Married To The Gateman

2: Blindness

Fareeda heard the door moved, and she moved her hand on the nightstand, looking for her eyeglasses. She wanted to see who it was, maybe Adam was back or as the nurse who had collected her father's number said, they had already called him? She wondered. She didn't find the glass, and she thought for a moment, where had it been?

She heard the footsteps, and out of curiosity and fear of what would have happened, who it would be, she spoke first, "Nurse?" There was silence, and she knew for sure it wouldn't be the nurse because if she was the one, she would have answered her. "Who is it? Adam?" She called out again, and she was sit-in upright on the bed now. She could only see their blur visions, it was men, two of them standing while facing her.

Moving her palms on her eyes to clear what she knew wasn't there, she still didn't see anything but the blur vision. Where in the world was her glass? Why didn't she asked the nurse to hand it to her when she came for her father's number? "Who it is, please?" She asked again, still not giving up on her search. Where was her bag? Did Adam put the glass in her bag or something?

The next thing she felt was a striking slap on her left cheek and not knowing she was at the edge of the bed, she fell. "Oh my! Who it is?!" She thundered, but her whole body was shaking out of fear. Who it is? What the hell was going on and where the hell was her glass?!

"It's me! And today I'll make sure you regret ever staying alive in this world, stupid girl!" Alhaji thundered and plucked out the IV that was attached to her body. He used the long tube and rolled it into two, and before she spoke a word, she heard the first slash on her body.

"What did you think you just did? How could you do this to me, Fareeda?! How dare you do this to me?!" He had never been this furious all his life, he kept beating her while she moved in all directions and he followed her, it was easier that she didn't have her glass on her, she wouldn't see the hatred he had for her and the disgust all over his face.

"What do you think you're doing, Alhaji! What is it? What have I done to you? I'm sick, can't you see this for Allah's sake?!" She clamoured and managed to stand up, holding her body that kept shaking with sickness and the way he had beaten her had made it difficult for her to breathe.

He strokes the rolled-up tube on her body once more before he cleared the bead of sweat on his forehead. "Are you even asking me? Who's child did you miscarried, Fareeda? And where did you went yesterday for a man that's not married to you to bring you to the hospital?! Is this the kind of life you've chosen for yourself?!" He roared, and even though she flinched like she did whenever Alhaji was angry at her, she held a stoic expression and cleared the bead of sweat on her forehead, holding onto the wall behind her to support her shaking figure.

"What did you say?" She quivered and flicked back the tears that had already accumulated in her eyes. She had to put up with this expression.

"You miscarried a baby yesterday! Or did you not understand what that means? Or perhaps you've been married somewhere without me knowing?" He thundered, slashing more of the tube onto her body, and to her surprise, she didn't feel any pain when he beat her now.

She placed her shivering hand on her flat stomach and felt it as empty as it used to be. When did it happen? How could she become pregnant without her noticing? How could she miscarry her baby? She could feel the cloud of agony trying to overshadow her heart. "Alhaji, are you sure about what you're saying? How could it be? How could I lose my baby without even knowing he or she is inside me?" She was finding it so hard not to break down, but she had to be strong in front of Alhaji no matter what it took.

He let go of the tube and began beating her mercilessly with his hands, punching and beating her until she fell unto her knees, this time, she couldn't stop herself from crying. She was even feeling dizzy and she knew it would only be a matter of seconds before she out of consciousness. "How dare you feel sorry about the child you lost? What have you turned into? What have you turned yourself into, Fareeda?" He punched her stomach so hard that she screamed at the pitch of her voice and that was when Mujaheed knew he had stepped up, that was his use here after all.