A WEEK TO THE WEDDING

Ahmad was in the workshop , with his phone supported by his neck, smiling like a Cheshire cat " yes love, I won't forget to come along with it in shaa Allah, my darling angel, sweet Mrs Ahmad, in a week we will become one, two hearts beating together as one , two souls mashed into one ,I will make you the happiest Cat you'll be so happy till you look me in the eye and tell me that it's enough " the person that parked a tinted Benz  car a few metres away from the workshop gulped down a bottle of bear , adjusting his shades he drove away dialing a number " I'm afraid he's not backing down , it's time  for plan B "
,
From the other side somewhere in kano , a deep velvety voice shrieked out in frustration " Babe how can Ahmad do this to me ? After all the things we've done together? The places I took him to? And now he's getting married to that excuse of a female, she's not worth it , she doesn't deserve him, I do !!"

" Hauwa chill mana, I don't even know what you've seen in that pauper, he's too cheap, so not your type, what annoys me more is that he's not even educated ,why waste your money and time over someone that is not even fit to be your security man? If you think you'll ever fall in love you're mistaken my dear" her friend adviced ,taking a drag of cocaine .

" I was his first and I turned him into a beast, just the way I love men ,I trained him, I've been training him for two years how can I stop when I've almost reach the top ?? I'll let him have you for one night Ikram, and you'll know what am talking about " taking a gulp of beer she flopped down on her bed reminiscing over how she first met Ahmad two years back ...

It was at a birthday party of one of her friends,he came in looking confused , as if he's not supposed to be there,his good looks, the innocent eyes ,the way and manner he carries himself made her fall in love at first sight .She was trying to show him to her friends and ask of their opinion when she saw him going out, quickly grabbing her bag ,she followed him and to her astonishment he was crouched beside a car crying. " what happened ?" She asked ,he raised his head and quickly wiped his tears away ,with a fake smile he shook his head NO ."you are crying, there must be something wrong big guys don't cry especially cute ones too " batting her lashes in a seductive way , she thought he will open up to her but he didn't, she tried all she could but to no avail ,then the adhaan for maghrib prayer was called and he excused himself to pray " I will wait here for you ,pray and come to me handsome " she had called after him not knowing he heard her or not .It doesn't matter because he never came back and she had to spend sleepless nights thinking about him , he invaded her mind even in her dreams she dream of him ,that sullen sunken expression, his eyes that captivates her, there's something about him that touch her heart and she's Hauwa ,she's not gonna let him go ,she must have him ,that's a promise .

Almost a month had  passed when she saw him in the workshop where he works, walking up to him with confidence , he embarrassed her by asking whether she needs anything ? She  had felt like a cold water was poured on her ,sucking up her pride she smiled and recounted to him how they met and how he ditched her waiting for him.  He was about to answer her when his alarm blared and without sparing her a glance he excused himself telling the boss that it's time to go pick Cat from school and he sprinted out .

" Who is Cat ?" She asked no one in particular , " Ha! You're new here aren't you ? Cat is the love of his life , someone he could take a bullet for ,their love is the kind you'll envy and wish to have , can't wait for their wedding day " one of the carpenters in the workshop rambled on smoothening a plank of wood. With a heavy heart she left to her car where she sat for a long time thinking of ways to have Ahmad for herself .She's a bad girl and bad girls get whatever they want ,with the help of one of her goons Ahmad was brought to her house and she set her terms. " you'll be my boyfriend, you'll travel with me, you'll love me and give me your body to do as I please with " she had said " Am not a fornicator and I pray that I will never be one , I already have someone I love ,I'm happy with my life please let me be ,go find someone else there are a lot of guys out there who would die to have this opportunity  so I'll pass " he had said with a voice filled with spite .So he's a loyal dog ? That's an added bonus she mused .
" The choice  is yours lover boy , either you do what I ask or you loose your most beloved Cat or whatever the hell you call her and mind you I don't give empty threats "  that was the beginning of  their journey together, because she threatened to have Khadijah. He went to that birthday party looking for a guy whom he had given a 200 thousand naira notes to keep for him, it was given to him by the boss to deposit in the bank, he doesn't have the money to pay back that's why he was crying as an alternative to ease his pain,she gave him the money and he was out of trouble in no time .He has gotten  a lot of money  from her but still living his former life , they will meet at night and spend it together then he will leave at dawn, at first he was reluctant acting all holier than thou but then money can do anything and she's a devil herself no one dared to resist her not the holiest of men and not men like him who are blinded with love something that only hurts and  leave you with nothing but scars .All she needs to do is ask and it shall be given to her until when she heard the news,that the traitor is getting married , when she confronted him, he told her that he no longer love Cat, that he is forced to marry her and he can't say no, she should not worry ,it's her that he loves and no one else ,how can he settle for less when she has more ?she's prettier and way better than Cat so it's just a sham marriage and he vowed to her that it won't work out for long .Knowing fully well how much he loves the so called Cat ,  how most nights he mentions her name in his sleep she didn't believe him and tried all the means she has at her disposal to see that the marriage isn't a success .She wanted to drug him and take him out of the country, but thought against it ,he doesn't drink nor smoke ,he's just so addicted to what she introduced him to and nothing more .

