"Baba please i want my wife back" he begged but his father ignored him as usual. He went on his knees close to his father "dan darajan Allah baba kayi hakuri" Still no response.
Pleading was not helping, his father was taking no excuses. Abdulzahir spent the weekend in Abuja, but Zainab was kept from his sight. Knocking on his sister's room knock-knock, she opened the door, seeing it was him, she rolled her eyes and went back to her table where she was drafting a statement. Everyone was tired of his frequent visits, especially Benazir.
"baki iya gaisuwa ba?" he asked unable to hide his irritation.
Benazir ignored him. Like some sibling relationship, Abdulzahir and Benazir hardly get along. Maybe when she needs something from him or he needs something from her.
She could never tolerate him and even less now that she was reaching her own heights. She continued her work not minding his presence. "keh! I'm i not talking to you?"
"Abdul, please leave my room, cant you see I'm working? Haba...!" she hissed mtswwww
Abdulzahir started boiling inside, why is everyone just chasing him away, including his baby sister. Every room he enters, he was asked to leave, he didn't like it. she wasn't that much younger than him though but still, he just wanted to ask about Zainab. "where is Zainab?"
"gata a hanci na, na boye ta" she said casually without looking up.
"keh wai yaushe na zama tsaran ki ne?"
She stopped what she was doing and looked at him "toh ko nima dukan nawa zaka yi?" she asked raising one of her eyebrows.
He hissed tswwww "wawiyya" and he left, banging her door behind him
"ga ka nan katon wawa" she muttered "nonsense kawai"
After spending the weekend in Abuja and not seeing Zainab even once, Abdulzahir came back to kd on Monday and refused going to work. That same monday morning Barr. Usman called Zainab, after giving her a formal apology for his son's wrong doings he asked her if she wanted to go back, after a long silent thought "eh, zan koma" she decided it was long overdue and though she was enjoying Abuja with Benazir giving her the time of her life, her place was in kd with her husband, or so she thought.
Around 10am Benazir and Zainab took the road to kd. They became close since Zainab was in Abuja, Benazir was finally done with law school and had plenty of time to spend with Zainab.
Finally the car stopped inside Zainab's house, the gateman came to help her carry her bags. "Come inside?" she asked Benazir who was still comfortably seated in the car
"No!!! I have so much to do before leaving, ba time. Beside i don't even want to see that thing you call a husband"
"well it's a good thing he's your brother"
"please!" she waved her hand "i think that one was adopted, anyway, this time around banda hakuri Zainab. Don't ever tolerate his nonsense again" she gave Zainab a warm smile "Allah ya bada zaman lafiya. Luck my sister, you need it"
"Amin Thank you, Call me when you're leaving" she waved while they drove out of the house.
She never knew how much she missed her home, now even the breeze felt so different and clean.
It was a good thing she took her keys when packing, though she saw his car, she didn't think he would skip work. She opened the door to the parlor and took her luggage straight to her room. The house was messy. When she came out of her room, she saw Abdulzahir coming out of his room.
They both stopped from a distance, hearts racing out of control, her's atleast was. Most of her last memory of him where negative, the beating, slapping Tahira, and when he was asked to divorce her. She still Wonder's why he didn't just do and be free of her. He just watched her from the distance.
Abdulzahir wanted to rush to her side and hug her, he never knew she was useful to his life till she wasn't there anymore. He just watched her feeling relaxed that she was finally home.
Zainab thought she was over everything he did to her, but she wasn't, seeing him now just got something so hard stuck in her throat. You could have done better Zainab she thought to herself.
He walked towards her and she felt her heart racing, she was scared, the fear of how he shut his eyes and assaulted her came rushing to her face. Coming to stand a few inches away her, she moved back, making sure there was running distance between them.
Abdulzahir noticed the fear written all over her face, he did move closer, he decide to leave the space between them. He thought of what to say, I'm sorry, perhaps? But he couldn't say them.
"I miss you" he whispered, so thin she could mostly just imagine the words. He reached out to touch her but she moved away faster than his reach. He watched her for a minute or two, analyzing the details of her face. There was a bruise on the side of her chin, he wondered how it got there, he was so careful not to hurt her face.
He withdrew quietly without another word and back to his room. Zainab exhaled hard, tears trying to make their way out, she forced them back together with the anger that was keeping her from swallowing. That was his 'I'm sorry', his 'how was your journey', his 'i love you' and his 'I'm glad you're back home.'
She went back to her room wishing she stayed in Abuja. Benazir called to ask if everything was alright, Zainab told her what happened and she hissed. "do not lift a finger in that house today kinji? Just rest and ignore him" one thing that always gave her peace of mind was that her in-laws really liked her.
Zainab called her maid, informing her she was back and telling her to come to work immediately. A few minutes later and the woman came and Zainab instructed her to clean while she cooks.
His phone rang the 3rd time and he glanced at it again the third time, seeing it was still Benazir he almost ignored it again but then he decided to pick up to find out what she wanted. "hello?"
"dearest brother, wallahi if you don't get your shit together you will lose Zainab forever, kai din banzan ka? Ko kyau baka da shi sai rainin hankali, continue treating her like she's not human. Dan ka ga tana hakuri? but wallahi komin hakuri akwai gejin shi, idan kunne ya ji, jiki ya tsira. Idan ko kunne baya son ji, jiki ya wahala"
Before he could outter a word she hung up "kutumar uba!" he said out loud, when did Benazir start disrespecting him like this? And there was nothing he could do to her, because he wasn't on his parents good side. He called her back but she refused to pick and eventually she turned off her phone.
