Adeelah used her hand to encircle his neck when she felt like she's about to slip.

She slowly opened her eyes with an attempt to scream but her voice stuck in her throat when she looked at him. She couldn't form anything, she was surprised of how she wasn't able to do a thing till he walked out of the hospital and reached his car.

He opened the passenger's seat and put her there. He sighed and rounded to the other side.

He opened the door and sat on the drivers' seat. He turned on the air con and locked the doors.

"I heard you're so fierce but otherwise is what i sensed." He said after he has cleared his voice. His voice exude power and authority, Adeelah noticed. She didn't know how it happened but she just had the instinct that this man was her unknown husband. Was this the man she would spend the rest of her life with?

She remained quiet because she's so drained to start arguing about anything. At this point, even if it were Salisu she wouldn't mind him.

"Dill... Adeelah my name is Muhammad and I'm your husband." He mentioned softly. Adeelah was made to look at him swiftly. He said Dill... could he be Salisu?

Absentmindedly, she whispered very slowly.

"Salisu?" She watched at the man sent her weird glares that scared her.

"Muhammad, i said." He affirmed.

Adeelah blinked twice. She knew she was hallucinating especially when she looked at his smoothed caramel skin, full beard and pink small lips.

"Sorry." She muttered with a very low energy that spelled out how tired she was. Physically, emotionally and mentally!

They remained so quiet that Adeelah didn't know when she started dozing off.

All the while, he felt like looking at her because something about her sting him in the heart. Even though he married her for a reason, now he felt like keeping her for himself. But no, he couldn't be more selfish. He was thinking, with the cold entering his body when he began to sleep too and dreaming...

*****

Five year old Muhammad was playing on his scooter at the backyard when he saw his father with his friend at the balcony. They were drinking coffee while his father's friend was smoking. His father didn't smoke, he told him that only bad people smoke. So this Baba's friend must be bad.

Muhammad carried on, on his scooter. He badly wanted his baby brother to grow up so they would play together and mammy said he would grow up soon. He just couldn't wait! When he was tired of playing with the scooter, he hurried to a cage where he kept his parrot. He talked with the parrot as though he was human. He named his parrot, Noah.

"We don't like Baba's friend right? I usually have a nighmare with him, Noah. I don't know why. Perhaps because he smoked?" The parrot chirped. Muhammad clapped his hands happily that his Noah listened and agreed with him so he ran inside the house to meet his mammy in the kitchen.

Mammy stood tall, a half cast beautiful woman with her hair faling on her shoulder. Her eyes were mirroring window, as she wondered what her husband and his friend were discussing. She didn't like this particular friend of his.

"Mammy! Mammy!! Noah agreed with me!" He jumped. She turned with a smile and leveled to the height of her son. She kissed his cheek amd ruffled his ample hair.

"It did?"

"Yap mammy, Noah agreed daddy's friend is no good news." Her blood thinned in her vein. Even her little child didn't like him. Then something must be really odd with him. Not to instigate her son, she pulled his cheeks adorably.

"Not again! I don't want to hear that from you. Cool, yeah?"

The little boy nodded with no words but in his heart, he held that man.

"Now go and look after Mustafha in his cradle." Happily, he sped off to his little brother's nursery. He liked nothing more than playing with baby brother. Mammy said if he took good care of him, he would grow faster. And that's all he had been looking forward to! As he stood before his brother, he forgot about Baba's bad looking friend.

Muhammad didn't know what woke him up from the sleep. He woke up to see Adeelah still sleeping peacefully. He checked his time, only to see that it's been an hour already. Not wanting to wake Adeelah up, he rested his body on the seat again and drifted to another slumber. Filled with a dream too.

****

"Mammy, Baba's friend came and he injected baby Mustapha!" Muhammad cried to his mother. She stopped stirring the milk she was cooking and looked at her child.

"When Baba walked to his car, i saw him inject him and there's blood,"

Mammy ignored him and walked out to the balcony. She was dressed in a loose skirt and shirt so she draped a veil on her head before she headed out. She walked there to find Mustapha quiet, staring at the sky. With a polite smile, she greeted her husband's friend and walked back. Immediately she's in, she pulled Muhammad's ears.

"I told you no more bad tales about Baba's friend okay? You're just imagining things! If you talk bad of him again, I'm going to cut your ears and mouth!" She warned. Thence, Muhammad had never speak bad of Baba's friend even after he noticed alot of things!

Muhammad woke up drenched in sweat, his dream replaying in his head as if it was happening right there. In the same moment, Adeelah flickered her eyes open and for the first few seconds, she's not sure of where she was.

Studying her facials, Muhammad raised his hand gently. "Calm down you slept off in your husband's car."

Adeelah heaved a sigh. Not of relief though.

"I think you feel better now. Let's go and see your family right?" Adeelah nodded.

"May Allah grant him quick shifaa." He added as they walked inside the hospital.