" I suggest you leave that boy, it was a jolly ride but the journey ends here, let him get married, you will never marry him why ruin his life ?" Ikram brought her out of reverie.
" I can't Ikky , I think I'm obsessed with him ,let me strike a deal with him if he will come to me whenever I call,  if he will Still drive me mad with pleasure I will let him have his pathetic married life in peace . Taking out her phone she dialled his number and with a disgruntled voice he answered " A I just heard that you're still getting married , congratulations in advance I hope it lasts a lifetime ,but I have a condition "
" Go on I'm listening "
" That you won't leave me, we will Still be together " she said fidgeting, nervous for the second time in her life all because of a certain nobody Ahmad .
" Done deal now if you'll excuse me, I'm in the middle of something when you called " he cut the call and she yelped in joy .Whatever the consequences as long as she have him she's okay .

She's also a heiress to a large fortune, it was rumoured that she killed her mother when she was fifteen out of provocation and her  father died 12 years later due to a heart problem ,no one took her in because she's notorious ,she was feared among her immediate family members so she left town. Her late father's business is still going on while the enjoys the fruits of other people's  labour. Her parents were very good people no one knows whom she takes after, she's a woman without a heart , a stone cold heart that live life to the fullest a life devoid of religion a life she's living like an animal , the kind of life no one will wish his child to have.  At 32 she had established different clubs and joints and she's happy about that , bad things give her pleasure getting high is the order of the day .

After Ahmad got married ,she made sure she have him whenever she wanted, sometimes she will call him at 1am and he will come to her and get back to his unsuspecting innocent wife, he will be proudly boasting to her on how hard he's making Cat's life and it makes her happy, she had a spy who tell her the ins and outs of his house so she believed him , they will disobey Allah without feeling anything and he will leave with the car she bought him and have no idea how he use to hide  it without anyone knowing.

The time Ahmad started treating Khadijah better is when Hauwa traveled abroad ,in the guise of being regretful he had led the poor girl on , deep inside he knows that he's wrong but Khadijah have nothing to offer him she's just a burden, because of his alliance with Hauwa he has millions of naira to call his own which his secondary school certificate will never afford him .In his subconscious it's Hauwa he truly love not Khadijah whatever he feel for her has passed and it's now a dim light something he will soon get rid of .Truth be told he miss her, he miss her presence in the house , her innocent look, the way she call him Ya Ahmad , her smile that make his day , wait ? What is he saying? She is someone he no longer love right? Then how can he miss her and her smile make his day ? Pffft he's dreaming it's Hauwa that he loves ,Hauwa isn't naive as that girl who made him rape her because she's so inexperienced and acting all innocent, he paid her dowry so it's not even a crime .She's a prized possession ,let her rot in her father's house but he's not going to divorce her,let heaven fall on earth .

PRESENT DAY

Khadijah had never step out of the house since the day she came back from the hospital , there was a small glitter of hope at the back of her mind that maybe Ahmad will call her line but after a long while she changed her sim . she heard noise from the entrance of the house, knowing that it might be Baba coming back from the market ,she continued knitting the woolen socks she's trying to make for her unborn baby, the baby she wish with all her heart had never existed, but she made a promise that she will protect the child from it's father, she will do anything to keep her child  safe,with hot tears cascading down her cheeks ,she keep asking herself what went wrong ? What  has she done to deserve it ? The questions she will never get answers to by herself without Ahmad telling her.

" Inna lillahi wa Inna ilaihi rajiun Deejan! Deejan!! Come here with a cup of water hurry! " ummie had called from her room , dropping her knitting tools she ran to the shed where they store water and take it to the room, where she saw her first love her hero her guide and strength sprawled on the floor looking lifeless .Without wasting time she sprinted out forgetting about something called Hijab and asked for help from their neighbor who Is thankfully sitting under a tree .
" Malam Buba Babana !! Dan Allah ka taimaka kar ya mutu " the man sprang up and followed her inside , he had regained consciousness but still clutching his heart palpitating ,she took her hijab and they hailed a cab that took them to the hospital , she saw a someone in an expensive car ,kissing an older looking woman by the side of the road ,someone who looks exactly like Ahmad but brushed the thought aside, right now nothing is more important  than her father's health ,it's a miracle that after all the running ,she's still feeling okay .

