Nilefa: The Union

CHAPTER 27

As dreadful as death could be, it was only dependent on the greater inevitable factor of life, which went nonstop, bringing along with it, forces of nature, navigating life like clockwork. That factor was time.  Sadness, joy, death, life, endings, beginnings, love, pain, all travelled with it.

Time was what Abdulsalam believed in. It had brought him love, one that lived with him for years, as if life had stopped working it's mechanics, like life took a pause. His relationship with Khadija didn't die young. Perhaps with her it did, but he still couldn't tell if he had gotten over her. The pictures he had drawn in his mind, of the two of them together still lived there.

He couldn't tell when exactly he fell in love with her, how and why, but he knew that her captivating smile was one of the reasons. She was young and innocent then, unaware of the level of beauty she had been blessed with. She was a calm little princess. Anty Ba'ana's Kubra.

She would spend the weekends at their house, and would come during the holidays, and to spend the midterms even.
Maa loved to have Kubra around then, because Abdulsalam was her only child then. Abdulsalam's toys being boy toys, Maa bought girls' toys for Kubra. Maa played with Kubra, loved her like she was her own child. Even after Maa had Baby, her feelings towards Kubra remained the same, holding a special place in Maa's heart.
Kubra had just obtained her O levels when Abdulsalam declared his love to her. He couldn't have wished for a better reaction from her. She had eagerly accepted him, her voice holding tremor as she used to be a very shy person.

Kubra's mother was first to find out what was going on between the two, thus bringing their frequent meetings to end. She stopped Kubra from visiting the house as frequently as she used to. Weekends, Eid, not even during the long wait at home for admissions to be released.
Kubra had grown into a beautiful young woman within that period. Men had begun to eye her. Some had tried to ask her out, but she had rejected them all, being faithful to Abdulsalam. She had been sweet and loving towards him just as he did her.
He could still remember the date she first broke up with him. He still didn't know why, but he knew it had to be sourced from the bad company she had kept at the university. Before that, he was her guide, best friend and driver. He had picked her up from school everyday, taken her to restaurants where they had eaten.
She had been a constant part of his daily schedule as he was administering his NYSC at the same time. He had used his break time to see her, that gave them the chance to see each other more often. On that fateful day that they had broken apart, he had driven to the university during an early morning break to see her. To his horror, the examinations she had said she was having in the morning turned out to be a lie. The students that came out from the hall were Chemistry students, and they had made it clear to him that no other department was combined with them.
She appeared later, while he was still there. Her reaction to seeing him there destroyed him. Kubra had tried to make it look normal but it was too difficult to. She couldn't explain why she ended up  in another man's car, she didn't even attempt to explain. She knew there was no way she could lie to him, so when he confronted her about it, she turned on him and blamed him for coming at the wrong time. She broke up with him then, 'she couldn't stand him' she had said.
It had been hard for Abdulsalam to believe that the sweet girl he had fallen in love with could feed him such bitterness. They had spoken much less from that day, and it had not been getting easier for Abdulsalam, so he garnered all the courage he could to apologize for his behavior. It was his fault after all, he had thought.
They had managed to reconcile and had resumed dating , but things were not the same. When he had finally gotten his first job, he had informed his parents about his intentions towards his cousin, Kubra. Mother had been delighted about the news and had called to tell her sister about it, but their family had turned them down, saying it was too early for their daughter as she had just gotten into the university. Abdulsalam, terrified of losing her suggested that they be betrothed. Her father of course refused, even after Alhaji Bashir had offered a heavy amount of money. The Bashirs respected his decision, because Kubra's  father was a principled man, with strict policies when it came to education. A degree before marriage was one of them.

Came the day Kubra had graduated, no one could be happier than Abdulsalam. Despite her ill behaviour towards him, he kept up until he had rid her of all excused to turn him down. He had been the perfect boyfriend. He bought her all the things she had asked for, while, sometimes she didn't have to ask, yet, Kubra turned him down. Being the second time he was being rejected by the same family, his father had sworn not to cross his doorstep to seek the girl's hand again, unless her parents personally asked him to.
Both Abdulsalam and his mother were devastated from the happening. Mother had blamed Abdulsalam for the girl's rejection of him. There was no way Kubra would reject him without a valid reason. He had started to suspect himself too, for the way she had treated him was only fitting for ghastly wrongdoers. 
It had taken time for him recover from the hurtful experience. He had wished he could rid his his heart of the love it had for Kubra.
He had blindly adored her happiness, and had done everything he could to keep her so, even when he had gotten nothing in return.
He still couldn't believe that he yelled at Kubra, for Meena. Meena, the girl his father was selling his most loved son for. The object of his father's political pursuits. He had seen her as all of that, until he came to see what was beneath the playful banter and the bashing mischief. She was the only person who had pushed him to doing what he had never thought he was capable of. Many times he'd tried to stand up to Kubra about the way she treated him, he had felt terrible. He could never bring her pain, only joy. He had always hoped the things he did for her brought a smile on her face. But  walking out on Kubra the way he did that day gave him relief, and without a thought about how she would feel.

He had known then that he didn't have power over her, but knowing he had regained the power he had lost over himself was satisfying enough.

It was unusual for Yasmeen not to respond to his Iftar texts. Normally, when she didn't get to reply early, she'd call later in the night before she slept.
Looking at the time, it was 11:13. He didn't want to wake her up if she was to be sleeping, so he sent her an SMS.

" Asleep already? "

He was going to sleep himself when his screen came to life, vibrating to an incoming text message.

" Don't wake me up. I am sleeping."

He smiled at her message and replied.

" You must be texting me from your dreams then."

" Then that won't be a dream any longer. It would be a nightmare rather."

He chuckled reading the latest message.

" Isn't it fair enough? You ignored my message"

" I am sorry I couldn't reply. An issue came up."

" I hope everything is fine."

" Everything is fine now Alhamdulillah. "

He knew she was withholding the information intentionally. He didn't want to pry.

"Good. Go to sleep. Don't blame me for your lack of sleep tomorrow."

" Too late mate! Bye."

_________________________________