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Maryam's mother held her cheeks, stream of tears cascaded down her cheeks. She could not believe she had been slapped by her father, and all because of Maryam.

"Baba, you slapped me!" She shrieked.

"And I will slap you again Ummi. How can you pray for the death of your own child. What is wrong with you?"

"I don't care! I don't care! A simple instruction I gave to her and she disobeyed me even after I explained how it was for her own good" she yelled louder. Her father's brows were furrowed because he still could not understand or believe his daughter was being extremely senseless.

"If you were in her shoes, would you not have done the same thing?" Her mother countered and Maryam's mother laughed, really loudly. She looked crazy but that was the least of her problems at the time.

"I did not do the same! I did not do the same. I stayed back, and watched you sell me to your friend. I did not utter a word of disapproval but did as you instructed. You both bundled me up and shipped me off to Alhaji's house a week after I lost my husband. A week after I lost the love of my life, a week after I lost the essence of my life! You did not even give me time to mourn him......" She hiccupped and burst into wails, heart wrenching cries left her mouth making her parents go weak.

"You did not say anything when we asked you Ummi....."

"Mama my husband died! My Adam died! I lost him and you expected an answer from me in that condition. I had just spoken to him and in a minute he called back. I picked up the call happily, only for a stranger to tell me he is gone! How on Earth did you expect me to answer you when you offered your best friend's son?" She yelled angrily and loudly knocking off the head tie on her head. Her knees have out and she slid down to the floor crying loudly.

"Why did you not give either of my sisters? They were not married, why did you subject me to a life of pain and anguish?" She asked wiping the unstoppable tears.

"I obeyed you, I did not even argue but both of you should have let me be. Why would anyone at all even marry their child out after giving birth? I hated my life, I hated everything. And then Maryam came along, reminding of what a failure I am, reminding me of how useless I was and how alone I was. It was horrifying! Just because I've never ever said a word never meant I was happy with what both of you did to me. I respected you enough to do what you asked of me....." She squeaked and hiccupped stopping her from continuing her sentence.

"But, you should have said No, we just thought if you have a life of luxury it would help you heal" her mother countered making Maryam's mother shake her head quickly.

"You're grown and sensible enough to anguish that comes with death, but both of you would never know because you have not lost either of yourselves yet. It is like one has been stripped naked in a market, it is like one's heart have been ripped from their body, it is like God hates you and decided to punish you..... Yet you took me to that woman and that man. I had to wake up early in the morning even after I obviously have birth to cook food for their battalions! His wife stopped the maids from helping me, I had to do everything as a punishment for coming into her own home" Maryam's mother sniffed and inhaled deeply.

"I had to satisfy my husband, who I knew as the friend of my father from the very time I started knowing friends and family. He did not even care that I was going through hell at the time. I had to touch him........." She started crying loudly again.

Her parents were already jetlagged so they all sat down, guilt slowly eating them up. Her mother was teary eyed as she listened to her daughter's ordeal.

"I was in pain, but I had no one to cry to so I swallowed it all. I decided you had subjected me to that life because you thought it was in my best interest to remain married even though I did not get divorced or chased out of my home. When i got pregnant with Noorie, he warned Hajiya not to allow me do any chores because I reported to him. Mama hated me more after that, but at least I wasn't a hand maid in a home my parents built for me. Everything was perfect, until you brought Maryam back home Mama. She reminded me of my sweet husband, she taunted me with her face, her demeanor, her voice and those teary eyes......." She said through gritted teeth.

"She reminded me of the life could have had, had Allah not decided to change my fate! She reminded me of the love her father showered me within the only year I had spent with him. She reminded me of what could have been mine until it took this pathetic turn" she added with no tears but pure fury.

"Maryam will marry that man I chose for her whether she likes it or not. She is my own child and neither of you have a say in it because none of you helped me carry her in my womb and gave birth to her. If she gets back home relay my message to her" she stated robotically before standing up from the floor. She tied her headtie, adjusted her veil and headed to the door.

"Ummi, we are so sorry" her father stated softly when she got to the door. She waited for the statement go make an impact in her heart, she waited for the statement to change something but it did not.

"It's a little too late for that apology, relay my message to Maryam and tell her this stunt she pulled will not be pardoned of she tries it again" her mother stated before exiting the house with a bang on their front door. Her mother started sobbing much to her father's distress.

"What have we done to our daughter?" She whispered as her body raked as she cried.

