MAIDEN ✔️

Chapter One.

When Ahmad met Aisha, their love was orchestrated straight out of Cupid's bow. She was everything he ever wanted in a woman. The first thing he had noticed was her walking steps. She walked majestically and had her head bowed to the ground, occasionally raising her head to view her environment; he's always hated it when women looked around as they walked; it is an attribute of shamelessness as he’s observed. He loved how her flowing hijab left traces of her presence as she moved. He’s noticed how her slightly chubby frame made the hijab serve its purpose; that is to shield her away from the gaze of men. He doesn’t count amongst those men, because he wanted to make Aisha his wife. He had asked the youths from around the area who she was and how one would define her character, even though she looked absolutely perfect from afar. They all had the perfect things to say about her, it turns out Aisha is so pure both in and out. He was informed; she came from a male dominated family and she is the apple of their eye, her father is lecturer at Nsukka University in Enugu, which is why he's never around since they live in Kwara state. Her mother is a renounced market woman who loves and appreciates what she does. Ahmad was star struck, he made up his mind to make Aisha his. He just needed to put in a few good words to his father, and his father would definitely allow him marry a Yoruba girl, it’s not like they are bad people as his father had decided solely. Besides, his father should have thought of that before sending him off to Kwara for his Bachelor’s degree program all the way from Zamfara state.   

Things didn't go as planned of course; all hell broke loose from both parties. Both parents did not approve of the relationship when Ahmad and Aisha informed them about their courtship; a courtship that lasted two whole years. Aisha’s family was displeased when she relayed how long they had been together.  No one noticed early, it would have been stopped.

"How… How on Earth did I not notice?" Her mother had bellowed dramatically, flaring her arms in opposite directions. Aisha kept mute; her mother would get agitated if she answered. Let's just say it was a rhetorical question. It definitely wasn't meant to be answered. Answering would attract punishment. "I am not going to give my daughter out to a mollom! They do nothing but marry and divorce everyone that comes their way. They know nothing about promises and they don't take marriages to be anything" her mother added fuming effortlessly; market women have a knack for excessive drama obviously.

Well, Aisha went on a hunger strike threatening to die of starvation if she wasn't allowed to marry the man of her dreams. She knew Ahmad, he's a gentle man and he would never hurt her. When Aisha almost died of starvation, her family yielded and allowed her to ask Ahmad to bring his family for the proper introduction. That didn't happen immediately of course, because Ahmad was equally battling with his family and he isn’t a girl, a hunger strike would only make him look pathetic. This had successfully make Aisha look stupid. But she did not relent. She had faith that Ahmad was going to come for her.

"You will not marry her. Those people don't have an iota of self respect; they talk and gossip a lot. If you want to spend the rest of your life with her, then forget about getting my blessings" 

"If I don't marry Aisha then I'll remain single forever" He threatened, making his father throw his head back and laugh. He ignores Ahmad’s protest and grumbles, dismissing him from his sight. Seeing how adamant his father is about his decision to marry Aisha, Ahmad took up the matter to his uncles, he explained that he had met the woman of his dreams but his father is being a stumbling block in his happiness . Luck was on his side, since his father is the lastborn in his own family, orders flew around demanding he allow the boy to have his way. This was more than two weeks after Aisha's family had asked her to alert her suitor of their agreement. The day the letter was delivered to Aisha, it was already three weeks from the agreement time. Aisha was already threading on the road to depression when she received it from the postman. It clearly stated that he and his family had fixed a date to come ask for her hand in marriage.