Chapter 44: Chapter 44

Salamat was worried.

She couldn't hide it.

Saleem wasn't picking her calls and her fears were increasing every minute.

She had been calling him since she left her mother's room and this was past 8 pm already.

Was he still mad at her? She couldn't say.

Or did something bad happened to him? She kept wondering.

After taking dinner, she was feeling sleepy, even though dinner was unusually quiet. She had gone to her room shortly after, to sleep.

After a second thought, she decided to give Saleem a call before sleeping to see if he would pick but his refusal to pick had made the sleep vanished. She was wide awake now and alert.

And she felt uneasy for no reason.

She called him one more time before dropping the phone to go out of the room. Then her phone beeped and she rushed back to her bed in excitement. She was sure the message was from him.

She opened the inbox with her heart leaping wildly.

It reads, "I'm outside. Can you come out for a second?"

It was from a strange number. She guessed it was Saleem. But what was he doing here at this time of the day? Did he decide to spend the whole day with Bimpe and come over to me this night? Saleem must be silly.

She fumed within her ignoring the fact that she had been craving to hear his voice.

Thus, she cautioned herself and calmed down. At first, she wanted to ignore the message just so he would know she was mad at him. But she knew that wouldn't solve the problem.

She still wondered his reasons for coming over by this time and for what reason. To explain himself? Why can't he come in then?

The questions she was throwing at herself were becoming too much for her little brain. She was beginning to feel a slight headache.

She stood up from the bed, without her phone, and walked out of the room.

She quietly opened the front door and went out. The whole place was calm and peaceful.

She looked all around from the railing but no one was in sight. The whole street was in pitch darkness, except for the light from the solar in their flat and that of Oga Buks.

A cold sensation washed through her and she felt goosebumps all over. She felt scared all of a sudden and felt the urge to run back inside.

"Saleem can't be playing this kind of hide and seek by this time of the day", she soliloquized.

She opened the gate and looked down the street one more time before turning to go. Then she heard a voice.

She jumped up in fright

It was Oga Buks's voice. The proprietor of BUKS International school. His flat was next to theirs and he was walking towards his house.

"Wumi, where are you coming from?", he questioned, looking at her with surprise.

"Nowhere sir, I just came to get fresh air."

He looked at her suspiciously and nodded. "Good night."

"Good night sir", she closed the gate and quickly rushed in.

She hadn't recovered from the fear when she noticed a presence in the sitting room. She almost jumped up again, in fright before she noticed it was her dad. He was watching the NTAnews@9.

"Dad?", she called.

"Yes, princess", he turned back. He was surprised to see her coming from outside.

"Where did you go to?"

"I went to get some fresh air. I was unable to sleep."

"I thought you were asleep already?"

"No, I was unable to sleep too", he answered.

"Just like you", he smiled at her as she sat beside him.

Salamat stared at her father and saw how bothered he was. The past was catching up on him. Why does the past have to haunt us? She asked within her.

Some people have opined that the past should be kept in the past but why does it keep coming up to haunt us?

She remembered what Saleem told her in Katsina. He told her the past cannot be forgotten because it will be used to reconstruct the future.

Does it mean to forge ahead in life, we need our past to keep coming as a reminder of our mistakes and misdeeds?

"Dad, what is bothering you?", she inquired.

"Salamat, your mother is being extremely jealous and it is causing a rift between us", he offered, immediately, as if expecting the question.

"Daddy, tell me what happened. You don't need to hide anything from me, I am your daughter", she said but was met with silence.

"Dad", she called again. "Is Habib and Habibah my sibling?"

"What? Of course not", he almost yelled.

"Mum said Habib's mother was pregnant for you."

"No, she wasn't", he defended.

Salamat kept staring at him for more explanations.

"Habib's mother was my first love but we got separated when she betrayed me. She came to visit me one fateful day after your mother and I were already preparing for our wedding. I allowed her to come over because of how she sounded on the phone. She said she had something to tell me. I was curious so I gave her permission to come over. She took advantage of me and the next week, she informed me of her pregnancy. I knew it wasn't mine without a doubt because it was obvious she came visiting for a purpose and that purpose was to make me copulate with her so she could push the pregnancy on me."

"Did you explain to mum? And how sure are you that it wasn't yours, dad?" Salamat asked calmly.

"I explained everything to her and she forgave me. I never knew she was waiting to use it against me. I am 100% sure the pregnancy wasn't mine because I asked her to follow me to the hospital but she refused. She got married to Ladi, the next month.

"Mum ought to understand", Salamat asserted.

"I thought she did too, not until now", her father declared.

"Why are you two gossiping about me?"

The two of them turned back to see Mrs. Ademola folding her hands over her bosom and eyeing them. Salamat stood up to give her parents privacy.

"You two should settle your scores", she said with a smile and went back to her room.

"I'm going to give your old man a divorce if care is not taken", Mrs. Ademola uttered, loudly.

"You can't mum, you two are stuck together for life", Salamat shouted back as she slammed the door of her room shut, leaving the two of them looking at each other, without knowing what to say.

*******

Saleem lodged in a hotel. He had forgotten that the school Senate doesn't open on Sunday. He has come all the way from Kano for his original certificate but was told to come back the next day which was Monday.

He had to spend the night in Zaria. If he had known, he would have waited till Monday before coming to Zaria. He had planned on collecting his certificate and going back home that same day. He knew the collection of certificates wouldn't take time since it has been ready for a very long time.

He has intended to tell Salamat of his intention to come to Zaria the last time he called her but the argument they had made him change his mind. Even though he wanted to see her, he had missed her so much.

If he had told her of his intention to come for his certificate on Sunday, she would have reminded him of the fact that the school senate doesn't open on weekends.

If only Salamat wasn't stubborn, they were supposed to be preparing for their wedding. What is the essence of a relationship if it's not for a lifetime union? He needed her and wanted her for life, and even till Jannah.

He had never felt this kind of feelings for any woman. Salamat was his first and he hope she would be his last.

He had met Bimpe on his way out of the school main gate. She has greeted him politely and they chatted like old-time friends. He guessed they were already friends since she was Salamat's friend and had asked for her forgiveness.

He asked her what she was still doing in school and she told him she reapply to the school and was fortunate enough to have been offered a course in Education.

Saleem was happy for her.

She told him something was bothering her, but had refused to say what it was. She brought up the idea of going over to the ice cream joint, Nihari and he had no choice but to succumb to her wish.

Just to cheer her up.

He had a great time, he couldn't deny that. Bimpe was a funny and sassy girl but his mood changed when he saw Salamat's call. The call reminded him of so many things; how they met, how they started their love life, how long they've come, and the reason for her refusal to get married now.

Doesn't she want to be married to him as much he wanted?

Marriage was the only way to prove his unending and undying love for her but it seems she was thinking from a different perspective.

He just hoped it wasn't an unrequited love after all. Salamat was becoming unpredictable and he was scared.

He would be broken if she had accepted him in the first place, out of sympathy.

It was high time she realized and figure out what she wants. He doesn't want to force her.

Also, it was high time to show her his true color. He was going back home the next day immediately after getting his certificate.

He was going home without seeing the love of his life.