As she entered her room with two bars of chocolate in one hand and her phone in the other, she noticed Ismail's long body on her bed. Stretched out and arms folded. Her heart skipped a beat as different scenarios played in her head for the reason he could be in her room. It had been awhile since he had set foot in her living room, talk about her room.
They no longer had one on one conversations without Zara or Gwaggo being there. And anytime she tried to when 'the leech' wasn't on him, he would avoid her like a plague.
"Why are you standing there like a stranger? Come in, come in." He said felicitously. Just then, Kameela knew why he was there. She walked further into her room and dropped her phone on the dressing table before walking to her bed and sitting beside his feet. She gave him her warmest smile before passing one chocolate bar to him and taking his foot in her hand and started massaging it.
She thought if she had him now she didn't know when next she would. This was an opportunity she had to grasp with two hands. She looked up to see him munching on his chocolate, smiling and eyes closed. She got him where she wanted.
"Ismail?" She called out with her sweetest voice.
"Hmm?" He answered back with his eyes still closed.
"It's been awhile since I had gone to see Mama and Baba. I was wondering if I could go tomorrow?" She ended with a questionable tone.
"Another time." He took another bite with his eyes still closed.
"When is another time?" Kameela tugged on. She didn't want to let go of the topic.
"When I say it is." He opened his eyes and dropped the rest of the chocolate delight on the bedside table. Kameela still had her hands on his foot with her mind flooded with ways on how she could coerce him to let her go when she felt his hands on her face.
She looked up to see a set of fiery eyes burning into her soul. Every thought of parents or visitation left her mind. All she could think about was quenching the fire, the thirst, the hunger.
|•|
The next morning, Kameela woke up before her alarm. Feeling refreshed and satisfied. She turned to her side to see a sleeping Ismail. A flashback of the previous night popped in her head making a slow smile come up her face, shining like the morning sun. It felt magical. Then she thought it was because she hadn't done it in awhile. But she knew that one was different.
She rose up and went to take a shower before the adhaan. By the time she had come out, her bed was empty. She figured he'd gone to the mosque. She prayed and read her azkaar before taking a nap.
Waking up, her stomach had already began to rumble. She quickly brushed her teeth before heading downstairs to have the most important meal of the day.
After receiving an earful from Gwaggo after attempting to greet her, she walked to the kitchen lackadaisically. She felt nothing could kill her mood. Just after entering the kitchen, she saw her and yes, her joy died down a bit.
She was seated on her usual place. Back to chair, left hand rubbing her abdomen while her right hand was holding the two slices of bread together. Since she shared the news of her pregnancy, she always rubbed her stomach, especially when Kameela was in the room. Even when there was no bump. Kameela could see it showing now, which is mainly because of her insanely tight garments.
Kameela walked further into the kitchen and made breakfast for herself. She knew Zara was watching her every move but she could care less. As she dropped her plate of bread, egg and baked beans and her mug of warm milk, she sat down and ate her breakfast in her usual slow pace.
Washing down her scrumptious breakfast with her milk she heard a loud hiss from the other side of the table. She knew it was Zara and something made her smile. It was the satisfaction she got from annoying her by doing absolutely nothing but mind her business. That smile rattled Zara more and she flew out of her seat.
"Ke! Because Ismail finally slept in your room, you're now feeling like you're important ba?!? Toh let me tell you that it's because of me he slept in your bed. So you should thank me!" Kameela wasn't having any of that so she just took her plate and mug to the sink and went to her room.
Upon entering her room, she heard her ringtone and she rushed to her phone. Picking up the phone, she saw Mama on her screen. She immediately picked the call. They chit chat while Kameela goes to her wardrobe and started sifting through her clothes.
"So when are you coming to visit us? You haven't come in awhile" Kameela awkwardly let out a cough-laugh.
"In Shaa Allah Mama soon. How's your store going? You said Bilki left right?"
