It is true love when a single drop of my tear hurts you a thousand times more than it hurts me .
To you all....this chapter is for you .
20 years later
" Mamie please tell Ibrahim to stop using my charger, I hate it when someone use my things especially this coconut head " Shouted Ilham who is running to catch up with her brother Ibrahim .
" Yah Allah ! You're 24years old Ilham stop acting like a 10year old .If no one is to use your things then you should not use Ihsan's things either and You Ibrahim stop using her things since she don't like it .You're 21 act like a man not a wild kid please " chastised D who was sitting on the sofa watching Arewa 24 on DSTV .
" We are Sorry Mamie " they chorused in unison sitting on the rug beside her legs .
" It's okay just stop acting like kids .What will your younger ones do when you're still behaving like them ?" She inquired giving them her no nonsense glare .
" They will act like them and the house will be filled with a bunch of big adults behaving like kids. Assalamu alaikum " replied Kaybee who just came into the house .D's heart still skips a beat whenever she hear his voice or feel his touch and nothing changes or diminished in the way she feels about him.
" Welcome home Abba !" The kids said Ibrahim getting up to collect his suitcase .
" Yawwa amarya where is the other amarya ?" Kaybee answered their greetings flopping down on the couch beside D who gave him a small affectionate smile .
" Barka da zuwa " she said getting up to get him something to drink before lunch is served .
" The other amarya is in her room sleeping Abba ,you know how much Ihsan loves sleeping I will love to see how she will manage being a home maker and career woman at the same time " Ilham said playing with the hem of her dress.
" She will manage just fine in shaa Allah, Afreen is worse but can't you see how happy she is and how effectively she manage being a home maker , a mother and a career woman? "
"I can do anything since I've been raised by the best momma in the whole wide world who trained me to the best of her abilities and made me believe that I can do anything if I believe in Allah and myself" Came the voice of Afreen holding her two adorable kids and a trolley .
" Ya Afreen!!!" Squealed Ibrahim and Ilham in unison crushing her in a big hug forgetting about the kids who ran to their grandparents .
" Yah Allah ! What's wrong with you guys and walking into this house unannounced ?" D observed with a smile hugging back Afreen's eldest daughter Aisha .
" It's my sisters wedding, I have to come two weeks to the time Mamie !" Replied Afreen who got out of her siblings hug and ran to D who just dropped a jug filled with orange juice and a glass on a coffee table for her husband .
" My baby , how have you been ? How was your trip and husband ?" Asked D hugging Afreen back with same enthusiasm .
" I wonder when Ya Afreen will stop acting like the last born instead of first, see how she's running to hug Mamie as if she is still a kid. Gaskiya Mamie you have to talk to her to stop this childish attitude " complained Ilham with a Pout which made all of them laugh out loud .
" live with it babe , I am Mamie's favorite and will always be " teased Afreen sitting down to properly greet her parents .
" aunty Ilham good afternoon " greeted Abdallah, Afreen's second son .
" Good afternoon my darling , how are you ?" Cooed Ilham scooping him up and heading to her room.
" The house is quite , where are the rest ?" Afreen asked after a short while when she didn't see any of her other siblings around .
After three years of marriage ,D gave birth to a bouncing baby boy Ibrahim, followed by Sudais who is 18 and in his second year in the university ,then Sajidah who is 15 and in SS3 .
" Stop calling them kids, they are grown ups already and knowing Sudais he will be very pissed to hear you call him a kid " Retorted D giving Afreen a playful glare.
" I'm sorry Mamie don't beat me up please I know you don't want your favoritos to be called kids but they are still kids to us and will always be " Afreen teased further .
" Yahsalam Afreen let this go, Mamie Abba is hungry and needs some rest, bring my food to my room please" stated kaybee heading towards his own side of the house .
" Bye Abba I love you !" Afreen called out to him and he smiled shaking his head at his eldest child's antics .If you don't know the story of their lives you will never know that Afreen have a different mother and the twins have a different father.
