A Peculiar lovestory (Completed)

PROLOGUE

She waited patiently, for her mother to turn off the local lantern, what she intended to do deals with patient, any rash decision meant being caught and that is absolutely not on the list. She maintained her sleeping form waiting to hear her father's heavy snoring. They were times she wondered how her mother slept through that wrecked train noises he made with his mouth. His early hour snores, meant he had fallen deeply asleep and the chances of getting caught by him are pretty much slim. She heard her mother’s movement on the creaky iron bed; it meant her mother had hopped the bed lala land. She waited for an estimated thirty minutes, where she was sure neither her mother, father nor siblings were deeply asleep before she tiptoed.

Asma’u was birthed in a small village known as Gyalbade, in the outskirts of Sokoto states, close to the border of Niger. It was a small settlement of the fulfude tribe which had slowly accumulated into a village as it expanded. She goes by the nickname Mumina which meant a Saint, just like her grandfather had decided to call her. She had twelve brothers, so her birth had been a miraculous one. In Gyalbade, birthing a girl and getting her married a virgin is every family’s pride. Therefore when Asma’u came, it meant immense joy for her family.

She was treated like an egg, pampered, showered with love and adoration. As she grew, she became prettier, she had her mother’s excessive fair trait and her father’s well defined fore head and pointed nose. It felt like Asma’u had accumulated her parents beautiful features for herself. It was like she had decided what part of her parent she wanted for herself, she became popular amongst the children and some older people, who referred to her as matar Sanusi (Sanusi's wife).

Asma’u would bury her face in her palms and run home whenever she came across Sanusi. The supposed husband as she grew. She would always check around to see if he was nowhere in sight before she leaves home. On days when she would be asked to go to his house, Asma’u would throw tantrum. As she grew, the idea of being Mallam Sanusi’s bride started to irk her. She used to think he was joking, she was 9 then and she had no idea they were being serious. Apart from the gifts, money and sometimes foodstuffs he brought to her home, she had assumed it was his son Sani, who wanted to marry her. Why Sani right? Wel,l Sani is almost 20, and is a very hard working young man and if her age was to be deducted from his, it would amount to a few number above 10. Unlike, his father who, on the other hand is wrinkly and old. He could pass for her grandfather. Not to even think of the age deduction, it would be a travesty!

Well, when she clocked 10, Mallam Sanusi made his intentions very clear. He sent his family to go ask for her hand in marriage, a proposal which had been accepted wholeheartedly because they all knew it was meant to happen sooner or later.

"Mumina an girma, yanzu sai aure(you’re all grown and ripe for marriage)" her mother would tease much to the little girl's frustration. Asma’u would scrunch her face and pout in anger. Ever since she had heard and witnessed her friends blossoming relationship with some of  Sani's peer group, had she made up her mind not to marry someone older than her father. It was weird that her parents were actually okay giving her to the wrinkly old man. None of the boys would even look her way because Mallam Sanusi had marked her as his. When she would complain to her mother, her mother would say:

“Nobody can take care of you the way he will. Can you not see that you’re different from others? You’re rare Asma’u. A lot of them will kill for this opportunity. You’re lucky he wants you”

When she realized there was no talking sense into her parents, she hatched her plan to run away from home, even if it is for a while, she knew they would understand she had ran away because she couldn’t cope with their plan. It hadn't been the first time she had seen people going to the main road to enter a car and go to the main city of Sokoto. She had escorted her father to the main road every ones in a while. She knew how to board a car, besides she had saved enough money_ gifts from Sanusi. She must leave before they ruin her life.

She took one last look at her parents sleeping form, and then she exited her home. She tip toed until she got to the last house before the long pathway leading to the main road. She hid behind a tree when she heard movement. She stayed still until everywhere quieten down and then she took off, she ran like her life depended on it. She didn't stop, not until she got to the main road.