Choices

Chapter 18 (Maya)

I was curled up under the duvet in a fatal position, I felt tired down to my bone but the shouting dripping in from the sitting room wouldn't let me rest in peace. Hajiya arrived roughly 30 minutes ago and she has been shouting at me ever since, dad only managed to drag her out of my room 5 minutes ago after she has called me all manners of names from selfish, shameless, useless and unworthy of the family name. If only she knew all this couldn't possibly make me feel worse than I already did. After everything that happened today I knew nothing will ever be the same. I haven't said a word to defend myself since Nurrain and his family left, I couldn't, this feeling of listlessness is my penance for all the harm I've caused so I embrace it gladly.
Everything went quiet for a minute almost like the house is empty of beings but then the loud boom of someone opening the door to my room with such force cut through the silence. I thought it was Waleed at first from the anger emanating from the intruders movement until he yanked the duvet off me and I came face to face with Nurrain, a very angry Nurrain I might add.
"Get up, you don't get to sleep after destroying my peace" he said in a calm voice, not a pitch higher than his normal baritone, a stranger might think he is pretty calm but I knew him and I could see the barely consealed anger shimmering in his eyes. He got more pissed when I just stared saying nothing.
"Get dressed we are going home" he said as he turned towards my dresser and fling the latch open and started throwing out my clothes on the bed. It was only after his words registered that I realized two things, he was attempting to pack my clothes into my suitcase and I was lying in bed with a man in the room clad in only a camisole. I jerked the duvet to cover up all the way to my neck before addressing him "what the hell do you think you are doing! Are you out of your mind!" I didn't sound as angry as I wanted because my voice is gone, barely above a whisper.
Dad came rushing in with ummi hot on his heels. "Lallai yaron nan baka da hankali! You barge into my house while i was in the bathroom and walk past my mother in the living room straight into my daughter's room without asking for permission! You must be crazy gsky Ina Jin shaye-shaye kake ko!"
He didn't say much just kept moving around the room, dumping clothes into suitcases, he moved to my shoe rack and started packing them. "I didn't come to start any trouble I just want to take Maya and go" he turned to me and said "come on get dressed we have to go"
"I am not going anywhere with you, I already told you that" I reiterate with conviction but he only looked up from his task once to confirm I wasn't moving before he moved to the bathroom and came back with an armful of toiletries "don't make this harder than it needs to be, you are coming with me one way or another even if you choose to come half naked"
"You really have lost your mind" I said but he didn't react so I turned to dad "do something dad, get him out of here" that jerked him into action and he stepped in front of Nurrain who was zipping the second suit case he has filled with my stuff "my daughter is not going anywhere with you" dad decrees but Nurrain isn't in the mood to listen he looked dad dead in the eye and told him "she is my wife and she is coming with me, you have no say in this Alhaji" I sucked in a breath at his audacity.
Dad was furious "what did you just say to me!"
Nurrain just side stepped him and rounded the bed to where I was sitting wrapped up like a burrito in my duvet hurling the two suitcases behind him and used his other hand to pull me up and out of the bed. He pulled me with such force I lost my balance and ended up plastered to his front. "What the hell" I snapped and instantly pushed him away from me with both hands.
He grabbed hold of my left hand and heads for the door dragging me along dad was shouting at him to stop but he wouldn't listen. I tried to balk and get away grabbing the wall for support and everything but he was too strong so I resort to begging "Nurrain pls let me go, why are you doing this"
"I told you, you are coming home with me" he said as we stepped into the sitting room where Hajiya is sitting, I thought he will bypass as he did with dad but we came to a screeching halt causing dad and ummi that were following us to stop as well. Without letting go of my hand he bowed down to greet her, taking me with him. "I'm sorry I didn't stop to greet you and introduce myself properly earlier" he adds.
Hajiya looked as surprised by that as I was she looked from me to him and then to dad before answering the greeting and saying it "you must be Nurrain,it's okay after everything that went on today for you to loose focus a bit"
"Thank you for understanding"he replied and started moving towards the door again.
Dad blocked our path "I've already told Maya isn't going anywhere with you boy"
"Let me go Nurrain!" I chimed in trying to pull my hand out of his grip again.
"You are going with me Maya and that is final" he seethes.
Dad was about to talk when hajiya asked him to stop "why are you getting involved Garba, Maya has shown she doesn't want us involved in her life and her decisions, so why are you trying to interfere in her life, she stopped being a part of this family the minute she got married, Nurrain is right she belongs with him so don't try to stop him"
"But Haji...." She raised her hand and dad clamped his mouth shut and then she said to Nurrain "Maya is your responsibility now and despite everything she has put us through I don't wish her ill so please take care of her and I pray she gets everything she desires from this marriage however I want you both to know from today henceforth she is no longer welcome in our family, we have washed our hands of her and we won't interfare in her life, from today her actions are her own alone and have no bearing on our family name, her choices are her own so she must live with the consequences, I am not her grandmother niether is Garba her father, she has no relationship with any of our family members from today, you are her husband and also her only family so I hope you honor the weight of that responsibility"
Every word hit me like a bullet, dad instantly tried to protest but Hajiya wouldn't hear of it. "I don't want to hear a word out of you, I have let you and your daughter do whatever you want for far too long, that ends today, my decision is final unless you want to be disowned along with her" he didn't say a word more in my defense after that and in that moment surrounded by family I understood what it was like to feel truly and utterly alone
"Really grandma! You are washing your hands off me just like that, is my mistake really so great, I got married ba dan shege na kawo gida ba for goodness sake!" I snapped.
