"Amin wa alaiki Salam Ya habibty! Wow, such excitement all for seeing me.?Missed you too,wifey !"
It was his last words that gave Fateema the strength to overcome the wave of vertigo that overcame her upon seeing him. No,she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her faint right at his feet.He would never achieve that victory!.
"What are you doing here?You missed your way. Your wifey 's house is next door....I think."
Smiling his kind of smile that once upon a time melted her heart but now did nothing but irritate her even further, he said.
"You have the right to insult me as much as you want,Fateema.That is why I came today for you to rain all your abuses on me.Vent all your anger,hurt,pains and frustrations on me as long as you'll forgive this your great offender,wifey."
And as he said that, Fateema watched as he went down on his knees right in front of her,bowing his head down.
Fateema remained rooted on the spot, not because she was touched by his words or action, not in the least.She felt nothing, not even an inkling of compassion towards his so-called remorse.The only thing that stopped her from stomping out of the room and leaving him to rot in hell for all she cared was the word he kept referring to her with...'wifey'.
How dared he call her his 'wife'?.That was what she stayed back to warn him of.
Be your normal self around them.Show them they don't possess the ability to crush a tough nut like you.....
Habeeb's words came flooding back into her memory and so she took a deep breath and instead of the string of abuses she wished to thrash on him,she said instead.
"I told you,you missed your directions. Your wife doesn't live here.So if you'd kindly leave now,I want to clean up the room and turn on the incense burner. The room is already reeking of rapists and two-faced hypocrites."
Clamping his eyes shut as her words stung,Mahbub bravely said.
"Go on, lay all your wrath on me.Do whatever you think I deserve, even if it's been pierced with an arrow.Go ahead,am all yours to punish.All I want you to know is that you're my wife and our son was begotten in a halal way."
"What?!!"exclaimed an extremely shocked Fateema.
"Are you crazy or do I look like a fool you can feed any bullshit you like to?"
Raising his bowed head,Mahbub looked up but as it's typical of him,he didn't look her directly in the eyes as he spoke.
"Yes I admit I was overcome with lust and greed but one thing is for sure.....I'm not an illiterate. I know the offence of fornication in Islam so I'd never do it consciously. I did what I did according to a meticulous plan."
Taking a deep breath,he went on,"Like I reminded Daddy earlier on when we met,the day I came with my representatives to seek for your hand in marriage,I came all prepared.As you well know, the primary requirements that make any nikkah valid are four;the Ijab and qubul (offer and acceptance) ,two sane adult witnesses,the waliyy of the bride and of course the dowry.
"And that day,my wakeel asked your waliyy (Daddy) if he has given me your hand in marriage and Daddy said he has to which my wakeel said we accept....that's the ijab and qubul taken care of.Then about witnesses, I came with four sane men including the ones we met with Daddy making the total of ten.Thereafter,your dowry was accepted by your waliyy making our marriage signed and sealed.
"I did my homework on this.I asked different mu'allims and they all said the same thing.Once all the primary requirements are taken care of,nikkah is hundred percent valid.
"I reminded Daddy about all these when we talked and he agreed it is so.All the other things done at wedding fatihas like Imam's presence,invitation of many people, announcement of dowry and duas are just secondary requirements and not necessary in order to make a nikkah valid. We are truly married,Fateema. That fateful day in this same room, our fates were sealed together. You're my wife,Fateema and Abdallah is our legal son."
Suddenly too weak,Fateema fell on a heap on the carpeted floor but was too shocked to utter a single word.Her entire body began shaking as her heart kept thumping erratically as if it would burst right out of her ribcage. Never,never in her entire life had she ever felt as shocked as she felt at that moment.
Married?? To Mahbub???.
She didn't even know what to feel at the moment, her emotions were too jumbled.Should she rejoice that at last Abdallah's name has been cleared;that he'll no longer be called a bastard or should she grieve that her dream and hopes about getting married to Habeeb might have just been burnt to ashes......
