His Accidental Bride

Four

She has been eager for her annual leave to rapture, she couldn't stay all day in the house with her flatmate, he's already driving her crazy with his warm reception. The leave elapses on Thursday and she will be going to work on Friday, she can't wait till Monday.
    
    The next day after their return from Paris, he bought sanitary towels for her maybe he thought she didn't have,  but can a lady be that reckless? Through out that day he pampered her,  he even made food for the rest of the week.

    A husband that cooks is a bonus,  she has seen written somewhere.
    She wore a black flay skirt,  and a beige long-sleeved chiffon top. She wrapped around her head with a matching scarf and secured it with a hijab pin.
    She contemplated on whether to inform the man of the house or not.

    "I'm in the office" she sent a simple text message to him.
   
    Some minutes later she was in front of her passion. Standing tall is the Clark Brandon complex, the construction company she has been working in for 2 years now. She could remember when people told her she wouldn't last in her department because she's a woman, and her course of study is for men.

    Why?  Because they possess super powers. Because only them can unravel a mystery but they have forgotten that even though it is lowly acknowledged, a woman is a pathfinder. And all through her life she has struggled to prove that right, she's a living proof that a woman is a fighter.
    True to their claim many ladies were withdrawn after their first and second years but along with several men too. Failure is human not woman.
    She wouldn't lie that the journey was full of roses, it was more of obstacles that made her grow, what is life without challenges?
   
    She walked into the building and was complimented and congratulated by many, she's a people's person, that she knows of. They commented on her bridal glow and she couldn't deny she was looking radiant. Courtesy of the bridal body therapy (gyaran jiki) she got from the maiduguri/sokoto beautician her aunties insisted on despite her refusal.

   But the outcome of the torture made her thank them inwardly. She couldn't bring herself to spit it out. "Kin gani, we told you ", she's sure they will chorus. So she kept to herself the sudden like for the baby butt skin she's got.

   She made a mental note to maintain the therapy but she's sure she will be misunderstood.

    "Should we start baby shopping?" her best friend peeped through the door.

    "You can buy those that don't expire" she laughed.

    "here I was thinking that we'll be having an owambe in less than nine months".

    "Dream on baby, dream on".

Rayhana is her childhood friend,  they were friends from diaper days. Their parents stayed in the same estate together with Jamal's parents and clicked together since then.

   Rayhana knows her like the back of her palm,  she could even decifer her emotions.
    "How's married life?"
"not really different from being single"

"Of course it is. Don't tell me you are pushing the man away, he went through the loss too and it will be better if you help each other heal".

"you of all people know that if I embark on a journey I don't back down. I didn't before and I will not now. Rayhana do you want me to betray him?  I can't ", Salma said wiping tears off her face with the back of her palm.

Rayhana kept mum for a while allowing the bride to cry her pains out.

"It is not betrayal baby,  it is called moving on. Don't you believe in fate Salma?

"I won't get married if I don't ".

"Your actions are saying otherwise, allow the man. Abort that crazy plan you have up your sleeves".

"If he wants a wife he should marry another  I'm not stopping him, but I here", she said pointing to herself "is his flatmate."

"News flash. The man wants only one wife, the prayer of many women gifted to you without even asking. You can continue with your plan but while you are at it remember  the wrath of Allah you are calling upon yourself", Rayhana agitated and stomped out of the office.

She knows her friend is very stubborn and convincing her will be very hard. She thought she had all her mumu buttons and she has pressed all but they seem not to be working this time around.

   The newly Weds are going through a hard phase and they both needed happiness. Jamal sacrificed a lot and her friend needs to contribute to the young relationship too. Rayhana's husband is Jamal's best friend, they met through him. Abubakar urged his wife to help him kindle a spark between the couple.

"Who messed up with our Umm-abdallah", she heard the familiar voice of Jamal and turned swiftly.

"Aa'ah........Ango (groom), assalamu alaikum. To what do we owe this visit? "

"wa alaikummussalam. I'm taking wifey out for brunch, the workaholic didn't have breakfast", he said smiling wide while his heart was burning, angry with his wife's ways.

   "Shooo. We don't want the bride to become ulcertic", They bade adieu and he walks to his wife's office, luckily she was alone. He walks directly to her seat and pulls her out of the swivel chair.

  She watched him confused on what was wrong with him.

  "get your bag and let's leave this God damn office" he shouted on top of his voice. Thank God for the sound proof walls,  people would have rushed in.

"I'm going no where until my closing time she argued enraged.

"Don't try my patience woman", he spat massaging his temples to keep calm.  "it's not a request" he added.

   She's sworn never to allow a man control her but she didn't want to cause a scene at the office,  it's too early for that in their marriage for the sake of her dignity and that of her family's she packed what she needed and locked the office.

   She was walking behind him and he wants her to reach his pace so he snatched her handbag from her with his left hand and hold her hand with his right.

"Wow... I love love", she heard a lady murmured to her friend referring to them. If only they know the situation.

Jamal didn't even allow her drive her car,  he made her sit in his, while he drives home.
What is wrong with this man?  What will happen at home? She wonder.