Today is Zuwairah's wedding and she is so happy, many of her friends have been visiting and she can't wait to be called Mrs Rasheed.
"Hey! where's Tracy?" One of her friend whose name happens to be Comfort asked. Tracy had been her friend for over eighteen years now, and even though she isn't a Muslim, Zuwairah's family loves her so much. She's also one of her best friend.
"That's true, where is she?" Zulaiha chimed in.
"I think you guys should all calm down, okay? Her flight will soon land. Don't worry, she's going to make it?" Zuwairah assured them.
"She better be" they all chorused.
It been over an hour now, and there's no any traces of Tracy. The wedding is about to begin and Zuwairah had starting to get restless. Of all people,she wouldn't want Tracy to be the one who would miss her wedding day.
She asked Zulaiha to pass her the phone as she would wants to give Tracy another call. "Hey! where are you?"she asked immediately Tracy picked up.
"Hey girlfriend.... I'm so sorry, I won't be able to make it to your wedding. Something came up and I just couldn't...I'm sorry". She replied at the other line of the phone. Zuwairah was shocked by her sudden revelation.
They had been talking all these while on phone and she had never mentioned it that she wouldn't be able to attend her wedding. She thought.
Unknown to her that Tracy was already at the interior of the house.
"I will make it up to you " she hanged up without waiting for her reply.
"Did she just hang up on me?!" Zuwairah ask her self as she stare at her phone in bewilderment. She was speechless,speechless was even an understatement at the moment. She was beyond shocked and just as she was about to regain from the news her friend just buzz to her, then she heard her voice.
"Hello girls!" Tracy screamed excitedly as all the girls squeal to hug her.
"Unbelievable " Zuwairah scoffed whilst she rolled her eyes. Thought she had told me she wouldn't be able to make it? Was she pulling my leg all along?
"Baby" Tracy called, trying her best to give Zuwairah her innocent look.
"You! Were you pulling my leg when you had told me you wouldn't be able to make it?" She asked glaring.
"What! No baby, I can't do that! You know, you're my one and only". Tracy replied showing Zuwairah her puppy face.
"Well..." Zuwairah trail off but stopped as she glance over at everyone in the room "That will soon change, because I'm going to become someone else's one and only soon" she said blushing whilst the rest of the girls made their mouth in an 'O' shape.
"Oh my God! That's true, talking of the devil. I can't believe I'm your friend and you still haven't showed me his picture. Please don't tell me you are scared that I might take him away from you?" She asked smirking.
"Hey! you wouldn't dare do that!" She glared angrily at her.
"This girl is funny, she really don't have to take it that personal?" Tracy thought.
Tracy and the other girls burst into a laughter, before saying in unison to her "why don't you just show her his picture?".
"Okay then". She passed the phone to Zulaiha. Zulaiha didn't bother to look at the picture because she had met with him so many times already. Instead, she passed it to the other girls. They keep passing the phone till it reached Tracy's.
Tracy felt as if cold water has just been poured on her the moment her eyes came in contact with the picture "Is...is this....is this the man you wanted to marry?" She directly asked her friend.
"Of course, it's him. So what did you think? Isn't my love looking so handsome and charming?"
"Eh!...erm....yeah...yeah he's " she replied stuttering.
"Hey are you okay? You seem restless all of a sudden " A concerned Zuwairah asked.
"Yeah...yeah I'm perfectly OK! Erm Zuwairah?" she called whilst Zuwairah raised her brow in question "Can I see you for a sec?"
Zuwairah replied with an okay as they both walk out from the room to talk in private.
"Hey! what happened to you? Why the sudden change? " Zuwairah asked her friend.
"Zuwairah, I'm not Okay! I'm not okay at all. You see...you see... actually that guy is....I'm sorry Zuwairah but you can't just marry him! You can't marry him! no, you can never marry him!"
"Wait a minute Tracy, what are you saying?...Have you forgotten that today is my wedding day? You can't play those stupid pranks you used to, today. Please Tracy, I love that man so much and he's the one I'm going marry and no one else"
"Zuwairah I'm sorry if my words might have hurt you but I know what I'm talking about, he's the same person.... Abdul!"
Zuwairah couldn't help but to chuckle at Tracy's word "Okay you see, my love is totally different from that monster, okay? And moreover, his name is not Abdul, his name is Rasheed".
"Zuwairah please just calm down and listen to me, listen to me carefully. Yeah his name might be Rasheed, which I know that's what you and his parent calls him, right?"
"Right"
"But what does his friends call him?"
