Her Boyfriend, My Husband

CHAPTER 18

Abdallah's POV

How Maryam had suddenly given an excuse I knew was made up and cut the call immediately was certainly not helping with my current state of mind. It had taken immense persuasion from my conscious before I could call her up to try and finally talk things out. Maybe like she said, there was more I didn't understand, more that would justify this mistake she made and make me see the sense in it. But why didn't she tell me? Why did she hang up before explaining?

I sighed loudly and lumped back down deeper into the couch I was seated on after waiting futilely for her call, I slid my phone away from me and almost all the way to the other side of the table. It was probably because of the fact that I was agitated, agitated at not knowing, at not understanding, agitated that Maryam had really done something like this to her life.

After a while of calming myself down and clearing my mind, I got up and went to continue packing. I was set to be back at work in three days. I had exceeded my leave by almost a month but still somehow, the multiple calls I had been gotten from my boss were the least of my worries. The centre of my worry having been Maryam for that whole time.

I had moved out of Kawo and anti Hajaru's house and have been staying at this hotel since a few days before Maryam's wedding to that Yusuf Alhassan. I couldn't even think of him without having this heavy feeling in my chest. I didn't want to describe it as hate, but it was certainly not a fond kind of feeling either.

Yesterday, I had taken the time to go around Abuja and inform people of my leave, doing the customary ban kwana before going back to the Hague and not knowing the day of my return. I had spent the last week in Sokoto with my parents and other relatives too going on a round of ban kwana there too.

It was 10 am. Just a an hour to go before my flight to Lagos. No, I wasn't going to see Maryam. Though the temptation to was incredibly great, I had planned this trip to go over there to look over my practice Sahabi & Adams, and meet my associate to see how everything was going before I even knew they were going to move to Lagos.

My flight to the Netherlands was at almost midnight tomorrow so when I arrive in Lagos today, I'll have almost two days to take care of my affairs.

After finishing all of the packing and getting ready, I called Salim up in case he had forgotten he was supposed to drive me to the airport.

"Where are you?" I asked immediately we were done with the salams.

"Calm down bro, I'll be there in less than twenty."

And true to his word, Salim was here in my room and helping me with my luggage in that time and we were heading to Nnamdi Azikwe Airport. But this time, I didn't bother taking the wheels from him. Indeed if I wasn't even in the mood to drive, then I was in a very terrible mood.

"Not planning on killing us this time?" Salim asked jokingly when the car was stood still in traffic. "I mean won't you drive?"

I give him a small smile and shook my head in the negative looking back out the window and watching the other stagnant vehicles.

"Wow, if you're this home sick even before you leave the country, I only wonder how you'll be like over there." Salim continued his laugh and I was glad he had dismissed my moody behavior as just homesickness.

"Yeah, you're lucky you're not one of my co-workers." I manage a chuckle.

And the rest of the drive was spent relatively in silence. When we alighted from the car, I gave him a long and warm hug before he helped me put my luggage in the trolley.

"The next time I come back, it might be for your wedding." I call out to him as I begin walking away, dragging my trolley behind me.

"Impossible," he shouts back. "you're bound to get married before me."