The past 20years had been eventful but with Allah by their side they scaled through every obstacle that comes their way . Nihal had come to see her child when she was 15 and life had been rough on her, the money, the beauty and everything she once held dear is gone and she's living in abject poverty .
Ahmad had been trying to reach out to his children for almost five years after he was released from the rehabilitation home but D refused to let him until kaybee urged her to do so, saying that whatever Ahmad did, the fact will remain that he is the twins father and no one can change that. D try to argue that he had severed all ties with the kids but after much persuasion she agreed and let him see them. Ahmad cried like a baby upon seeing his teenage girls who look so much like their mother having some of his features .
'I am sorry ' was all he could say the first time he saw them. They were told about their background and shocked to the core that Afreen is not their germane sister making Kaybee their step father but they believed in qadr and embraced their father whole hearted eventually .They used to visit him at his house where he used to sell palm oil and beans .
Baba died few years back after a long illness which claimed his life leaving Ummie alone who is now living with mommy in Abuja .
Zee gave birth to four more children three boys and a girl .Nabeeha eventually got married to Farouk and is blessed with four kids too.
The bound the kids share with each other and their parents is something worthy of emulation .Ya Aneesah had four other kids too all of whom do come to visit and they are always on phone either chatting or speaking with each other .The cousins are each others best friends .
**
A week to the wedding, the grannies came to kano even though it's just the nikkah and walimah. Ilham insisted on having a dinner party but was talked out of doing so by Ihsan who is more like her mother, a quite, shy ,introverted and sleep lover kind of girl .
" Ihsan say hi to your habiby for me " Teased Afreen who was also on video call with her husband .
" I will , say hi to yours too big sis" retorted Ihsan with a smirk .
Ilham came into the room panting like she had been chased by a lion .
" Aunty Zee is here, she just finished running my ears off with her incessant rants about marriage " Ilham said, gasping for air .
" God ! I wish the floor will be such a Darling to open up and swallow me whole .Aunty Zee is a piece of work " Complained Ihsan after cutting off the call telling her fiance that she will call him back later .
" I know right, but she's my favorite person on earth, she's just so fun to be with, there is never a dull moment with her " Chipped in Afreen who's still on face time with her husband.
" Ya in law ! We are missing you here but you're missing the fun more .Do come soon okay ,big sis is calling out your name in her sleep " Teased Ilham before finally dragging a sulking Ihsan out of the room to meet Zee .
Nothing of Zee's attitude changed. Her bubbly nature is still there .Her children and that of D call their homes home number one and two .They are always welcome to visit anytime and spend the weekends or holidays .Ilham has a lot of her clothes there saying that it is easier for her to just go there without a luggage .
Taheer had become a very successful consultant with his own private hospital. Al'amin who is four years younger than the twins is close to them especially Ihsan which made Zee used to wish the two can Marry, he calls her besty and she calls him same .If you want to see the talkative side of Ihsan or the sound of her laughter, then call Al'amin and you'll hear and see for yourself. He is also studying medicine like his father and in his final year because of the double promotion he got when he was in primary and secondary school .
" Hey Ihsee amarya, your besty sends his regards, he said something about taking you out for a date since your fiance is snatching you away from him soon " Zee said the moment Ihsan stepped into D's room.
" Aunty Zee !!! Stop it please, my besty will remain my besty till death do us part and yeah he texted me already " replied Ihsan .
" I must go with you guys, let me even call the young doctor, how dare he single you out for the date wallahi sai naje " Ilham burst out which made them all laugh at her over drama. She left the room dragging her feet.
" You are welcome twinny, what's mine is yours ai no wahala" replied Ihsan sticking her tongue out at her twin sister.She turned to leave after extending some pleasantries with Zee and listening to her motherly advice about marriage when she made a stop in the closet.