As that drama was unfolding in Maryam's home, Iman stood in front of Maryam.
"Whose daughter did you want to woo, dressed like that?" She teased and he beamed shyly looking down. He played with his fingers without answering but the smile on his face would tell anyone he is happy.

"Can I sit down?" He asked peeking a glance at her. She nodded enthusiastically, so he sat in front of her. He stared at the first empty wrap of shawarma and then her hand, was she going to eat the two? When Maryam saw him looking at her hand, she had slowly dropped the one she was eating. He smiled at her timidness. "You can eat ten of those, I sincerely don't mind" he stated sincerely, but she refused to pick it up as she was already self conscious.

"I am okay" she mumbled embarrassingly. She had been contemplating eating the second one at home, but when she noticed the sun was just setting she decided to eat it here so she does not remain in the restaurant with absolutely nothing infront of her. It give the expression that a girl is a hooker.
Well, Zarah had explained the concept of student hookers, they would go to a restaurant, order for a bottle of water and sip it for as long as it would take to get a man to notice them. Not just any kind of man, a rich man who needs a girl to warm their bed for cash.

Iman called the waiter and demanded for three shawarma. She looked up questioningly, but he ignored her. He tapped on the table patiently waiting for his order to arrive. It did not take long before the waiter appeared with it.

"You're going to eat all three?" She whispered her eyes widening as she spoke. He nodded widening his eyes too.

"I did not eat today, I am starving. I will start eating mine, and you can go ahead and eat yours. Or, give me a few minutes to finish my first one, so we could eat the second one together" he stated with so much enthusiasm making her grin. She nodded quickly blinking multiple times as she watched him eat the first one. She did not say a word until he was done. "Let me unwrap the second one so we can do the needful" he said and she picked up her shawarma waiting patiently.

He bit into the second one, but Maryam wasn't eating hers. He looked up questioningly, and she smiled before she whispered.
"I am waiting for yours to be same size as mine, you know I've started eating my own"

Iman chuckled softly, he dropped his on the serving tray, and when they measured both seeing it was almost equal, he urged her to start eating and ofcourse she did. They ate and smiled at their childishness.

"What are you doing here all alone?" He asked taking a sip of the Coca-Cola he had ordered.

"Nothing, just came to eat" she stated a little quickly and he knew she was hiding something. Her eyes had been bloodshot red and the smiles and laughter had done nothing to wash the redness away, she had been crying.

"I came to eat too" he said waving his hands over his attire. She chuckled knowing she had teased him about trying to woo someone's daughter.

"Are you sure? You don't look it though. She sniffed and scrunched her face. "Isn't that perfume a little too much for just eating" she teased and he took a bite of his shawarma to avoid answering her. She laughed at his behavior, and she took a bite from hers as well. They ate silently and when Maryam could not manage another bite she dropped it. She was over feeding and she knew it, she would throw up is she attempts swallowing another bite from this thing.

"We made a pact, why aren't you eating?"

"I am honestly over fed" she stated softly. He nodded and dropped his own. She peered at the one and half shawarma remaining and then back at him.

"You're not going to eat it?" She asked.

"I honestly don't like shawarma. I was only eating it so you would not feel bad because I stared at you when you were chugging down two big sized........"

"Hey! You promised you would not judge" she stated giggling. He beamed at her. Maryam's demeanor and everything about her makes his heart tingle. He just likes her.

"So, my name is Muhammad Iman and I know you're Maryam" he said confidently. She squinted.

"How did you know my name?"

"Well, your grandmother called your name, remember when we met at the Awara joint....."

"Yeah. I do remember. So you're Muhammad. Nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you too"

From then on their conversation became fluid, Maryam told him she was studying Educational Psychology and for the second time in her life, Maryam had someone listen to her with so much zeal and enthusiasm. He asked questions where necessary, he chirped in when necessary and he stayed mute when his opinion would not matter.

Iman had informed her he's a Doctor, how he graduated and where he is working. Maryam had been quick to tell him that she had been from there on that day they met at the Awara joint. She explained she had an incident at home and how she had been tended to at the hospital. Iman maintained his feigned ignorance, listening to her as she told him how she had been rushed.

He knew her mother had pushed her step mother who fell on her, he heard it loud and clear the other day but he wasn't going to say a word. When their discussions trailed down to secondary School, Maryam had taken a peek at his watch, she had dramatically stood up scaring him in the process.

