Mercy found herself getting speechless. She just met him and she was already feeling at ease with him. No, Mercy! A voice said inside her. They are always good from the start. Sule was good too. Do not fall into the hands of a man again. You are just been appreciative and liking his personality.
“Have a nice day.” She said. He smiled, nodded, gave her a look that pierced into her heart before he left. He closed the door gently behind him. She had been eager to leave before he came. Now, she felt too weak.
She did not know why she began to cry.
***************************
Sule sat in his office quietly. He was confused. He was not sure of what he was feeling. He had to admit that he was missing some aspects of Mercy. The other day he had gone home and met Sa'ima sleeping. He left her sleeping, came back to meet her sleeping. From morning till evening. She said she was weak. He got her a job; she said she just got married and may soon get pregnant. So she suggested to be given a monthly allowance instead. She said she wanted to have time to take care of him.
“Are you getting me a job so we can share responsibilities? Like I earn, you earn, we take care of the home together?” She had said.
“No. I just want you to have something doing. You went to school for a reason. You should build yourself.”
“Who said I am not built?” The matter ended on bed.
The other day, he had been telling her about his plights in the office. She did not seem interested. If it was Mercy, she would have listened and showed concern and advised him. He and Mercy used to share, plan and talk about the future. Sa'ima only pulled him to her body after he finished talking and the matter ended in bed.
Another day, he got angry with her. She slept too much. He had no problem with her sleeping but for seven hours, doing nothing? And she would sleep at night, pray only when the sun was out.
“I know you are a ahli sunnah”she told him, “and cooking, and house chores is not our responsibility. You ought to give me cooked food. They said feed her not buy and she cooks. I want us to follow strict Islamic rules. I won’t be cooking for you. But I will give you food…” The matter ended on bed.
He decided to take a decisive action. He returned home with a stern face. He was going to deal with her. He refused to eat what the house help cooked. He did not talk to her.
“I have had enough. If you don’t want to change, then I am going to report you to Mama…..”
She began to tickle him.
“Haba sweety.”
“Do you think I am a fool? Stop it”
Her hands went on his chest and the fingers went on him.
“I said…said…stop it.”
“Honeyyyyy, You know how much I love you. Please smile. If you don’t smile, the world would crash on me.”
“I won’t……..ke…ke…..”
Her hands was going below
“Honey……”
“I said- said-said said….you ,you….”His lips widened and from a big smile he began laughing. The matter ended in bed. Now as he sat in his office, he realized that he was missing Mercy. What got into him? Mercy was still in iddah. All he needed was to take her back. He was going to do that then get Amina another house. Oh Mercy. I love you.
That day he went home to meet her sleeping. Then he saw a bottle of Codeine close to her. What? When she woke up, he confronted her. She said she had a cough. The matter ended in bed.
***********************
Jamil came out of his mini gym, rushed into the bathroom and had a hot shower. He came out, dried his body, used body jelly, hair cream, deodorant and put on blue-white shirt over white slim slacks, put on stockings and wore white sneakers. Picked up his sunshades, wore his wristwatch, spray perfume, put some cash in his pocket, carried his car keys and went out. He locked the door to his room, walked hurriedly past the main building in front of the boys quarters he occupied when he met his mother just by the side door.
“What a world !” His mother exclaimed, looking at his trousers. She was standing with Nafeesa, his younger sister who was married. “Jamilu, how on Earth do you pull off this trouser?”
“Mama, they use nylon.” Nafeesa said at once.
“Nafeesah shut up. We are not age mates.”
“You are not but remember that she is a married woman.” Said his mother.
“Mama, you have started again. I will vex and marry two at once.”
“I dare you.” She said. “The trousers boys were these days! When Fulanis used to wear this, you used to laugh at them.”
“That was before Lil Wayne ‘Wizzified’ it and blessed it for the niggis.” Nafeesa said.
Jamil playfully chased her and she ran behind their mother.
“I saw one boy,” Mama started, “ He wore plenty hair, and his head was big, then wore a very thick jacket, with a big earpiece on the ears, big eye glasses, then trousers was so slim, then wore big boots…kaman cartoon (like cartoon). He was walking like this…”and she began to demonstrate.
Her children began to laugh.
“That is what is trending.” Nafeesa said.
“Toh, my boy is thirty and says he still has time.”
“Mama, I still have two months before I am thirty and guess what?”
“What?”
“I found her.”
“Who got lost?”
“She did not get lost. I just found her. The lady I don’t want to deny you of having as a daughter cum daughter-in-law, and give this lousy sister of mine a sweet sister-in-law.”
“Are you serious?”
“Wallahi.”
Nafeesa was all ears.
“I met her some months back, and we lost contact then fate brought us together.”
“So you have proposed?” Mama asked.
“No. I have not even made my intentions known to her. She only sees me as an acquaintance.”
Mama hissed.
“Sakare ( idiot). You have not made your intentions known and you are telling me that you found her. Do you know if she is betrothed already, or is not interested in you, or do not like your trousers?”
“Tab! She is a babe, and knows what is in vogue.” He said. “I am going out. I believe she was made for me and has been waiting for me all her life.”
“Good luck, Yaya. Tell her you have a sweet sister in case she refuses, she might accept for my sake.” Nafeesa said.
“One of these days, I will come and flog you and your husband in your house.”
“Haba Big Bro. You and I …..”
“And don’t even think I am buying the i-phone I promised you again.” He said as he walked away.
“I am sorry, let me come and help you clean your car.”
He laughed.
He went into his car, and drove out. What his mother said downed on him. He noticed that Mercy had a protean character. One minute, she was happy, another minute friendly and another she was taciturn. He felt there was something that was holding her back. He did a quick flashback of their relationship. After she discovered he was the man who saved her, she became nicer to him and he felt it was just gratitude. But he found himself falling in love with her. They exchanged numbers, and would chat sometimes, though the chats were just normal talks and platonic.
But he loved been with her, talking to her, seeing her. Sometimes, she would not pick his calls or reply to his messages. He had never heard her speak about a boyfriend or receive a call from one. She had given him some subliminal messages of being just friends and he should expect nothing more but he refused to go. He got to the street, checking the house numbers before he found it. He brought the car to a halt, alighted and dialed a number.
“Hello…..I am outside” He said.
“Okay.” Mercy said. “Just drive in. The gate keeper has been told about you.” She said and ended the call.
Petra looked at her.
“Mercy, think over it. This guy is in love with you.”
Mercy heaved a sigh.
“He has not mentioned it and I pretend I don’t see the signs. Petra, it is too early to think of another man. Men are scary. He is nice, or acts nice. Sule was nice too but what happened later?”
“Let me tell you this, Sule was not pretending from the start. He meant it but he was so weak he allowed her come and wreck him. Besides, you can’t use Sule as a standard of judging all men. We are women. There is a word called menopause. You are too young to take a decision of staying away from all men. You have to live on, move on, and I feel this guy is good. Look at the circumstances that led to your meeting. You hit his car, he took you to hospital, left his car there, paid for your treatment, went and picked his car and slept over and left without leaving a contact. That is a rare virtue and you told me he makes you feel great. I think getting married on time again will heal you quicker and forget the past.” Petra said.
“Ya Allah, I never wanted to marry more than one man.” Mercy responded.
“That is your wish. Are wishes horses? What happens to qadr (destiny)? What if a husband dies, or becomes stupid like Sule? When things like this happen, we turn to Allah for guidance. All I am saying is give him a chance. Go and bring him in. He just drove in.”
您可能也喜歡