"Yes she's gone. When is soon? This weekend? I won't be around. I would be having a guest over. What about today. I'm free."
"I have the appointment today Mama. Which guest is coming?"
"None of your business."
"Why don't you come Mama?"
"How many times have I told you that it is considered rude if a mother keeps going to her child's marital home?"
"But you don't 'always' come."
"Sorry Kameela. I've got to go. I'll call you later." And the line went dead. She sighed and attempted tossing her phone unto her bed which turned out to be a failure when the phone bounced off the bed and crashed unto the floor.
Just at the moment Gwaggo entered her room, Kameela let out a loud groan. Letting all her frustration of her futile attempt to get Ismail to allow her go home and her phone call with her mother out with one sound.
"La la la la la la la la! Wannan karan kaman alade! So because you're used to eating pigs in that your England of a place you now want to sound like them ko? Wait ma, who where you directing the sound to?" Kameela felt the insane urge to roll her eyes at the ever so dramatic woman.
"No one." She replied under her breath.
"You don't even want to answer me ba? Ashe kin iya rashin kunya!"
"Gwaggo I answered you." Kameela answered a bit louder.
"Kai! I wonder where Ismail found you. How could someone be rude and worthless at the same time?"
"Gwaggo I answered you!" Kameela yelled. Gwaggo was shook to the core. She always expected Kameela to stand down anytime they had a squabble and now that she seemed to want to have a tad bit of control, Gwaggo wasn't having any of it.
"Ismail! Ismail!" Ismail rushed out of his room and made way to Kameela's room.
"Na'am Gwaggo."
"Can you see this nonentity you call a wife?"
"Gwaggo what happened?"
"I came all the way upstairs with my weak knees to tell her to come down and eat breakfast and she just started to shout at me." Gwaggo said somberly like she was a victim. Ismail's face lit up a bright red shade. Ears hot. Knuckles white.
"What is wrong with you?!? How dare you raise your voice at Gwaggo?!? If you could do it to her, you might as well do it to me. Don't you have a shread of respect for her?!? If not as my grandmother at least for her old age!"
He raised his hand in attempt to hit the wardrobe to channel his anger when Kameela flinched. The fear in her eyes, the slight tremble in her limbs. The sight broke his heart and he immediately cooled off. How could his wife think he could hit her?
But knowing his grandmother, who could easily say something about charm, he put on his fighting face.
"Go and apologize to Gwaggo!" He yelled before fake storming off. In his heart, he was confused as to why Kameela could possibly think he could hit her. But unbeknownst to him, she feared him. She didn't know her Ismo anymore. All she saw was an Ismail that was bipolar, an Ismail that was a complete stranger.
|•|
Several scrubs later, Kameela walked out of the bathroom. She took her time to dress up before finally going to the part she dreaded. She found Ismail in his living room watching a programme on Nat Geo Wild. She stood fairly close to the door.
"I'm ready." Ismail looked at her with confusion painted on his face.
"For what?"
"The appointment?" She said in a questionable tone. He was always the one to remind her or take her for it.
"Sorry, I forgot."
"It's okay." There was a long pause.
"How are you going to get there there?"
"I could just follow you to work."
"I'm not going now."
"Then Sabo could take me."
"He's going to be with Zara today." She got the hint she had to use a tricycle so she nodded and left.
By the time she got to the hospital, she asked the doctor if she could just receive therapy. She was in no mood to open her legs. By the time she was done, she packed up and left. On her way out of the hospital, her phone started buzzing in her bag. She brought it out but because of the blinding sun, she could hardly make out the caller ID. So she just slid her finger to the right and placed the phone on her ear.
"Hello?"
"Kameela, Sabo is on his way to get you."
"Okay." The phone line went dead without a reply from his end. She walked back into the hospital and sat on a cement bench provided under shade.
Under the shade, she could make out some things on her phone so she managed to increase her brightness. She played around with her phone till she heard her name. She raised her head up only to find none other than her cousin, Safiyya.