"I am in soup, in hot soup. I have to go" she stated opening her purse to bring out the cash for the food. Iman followed her as she headed to the cashier frantically to pay.

When the cashier stretched his hands to collect her money, Iman shook his head and the guy understood the code.
"It has already been paid for" he had said with a polite smile. Maryam squinted, then turned to Iman who had smile. She could not smile though because she had never stayed out this late before coming back home and she is so sure her grand parents would be so worried.

"I'll pay you back" she had said before taking to her heels. He ran after her, luck was on her side because some girl had just got off a taxi. Maryam got in quickly, as Iman stood watching her. She was waving and explaining where she lives, but he hasn't heard a word since she was in the car already. When the taxi man turned on the ignition, Maryam relaxed. He reversed and drove out of the restaurant, it's like she realized she had not bade him good bye so she wind down the window.

Iman chuckled softly when she pushed her head out of the car.
"Bye Bye Muhammad" she yelled and he waved back with a big grin. Only after she had left had he remembered that he had not collected her phone number. He sighed softly, thinking how long it would take for him to see her again.

As he turned to head inside he collided with the cashier. He frowned and the guy smiled shyly. Apparently when Maryam had taken to her heels the cashier had ran after them thinking they wanted to run away without paying. Iman stuffed his hand in his pocket and brought out his wallet. He followed the embarrassed cashier guy back to his desk and did the needful. When he was about leaving, the waiter came to him asking what he wanted to do with the one and two half of shawarma he and Maryam had left on the table.

"You can have it, or give it to the beggars outside for me if you don't want it" he had said softly. The waiter nodded and Iman walked out of the restaurant and straight to his car. Then he drove straight home with a smile as he kept reminiscing about the the hour and minutes he had spent with Maryam.

On arriving home, he had met Islam and his mother seated on the sofa peering at the door obviously have been waiting for him to get back. Islam had rushed towards him as he tried keeping his expression indifferent hoping not to give away how happy he had been.

"How did it go, do you like her, is she pretty, is she chubby......"

"Don't frustrate him.with your questions Islam. Get away from him. Iman darling come and sit down beside your mother. Tell me everything" his mother countered making Iman groan loudly. He walked towards his mother and sat where she had patted, whereas Islam sat on the arm of the sofa tapping his feet impatiently waiting for the information.

"Go ahead, tell us!" Islam squeaked earning a glare from his mom. He chuckled but still nudged Iman to speak up.

"She wasn't at home" he stated calmly and immediately his mother and his brother's smile vanished entirely. They both frowned and opened their mouths a couple of times trying to figure out questions to ask Iman but could not fathom what he had just said.

"I don't understand"

"Is this a joke?"

They had both stated in unison. Iman maintained his stoic expression waiting patiently for his family to digest the fact that their hopes had just been trampled upon.

"It's not a joke. The girl you sent me to left home so she doesn't get meet me. It's obvious she's not interested, why don't you do all of us a favor and call this thing off!" He stated through gritted teeth making his mother confused. She stood up abruptly, then sat back down.

"I really want to believe you're joking" she said and Islam knew he should be going to his room became his mother and his brother could turn this whole thing into a big gigantic fight.

"It's not a joke. I went to the exact address, knocked on the door and a younger girl opened the door for me while I was on the verge of leaving. Told me the girl had left home in a bid to avoid meeting me. So I thanked her and got back into my car" he relayed in a more detailed manner.

"Where were you all this while then if you weren't with the supposed girl?" Islam whispered earning a glare from his brother. He had hoped they would ignore his late return but Islam, being Islam brought it up.

"Yeah, where were you?" His mother urged making him sigh.

"With a friend. I am going to shower right now, then go to bed. I've prayed before coming inside. Please cancel that proposal so that I can go on with my life in peace" he said before jogging towards his room with a faint smile as he remembers Maryam's big smile as she waved him Bye.

"For someone who got rejected, he's taking it pretty well" Islam mumbled confusedly while his mother stared in space. Her son got rejected, how dare they? She dialled her ex husband's number preparing to yell all she wanted. After the second ring, it was picked.

"Junaid, why was my son......."

"Sorry, this is not him. He's in the shower, I'll tell him you called" a female voice cut her off and then ended the call. Janan felt a blow in her heart, she composed herself immediately when she saw Islam was staring. She feigned a smile and instructed he locked up. She ran to her room and did what she had done for so many years.

Janan cried.