*****

Three weeks later, Adeelah was set to move to her new house with Muhammad. Abba has been out of the ICU and he had been undergoing dialysis before the arrangements for his surgery at India was done.

"Ummah..." Adeelah cried onto Hajiya Sadiya's arms. She couldn't believe she's leaving this house where she had all her memories. Leaving to live with a stranger that she barely knew.

Since the day she slept in his car, they had never meet again. Ummah told her he normally visit when Adeelah was in school. Now she's feeling a lot better seeing Abba able to speak. Each time she looked at him, she pitied him.

"Be dutiful to your husband Adeelah." She repeated over and over. Adeelah released her and then one by one, she bid them bye and stepped into her husband's car.

There was an eerie silence throughout the drive. Her house had been furnished beautifully. All they did was to transfer the stuff to the house provided by her husband from Ameer's provided house.

"My family stay at Abuja. Ammi will come to see you once she gets the news. For now, enjoy your stay." He told her as soon as they entered the parlor.

At seven in the evening, Adeelah, although tired to bones he came to tell her to get ready that they would check on Abba. She's so thankful of how he held her father with so much regard. She almost smile at him but she didn't.

Adeelah showered and dressed up.

Once he greeted Abba, he glanced at her. "I will be back at nine." Adeelah walked him out. On her way back, she decided to check on Beebo.

She salamed and opened the room to find Ameer chattering with Beebo. Her body all dressed in bandage.

"Adeelah well done. Dan batta surely raised you well." Adeelah smiled. Throughout the days, she had been so warm towards Adeelah and Adeelah was so glad. The woman wasn't so bad afterall. And she's not faking it.

Adeelah stayed for some minutes before she told them goodnight and left.

She walked back to Abba's room and found him staring at the ceiling.

"Adeelah I'm sorry." He besought.

Adeelah smiled and took his hand. "I am fine Abba."

He only stared at her adorably. Adeelah noticed the way he lost alot of weight. He's only feeding on millet gruel and nothing else. Abba's face had incredibly slimmed down.

"Abba," she said, thinning her lips. Not even knowing how to begin.

"Beebo had an accident. And she's burned all her body. And i found out everything. I attach it to fate."

Abba remained quiet, full of shame.

"It's only but a youthful mistake Abba. I fully understand." She added. Abba only gazed at his child proudly. Gene don't lie because baby Adeelah was slowly transforming into her mother. The thought of Aayat made him teary. How much he ruined her and now her daughter. Wasn't it enough?

"Abba..." Adeelah trailed off. She wanted him to know that she's aware of everything.

"Abba..." she began again but her emotions overtook her as she began to whimper so hard.

She made an effort again. "Abba your kidney, Oum's kidney... mine... all same fate!"

Abba wildly jerked. "No, no, no Adeelah it's not what... who told you this lie?"

Adeelah shook her head. "It's no lie Abba. I know it all but I'm the only one that knows. Sacrifice my kidney and leave them Abba. Abba I'm ready to sacrifice it to free you! I am what? I am ready Abbbaaaa...." she cried, fluttering, holding his hands as if trying to make a baby understand something.

"Abba you gave me everything. I can give everything to save you. Abba it pains me day and night to live with the fact that you had a reckless life Abba. Abba it pains. Abba it pains to see i am not doing anything even though i can. Abba you're going to India for that surgery. Abba you're going to call that man and offer my kidney. Abba you're going to do that for baby Adeelah. Right Abba?"

All the while all he did was to shake his head. No, no! He couldn't do that! He couldn't put Adeelah's life on stake. Already, he had damaged her. He made her marry Salisu hoping that the marriage would last forever and none of his secrets would be spilled. He made her marry Muhammad for the same selfish reason. He separated her from her mother too. And now this? Never.

"No Adeelah it's not possible! It's my mess and i will have to clean it myself." He said in a firm tone. Adeelah continued shaking her head, tears streaming out of their eyes. None could console the other one better.

"Beebo onced sacrificed her husband's too. And now she's to give either mine or Ameer's." Adeelah heard Abba saying. She sharply looked at him. So they were all in it together.

"Abba why? Why? Why would you join them?" She cried more heavily.

"I am so hurt Abba, i am so sad, so angry but i have forgiven you Abba. And I promise, you will be fine. Please marry aunt Beebo when you recover. Okay Abba?" Abba stared at Adeelah. Before he could answer, the door was creaked open. It was Adeelah's husband. It was already nine and they didn't notice.

They quickly wiped their tears but he had already seen. They talked for a few minutes and waited for Hafsatu's arrival. She would stay with Abba for the night. As soon as she arrived, they bid them bye and left.

On their way home, he stopped to buy something for her. When they reached home, he dropped it on the dining table.

"You don't have to be cooking." With that short sentence which Adeelah was so happy with, he dashed to his room and closed the door gently. If not for the chaos going on in her life, she would have dance.

No cooking! This man had just given her paradise on earth!

******

Are you getting it??? I mean where the story is heading to?😁