" In shaa Allah they will not go through what you've gone through D ,you've raised them well and they've made good a choice in choosing their spouse " Zee said forgetting that Ihsan is still in the room looking for something she kept in her mother's closet .It was obvious that the two best friends were in the middle of a serious discussion when the twins came in .
" I know Zee but I can't help but panic every time I think of their marriage, it is a relief that Afreen has got herself a very good and pious husband now that they have two kids together .But what about them Zee? I fear that history is going to repeat itself "
" Pray for khair not what your heart desires , in shaa Allah all shall be well, it was written in your destiny that what happened between you and their father will happen and God forbid if it has been written for them then pray that Allah will give them the strength to go through it as you went through yours, besides Ya kaybee was very careful in looking into the background of the guys before giving his consent .Be patient and pray as you always do " Zee consoled patting D's back giving her an encouraging smile .
" In shaa Allah I will " just then Ihsan came out of the closet with tearful eyes .
" Mamie what did our father do to you that makes you uneasy that we are getting married " she asked with a trembling voice while the duo stared at her with shock that the cat has finally being let out of the bag .
" It's nothing to worry about Ihsee. Go to your room " D said.
" No Mamie, I'm not going out of this room until you tell me what happened all those years .I've always been curious because whenever we visit baba he will cry and tell us that he has cheated cat and himself and he's regretting his actions ever since he came to his senses , he used to tell us the kind of love he have for you, how much of a gem you are .
Whenever we ask him what actually happened between you he will cry some more and say that we will hate him and never come to see him again, he loves us too much to risk telling us the truth that will separate him from us .We know that he is sick Mamie , we know that he has no one but us but we are going to build our own home now , tell us so that we can take some lessons from your story and never make the same mistake again " Ihsan pleaded .D is now crying while Zee consoled the mother and daughter. Call it fate or whatever but Zee has always been there for Zee whenever she needs her the most.
" It's a long story Ihsan, I will tell you later when your Abba is back. Afreen needs to know too, even though she knew some parts of what happened between Abba and Nihal, there's so much she doesn't know " D croaked out while Ihsan nodded, wiping away her tears and that of her mother too .
After ishaa salah when Zee and her entourage had left, Afreen , Ihsan and Ilham gathered at Kaybee's living room, mommy and Ummie were also invited to join the meeting .
" what you want to hear is a heartbreaking story that every child will not love to hear from his parents but since you insisted on knowing then so be it, you should know that it was in the past and it has been destined to happen, you should not change your attitude towards the villains in this story but rather try and not do what they have done " .
" We understand Abba and in shaa Allah we will not act out of proportion ,we are curious and need to know your story " Replied Afreen with her head docked low .
Kaybee narrated everything that happened between him and Nihal ,everyone was shocked to hear the story with the exception of D because over the years he told her everything then mommy who knows some parts of the story.
Afreen was crying profusely by the time kaybee finished his narration, she hugged her dad tightly, something she haven't done since when she was a teenager and on her wedding day before she was conveyed to her husband's house .
" You're a strong man Abba , I love you more after listening to this story. May Allah bless you with the best home in jannah " Turning to D she smiled " thank you for loving me and taking care of me more than your own ,in shaa Allah,you will be happy all through your life and beyond "
It was D's turn and she started trembling, she don't want to relive all those ugly memories especially to her kids but she had to do so, she cleared her voice and told them the story that shocked them too, the twins had thought it might be that Ahmad left her to fend for herself or that he married a second wife but rape was beyond them .
" Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun ! We are daughters of a monster, sired through rape " they wailed at the same time .
" Don't you ever dare say that again, your parents were married when you were conceived " Chastised Kaybee with a stern voice.
" But Abba , it doesn't change the fact that Mamie was raped " retorted Ilham with tears blurring her vision .
" Mamie !" Ihsan called out to her mother and hugged her close , wiping away her tears, Ilham joined them and they cried their hearts out .
