"All passengers disembarking at the Coast de Lille, please begin to prepare for disembarking at the station de Dubois." The message repeats itself in French and I look around, various passengers have begun to slowly get ready.

Adeel begins to turn off his laptop and zips it into his backpack.

"Ya Kike?" I nod fine.

"Tired already?" I nod. I look around, the scenery from London to Lille was absolutely beautiful. I couldn't spend time on my phone as I planned, I spent time looking around the beautiful scenery as the train sped past.

"It's our turn." He says some minutes later and we get down at a station packed with people.

The station is beautiful, we let off at the VIP lounge and he wheels our joint medium suitcase to the big revolving door.

Once we're out, a blue taxi parks in front of us. Adeel bends to  speak French for a beat, probably telling the lady where we're going. She nods her head and once we're belted she drives off. Confirming my suspicion of his fluent french.

They make small conversation that I don't try to partake in because I'm tired, my period started earlier and I've not been myself ever since.

In the middle of Adeel's conversation with the taxi driver, I fall asleep.

***

I feel myself being carried. I open my eyes in fright and watch as Adeel carries me bodily out of the taxi.

"I'm awake." He grunts but refuses to set me down. A flash of irritation courses through me.

"Adeel put me down and settle the lady." He looks at me and sets me down on the pavement, I adjust my scarf and watch as he pays the lady.

We turn finally and walk into the hotel, a homey hotel called Louis de Cranes.

I walk to one of the bean bag like single sofa in the lobby and sit there with our luggage while Adeel settles our reservation. I'd used the drugs I got from hospital at my last visit.

"Let's go in." We press the button for the elevator, when we step in, I finally look at myself, a mess in my jeans and flowery blue top, with a blackchiffon scarf around my head and neck.

In no time, we reach our room and  once Adeel keys us in, I gasp in surprise, the view is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

"You have the City of Lille spread in front of you." I walk to the glass and carefully put my hand on it.

"Ma Sha Allah." I answer, I turn to him, he's unlacing his sneakers.

"Go take a hot shower, it might help with the pain. I've ordered lunch for us. We'll rest in today and go out tomorrow if you're up to it. Is that okay with you?" I nod and remove my scarf, shake out the tiny braids Maama plaited on my head the day before yesterday.

Once in the shower, I finally lean on the bench in it and allow the hot water to pound my back. I feel temporary comfort and peace from my own body.

*******

"Let's go there and sit." He leads the way to a stone bench over looking a river, the water is still breeze blowing just ripples through it's stillness.

I sit before he does, he's busy setting our shopping bags around us.

"We came to Lille as children twice." He chuckled.  "Maama hates Paris, she said it was too corny, overrated and overvalued." I laugh and whoop at his words.

"Finally someone that understands my point that Paris is overrated. Wallahi." He laughs softly and brings gingerly brings out our tightly sealed ice cream cones.

"I don't think I ever went on holidays with my parents." I say and stops the motions of handing me my cone.

"How come? Your father couldn't have been said not to be able to afford a holiday? Albeit a small one?" I laugh dryly. My parents? Holidays?

"They would have killed one another outside Nigeria. I wonder why they're still together." He sighs and takes my left hand in his own left hand.

I lick my chocolate and vanilla mixed scoops of icecream piled over one another beautifully.

"My parents were not the usual parents, they fought, they threw me into boarding schools to ensure I didn't even see them or them me, I spent secondary school holidays in Hajiya Mama's house, spent Uni holidays in school in Abu Dhabi, they only called me back home when they wanted me to marry that idiot." He shakes his head and caresses my left hand with his fingers.

"Many times, I say I'm thankful for not having children earlier because I know if i did, I'd never have been able to leave. They'd have emotionally blackmailed me to keep staying for my children." He nods and I take it as a cue to go on. I look at my cone and see that my ice cream is melting.

"People think because my father is affluent, I am supposed to be cushioned and happy, I wasn't, it's taken a whole lot of hardwork for me to trust you. It took nearly a year to accept you as my husband." He shushes me with his ice cream cone.

"I'm thankful for the parents Allah blessed me with, and I've in turn shared with you, and,  In Sha Allah, we'll be better parents. And In sha Allah, we'll stack trust everyday, we won't give each other reason to be untrusting." I nod and lick my lips.

*******

"Once we reach London, we need to start getting ready to return to Nigeria." I let go of the toast I'm holding. We're having breakfast on the train since we left Lille very early and couldn't eat.

"Back to work. And Zarah and Safiyya need to go back to school." I nod, taking hold of my toast again to smear butter and jelly over it.

"Safiyya and I need to go shopping tomorrow. I promised her I'd go material shopping with her." He swallows his coffee before replying me.

"Maama already took them shopping for school stuff, except there's something particular you'd both like." I nod.

"Yes, sometime with her. It's been so long since we actually talked properly. All we've done since we came has been minimal discussion." He laughs.

"Have it your way Beela. If you need a ride, let me know." I shove a piece of toast into his mouth to shut him up.

He laughs, loud. Attracting the attention of passengers around us.

💮💮🌸🌸🌸

Hi Y'all,

Good Morning. Happy New Month. Welcome to July, it's the second half of the year, you can achieve whatever you set out to achieve in January.

I also updated to tell you all that I've taken down my new story Letting Go. I promise, I'll get it back up after my exams. I also promise that I'll do better, write it better and you'll be happy you read it.

I also want to say that my DM is open, for discussion at anytime 😄😄😄, you're welcome to talk.

God bless you all, I have one of my most important exams tomorrow. Please pray for me. Thank you.

I also need covers, if you know a cover maker, please send mw their handle.

TheOmoope.❤️❤️