"Come here"

I walked close to him and held my hands together, pleading. He waves the belt in his hand, testing it by slapping it over his left hand repeatedly.

"I warned you not to insult my mother and sisters anymore. But guess what I hear? You. Nabeela, telling my mother that your family can afford to buy three of those wretched gold necklaces." I blow a large blob of catarrh into my Cotton scarf.

"I didn't say so." I wave my hand frantically hoping he'll understand.
" She lent my earring and necklace set, and said someone stole it a few weeks back. I saw it on her earlier. I asked and I got insulted." He hisses.

"What good does it do you anyways. Isn't it just a necklace, you've always been ugly that's why you need it. And no one would ever love you so you need your gold and diamond to feel loved." He waves the belt again but I feel more pain than the belt could ever give.

"I'm pregnant. I'm carrying your baby Nadir." His eyes widen and I congratulate myself for the effort. He won't beat me anymore. Its just as Hajiya said, he'll soften once there is a child involved.

"You think you can lie to me?" I shake, loosing hope like stepping into a quicksand.

"I'm not lying. Wallah. I'm not lying." I walk back and hit the wall in my haste to get away from him. Oh Allah, my baby.

"Come closer, come here." He plops down on a stool he'd moved to the edge of the coffee table.

"Lay down there." I laid on the cold coffee table with tears rolling down my eyes.

The first hit lands on my back and I cry out, others hit me in succession. My back hurts so I try to turn my front to shield my back, forgetting my baby. He flogged me till he got weak and I slid to the floor in tears.

He went to the Suratul Al-Fathia frame on the wall and flung it in my direction in blind rage. The glass missing me by inches. He walks out and I collapse in more tears.

When the Adhaan for Isha sounds, I feel something trickle out of me but I'm too weak to even touch myself. I find energy deep into myself and touch between my legs and my hands come back sticky with blood. My hands hang limply in my side.

Someone gets into the room and I see its Adeel. "Adeel. Help." I croak out silently. He walks close and touches my legs and looks at them.

"Beela, this is blood." He smiles  and becomes Nadir making me scream.

"Innalilahi." I wake up to a night light on in the bathroom. I look around and burst into tears.

I lost my baby, I wasn't able to protect my baby. My child, my first.

I wrap my hands around my belly and shake with sobs when the alarm is set for Fajr rings out loud. I got out of Adeel's bed in his father's house and walked to the bathroom to perform ablution.

I performed ablution and wore a grey hijab that I pulled off when I came in late last night. I set out my mat and began to pray.

Just as I ended my prayer, I remembered my nightmare and prayed for Adeel, prayed for myself and my lost baby. Nothing in world hurt more than that loss.

I get up to strip my clothes to take a shower. Its Baaba's sixty fifth birthday and though he's not having a celebration, Maama asked that we come over to celebrate since Adeel and Mohammed went to France to get an international license for the Hassan Airline.

I walk out of the shower feeling refreshed, the bad dream pushed to a far corner of my mind.

I dress in a blue boubou and tie a  white scarf around my head and check the time. Its six-thirty so I walk out of the room, shutting the door behind me.

I walk to the kitchen downstairs carefully, making sure my rubber slippers don't make a sound. I reach the kitchen in no time and then turn the door knob into the heated room. 

Maama is there, her back turned to me, mixing what looks like pancake batter.

"Good morning Maama." She turns to me and smiles brightly at me.

"Asalam Alaykum Habibty. How did you sleep?" I reply her salam and say that I slept well.

" Please help me get the chocolate cake out of the refrigerator and place it on the counter." I place my phone on the counter and walk to the refrigerator to get the cake out. I open up to bags of chinchin, rows of doughnuts and a large size chocolate cake. I take it out, carefully balance it on my left arm and shut the door nearly walking into a sleepy Zeenah.

"Good morning Ya Nabs." I smile at her and walk past her to put the cake in front of her.

"Madam Zeenah, is this your 4:30?" Zeenah grumbles and sets herself on one of the kitchen stools.

"Maama, My body knows its a Sunday." Maama looks up from the cake she's frosting with pursed lips. I walk back to where my phone is.

"Zeenono, you see those veggies in front of Nabeela, you take the carrots, let her take the others." Zeenah grumbles again and this time Maama's doesn't even look up.

I shift the carrots to my side silently and let her have the others. I need something to take my mind off the fact that I still see Husband number one in my dreams. That the memories from those days still hunt my sleep.

"Maama." Zeenah's voice makes us look up.

" Didn't Baba say he didn't want a celebration, why are we still cutting so much veggies for fried rice." Maama seemed like she had had enough of Zeenah.

"Zee, do you think, Nigerians listen when you say you don't want a celebration? Even if they don't come to celebrate, they'll still come to eat. Remember what happened at Adeel's wedding?" Zeenah keeps quiet and we work in silence for a while. Maama told me that they had at least two hundred people come to the house on our wedding day when she had only prepared for just a close set of family and friends.

An hour later, we finish cutting the veggies, the cake is back in the fridge with gorgeous icing and sixty five white chocolate drizzled  cherries on top.

