Married To The Gateman

8: Tears At Night

Asma'u softly knocked on Fareeda's door for the first time in her life, Fareeda wondered who it was. Because all the other people had never knocked, they either barged inside or nearly knock the door down. And when it was Nana, the first thing she heard before the girl make an appearance in her room was, 'Ya Fareeda, are you inside?' and without waiting for an answer, she would just barge in.

"Who is it?" Fareeda asked as some part of her heart told her maybe they had a guest? But which among the guest they had could ever ask for her and even proceed to come to where she was? She doubted if it was a guest.

"It's me, Ya Fareeda, can I come in?" She nearly gasped outwardly, Asma'u?

She moved to the door, unlocked it and smiled when Asma'u's face showed up, "I've been waiting for you since. Come in and tell me how it went," she said and ushered her in. They sat on the resting sofa and Asma'u heaved a sigh, staring at the night sky through the window.

"He rejected me. And his exact words were even if you two aren't getting married, he can't have that kind of relationship with me. That I'm still young, I should focus on my studies and I'll find someone that'll love me." She sighed and palmed her forehead, "You know all those cool stuff men tell you when they're about to reject you, right? That's all he said trying not to make me feel bad."

Fareeda cursed him under her breath, what was this man trying to pull for the sake of the almighty? She knew she had to think of a way to not make this happen, but how could she? By Allah, she hated to even think about this, and now just the smallest thin of hope she had had been broken by him. She softly hugged Asma'u that was beginning to cry and realized she had never hugged her before in their entire lives.

"I'm so sorry, Asma'u, okay? You shouldn't cry because of that man." At first, she was just going to use her to revoke Alhaji's promise on them, but now she realized that if this was a joke to her, it wasn't a joke to Asma'u at all cost.

"But I love him, Ya Fareeda. I know, as a lady since he outwardly rejected me like a lady I shouldn't keep on holding to him but by Allah, it feels so hard to do that. My heart is paining me so much." There was a time when she wished one of her family members would feel even a pint of the pain she felt every passing day in her life, but seeing the way Asma'u was crying bitterly, Fareeda kept revoking her prayers and curses on them. So this was how bad it felt to see someone in tears? Someone in pain? Was it because she had never had someone by herself in her life that she didn't know all these or what?

"Asma'u..." she began but was cut off when the door got banged open and a furious Ummah stood in front of them, with Dahlia by her side. Did Fareeda once think of the reason Ummah left Dahlia at home this evening? Whatever the reason was, she would know it now.

"What do you think you're trying to do, Fareeda? How dare you matchmake my daughter with a gateman? Is it because you're getting married to him and you didn't want that? That's why you're resorting to making my daughter take your stead?" She furiously asked and turned to Asma'u that was still crying beside Fareeda on the sofa, "And you, you have no self-respect or love, right? How can you, a daughter of a billionaire confess your love to a man? He can be everyone, and it will still be wrong. But to a gateman? Asma'u I'll make sure your tears have turned to blood today!" She roughly pulled her up and Fareeda held her wrist before she stood up.

"Have you thought of the possibility that this lovely daughter of yours loves the gateman? I'm not trying to push her to him, yes, I know I don't love him. No, I can't even love him my whole life, and I can't get married to the gateman because I have the man I love..."

"That stupid guy you call a boyfriend? We all know that he's never going to marry you, because how could he? When he has gotten all a husband gets from his wife from you for free? Moreover, the only god knew the number of babies you've aborted for him. Aren't you ashamed to call him the man you love? Listen, you might've not known this, but the man that loves you will never try to take advantage of you without making sure he get married to you. That's not loving, he's just taking advantage of what you foolishly call as one." She glared hard at her, appreciating the way her words had struck Fareeda and she seemed to be taken aback. She shrugged off her hand from Asma'u's wrist and pulled her out of the room, making sure a hard knock landed on the crown of her head before they left the room.