•Basma

Yes, I'm the famous Basma El-Nafaty everyone knows.

I'm your go-to-girl for parties, weddings especially, out-of-this-world interior decor and perfect mediation as I am also a renowned marriage counselor.

Typically, a master of none but a jack of all the trades. I got my license to counsel after a few months of graduating from Westminster University. I'd undergone a three year online course for psychology and French while I was training to become a certified counselor.

In a way, I could say my life has finally stabilized.

My story is one I'd like to tag as impaired. Perfect childhood, flawless adulthood till I got married to the self acclaimed neurosurgeon Dr. Jameel Rufai.

Like every other marriage, the beginning was cotton-candy sweet until I found out his secret.

He was a cultist!

For crying out loud I should've seen it with the flashy cars and unending shopping sprees with my friends when he never spoke of his job or how he went about his finances when we all knew he was just a simple doctor that headed the pedeatric ward in a hospital he later bought.

As if that wasn't weird too.

My parents, especially my mother thought it was a good idea to get me married to a very wealthy man till he murdered them.

So basically, they ignored all the red flags despite how obvious it was.

I'd like to think they deserved what he did to them. I may sound insensitive but I'm the most caring and sympathetic person you'll ever meet.

They had it coming when they gave their daughter's hand in marriage to a man they met at a random seminar.

The most despicable part about this whole story was that they forced me to get married at just eighteen when I should've been preparing to enter my second year of university.

I'm not saying marriage is bad at that age because I was matured enough but what happens when it turns to bondage without shackles? Just non-existent chains that can't be cut loose because your parents have chosen not to see it.

Afaf and Sa'adatu were not in the country as of that time so I was left unprotected. It was just a few weeks after my parents death they were contacted. I still don't know why their numbers were unreachable. I knew that they'd have killed him if not for the police that was handling the case.

Jameel was the apple of my eye. Handsome, kind hearted and calm. At 24, he couldn't have been in a better place in life. He had the most beautiful set of eyes and scared me with his kindness because you could take him for granted because he was just the perfect definition of a people-pleaser.

Honestly, I never loved him but I respected him enough to show compassion and be exceptionally loyal but one can only take so much...

Before our marriage he promised me so many things he was yet to fulfill. He was the reason I gave up my education yet he turned me to nothing but a housewife who wasn't even allowed to run her own business just because he was already 'providing'.

All I ever got was monthly trips to different countries and regular pampering for my skin at spa's. That was also for his benefit. He enjoyed touching me when my body felt like freshly baked cake.

To hell with him and his money. My parents were one of the richest people in Africa but they were too greedy. They had a lot of money but a lot wasn't ever going to be enough. At times I wonder what they used all the money to do, including the excess when they weren't into philanthropic activities.

I remember the time Jameel told me he'd send me to university abroad. We agreed on Canada. After a while, he told me he wanted me to be closer to him so I should study at University of Abuja then later said he didn't want me leaving his house at all. But home schooling wasn't even an option for a university student so I gave up on my education entirely.

A friend adviced me to start online in one of the private universities in Nigeria or abroad but I couldn't even if I wanted to because Jameel appeared at odd hours to make me account for some things I made payments for as if I was his child.

He just made marriage look like a relationship between a father and his child, excluding the extra curricular activities of course.

The day I found out he was using dubious means to make money was the night he went out without his phone. I knew that day he was very stressed out because of a deal and some business meeting he had so I intentionally let him go without reminding him to take it.

A message came in from the name Burner. The man sent the picture of a young woman asking him if she was the one he needed her breasts. At first I didn't understand, I was already suspecting him of cheating on me till another message came in and the person asked if he needed her heart and liver too.

For a second there, I thought he was dealing body parts in the black market but I just knew that wasn't it too.

The last straw was when I saw her head too will be used for the sacrifice right?

I was so scared. I'd never been devastated and disgusted in my life. I'm sure at a point I threw up continuously for about thirty minutes whenever I remembered all the pizzas, ice-cream and cakes he used to order for me. But then that wouldn't make me clean again, so...

So all the money and gifts were a mixture of people's organs and their blood.

Just great!

Note the sarcasm in my tone. If only I--we all knew from the beginning.

We argued about it when he came back around midnight with a woman dressed in nothing but a tiny, orange, silk bodycon and a wig that looked too old. A little blow from the wind would send it flying to the floor.

Jameel slapped me when I tried to send her out and promised to kill my parents if I ever spoke of revealing his secret to them or anyone else.

That was the first time he hit me.

Sometimes I believed someone charmed him outside. It could be his mother since she never liked me or some enemies I was unaware of.

That was his first time cheating or so I thought.

If I'm being honest, I just wanted to save her from sleeping with a demon. Who knows, they could end up producing demon offspring.

I thank the Almighty my excuses helped me stay away from his bed even if I couldn't avoid the occasional foreplay we engaged in. Allah saved me from giving birth to infants of a failed marriage I was sure to be ashamed of.

Times like these, I feel it was my fault he started messing around with random women. I can't justify my reasons for doing that but at least I got to know he just was a monster in sheep's clothing.

