fell asleep. He excused himself and went to daddy's living room like he asked him to after he was done with the injection.

"Yusuf, is there any permanent cure for this?" Daddy asked him, sadness written all over his face. Yusuf smiled a little before he started explaining everything to daddy. "I don't think so daddy but it can be controlled. And I have observed that her pain is severe, it doesn't even respond to pills because the one she had taken is one of the best for easing period pain. I will write down the things she has to do to avoid the severe pain before her period and what she should do when it starts, surely it will help in sha Allah."

Daddy stared at yusuf as if to get more answers, then he turned away. "My daughter, Amira experienced this before, she even faints sometimes. When we took her to the hospital, the doctor told me the pain might reduce or even stop when she has a sexual intercourse or she gives birth." Yusuf smiled and nodded. "I didn't think that would be an option for her that's why I didn't bring it up, but it is true." Daddy nodded his head as he smiled. Yusuf wrote down the precautions and everything she'd need before he left the house.

"You don't know if she has someone interested in her?" Daddy asked her the moment they were in their room. "I don't think so, but maybe Yusuf. Because he came here twice to see her, he even bought gifts for her." Daddy gave her a perplexed look. "Yes, alhaji, the yusuf that just left the house an hour ago." He nodded his head as he smiled. "But he has never told me something about it." She shrugged her shoulders, "well maybe he is waiting for the right time or she hasn't accepted him yet, we should wait and see."

"Well I can't just allow this to continue, if he's interested in her, then it's better he asks for permission." Mommy shrugged her shoulders again as she stood up from the bed to go check up on dalia again.