"Salamu alaikum."
"Wa alaikummussalam."
"How are you?"
"Just fine."
"I was actually planning on coming to your house later today." Kameela was curious as to why Safiyya would want to come to her house. They only spoke when it deemed necessary. In the range of friendship, they were below acquaintances but above strangers.
"Why? What happened?" Safiyya unzipped her bag and searched through it. She pulled out a navy blue card then handed it over to Kameela who opened it quickly as her curiousity got the best of her patience. She saw in bold cursive prints, Safiyya's name and a dude named Hamisu Abdullahi.
"Wow! Congratulations Safiyya."
"Thank you. Your anko is with Amina or Manal. I'm not sure who I gave it to."
"No problem, I'll just ask them."
"Okay then. I'll be off now. Bye."
"Bye." Safiyya walked off while Kameela looked at the card one last time before stuffing it in her bag. As she pulled on the zip to close her bag, her phone started ringing. Sabo was here.
After exchanging pleasantries, the car went silent except for the news in the background from the radio that Sabo always had turned on. The car ride was the usual with Sabo commenting on stuff from the radio or what calamity was happening in the road ahead of him. Kameela never replied his comments because she wasn't too sure if he was talking to her and she found most of what he said irrelevant. All was good till Sabo took a wrong turn.
"Where are we going? Or is there traffic on the usual route?"
"Oga said I should pick up Aunty after I pick you up." Sabo referred to Zara as aunty while he referred to Kameela as madam with Gwaggo as hajiya of course. Zara still put up a fight for wanting the 'madam' title. Ismail had to interfere and told her to acknowledge the fact that Sabo is already used to calling Kameela madam. She let it go eventually after telling Gwaggo and yelling around, her two favourite activities.
Kameela scowled. She hates being in the same area with Zara. Zara was an extremely annoying person you couldn't get away from. She was always there and her sole purpose was to annoy Kameela. Like a child. But definitely not as innocent.
They arrived at a cream gate and Sabo honked. Seconds later, the gate slid to the left and Sabo drove in. After parking the car, Sabo picked up his phone and called Zara, alerting her he was in the compound. After receiving her short 'okay' response, he hung up and relayed the message to Kameela.
Many minutes later, Zara was still not out yet. Kameela needed to pray her asr prayer and telling Sabo to take her home and come back will cause a fracas she wasn't in the mood for. So she was left with one choice, to go inside.
She slowly walked into the house, not sure of what to expect as she treaded carefully. Entering what seemed to be the main living room, Kameela saw ladies everywhere. Some adorned with henna that was freshly done. She quietly said a salaam before fully entering the lively room. She scanned the room to see if she could find an area she could pray. Suddenly, she saw a girl rush to her and kneel in front of her.
"Good afternoon adda Kameela." Kameela quickly bent down and picked up the girl from the ground. Looking at her face, she realised it was Zara's cousin, Maryam. The young girl that brought food for the first week of Zara's marriage. She got along with her just fine, except when Zara was around.
"Please I'm begging, stop greeting me like that. You're making me feel like I was born a century before you." The cheerful girl giggled and put her arm around Kameela's arm.
"Sorry adda. When I saw adda Zara alone, I thought you weren't coming at all."
"I was busy. I'm here now." Kameela said instead of saying she wasn't invited.
"It's fine. I don't know where adda Hauwa is. She disappeared after her henna was done. I know she would love to meet you." Kameela was utterly confused by what the girl was saying and Maryam picked that up.
"The bride, Hauwa, is my sister." Kameela nodded her head slowly as what the girl previously said started making sense.
"Let me go and get you food. What do you want? We have sinasir, waina, tuwo, jollof rice and fried rice."
"I'm not really hungry." The girl pouted.
"Haba adda Kameela, how could you come to my house and not eat anything."
"You know what, let me pray first then I'll eat."