"Thank you both. He'll cut the cake at breakfast so please go get ready." Zeenah and I climb the stairs.

"Ya Nabs, can you help me with makeup?" I nod and we walk into her room.

"I'll call you on the intercom once I'm dressed." I reply her and walk to my room to get dressed.

I take out the Ankara skirt and blouse with tulle sleeves I'd picked to wear. It was one of those brought with my lefe.

I dress up slowly and add some makeup to my already dull eyes when the intercom rings. Its from Zeenah's room and walk there tiredly. My body feels listless.

I'll schedule to see a therapist, as much as I think I can do this alone, it isn't working out so much anymore. Its sapping out my life's energy more and more.

I knock the door that has Zeenah's name on it and other sundry instructions that I can't reconcile to Zeenah but looks more like what Zarah would do.

"Sorry, I was on the phone." I smile automatically and wiggle my eyebrows at her. She eyes me lightly.

"He's just a friend. Besides Baaba might not let me marry a Pakistani so I'm not going to let him feel like he has a chance. And Ya Nabs, Love sucks." She huffs and sits at the vanity table. I walk there and take out her makeup stuff.

"That's what you all say. Until we hear he has come to see Baaba for your hand." I raise an eyebrow at her mockingly. She averts her eyes with a sigh and I take it as a sign to talk about it later.

"I just want to look good for our pictures. I don't know why we must have visitors." I'm tempted to tell her she's complained about that at least a hundred tines.

A few minutes later, we walk down the stairs to the dining room. The table has been set.

"Let's go to the gazebo. To take some pictures." I nod and we walk in that direction. A text breaks my stride.

Adeel Baba Hassan: Missing me yet?

I purse my lips and shake my head.

Me:Miss you?

I lock the screen of my phone and walk faster to catch up with Zeenah. She stands under a shade of climbing plants.

"Turn towards the sunlight, so I can catch it against your skin." She nods and poses.

I take her pictures with my phone when we hear the sound of a car's engine and doors slamming. Zeenah groans and we straighten our skirts to walk to the front door.

Abother text comes in.

Adeel Baba Hassan: I miss you glowering at my back in the kitchen in the mornings. I got you something I know you are going to like.

I stare at my phone in anger. When have I ever glowered at him? He's a joker. I type an angry reply.

Me: When have I ever glowered at you? What's there to glower at in the first place? And I hate Paris and everything in it, so, thanks but no thanks.

His reply comes in immediately.

Adeel Baba Hassan: You glower at my back. Back. Besides its all yours so 😋, you don't need to glower, just ogle.

I'm also not in Paris, I'm in Lyon. And I found the perfect gift for you. You'll see when I come. 😜😜.

I roll my eyes and hiss lightly before walking out into the sunshine of the front yard.

*****

I carefully pulled my pyjama shirt over my head, careful not to stain it with the cream on my face. I pulled on my satin bonnet and walked into the room. It has been a really long day.

"I hope you enjoyed your day." I hold my hand to my chest in fright and the towel I was holding drops. Adeel is back.

"Why didn't you warn me." I eye him lightly and walk to the clothes basket on the other side of the room.

"Because, it would no longer be a surprise. No welcome for me?" I stare at him and try to regulate my breathing. I had been frightened silky.

"Welcome." I grumble out and walk to my side of the bed in unconcealed annoyance.

"Wow. So much for trying to be home early." I turn to look at him again and see something like hurt mixed with amusement in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. Welcome back. How was your trip?" He smiles widely and turns to his bedside to take something, its in a large box. I collect it and try to guess its contents.

"Thank you. But you shouldn't have." He shakes his head and gestures for me to open it. I unknot the ribbon and tear the pink wrapping paper.

Its in a big white box, I open up and there's a black carved box in it. I unclamp the small knob, springing the box open.

"Oh my Allah. Oh Adeel." I turn to him, tears smarting my eyes.

"Thank you so much. Its such a beautiful present." He smiles at me and nods. I go through it again, its a set of brushes with a removable bristles holder. The holders have my name on it.

"May Allah bless you abundantly. Thank you so much." He waves his hands and walks off to the bathroom.

I inspect the holders carefully. My full name and initials are engraved on it. I pick out the biggest one and hold it out to light. I hold it to my nose, it has the scent of rosewood. Means he must have commissioned for it to be made a long time ago.

I received a gift without asking, how heartwarming.

And it isn't even my birthday yet.

*******

Hello everyone,

How are you all? How was your weekend? I spent half of it sleeping.💆💆😋😋

This chapter ehn, hot, cold, lukewarm at the same time. 😓😖🙈

And Adeel is goals. 😖😖Somebody should buy me a notarized notebook. Abegg😫😫😫

Finally, its Chapter 40. The big 40. GAKDIMSNSJSKSNSKKW. That's how excited I am. 🙊🙊🙉🙉🙌🙌💃💃💃💃💃

And nearly 17k *swoons over and over* Love you all, God bless you. Have a great week ahead. See you all on Friday.

      TheOmoope.

💃💃💙💙❤❤💚💛💜💓💕💖💗💞💟