He thought about what she said for a minute, he was thinking about what happened between him and Zainab before Benazir called, the situation was poorly handled, no doubt. Was this the same girl he was going up and down Abuja to get back. He wanted to hug her and tell her he was sorry, he wanted to tell her he missed her, and when he neared her he saw she was scared he might hurt her. He didn't know how to assure her he wouldn't.
He was still bothered by what Teemah said to him the other night "Barrister Usman said the same thing when he called the other night" he pressed her to tell him what she meant but she just walked away and left him following her till he could no longer follow her.
He was so uneasy. She said something very nasty when he came in the day time. Everything was bothering him. It bothered him so much because he had been hearing stories about how young girls now prefer old men because it was easy money. "Could it be possible?" he whispered, then he shook off the thought as easy as it came. Knowing his father was nothing like all those sugar daddies.
***
He knew exactly when her mom was usual out of the house, she never goes anywhere anymore. The next day Abdulzahir went to see Teemah, again. He couldn't sleep the night before wondering why she keeps involving his father, it pained him that she dared to do that simply because she knew he couldn't hurt her. His father was not her playing mate and he came to tell her just that.
Bang! bang! bang! After all his knocks went on deaf ears, he knew she was home because her car was parked in the compound. Bang! Bang! Bang! He banged on the door again and again till she finally opened the door, shoving it wide open, hard. "ka fa matsa wa rayuwa ta, meye? meye wai? Haba! Haba!!"
Abdulzahir ignored her walking inside and closing the door "i need to talk" he said back ignoring all her complains. Everyday he gets more armored protected from her insults.
"I slept with your dad" she said in an angered expression aimed to cause pain.
For a moment the world stopped and he couldn't hear anything, it was like all his senses were disabled and at that moment he understood, the misfortunes of disability. He stood shock still looking at her, and then the words came rushing back. He felt a sharp pain to the left side of his head and he had to press his forefinger and middle finger to the side of his eyes.
He couldn't move, he just watched her. Observing, trying to determine how serious she was. "Teemah baba na ba abin wasan ki bane ba fa, ki dena min irin wannan. I'm almost done making excuses for you"
"you seem to think I'm only trying to hurt you, I'm telling you the truth, my laptop is right beside you on the console. Have a look" she suggested. She walked passed him to her room.
He moved to check the laptop and then stopped. What if she was really saying the truth, was he sure he wanted to see what was on that laptop? It sounds like a foolish and petty way to lie just to upset him.
He went to look and saw the most disturbing image of his father and he jerked off immediately, sliding to the floor "inna lillahi wa inna illahirrajuuun" he continued chanted the words, knowing that what he saw could not be unseen.
Teemah came back with receipts and throw them on him. His father was always a show off, whenever he got her something he would give her the receipts so she could see how much he spent on her. Abdulzahir pick the first paper that caught his attention. It was the receipt to her KIA shortage in his father name paid and delivered.
Abdulzahir glued to the floor, the world began to spin, rush of emotions, anger, hate, disgust.
"I tried to tell you, so many times since we were kids.." her explanation got cut short, he stood up abruptly and pulled her back firmly, his hands reached to grasp at her throat, pressing her to the wall. She made a loud scream, which was short lived by how hard he was choking her. "you a prostitute now? Huh? my father? Are you stupid??? huh? I'll kill you"
He circled both his hands against her throat and hit her head to the wall. Hard. She struggled against his firm grip, trying to pry away his fingers. "Abdulzahir!" she cried out in a low down tuned voice.
"Why??? What didn't i do for you? Was he better? You cheap whore!!!" His rage took control of him, how dare she betray him so. The pain of how she cheated him was a hundred times more painful knowing she did it with his father. The betrayal was too much on both sides, his father knew how much he loved her and there was nothing he wouldn't do for her and he did everything for her.
He smashed her head against the wall again so hard it made a loud sound. Blood started to drip from her head. "my own father?" Her hands fell useless by the sides, she used her last breath to try and scream for help, but her screams was soundless. Slowly she began to lose consciousness.
He let his rage control him but the physical pain she was feeling was nothing compared to the pain she subjected him to. He watched her struggle and he wished he could do worse. He saw her losing consciousness and yet his angered wasn't subsiding. Something kept telling him to let her go but he couldn't. He watched her face and saw the girl he loved so much, he wanted her dead and yet he loved her so much.
Teemah struggled to stay alive, but his grip was too strong, too angry. As her life was clashing before her eyes, nothing mattered but the physical pain she was feeling. She was face to face with death yet again, she didn't want to die, there was so much she wanted to do, like get married and have children. Reality sets in, that no one was going to save her. She tried to fight as hard as she could but her eyes closed and everything was gone in seconds.
Her hands that were trying to fight him off fell helpless by the side, she suddenly felt heavy on his hands. He immediately dropped his hands letting her fall unconscious to the ground.... He was panting like someone who ran a marathon.
Seeing the blood on the wall caused by how hard he smashed her to it, he immediately fell to his knees trying to bring her back awake "Teemah?" he shook her "Teemah please wake up" he tried to find her pulse but he was slowly losing her.
He laid her on her back, trying to attempt CPR..."Teemah? Come back to me......"
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