LAURA

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

THIRD PERSON POV:

He held her hands “Baby I love you so much and there is nothing that is going to stop me from marrying you”

Laura sighed thinking it is now or never.
“I ran away from home when my father wanted to forced me into marriage with a man in our village with the help of Inna my maternal grandmother.
Inna left the place she always called home all because of me.
Her home of many years.
she sold everything she had so I could not marry that vile man.
We left our home without any place to go, without any destination in mind.
Yaya babangida was our savior he helped us. He brought us to Abuja. He gave us a new home. His family became our new family. He did everything for us.”

She told him how Inna sold everything she had so they could have some money to start all over again.
She told him how they escaped at dawn on the day she was suppose to get married and how Yaya babangida brought them to Abuja after he had their story.
How he helped them and everything.

Abdulrahim heart clenched after he had Laura would have been married now and he would have never met her.
All thanks to Inna and Yaya babangida. He felt immense anger at her father. But she did not mention her mother in all this.
Before he could ask she continued speaking again.

“I know you are curious about where my mother is and how she let all this happen. I know if Umma my mother was alive she would have stood up for me against my father.”
Umma lost her sanity when I was in SS1 after my father took a second wife.
She became a mad woman who go from dumpsite to dumpsite. Even with her illness I still love my mother.
She never forgot me she always remember anytime I go to see her”

Tears started streaming down her face. This was the first time she is speaking about her mother to anybody after her death. She started reliving memories of her mother.

“Where is she now” he asked hesitantly.
She broke down into more tears which made Abdulrahim tighten the hold he had on her hand.
As much as he would love to hug and console her he couldn’t because she was not his wife yet.
“She died. She was hit by a car or so I was told and I never saw her corpse”
Abdulrahim kept telling her sweet words until the intensity of her tears died down.

“Laura I am so sorry I was a jerk to you at first. After all you went through, you came out stronger and that makes me admire and fall head over hills for you again.” He told her.
She looked up to him while wiping her tears
  “Are you not going to detest me because of my past”

“ No babe your past is what makes you stronger. And I am even happy all that happened happen except the death of your mother because I would not have met you.
You will not have been here today, so I am grateful to Inna and Yaya babangida”

She asked him that what will his family say if they knew about her past and he told her they already love her and nothing is going to change that either her past of future.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

“Babangida I hope you have told Alhaji Lawal our former neighbor that our visitors will be here tomorrow morning” Inna asked yaya babangida.

This is the third time she is asking him that question.
He knows it is important to give a first impression to Laura’s Inlaw that are coming to formally introduce themselves tomorrow.
Inna told him to stand in as Laura’s brother.
Since he is the only male figure they have as a family. He went by and invited his best friend and former neighbor so it will not be only him.
Just like tradition demands.
After she told him that Abdulrahim’s people are coming on Saturday he was very elated.

“Yes Inna don’t worry everything is going to be perfect” he assured her.

Inna had been antsy too. she want everything to go perfect.
Her granddaughter deserve happiness after all she had been through.

Her only wish in this life is for her granddaughter to find a good man that will take care of her.
And Abdulrahim has proven to be the right person for her.

If everything goes well tomorrow she wants to do something important.

She did not tell anybody about it not even babangida and sa’a.

Its going to be a surprise to everybody but she just have to do it for her granddaughter’s happiness.

Not knowing she will receive one of the greatest surprise of her life.