Chapter 15

"I'm really glad that you have found someone you love. I will talk to her father and we'd talk about when we'll go see him In sha Allah. May Allah bless you." Bashir thanked his father. He was over the moon when he called Ameenah's father to the news that she had said yes.

It was Saturday, he decided to hangout with his best friend, Madyan and tell him about everything. On his way to Madyan's house, he thought; he never in his life had a dream that he'll love someone the way he loves Ameenah. Not even how he loved Yasmeen. He smiled, having the thought of her made him happy. He can't wait to have her as his beloved wife. He will treat her right love her unconditionally. Be there for her no matter what. Make her smile, laugh, happy. Be her happiness. He promised to love her and take care of her and her family.

As he parked the car in the parking lot, he hopped out of the car. He walked to the door and knocked the maid opened the door for him. He went straight to Madyan's room. "Angon Ameenah. Look at how you're glowing! Damn I need to get me a girl like her." He teased and they did a manly hug. "You just won't get how happy I am. Tell you what! You know I asked for her hand in marriage?" Madyan nodded, "yes I remember. She said yes?" Bashir nodded, grinning from ear to ear.

"Whoa! This is great bruh. I'm happy for you. This is great news. Congratulations."

They sat down on the couch at the end of the room. "You have no idea how happy I am. Madyan, I love this girl. She's just the best." He threw his head back laughing. "Easy tiger! Don't go nuts."

"So when are we going to be sending you packing?" He joked. "Baba said he'd call her father and they'll talk about it. I pray they won't take it far. I can't wait to have her all to myself."

Xx

White knuckles from clenching her fist too hard, and gritted teeth from effort to remain silent, her hunched form exuded an animosity that was like acid - burning, slicing, potent. Her face was red with suppressed rage. She screamed hitting her hand on the desk, throwing whatever was on the table. Her personal assistant came rushing in. "Madam, is everything alright?" She asked, horrified. "Get out!" She grumble. "I said get out!!" She yelled making her to startle and rush out.

Her cheeks went warm, she burst into painful hot tears. "Why would you do this to me!!" She lamented. Burning rage hissed through her body like deathly poison, screeching a demanded release in the form of unwanted violence. It was like a volcano erupting; fury sweeping off me like ferocious waves. The wrath consumed like, engulfing her moralities and destroying the boundaries of loyalty. She screamed loudly. The scream was an adrenaline shot straight to the carotid.

"I will kill her too and I will have him to myself!" She said through gritting teeth. Ever since she heard about Ameenah her mind wasn't at rest. She had to find out where she lived and who is she. "She's nothing but a stupid dirty poor girl. I'll show her who I am. I'll teach her a lesson. No one will have him but me. He's mine!"

She took the intercom and dialed some numbers. "Come into my office now!" She cut the call. Her P. A came in, scared. "Yes ma," she squatted a little. "I want you to book a ticket for me to kaduna right now." She ordered. "F-for when ma?" She asked, intimidated. "Tomorrow morning."

Xx

"Salamu Alaikum," she answered the call. He smiled, "Wa'alaikumus Salam, future wife." She chuckled. "How are you? How's the weekend?" She asked. "I am fine Alhamdulillah, now that you're going to be mine. And the weekend is boring, because I miss you." Her soft lips stretched into a beautiful smile. "You never seize to make me smile."

He chuckled and said, "that's my job. To make you smile, laugh and happy. Ameenah I love you so so much and I mean everything I say. You have made me the happiest man alive. Thank you for saying yes to me."

"How is safwana and Mama?" She said instead. She couldn't stop blushing. He chuckled, "they're all fine and can't wait to meet you." He replied. "Oh Masha Allah, I can't wait to meet them too." She said, beaming. She was really happy that his family loved her even though they haven't met in person but they FaceTime everytime he was in Kaduna.

"Weeks back you almost gave me a heart attack when you said no at first..." he started. "Oh please it's in past now." She quickly replied before he continued. He laughed a bit, getting up from the sofa to the balcony to get some fresh air. Another cloudy night rolls in covering the last of the twilight sky, as if the blackness failed to come fast enough. The rolling grey rapidly becomes as invisible as the stars it conceals, but the air still feels humid. "You're right and I'm glad you changed your mind."

"Do you love me?" She was not expecting that. Words left her mouth. She opened it but nothing was coming out. Not a single word. She stared at the blank space thinking of what to say. "It's okay if you don't want to say anything." He talked again. "I'm so sorry," she apologized. "Why are you apologizing? You did nothing babe. Just know that I love you, that means I would defend you with my life even if the odds were insurmountable. It means I will comfort you in the difficult and painful times. It means I will dance and rejoice with you when times are good. It means I will never betray you, never give up on you. It means finding my fire when you, my loved one, is threatened, yet never waging war - only doing what is necessary for a noble defence. With time precious gem, you'll learn to love me."

Here comes the drops steady and soft, falling from a sky. They come altogether and yet as pioneers. Rain falls in crazy chaotic drops, the gusting wind carrying them in wild vortices one moment and in diagonal sheets the next. It runs down his face as a thin layer, not as cold as it will be when November comes, but without the warmth of summer showers. He walked back in still holding the phone close to his ear. He sat on the bed looking at his wall clock, "10:15pm," he read aloud. "You sleepy?" She finally talked. "I can't get sleepy when I'm hear listening to your voice, though you don't want to talk to me." He joked. She chuckled, "it's not like that, you just make me speechless with your heart warming words."