"Okay then. Let me take you to my room." Kameela followed the girl as they passed several bunches of gossip circles. On arriving at the room, Maryam showed her the bathroom while she splayed the mat on the floor and dropped a hijabi on it before exiting the room.
While praying, the door to Maryam's room opened and a chorus of laughter echoed around the room.
"Zainab, go get that kunun zaki for Zara to drink before she leaves." A round faced girl whose face was covered in pimples and sweat said.
"Please no. I don't want." Zara dismissed as she fixed her scarf that was in the tura muga tsiya style which perfectly fit her personality.
"What do you mean you don't want? Aren't you the one that always requests for it whenever you come to this house." The third girl said.
"I am. It's just that the baby doesn't like it." Zara knew exactly what she was doing.
"Baby?" The confused small girl, Zainab, asked.
"Congratulations!"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to keep it a secret for awhile."
"You live in the same house with the co-wife right? Don't allow your children to play with her children before they attempt anything because of the bad blood they've inherited from their mother." Zara let out a loud wicked laugh.
"She doesn't have children. She's barren."
"Barren?"
"Then why is she still in the house?"
"Abi, what's her use in the house if she can't reproduce?" Kameela was done with her prayer and she didn't bother doing zikr because she couldn't bare to hear more. She stood up from the mat, pulled the hijab away from her body then scrambled out. Zara all along knew it was Kameela. Her precious cousin had told her while they were at the backyard. That's why she urged her crew of four to go back inside.
After another long wait, Zara finally came out of the house with her trusted team. They bid her farewell and they finally head home.
|•|
The next day which was a faithful bright afternoon was the day Kameela decided she's had more than enough. It was just the third month of Gwaggo's overdue stay and she'd just put her hands on her. She wasn't a punching bag so she couldn't possibly stay were she was regarded as one. She wished she had the heart to hit Gwaggo back but she couldn't bring herself to doing it. So leaving was the opportunity cost of hitting Gwaggo. She packed most of her clothes, leaving behind the unnecessary flashy outfits behind.
When Zara had entered Kameela's room to taunt her, she noticed the two boxes on the floor. The big one already full while the small one was still being stuffed with clothes.
"You're going!" Instead of the phrase coming out as a question, it came out more like a statement. Zara got goosebumps out of shear happiness. Zara scrambled to Kameela's side.
"Do you need help?" Kameela ignored her as she pulled out the the clothes at the bottom row of her wardrobe. She stood up and scanned the room to make sure she hadn't left anything before picking up her extremely large toiletries bag and placing it atop her clothes. She pulled down the box cover in attempt to cover it but Zara rushed to the floor and pulled the zip for her. Kameela knew Zara was happy she was leaving she just couldn't understand why she hated her.
"Zara, why do you hate me?" Zara looked at Kameela despicably.
"You don't get it do you?" Kameela shook her head in the negative. Zara simply walked away and started yelling Sabo's name. By the time Kameela had adjusted her boxes so that they were standing, Sabo had already come upstairs and Zara had ushered him in.
"Sabo take these boxes outside and stop a tricycle." She looked at Kameela who gave off no expression.
"Did you want to use the car? You see, the car is only for we who actually live in the house." Zara looked at Kameela one last time before shuffling to tell Gwaggo the great news. Kameela wore her hijab and left the house without bothering to see Gwaggo on her way out. She went out to find Sabo stuffing her boxes in the tricycle. He looked back to find Kameela waiting for them.
"Madam, are you sure you don't want me to take you?"
"No thank you Sabo." He moved away from the entrance while she dashed her kind smile to him as she passed him to enter her ride. She told the driver her destination and that's how they zoomed off, to her home.
Hours later, a tired Ismail got back home craving just one thing, Kameela's massage. The one she did with her lavender scented lotion after he'd taken a nice warm shower. After greeting an oddly extremely happy Gwaggo, he went straight to his room. He took a shower as quickly as his tired body could afford. Wearing his plaid pyjamas, he walked to Kameela's room. He found it empty so he easily assumed she was in the kitchen or bathroom and he was too tired to check so waiting for her was his only option. He laid down on her bed and waited and waited and waited and slept.