" We are the luckiest to have parents like you Abba and Mamie, Abba thank you so much for never making us doubt your love towards us, you've been the best father and confidante ,only Allah will reward you both, you're the strongest people we've come across and we are truly blessed " Ilham said sniffling.
" Alhamdulillah, since you've understood everything and your curiosity had been given it's due, let's all pray for lasting peace in our lives and may something like this never happen to anyone " Interjected Ummie .
" Ameen , I'm so proud of you my granddaughters may you be happy and find peace and love in your spouses " Replied mommy wiping a lone tear .
" Hmm I doubt if I can ever forgive Baba for what he made you go through Mamie " Ilham voiced out her thoughts before running to her room, banging the door in the process. No one made an attempt to talk to her knowing that she will calm down the next day and even Afreen and Ihsan are having a battle in their minds .
When Ibrahim came home later, he wanted to have some quality time with his siblings but the way they are answering his questions and the red puffy eyes told him that something is definitely wrong so he let them be and went to his room. The dinner date with Al'amin was also cancelled .
Two days later, Sudais and Sajeedah came back from school, Sajeedah is in FGGC Bauchi while Sudais is in ATBU hence the reason why they were not able to come earlier than expected.
" Big sis !!!" Sajeedah squealed upon seeing her dearest sister Afreen .
" Little sis!! " Afreen hugged her pinching her cheeks .
" People are loosing weight when away from home but you're gaining more , c'mon tell me the big fat secret" she joked .
" Kai big sis wallahi I've lost a lot of weight ask Ya Ihsan she will tell you the truth "
" Why not ask Ya Ilham?"
" Tabdijan ! She will tell you that you're right "
" I heard you !" Chipped in Ilham who was busy typing on her phone .
" I know you do, by the way, what have I missed ? You guys look so dull, where are my bubbly and so full of life siste
rs??" observed Sajeedah.
" We will be leaving home soon and only come as visitors,do you expect us to be happy ?? Besides I hate the idea of leaving Mamie to you, even though she treats you like an egg already" replied Ilham trying to mask her emotions .
" Ohh ...I see am glad though but I wish it is Yaya Sudais that's getting married, we almost fight on our way back " Sajeedah said squeezing her face .
" Cat and mouse , you guys are always fighting " Afreen said getting up to check what she was cooking in the kitchen .
" mmmmm I smell something delish " Sudais came into the kitchen .
" something delish that you won't get a taste of " Retorted Afreen .
" But why Big sis ? You know I miss your special delicacies "
" really ? Is that why you went straight to your room instead of coming to say hi? "
" I am sorry for that, Abba send me on an errand am just coming back " he apologized scratching the back of his neck .
" Apology accepted now go say hi to the brides before Ilham come for your life "
" Yes ma'am I can't believe we are having another wedding in this house " He whistled popping some nuts into his mouth .
" Crazy human being " Afreen shook her head. Aisha and Abdallah are with their paternal grandparents.
Ihsan ruffled Sudais's combed hair which made him sulk .
" I don't know why you love treating me like a small boy Yaya Ihsee" he complained with a pout while Sajeedah is secretly laughing at him .
" That's because you're my most favorite person on earth, how is in the you? Ya school and everything ?" she enquired with a smile passing him her almost finished bottle of Cway peach .
" am good sweety, ya preparation for the wedding,how's that man that is going to take you away from us ?" He replied gulping down the remaining contents of the bottle .
Just then Ibrahim came in and they shook hands with Sudais .
"Hello there! Am still breathing in case you have forgotten" Ilham waved at Sudais giving him a hard luck .
" How can I forget that you're still breathing ? I'm just so happy to see yaya Ihsee .How are you Sissy ?" Sudais said giving Ilham a goofy grin.
" I'm fine dummy, thank you for asking "
" You're highly welcome dummy's sis " they talked about everything and nothing , had a lot of fun making the three sisters momentarily forget about what is bothering them. At night, they all gathered at the main living room with Ummie and mommy in attendance and had a very memorable family time with laughter and love all over .