"Abdul" Zuwairah replied back. Now, her heart is beating two times faster than before.
"Good! which implies that his full name is Abdul Rasheed,his parent calls him Rasheed while his friends call him Abdul. And again, they look so much alike,same face,same hair,same nose. Zuwairah, please believe me, I'm very sure of what I'm saying. He's the same person, he's the one, you can't marry him!"
"Tracy are you sure of what you're saying?" She can't just believe what she had just heard, she doesn't know how she is feeling right now. Could he be the one? Could the man she had trusted so much with all of her heart be the monster they were talking about?
"I'm very sure Zuwairah,we really need to stop this wedding! I can't let you marry him! Have you forgotten? Have you forgotten what he did?! You can't marry a monster!" Tracy half yelled. She's so scared at that moment, she can't let her friend get married to the man whom everyone was so afraid of.
"What do we do now?" Zuwairah asked panicky.
"You have to call off the wedding" Tracy suggest.
"What?! No Tracy! I can't do that! I'll only ruin my families reputation " she said almost at the verge of crying. What's really going on? She was so happy this morning to get married to Rasheed but now, everything has changed! Everything is ruined. Everything had changed the moment she learnt that the person whom she's about to get married to has been doing so many evil things.
"You have to talk to aunty, at least she's better off than your parents, she will understand you " Tracy suggest whilst she nod in agreement.
•
"Aunty, can I talk to you for a moment?" She asked her aunt whom was dressing already. She took a sit beside her.
"Hey! you aren't dressed yet?" She answered Zuwairah with a question.
"Erm.... yes Aunty I haven't, but I will soon" she said smiling. Now, how will she start narrating to her that she can't push through with the wedding anymore just because she had learnt that her husband to be has turn to someone she had never thought of him to be. She was very sure she's going to spank her butt so hard for uttering such nonsense. Yes! To her,it will sound absurd.
"Aunty you see, I've always wanting to ask you this question...What if may be... may God forbid Okay?" Her Aunty nod in anticipation "What if, may be on a wedding day, the wife refuse to push through with the wedding? Is that OK?"
"What! That's impossible. It can't be possible and can never be possible! I haven't heard something as absurd as that before in my life. What happened? Why are you asking?" She asked Zuwairah. These question of her took her off guard. She was astonished, how can she just blurt something like this out of the blue?
"Erm....nothing... Nothing, I was just asking you know, just to know....so you mean even if I were to be the one who had wanted to do something as such, you all won't give in your consent?" Zuwairah asked her again.
"No way dear, we'll never support such things which I trust you. You can never think of something as drastic as that,coz you love your man right?"
"Yeah, right" she replied nodding her head with an awkward smile on her face.
"Okay then, I think I should leave you to dress up" she said standing up,she could feel her palm sweating but she had to play along. she don't think she will be able to bear the puzzling circumstances that may occur if her parents comes to know.
"Yeah and you too...you know, you're the bride and this is your day"
LATER IN THE NIGHT, AFTER THE WEDDING"Don't you dare touch me!". Zuwairah spat at her husband as he tries to come closer to her on their matrimonial bed. Her voice shaking as she uttered those words.And why can't I come closer to my Amarya(Wife)? I'm your husband Zuwairah" he replied her. He can't pinpoint what was happening. Earlier in the morning, before they had tied of the knot, they were so happy. When he had called her on phone whilst they talked, she sounds so happy. Then, why now? What happened to her all of a sudden?"No, you're not. You can never be my husband!" She clamored at him. She had promised herself never to allow him touched her. She only agreed to push through with the wedding because, she doesn't wants to ruin her families reputation."yes I'm, because we had gotten married this morning, I paid your bride price already my dear wife. Please,just tell me the reason why you're b
Did she really abhor me this much? What could have been my offence for her to develope this much hatred for me? When she has no interest in this marriage, why then did she agreed to it? She love someone else and she married me? What does she take me for? A fool?He was so much in love with his wife and yet she betrayed him, He finally made up his mind, he will look for her no matter where she runs to,he will make sure he finds her and ask why she had to lie,why she had to deceive him,why she had to cheat him. Is this how she had plan to ruin everything for him? Why would she leave him and run away with a man? Yes, he saw a glimpse of the guy's face. Fuck! I'm even more handsome than that guy! And I'm sure, I'm also more richer than him!Then what was I lacking?"Abdul this is not the right time for this,we need to look for your wife ASAP. This is not funny, you know that?" His friend Abubakar said.