Ismail woke up to his natural alarm clock. It took him few seconds to realise where he was and why he was there. He turned to his other side and found the bed empty and still neat on that side. He was confused but he still had to get up and go to the mosque.
After coming back, he didn't go and do the first thing he always did after getting back from the mosque which was to greet Gwaggo. He perambulated the house to look for Kameela. He even revisited her room to make sure he didn't 'over look' her. He couldn't find her anywhere and his mind kept bringing up bad situations as to why he couldn't find her. He finally went to Gwaggo's room to get the answers to his questions and he knew she knew the answers.
He entered her room and found her where he always did whenever he came in, on her praying mat. She knew it was Ismail so she didn't bother to turn her back as she continued with her zikr. He sat on the carpet and greeted her and she nodded in response before silence took over.
"Um Gwaggo, I was wondering if...do you know whe...have you seen Kameela?" He managed to crook out. Gwaggo laughed at his question before turning to face him.
"Why are you just asking now? Something that I've even forgotten has happened."
"What happened?"
"That thing has gone back where she belongs. Her father's house."
"Why? What happened?"
"Do I know for her? When you go upstairs, remind Zara to drink her magani just the way the Mallam has prescribed." Just like that, Gwaggo dismissed the issue. Ismail couldn't think of a single reason why she would go home. He wanted to go and ask her why and drag her back where she belonged. His house.
He looked out and the sun was just coming up, he couldn't possibly go to his in-laws now but at the same time, he couldn't just sit around and do nothing. So he went back to his room, showered, dressed up, got his keys and headed out. When he opened the front door, a voice called out to him.
"Ismail! Ismail!" He turned around to see Zara with her pyjama dress and a wrapper around her chest. He turned back around and kept on walking towards his car.
"Ismail!" She kept on yelling and walking as fast as she could. He stopped by his car and waited till she caught up.
"Where are you going?"
"To get my wife."
"But I'm also your wife." Ismail looked at her one last time before going into the car and zooming off. He reached the Azeez Household in a matter of minutes. But he knew it was still too early to go in so he just parked his car by the gate and waited.
He started getting hungry but he didn't want to leave. He looked at the time and decided it was no longer too early, just early. He got out of the car and walked into the compound and stood infront of the front door before he finally knocked. After two sets of knocks, the door was opened by TaRasulu. She moved aside and he walked into the house. She showed him to the living room were he sat down and waited. Several minutes later, she walked in with a huge tray in her hand and Ismail was over joyed, his stomach was starting to have a concert. She dropped it on a side table and carried the whole bunch to his front. Immediately she left, he stuffed the meal into his mouth and washed it down with the tea provided.
TaRasulu came back and took the tray away. He rested his back on the sofa and waited. He almost dozed off but he resisted. He heard a salaam and he turned his head sharply to find his father-in-law/uncle. Ismail had always being more afraid of his uncle than his father. His father was just very authoritative but this man sitting in front of him was authoritative and scary. He immediately squated and greeted him before sitting back up. A loud silence hung over the living room. Ismail didn't know how to start the conversation. Kameela's father picked up the hint and started.
"Kameela came back home yesterday in the evening. Complaining and crying that your grandmother had hit her. She brought her stuff with her. She's going to be staying for awhile before she goes back with you." Alhaji Azeez pronounced. Ismail couldn't believe what was entering his ears. He was here just to pick up his wife and now he's hearing something about Gwaggo hitting her and her not going back where the him.
"Bappa, when will she coming back?"
"Not anytime soon. I'll contact Alhaji Ali so we could have a proper talk on this but for now, go home." With that, the tall man left the living room. Coming to a realisation she wasn't going back with him, he picked his body up and walked away.