"Oh really? Then I guess you'll get speechless for as long as we live together, because baby I have more. I haven't even started." His voice really soothed her heart. It's likes a drug that cures her sickness. The thunder storm made him to look through the glass door of the balcony. "It's raining?" She asked. "Yes it's raining here." He answered, "weather for two, me and you." He added. "You're making me speechless again," she laughed. He burst into laughter, "you make me speechless in a good way, you really make me happy." He smiled, playing the words again. "I'm glad sweetheart."

"Oh, before I forget, I want to talk to you about school. When are you leaving?" He asked. "Our time table is out, I'll be leaving in five weeks."

"We would be engaged before then, In sha Allah." She blushed, "Ameen, Allah ya kaimu."

"Ameen, Future matana. You will transfer to Nile university after our wedding In sha Allah." He informed. "But why? I love ABU," she protested. "Babe it's really going to be hard and stressful for you to be traveling from Abuja to zaria every time you have a holiday. It will be much more harder when you start carrying my baby."

She closed her eyes, smiling sheepishly. She wished she could end the call that moment. Her silence made him to laugh. He knew what he said made her go mute. "Okay please let's leave this talk till after..." she trailed off. "After what?" He smirked as if she was there. "You know!" She whined. "Oh our wedding Nikkah you mean." He laughed again. "You've been making me to smile now my cheeks hurt," she whined. "I love how you whine, so cute. I'm getting forward to all of this when you start carrying our bundle of joy."

"I have to go now please," she said and cut the call before he could answer. She smiled, plumping her head on the pillow.

She's in love with him.

He never leaves her mind, he's always there; mentally if not physically. It's just incomprehensible. He's her one stable force, her one stability in a world filled with chaos and she so desperately need that in her life. She loves him so much for that. She's in love with him and she can't believe she had only just realised it.

This feeling is so strange; it stretches throughout her whole body. It's overwhelming, yet makes her feel complete. It has no bound nor length nor depth; it's just absolute. It feels as though she's in a dangerous fire, yet she's completely safe at the same time. It feels as though someone's given her peace. It feels as though her heart is dancing around her chest; and a hole, she was never aware was there, has been filled. She feels so light, like she's on top of the world yet her heart is constricting and it feels as if there's no oxygen in her lungs.

It's strange – frightening even – how you can go from someone being a complete stranger, to then being completely infatuated by them and wondering how it ever was that you were able to live without them, because you sure as hell couldn't imagine being without them now.

Xx

"So you said, you know where this... girl lives?" Malika asked, feeling more irritated that Bashir chose a dirty poor girl over her. "Wait till you see the house, gross! Even my dogs can't live there!" Aidah laughed. Aidah have been a friend of malika since university. Malika called her last night informing her she'd be in kaduna. She told her everything, the next morning Aidah had to look for where Ameenah lived and luckily she found out.

"There," she pointed at a two bedroom flat with no gate, just a door you'd enter that will lead you into the house. "Oh my God!" She gasped. "She lives in here? What?! Why? Why me please? What did he see in this filthy rat?" She groaned. Aidah rolled her eyes, "calm down woman! Let's go in."

Malika came down the car putting on her Dior shades and adjust her tight ripped jeans. She held her handbag walking towards the entrance. They sauntered in. She looked around the compound, "unbelievable." She hissed.

Ameenah heard their voices from her room. She slipped into her hijab and walked out. Her eyes met with Malikas'. That moment malika knew she was the one. "She's the one," Aidah said sending daggers her way. "Excuse me please do I know you?" Ameenah asked politely. "You'd soon know me."

Before she could open her mouth again, malika raised her hand and landed it on Ameenah's cheek. "What?!" She startled. "Mai na miki? What did I do to you? Why will you slap me?! Are you crazy?"

"Listen very well and listen attentively." She snapped her fingers rapidly. "Bashir is not your mate! I repeat he's not your mate. Just look at you! Look at me! We are not mates, he's out of your league. Bashir is mine! My husband to be. Let me warn you, if I see you close to my boyfriend or even glance at him, consider yourself dead."

Ameenah still held her cheek, "I'm not going to fight you, just because of a guy. I never said I loved him. He came to me, asked for my hand in marriage. Oh, oh wait! You're malika. He told me about you. I knew you'd come for me, well listen malika, Bashir does not like you. Not one bit, as a matter of fact he hates you. Just look at how you dress, who would take you to his parents as his wife? He chose to be with someone more responsible, beautiful, who has manners.... please Here's the way out, see yourselves out when you're done."

Malika got really furious. "As prissy as a porpoise, you little snitch, smelly old ratbag, reek like a fish that's been out of water for a month, horrible little earwig, as thick as a 300-year-old oak tree's trunk," she insulted. She dragged Ameenah making her to lose balance and fall. She yelped in pain when malika kicked her head with her heels. Slowly she tried to get up but quickly realized how futile it was when she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. Sharp pain lanced through her head and colorful spots flashed in front of her eyes.

First, she hit her head on the hard ground and second, malika kicked her head with her heels on the head. "Malika why are you so wicked." Aidah pushed her away from Ameenah. "Allow me to deal with this miserable maggot! How dare she insults me?" She yelled pushing Aidah away. Ameenah laid down there, her eyes already getting heavy.

Aunty was just coming back from the neighbors'. She met her daughter on the compound floor, she looked at the ladies. Malika hissed and stormed out of the house, Aidah followed suit. Aunty rushed to her daughters place, "Ameenah what happened? Meya faru? Su waye wadan nan? What's between you and them?" Aunty asked, holding back the tears. She placed Ameenah head on her laps. She yelped in pain.

Her eyesight blurred, but not because tears were welling up. Everything became fuzzy; then she saw nothing at all. Her consciousness was floating through an empty space filled with a thick static. Throughout the inky space her heartbeats pounded loudly, echoing in her ears, alongside fading pleas for help. Feeling in her body drained away until finally all was black.