Eventually things started to change. He was becoming a bit nicer and the number of girls had started reducing. Meaning, less possibilities of catching an STD.

One night I was reading a novel in my room when the door bursted open and in came him and a girl laughing at some stupid joke he made about him not being able to wait for when he can father her children.

"Get out!" I'd said to both of them and he pounced on me, throwing slaps and punches from different angles.

I knew his toxicity had started rubbing off on me when I rose my hand to hit him too. I didn't know I was entering a war zone with a lunatic.

The girl in question just stood there like a mannequin, gawking as if she had no legs to run. I'd never seen him loose his cool like that night. He took out a whip from his wardrobe and lashed my body till my skin was covered in blotches.

Wondering why he has a whip in our home when we have no kids? Well, he's the Nigerian Christian Grey. He was into the whole BDSM scene while I wasn't but I occasionally succumbed to his pleadings after he promised to 'give me a good time', not that he never did. He just always put in extra effort at those times.

For a week, I had bruises and I couldn't tell my parents about any of it. Eventually I got tired and decided to tell them but I begged them not to confront him.

It was as if he had ears and eyes everywhere. I honestly never knew how he found out but a few days later they were found dead in their room on a Sunday morning. Telling them remained my deepest regret because it'd killed them and now I see myself as a murderer.

I don't even consider him the killer because it was my mouth that set everything ablaze. I knew they just wanted to protect their daughter. Who wouldn't?!

About five years later, I heard of a foundation called Lilly Helps. I saw an advert placement for some volunteers in the NGO and a number that could be contacted if or whenever you had a problem.

That night, I just felt some kind of relief when I saw it. I didn't know if Aaliyah could help me but I believed in Allah and I knew he wouldn't let me down so I picked up my phone and called the number.

2 years later, here I am divorced and living happily ever running because my ex husband promised to come back for me once he was out of jail.

Now that my parents are no more, I and my two sisters had to take over the family business and we'd never done it better. As the youngest, I was given the least responsibilities but all the same, we were all putting in effort to see El-Nafaty wears remains in the market for years to come as the number one selling brand in Africa and the whole world.

As the regional director of Lilly Helps in the North, I had to help Aaliyah carry out most of the charity events we held because nowadays she was rarely around. Her shoe brand has taken another turn and now it's on the global market with a price tag those below us can only dream of.

Her being unstable, has also led her to appoint Haneefa; her two faced bestfriend to head the Southwest region and Yusra as the head of the East.

I could safely say I'd been living a safe life, without bodyguards, unlike before. Now that I know Jameel is behind bars I feel a bit happier. I still have my reservations but I know sooner or later his money would get him out. My only fear is not knowing the time he'd be released.

****

It was now or never. I had to make my mind up if I wanted Bashir, Mukthar or Zakari.

They had all been on my mind especially Bashir, since we just met two days ago. I'd been waiting for his call so impatiently that I'd run out of excuses for why I was thinking about him.

I, for one, knew it wasn't love.

It was lust! For his money.

You could call me the daughter of my parents. We could've been a family of crazy rich Africans but now that they aren't here, they'll support me and Afaf in their graves. Sa'adatu was never fond of  spending like Afaf and I so she barely joined us in our trips abroad.

Bashir was the cocky type. I could tell from the way he spoke. He seemed to have a narcissistic nature and for some reason, his clothing and accessories just looked like they weren't his.

In the restaurant, I heard his Nokia ring. I wanted to laugh so loud I'd roll on the ground but I wanted to look nonchalant so I shut him out and enjoyed my food.

I could've thought he was just a chewing gum boy looking for girls higher than his class but then I saw an iPhone X and his car key was for that of a BMW which was similar to my ride but I haven't seen his car so I didn't know what model or edition it was.

I'd like to hire my cousin Ajman to do the investigation for me but I'd rather wait to see where this goes. For once, I want be spontaneous.

I didn't see his car but from his phone and clothes, I could tell he had some dollars behind that bank account.

Something told me he wasn't going to pay for my food but I had to test him so I let him pay without protest when he offered to.

I pretended to be on my phone but all the while, I was watching him. From his wristwatch to his other accessories to the way he approached me spoke affluence and in a way, he looked mysterious. As if there was something he was hiding.

I hope I'll find out with time.

Ajman called a few seconds ago but I refused to pick. Instead I took in deep breaths to prepare myself mentally on what to expect of Zakari--another catch I made at a conference in Egypt while I was with Aaliyah.

I called him back not long ago and the gist came forth like a freshly cooked pot of stew, it sounded pretty nice but hot at the same time.

Ajman was known for the way he loved to gossip like a woman but only his family members knew. I'm guessing that was why he decided to venture into private investigation. He was also the comedian of the house.

"Salamu Alaykum Ya Basma." Ajman greets.

"Wa Alaykumusalam Aju. How are you?"

"I'm good. How is everything?"

"Alhamdulillah. So what's up with the Zakari guy?"

"He's a smart guy but I don't see you two going anywhere."

"Why?"

"He's unstable. Plus he's always chasing different women. We don't want that do we?" He laughed.