What they had feared is what is wrong with Baba, he is having a heart problem, Khadijah cried herself to sleep that night knowing that it's because of her failed marriage that her Baba is sick , if only she stayed there and didn't come home , if only she didn't tell them what was going on ,if she had been a little more patient. Yah Allah guide me ,make me pass this test, make me more patient to put off with these trials, grant my father shifaaa, choose what's best for me ..those were the things she prayed for before sleep overtook her.

Taheer called Ahmad to let him know that his in law has been admitted in the hospital .
" So ? I should jump off a cliff? Or start crying?? It's none of my business ,if you have anything to say am all ears don't you dare call me again when it comes to Khadijah " Hauwa that's laying on his chest collected the phone and before he can stop her she said " who are you and why are you disturbing my baby ?" Taheer cut the call without saying anything , he have his suspicions and now he's sure ,it is confusing at first but now the haze is clear, he will follow him and find out who the hell he is with .Shaking his head he dialled Zee's  number , he collected it from their neighbor and didn't have the courage to call her until now "Assalamu Alaikum " he greeted " Wa'alaikasaalam who's speaking please " he smiled at her question , to a person who says she love him way more it's surprising that she can't recognise his voice.
" It's Taheer from general hospital " OmG she almost somersault but held herself ,clearing her voice and with a heart filled with joy that her crush, her frigging crush call her " Ohhh Dr how have you been ? How's work and everything? " she inquired and he admired her for that, thankfully she's not that type that will pretend not to know him just to make him feel not important .

" Alhamdulillah everything is fine how about you ? Yasu  mama and everyone ?, I didn't see you in the hospital today that's why I decided to call " he used the last part as an excuse ,he knows that Baba was brought to emergency meaning that she might have not known about it. " Yahsalam ! I didn't know wallah and D's phone has been off since morning , what's wrong with Baba innalillahi " she panicked ,it's also something to love about her, loving her friend's family and treating them like her own .He also love that about her, after telling her how Baba is coping and all, he brought up a topic and they converse for a long while ,he hasn't feel good in a long while since after his breakup with his girlfriend and he prayed for khair ,he prayed that Zainab will be the one to have her name written right beside his .He didn't talk to her about Ahmad , it's a story for another day something not to be discussed on phone.

Baba was finding  it difficult to talk the next day, Ummie tried her best to make Khadijah stay at home but all her efforts went down the drain ,with a protruding belly, a swollen face from crying and red rimmed eyes from lack of sleep ,khadijah went to the hospital ,seeing her Baba breaks her heart to a million pieces, they don't even have the money to pay the bills, thankfully aunty Dije is always of help when such matters arise, after Ummie told her about Baba's condition ,she didn't even ask whether they need financial help ,she said she's coming the next day with Nabeeha who came home for the end of session holiday,even though Khadijah is not in a situation to be happy, deep inside she's glad that she will get to see Nabeeha her favorite cousin and best friend after Zee that is .After a few hours, Zee came in with a basket filled with goodies and Khadijah's heart clenched not out of sadness but happiness ,she's truly blessed to have Zee and instead of returning the  smile Khadijah sent her way ,she earned a long and hard glare, she knows why and she kept mum waiting for her to finish talking to ummie extending her mother's regards to Baba before going out, Khadijah followed suit
" I am sorry Zee Zee ,please forgive me  it was sudden and my  battery ran down and you know that we don't have light " she apologized and Zee's heart went out for her .
" I was angry before I came here D, but the moment I see you it dissipates into the air , don't take it too hard upon yourself D , am here let it all out I will listen without a word just say it out, holding it all in might be harmful to the child inside you and you altogether and in shaa Allah Baba will be fine, he's a strong man all we need to do is pray for him " Getting closer ,she engulfed D in a hug and she sobbed in her chest before finally saying " I think it's my fault that he's in this condition. I should've never come home, I should've been more patient and prayerful I should've put off with it without letting anyone know about it. I will never forgive myself if anything happens to Baba"

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Good morning beautiful people. Most of you are still sleeping by this time 8:41am , its a beautiful morning and very cold ,I'm freezing right now but because of the love I received from you guys I resisted the urge to snuggle back into the blanky as soon as I finished my morning prayer and typed this chapter without even pausing to do anything.
Tell me what you like or don't like  about the book, don't be shy I won't  feel bad .
Thank you !