Could you believe last week I forgot to collect Manal's new contact from her? I was literally surprised when I realised we didn't exchange contact before she walked into their house. It was like magic, none of us spoke about it. Well, Allah knows why he made us both to forget.

Today was Saturday, Amani was done with her examination since yesterday and now I was airborne to go and bring her back home. One strange thing was any time I called Salim's phone or that of his wife, Hauwa it would ring for like five times before they would pick. And again, they had stopped calling me. I had asked Salim if I had done something wrong but he told me if I come over we would talk about it.

Well, as soon as the plane I boarded landed in Kano I took a cab straight to Salim's house. My daughter was the first to see me, she was playing with Salim's baby in the compound. She ran and gave me a hug. "Dad, I miss you!"

"I miss you too, Amani" I said as we averted. "How are you and your cute little brother?"

"Fine, we are playing lego game" She said.

"Can he play that?" I queried as we walked gently over to him. He could crawl already.

"I am teaching him" She sad.

"This evening?" I sighed.

"Yes!" She squealed.

"Hmmm, My Amani is now a big girl. She can now talk very well and can also teach her little brother how to play lego game" I said lifting Salim's baby up. "Hello, Mr. Talibu Salimu..."

"Just call him with his name, Talib" Salim said as he and his wife gently walked out of the flat with Amani's luggage. "Please keep him down"

"Is everything okey?" I puzzled.

"Just... keep him down, kana jina koh?!" He angrily yelled at me with his fists clenched.

"Okey" I put down the baby who in no time crawled to his mother while crying. "Salim, what have I done wrong? Why all these?"

"Take your daughter's luggage and leave!" He said and continued. "We are no longer friends"

"But why the sudden change?" I queried.

"You want to know why? Maybe you should ask yourself why you slept with Manal" He uttered and that ultimately astonished me.

"What?!" I squealed.

"Oh, so you think the news will not reach us koh? Well, Qasim told us everything and how your evil nearly led Manal and her mother to their early graves!" Salim said. "Just leave!"

"Subhanallah, I swear it's a fucking lie!" I said.

"A lie? How dare you tell me it is a lie when Manal herself confessed the crime?" He said.

"Manal?" I puzzled.

"Dan ubanka ni kake tambaya?" He yelled at me while moving closer to me in anger. "Am I the one you are asking? Tell me she didn't sleep in your house, tell me you didn't make love with her, tell me all she said was a lie and see!"

"Man please stop, Qasim is just trying to..." I was saying when he started punching me.

"How dare you violate my sister?!" He uttered breaking my nose. "How dare you, dan iska?!"

"Stop it, Salim!" Hajiya Siyyama from nowhere shouted at him. "Idris, get Amani and leave!"

That moment, I felt like I hit my nose with a moving train. It kept bleeding so I covered it and used my mouth in breathing instead. With Amani crying, I held her big suitcase and told her to follow me. That was how we left the house. I stopped a cab and hopped in with her. "Hello Aisha, are you at home?" I said as soon as I called her. "Please can we meet right now?"

"I am at work, what happened?" She said.

"I am bleeding" I lamented.

"Bleeding? What happened?" She queried.

"It was Salim, He... punched my nose" I said trying my possible best to control the blood.

"What?!" She screamed. "Come to Al-Noury Specialist Hospital as soon as possible please"

"Okey" I said and ended the call.

Hence, I told the cabman to take me to the hospital which he did. We arrived there just before Magrib and Aisha got me treated by a nurse. She could treat me as well but she said she preferred the nurse to do the job instead.

After that, Aisha signed out for the day thus we took a cab to their house. I had so much wanted going back to Minna but I promptly changed my mind considering the fact that Amani and I had went through a lot of stress already. We were welcomed warmly by Aisha's parents. I prayed both Magrib and Isha respectively with her brother, Surajudeen and her father, Mallam Tajudeen who led the prayers.

Just after dinner, Amani slept in Aisha's room while I went out and sat in the bench outside to receive fresh air. While thinking about all that had happened between me and Salim, someone cleared his throat. It was Aisha. "Hey, can I join you?" She asked and I nodded at her. "Thank you" She said sitting very close to me.

"You are welcome" I muttered.

"So, are you ready to talk about it?" She said.

"Yes, we just had a misunderstanding" I lied.

"Just that? And he broke your nose?" She said.

"Are you doubting me?" I glared at her.

"No, but..."

"Just forget about it" I intruded.

"Okey then" She said and took my hand into a warm clasp. "So, why have you been avoiding me? I mean, I thought we are both together?"

"I am sorry" I gulped.

"Hmm, you are welcome baby na" She drew closer to me and pecked me on my cheek. Her cleavage sent a message into my body that if not because I was so strong I might just have fall for her trick. "Everyone is sleeping" She whispered into my ear. "There is no perfect place to make love, than in our backyard"

"I am not ready for this" I said withdrawing from the bench. "I should go and sleep now"

"Why are you avoiding me?" She said in what seemed like a whisper. "I have big breasts, big buttocks and I am chubby. Look at me, Idris"

"Sex before marriage is haram" I reminded her. "It is prohibited to the highest degree"

"Well then marry me. Remember I made so many sacrifices for you, I love you" She said.

"I know you love me, but I... I..."

"Yes, say it out..." She said.

"I don't think I love you, Aisha"

"What?!" She squalled probably shocked.

"I am sorry, Aisha" I tried holding her but she didn't let me do that. "I am ultimately sorry"

"Don't touch me" She said and just then, tears rolled down her cheeks. "You're a big monster"

"Aisha let me explain..."

"Leave me alone!" She ran into the house.

God, what have I done? I mulled over.

******

In the morning, Aisha couldn't look at my face while we eat in the dining table. We ate silently and after that she asked her sister to clear the table while she - on the other hand - took Amani and bathed her. As soon as we were prepared for our trip back to Minna, Aisha escorted us to the garage which wasn't far from their house. "I guess my work is done here" She said about turning to leave when I held her hand and dragged her into an embrace.

"I am sorry, please" I said tightening the hug in a way she can't extricate. "Please forgive me..."

"You should have told me earlier, that you don't love me. And hugging me tight won't make me forgive you, so just avert from me and let me go back home" She said slowly.

"This hug means a lot to me, Aisha" I lied. "How did you feel when Pharmacist Ilyah approached you? How did you feel, Aisha"

"How did you know?" She asked.

"He told me" I said averting from her.

"I don't love him" She said looking me straight into the eyes. "It is you I love, so I rejected him"

"Kano line, Minna... We are about to move on!" A voice bellowed, it was the driver of our bus.

"Aisha" I heaved a sigh. "We are leaving"

"Yeah" She sniffed wiping off her tears. "Come, Amani" She said thus they hugged each other. "Take good care of your daddy for me, okey?"

"Okey" Amani said.

"Take this" She brought out N1,000 note from her purse and gave it to Amani. "Safe journey"

"Thank you" Amani said walking back to me.

"Goodbye" I said to Aisha, and just as we were about boarding the bus she called my name.

"Call me whenever you need me" She said.

"Alright" I nodded and thus boarded the bus that had been waiting for me and my daughter. "Bye" I said waving at Aisha as we drove away. I had wanted boarding plane but many flights were cancelled due to the weather. So I decided to choose road transportation instead.

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Thank you for reading #InsideArewa