"God! Men are unpredictable. I'm tired." I scoffed, "Mukthar?"

"They're the same. Don't be  decieved babygirl."

"Maybe I should just take a break from the dating scene."

"You should."

"I will but after one last hit. I met another man some days ago."

"Are you sure you won't just take the break?" He asks, concerned.

He has always been my favourite and only cousin. We've been close since birth and if not for the difference in months, I'd say we were twins.

After uncle Dantala died, Aunt Lulu; his cousin who was also his wife married another man and they gave birth to Ajman. I never met his Step-father; my uncle, but from the pictures my mother showed me, I could tell he was as handsome as his two other sisters; my mother and Aunt Fatima.

We'd inadvertently have our differences but no matter what we always forgave each other in less than thirty minutes.

I could go as far as saying he was my brother from another mother. Maybe in another life we were really siblings because apart from my sister's, I'd never been loved by any man like my father and Ajman.

"Nah. I'll watch and see how this unfolds. If I need any help I'll call you."

"I'll still do my own investigation. If I see anything suspicious I'll let you know. Don't be too trusting too! I know you."

"Thank you. I wouldn't. After Jameel I've never been the same."

"That man is a devil. I hope you meet someone that loves you as much as you love him too."

"I pray so too. You that you're talking, where is your wife? Up till now mama hasn't spoken about you getting married. Do you want to die unmarried?"

He laughed, "I'm hanging up. We're not having this conversation today."

"Please no! Wait. Can I at least set you up on a date with one of my friends?"

The line went dead.

Another call comes in but it's from an unknown number. I almost never answer calls from numbers I wasn't familiar with so I rejected it till a message popped in, informing me that it was indeed all I'd been waiting for all day long.

The message read, +2348123537238:[20/08/24 23:40]: Salamu Alaykum Hajiya Basma. It's Bashir. How are you doing?

I called back immediately and we got to talking but I still had to pretend I wasn't interested so he wouldn't think I was easy to get.

"How was your day?" He asked.

"It was boring. What did you do today?"

"I... I went to play polo with some friends and went to watch a movie later on. So what have you been up to?" He coughs a bit.

"Sounds cool. I never saw you as the type to play polo. That's nice. I've been sleeping all day. It was my day off from work."

"Oh wow. A working class lady that's smart and beautiful..."

I blushed as soon as heard those words and suddenly I found myself thanking God he wasn't here with me.

"Oh my, you're too kind."

Compliments always got to me then the personality. I saw him giving away money the other day. That was also a plus for him.

Maybe he could join Lilly Helps someday.

"Don't mention it."

It seemed the network was causing a friction with the call because I could hear a buzzing sound.

"I'm... I'm sorry... we'll have to talk some other time. The network here is bad."

My petty self hangs up because I didn't want him to cut the call first. The only person I allow to do that is Ajman and my sisters. The rest... can go to hell.

I may sound like the villain but I'm just a pretty woman  that has no filter for her mouth so I happen to say my mind all the time.

Bash:[21/08/25 12:10]: Chat?

Basma:[21/08/25 12:11]: Ok.

Bash:[21/08/25 12:12]: Tell me about your pretty self.

Basma:[21/08/25 12:13]: Well, I'm a business woman, a charity worker and a marriage counselor.

Who couldn't help her own marriage.

Bash:[21/08/25 12:14]: That's amazing. We could even do some things together. I also do giveaways to charity organizations.

Basma:[21/08/25 12:16]: Wow! That'd be wonderful.

Now I was impressed. A man with a heart of gold always wins. And that's not coming from my gold digging soul.

Bash:[21/08/25 12:17]: So are you single?

I'm very much divorced! But you can't ever know.

Basma:[21/08/25 12:19]: I'm single. How about you? What do you do and how old are you?

Bash:[21/08/25 12:22]: I'm a contract manager. What if I told you I was 20? 😂

Basma:[21/08/25 12:23]: That's good. That's crazy! You're lying😂.

Bash:[21/08/25 12:25]: Just kidding 😂. I'm actually 26. What's your age?

Basma:[21/08/25 12:30]: What if I told you I was 18? 😌

Bash:[21/08/25 12:32]: Then we'll have to take you to court for lying! 😂

Basma:[21/08/25 12:34]: Oh my! Then we'd have to go together because we're both lying 😂.

Bash:[21/08/25 12:36]: You see, I told you we're a perfect match! 😆

Way to kill the mood broda. I am not here to play wifey or date buddies with you. I just want to lavish your money and have fun. As FRIENDS though.

Basma:[21/08/25 12:37]: Ok. So, tell me, are you married?

Bash:[21/08/25 12:40]: I am not married but I'd like to be. I've been thinking of a lady I want to propose to and I hope her and her parents will accept me.

I'm starting to think something is up. Does he not know of my parents demise? Or is he just pretending to get close to me?

If he wants to play games, he should know I'm a master. My skills are no match for his. We shall see if his intentions are as true as he portrays.

If anything, Basma El-Nafaty is smarter than Sherlock Holmes.
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