Chapter 55: Chapter 55

LAW OF THE QATARI COURT

Rashid slid through the door of his father's room in a slow stride, ranting foreign curses.

He searched through his father's room he didn't find him there, the other option was the library, his father's library. He left immediately, heading straight to the library, he pulled the door open and walked in.

Sheikh Abdul stood by the tall paned window, with a pen in his hands staring farther away from their abode.

"What's all the unnecessary noise about Rashid?." he questioned, not turning to acknowledge Rashid.

"Father!, Father you betrayed me, you connived with Janelle to bring me down?" he raged.

The laughter from Sheikh Abdul tore through Rashids' heart, and when he couldn't hold his chest from beating faster than it should be, he walked slowly to his seat and helped himself on it.

"Father this matter should be treated as urgent, you didn't let me know." He threw the envelope on the table, which made a slapping sound.

His father's brows irked, "What is the content of the envelope, My Son?."

"You shouldn't be asking me this question, when you gave your consent to the sealing of the letter. The Divorce, Father. You consented to Janelle filing for a divorce. You don't hear from me, you don't even know half of the truth, Father." he groaned, slapping his thighs.

"Half of the truth?.." Sheikh Abdul muttered to himself, "So you're saying I don't know a single truth then. So Son, Enlighten me on what you think is the truth, tell me what I don't know. Also, if you're in my abode, you want to say anything to me, you should first have your seat, or, I would tell the men to throw you out. You have an upperhand to choose here." Sheikh Abdul rasped.

Rashid fumed angrily before taking a seat opposite his father, he knew there were no threat in his father's words, he always prefer actions to words.

Few minutes of silence passed, yet nothing.

"So, I see you have nothing to say, or maybe you don't even know half of the truth like me, and both of us are rather ignorant. I would take my leave....." Sheikh Abdul stood up in an attempt to leave the library and let Rashid bask away in his silence, when Rashid finally spoke up.

"It's Janelle."

"What happened to Janelle?" his father asked.

"She has another man's child."

Silence.

Rashid looked up to his father, meeting his eyes, wanting to know his reaction, but then, there was none.

"So you knew?" Rashid Quaked with anger, the veins in his neck becoming broader as he tried to pour out the sizzling flames building up in him.

"You left a woman years back, You couldn't even speak to me on what happened, you gave me no reason. Now, she has a child, a child or maybe children whose fathers you don't know, you now deem it fit and wise to come discuss with me?." Sheikh Abdul snorted.

A deep breathe.

"I'm not surprised. She's a woman and every year counts to her menopause, she must have found someone better, someone who has a stable mental health, someone who she can trust to father her child or children. So I'm not surprised and do not call it cheating, you don't expect her not to have indulged in sexual activities. She's young and that shows her virility. She had been nothing but a good woman to me and you know she's been good to you too." His father closed the documentary he was reading.

Rashids' face was like that of a man that has been defeated.

"There's only one way out. You know the rules of marriage and divorce in Qatar. That would be the first question she'd be asked, in these months, it's your chance to right your wrongs by any means, both CUNNILY."

~~~~~~~~~~Π~~~~~~~~

Tearful spasms rocked through her body with her endless sobs. The type where you don't make a sound, yet it hurts more than the noisy ones.

"Janelle are you sure you're okay with this?. I know I've been rooting for him and all that, but maybe you shouldn't keep the children away from him, and you need to eat, you need to go outside your house and take a breath of fresh air. You look worn-out, tired, sickly and deathly.... God knows how much I hate the sound of death." Aunt Renee said as she tiptoed into the children's room to make sure they're asleep and okay.

"R-renee, I love him. I love him so much that it hurts. It took everything in me to meet and talk to him squarely. I'm more vulnerable here... the kids... I think he should know about them, whatever happens, I would take the blame on myself. He's going to take them away from me, that's my fear, Renee. These kids are all I have, no one else, just them." Janelle gushed, she was sat on her bad, with her hands wrapped around her knees.

"God knows why he gave me someone like Silas, he knows I'm all hot and can't make both of us two hot heads, if not, we both would have brought down this house. Rashid is the Devil himself, but Janelle, he's still the father of your child, and as much as you detest his behavior and actions at times, your love for him is unmeasurable compared to your hate. I hate the fact that it's because of a man that you look so hurt, so pained....." Renee babbled, yet giving comforting words to Janelle, because that was what she needed more.

"So what's your plan?" Renee asked.

"I have no plans, I have none. I don't even know what to do. It's a day more and we both would appear in court. I hate it, I hate that the court would have a say in our marriage. I want to make this marriage work more than I want to dissolve it. I love Rashid, he's never laid his hands on me, he had always protected me, but then he had always needed to feel the love of a mother, would have done anything just to feel what it means to be loved by a mother, and that was all what brought this misery." Janelle related.

She told Renee everything Rashid told her about his mother, how he always felt like an abducted child with his mother, and when she was done, Janelle was the one comforting Renee from crying so hard.

After some minutes of silence, Renee spoke up.

"So what's your plan?"

"Nothing. With a day left for us to appear in court, I just have one thing in mind. I need this marriage to work, I need Rashid back. If I have to keep this children,I have to make this marriage work." Janelle effused, she was determined, nothing was going to come between her and Rashid again. She'd make it work.

"So?." Renee opined.

Janelle dabbed her face with face wipe, blew off her nasal discharge and tossed it into the waste bin by the head side of her bed.

"Just take care of my children, while I prepare for Court Call."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday Morning rolled in so fast as Rashid jumped out of bed, rushed into his bathroom, took a quickie bath and stepped out immediately.

After the discussion he had with his father the previous day, Sheikh Abdul told him there was only one way out for the court not to dissolve their marriage, and even if the would, there are processed to be made and carried out before the dissolution of any marriage under the QATARI LAW COURT, and it was left for him to make it work within the stipulated months.

Once he parked his car, Dargok ran hurriedly to the door to open it for him, but Rashid beat him to it, he was inside before Dargok took three steps towards him.

Dargok grimaced from the sharp pain that came from the door banging on his digit, he cussed in their native language and followed through immediately.

"Son." Sheikh Abdul acknowledged Rashid as he walked in and closed the door behind him.

"Good morning Father, You've consulted with our Family Lawyer then?, What did he say?." Rashid asked hopefully, wanting to hear something positive.

"Yes. The only way to dissolve a marriage under QATARI LAW COURT even after five years of both partners not having any sexual activity between themselves is another three months without sexual related stuff between both of them, but this time around they'd be living together.." Sheikh Abdul recounted.

Rashid groaned, "You're speaking in parables, Father. I have a brewing headache and you shouldn't be adding more to it. Make it more understandable."

"Janelle has to move into this house, you too. You'd have to forfeit your condo, so both of you would be here under the watchful gazes of everyone here, from the animals to the guards, maidservants, and to me... Us, your mother.. the Sheikha, and yourselves. You can't share same bed, You both can't have sex, and during these three months, you both would carry out your official duties together to the farthest end of Al Zayed and the desert." Sheikh Abdul relayed.

He loved the ghostly look on his son's face. Five years without Janelle was easy for Rashid, WHY?, That's because they weren't under the same room, they were totally in a different continent. Three months with her, under the same roof, would be hell for both of them. Sheikh Abdul gave a lopsided grin, he couldn't wait to witness the torture between his son and his beautiful daughter in-law.