"I really don't know what to do with her anymore,I really can't take it. How dare she!" Mr Dauda said out of annoyance."Brother, please calm down" his kid sister begged "you should know sister by now" she said and he nod in understanding."So my dear,you were trying to say something " he said facing Zulaiha."Yes Abba, she and the guy met day before her wedding ""What?" Everyone chorused in surprise.FlashbackJust as Zuwairah was about to open the gate of their house,she bumped unto Zulaiha which got her startled coz she wasn't expecting to see her, though they may have agreed to meet but not this early morning."Zu...Zulaiha! Hey! How...how are you doing?" She asked with a nervous smile."I'm good" Zulaiha answered as she eye her suspiciously."What happened Zuwairah? You looked tensed"
Hello?" Binta said"As salamu Alaykum. Please, am I speaking with Ms. Binta Danjuma?""Ameen, wa alaykumu Salam. Yes speaking,how may I help you?""Actually Ma,I attended your sister's wedding yesterday. How I got your number, Is not the issue now... I saw your sister now in our hotel now which I was expecting to see her with her husband but to my surprise, she was with a man. Anyways, it looks like she was kidnapped or something coz she look terrified.""What?!!" She exclaimed."Well, am at the hotel now and I'm the manager. I'll make sure she stay's here till you come get her. You have to come and rescue your sister ASAP please. I'll text you the address""Yes yes..thank you,we will be there in the next twenty minute..thank you" she said as she hang up the call."Subhanallah" Mr Dauda uttered in shock as Binta narrate her phone call talk with them
Innalillahi wa'ina ilaihi raji'un" everyone in the room chorused in shocked."What?!" Rasheed who was also taken by surprise also muttered in surprise. This will be the first time of hearing such thing against him in his life. "Could Zuwairah stoop so low just to make me get out of her life? Is this her way of making me leave her?" He thought as tears flow down his cheeks. Since the day he was born,and has known what's right from wrong, he has never cried like this, not until today. Zuwairah has turned him into someone elseHe thought he had offended her but now, reverse is the case. Now he knows that she was the one who doesn't want him around her and she kept lying. She made sure to hide her true identity just to humiliate him on a day like this...all in the name of what?- nothing! Pure nothing!"Zuwairah my dear,please what are you saying? That my son is HIV positive?""Ye...yes Mom " she stuttered without lookin
"It all happened when........................""STOP!!" Rasheed cut her off. He was so confused, he doesn't even know what to say anymore."What i meant to say was that......I didn't mean to..I didn't mean to say this, but I think Zuwairah is suffering from a mental illness ""What?!" Everyone in the room chorused together."Yes..coz I really don't understand her anymore. First,it was the false HIV and now.....,she is accusing me of being a rapist,murderer and a kidnapper? Haven't anyone ever thought about it? Isn't she acting weird? I mean, who told her all these lies about me? Who was the one deceiving her?" He asked calmly but still Zuwairah kept mum.Should i say it? I think I should, at least all his bragging will be over once I let out the truth"ANSWER ME ZUWAIRAH!!!" He yells angrily making her flinch in fear."I really don't understand what's happenin
FlashbackTwo weeks later"Tracy please calm down, please""Zuwairah how could I? How could I? My life is ruined already,can't you see?! My life is ruined! " she frustratedly said. She's in so much agony that she can't even tell how she's feeling right now,she only knew that she had lost everything in life."Please just try to calm down,we can find a way" Zuwairah tried to calm her down giving her some hope,even though she knew there's nothing that can be done, she still want to say some good words into her"Did you just say we can find a way?" She scoff as she laugh dryly."Tra-""Tell me what is the way out of this?" She cut her off."I think-""Do you think there's a way out for me? What way could be for someone that's infected with HIV positive?" She cut her off again."I just lost all the right of b
"Zuwairah, take this" Zulaiha said as she pass a small bottle which contains black leaves inside to her friend.'Wh....what...what's this again Zulaiha?" She stuttered as she stare blankly at the bottle in her hand without making an attempt to accept it."Just take it you idiot!" She whispered softly to her,she doesn't want people to know what they are doing.Today is the big day, Zuwairah's wedding and she's not happy about it. She was scared that she had to tell her friend that she doesn't wish to get married to Rasheed but Zulaiha was so good in convincing her. Now, they are in her room with some other relatives and guest dressing up."Take" she then accept it with a shaky hands."What do I do with this?""This will make your husband loves you so much Zuwairah,he'll love you more than his first wife..I know you love him,you can never hate him and it's all written on your face. Th