After the nikkah the twins were very reluctant to leave their parents and siblings behind. They had promised to visit Ahmad a day to the wedding but changed their minds but were shocked to go to Kaybee's side to see him sitting on the couch waiting for them.
" Good evening Baba" they greeted begrudgingly.
" Good evening and congratulations on your wedding " Replied Ahmad with a weak smile. He sensed that something is wrong because the twins are acting detached.
" thank you " they replied curtly .
" I came to bid you farewell since you didn't come as we agreed upon, may Allah be with you all, may you find peace , happiness and security in your new home. Be like your mother and in Shaa Allah you'll find everlasting peace in your lives " He advised.
" Ameen and I pray that our spouses will not turn out to be like you " replied Ilham with a venemous voice filled with hatred towards her father.
" in shaa Allah they will be nothing like me .I am really sorry , do have a good life and please forgive me before I die "
" How can we forgive you ? You'll die with this burden just as your mother died with the pain you caused her " Retorted Ilham acting like she is going to beat up Ahmad .
" We will forgive you Baba because Mamie raised us well, we don't want to treat you like you've treated your mother because we are seeking for Allah's rahama in our lives and we are better than you, I pray that we will never have kids that will treat us the way you treated our grandmother , thank you for coming, now if you will excuse us, the cars are outside" Ihsan said holding her sister's hands, Ahmad's sobs trailing behind them .
More tears were shed before they finally let go of their siblings who held them in a group hug. The twins can't believe that they will be separated because their new homes are situated in different parts of the town .Al'amin unashamedly shed tears too, he sure is going to miss his besty .
***
D was saying her morning adhkars when Kaybee came back from the masjid , the house is eerily silent since it's just the two of them at home .It has been 3 months since the twins wedding .
" Amin " Kaybee said helping D up from the praying mat.
" Thanks Prince charming " She smiled resting her head on his shoulder.
" You're welcome angel, good morning and how was your night ?" He ask grazing her face with his thumb.
" It was superb alhamdulillah . what about yours Ya hayatee ?"
" Same as yours queen of my heart " he replied and they laughed at the same time .Their love story complete, their hearts filled with content and gratitude to the Almighty .
" You know ...I never thought that there will come a day when I will fall in love again " Kaybee professed .
" We were never in love with our former spouses hun, what we have now is what is called true love, one which is for the sake of Allah and the one which is still strong after 21years of marriage " Replied D smuggling more into him , his chest is her favorite place on earth .
" Yeah I agree with you, there ain't no recess of the burnt embers of our former love ,just this special bound we've created Alhamdulillah for everything " then he kissed her forehead. They stayed in that position for long before finally going back to bed to sleep some more .
°•°
...and I am also saying Alhamdulillah for the gift of the ideas to write this book !!!
Finally finally we are saying good bye which are the saddest words .
Thank you so much for reading this book and supporting me in ways more than one , if you haven't read Her Arrogance His Humbleness please do so I'm slowly editing it .
May we all meet in jannatul firdaus in shaa Allah .
What triggered me to write this book is the society we live in today. We tend to be unappreciative of the things Allah has blessed us with and look ahead. We are so greedy and self centred and we've made our lives revolve around material gain and nothing more .
We also fall in love with the wrong people and yes there's marital rape, without your consent and when a man forced himself on you it's rape whether you're married or not .
Another thing is that we don't usually seek for Allah's guidance when choosing our life partner , we tend to focus on our feelings more than seeking for the khair in our relationships.
Our parents are the best thing that will ever happen to us because their love is the most selfless and honest, love them, cherish them, care for them, pray for them and above all respect them .You can't expect to find Allah's rahamah in your life when you treat them badly .
May Allah (SWT) bless our lives and keep it free from sadness and calamities that are beyond us .May we find happiness and have the taqwa to pass through any test that will come our way .
Wassalamu alaikum warahamatullahi ta'ala was barkatuhu.
With much love and best wishes .
Aishatu