"I don't even know how to start apologizing for my barbaric act. I was blinded with lust and greed but I really loved you....still do and I couldn't just let you slip away from me.So I did what I did,took up on Sughra's offer and left the country with the intention of living with her for a few years---just until I achieve my goals then dump her and return to my true love.But we plan and Allah and is the best of Planners. Just a year into the marriage, I lost Sughra.She died during childbirth but before then God gave her the ability to realise her mistake and she made me promise to beg your forgiveness on her behalf whenever we meet. We even planned to name the unborn child after you if it turned out to be a girl but alas, both she and the baby didn't survive.
"I didn't return to Nigeria even after her death but I still kept tabs on you as I have been doing since I left.Indeed my body had left but my heart and soul were still with you in Nigeria. There's no move you took since after my departure that I didn't know of.Your admission in the hospital,your pregnancy, the C.S....everything.
"I even sneaked into the hospital then in disguise once when you were sleeping and held our baby and prayed for him.Well,I still kept tabs on you sometimes I even come to Nigeria purposely to visit Abdallah in his school. I don't know if he ever told you of a certain stranger who visits their classroom from time to time to give gifts to the whole class.Even if he didn't do so I'm sure you receive my gifts on each of his birthdays. Really,Allah is my witness,I may be away from you physically but you're always, always in my heart.I've been on tenterhooks to come to you and apologise ever since Sughra's death but my courage failed me.I lacked courage to face you after all my sins.
"I know I wronged you and hurt you beyond forgiveness so if you like,pierce my heart with a poisoned arrow or chop off my head or castrate me or do anything you think I deserve but please..don't marry that christian.You know how Ummi ended up,how she's still hurting so please I beg of you in the name of the Lord,don't do the same to yourself. You deserve all the best,all the joy and happiness in the world after all that Sughra and I did to you.I am not saying I am a better man than him but for you,I'm the better man.I know you since childhood Fateema.We virtually grew up together. I know you in and out;all your likes and dislikes. Besides I'm a true Muslim,a scholar and alhamdulillah a hafizul Our'an as at present.
"Being with me will make you even more steadfast in our religion unlike him who falsely converted just so as to lure you into marrying him.Think deeply,Fateema.Ummi had been there,done that.Don't let history repeat itself on you.You're too good to end up being hurt once again. We did that to you before but it won't happen again in shaa Allah. And most importantly, Abdallah--our son.Think about him Fateema.You're a mother, think like one.
"Do you want your son to grow up under the care of a fake convert with the stigma of being looked down upon as a bastard or would you prefer he grows up between his two biological parents, under their loving care and protection and bearing his own father's name?.Abdallah is my carbon copy Fateema, anyone with eyes can see without doubt that he's my son.Nobody would dare call him a bastard when he's under his biological parents' protective wings.Think wisely and deeply."
For the next two or so hours,they remained in their positions--Fateema on the floor not saying anything but deeply engrossed in thoughts while Mahbub still remained kneeling in front of her,with his head bowed.
From time to time,he wiped at the remorseful tears that kept gushing out of his eyes and whispers;
"I'm sorry Fateema.I'm so,so terribly sorry."
It was not until he spent approximately three hours on his knees with his neck strainfully bowed that finally Fateema felt a tiny inkling of compassion for him.Afterall, she's a human being with a heart and the man's knees must be stiff by now;he was no soldier.
In a low tone,she finally spoke up.
"Get up and go home Mahbub.May Allah SWT choose what is best for us."
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So guys who's relieved Abdallah is not a bastard?🙌🙌
And please, please,please I want to hear everyone's views on this development. Please even those silent readers even if just for today alone lemme know what you think.Should Mahbub be forgiven?Afterall he's only human and humans are bound to err....
So I dey wait please oo;team Habeeb or team Mahbub(remember baban Abdallah ne😉)
Thanks my awesome peeps.Keep them coming😍😍😍😍🌹🌹🌹🌹