"Har yanzu bakin ki be mutu ba ko Maya, I don't owe you any explanation, you choose strangers over your family so we don't need you to be our family anymore, you turned our lives upside down because you wanted to make your own choices so now learn to live with them, because of you Walid is heartbroken, your dad is refusing to speak to his younger brother my entire family is in disarry because bakya Jin magana so I would rather you leave and become someone else's problem"
I turned to dad who was just standing in stunned silence "are you really going to stand there while Hajiya drives a wedge between us Dad" before he can reply Hajiya pipes up again "Garba is a lot of things but he would never challenge his mother because he knows the value of parents,I can stake my honor on that so stop wasting time dare yayi and we are all tired" hearing that dad clamped his mouth shut and looked away from me. My legs refused to support my weight at dad's non verbal agreement, I almost went down but Nurrain clutched my hand tighter and pulled me to his side to steady me. The tight grip brought me back to reality and I looked up to see his face, I caught a glimpse of pity in his eyes before the anger took hold again and he said "there is nothing left for you here, let's go" I couldn't even fight him because what will be the point, he dragged me to his car, opened the front door and sat me down before he put my suitcases in the boot and took his seat next to and we speedt out of the house as if the devil is on our heels, I didn't even get to catch a final glimpse of my home. I turned to face my angry husband and asked "you're the most confusing and infuriating man i have ever met, earlier you clearly stated you wanted nothing to do with me and you don't accept this marriage and then tonight you come barging in to my room and take me away by force like a cave man , why are you doing this? You dad forced you to stay married to me I'm aware of that but that doesn't mean we have to live together. You could have moved on and let me move on like nothing happened and once our punishment is over we go our separate ways so why are you complicating matter?"
He let out a dry humorless laughter "listen to yourself, I am the one complicating matters huh. You and your boyfriend are the reason my family is falling apart right now but sure I am the one complicating matters" he flashede an irritated looks before he locked his eyes on the road and said "you think I want to live with you, forget living with you I don't even want to think about you but sadly as it has now become the recurring theme of my life I don't have a choice in the matter. Dad wants me to bring you so I will, I have disappointed him enough today to last a lifetime I don't want to keeping letting him down"
"Well at least you get the chance to try and redeem yourself I am no longer my father's daughter apparently so count yourself lucky " I mussed, wallowing in the misery I have brought upon myself.
He didn't say a word,and we drove in silence. We live 5 minutes so it wasn't much of a drive we were soon parked in his dim lit garage but he made no move to get out of the car so I stayed put too. He inhaled deeply and exhaled before rubbing at his temple to relieve stress must likely and heaved out "what a day"
I agreed "yeah it's been brutal so what now?"
"I have no idea, I just to to sleep in peace the rest and let the chips fall where they may. So I am begging you let's turn down the sass and the drama for tonight, tomorrow you can go back to being loud and brash Maya but please give me tonight okay " he implores and his restlessness was palpable so I agreed "it's a deal, I need the rest too" he nods in and gets out of the car so I stepped down too. He get my stuff and leads me to the door that opens up the the main house, Nurrain's is huge but it has a vintage style to it. The garage gate is separate from the main gate entrance of the house, but once you step through they both lead to the main courtyard, I wonder why they don't just park their cars here it's enough for 5 cars at least. He leads me towards the main house but at the last moment he veered to a door by the left, we stepped into a small corridor that has three doors, two facing each other and one in the middle, he opened the door to the right and we stepped into a big room, it was tidy with two medium sized beds separated by a small dresser, you could tell it's a boy's room despite how tidy it was because it was sparsely decorated. There is a work desk and chair set up to the side it has a shelf built above it that's overflowing with books and folders like a mini library, a couch and two arm chair facing a huge flat screen and game console set up on the other side. There's also a medium sized fridge and a built-in closet that took up almost all the left wall of the room, except for a door that I assumed leads to a bathroom. Other than that there wasn't much else to the room. He set down my suitcases next to the closet, opened the fridge that was packed with water bottles and different soft drinks, he got out water for the both of us and I took it gratefully. Once I was done he said "you can take that bed and rest, I'll go and let baffa know you are here"
I immediately start to protest"You mean we have to share a room but that's too much....."" He cuts me off before I could finish "Maya please don't start I thought we agreed to cap it for tonight"
"I'm not trying to start an argument, I promise I was just caught off guard"
"It has two beds and it's big enough for us to share for now until we find another solution so make yourself at home" he replied as he walked out.
I didn't want to let the uncertainty of the future and the turmoil of my present creep in so i decided to keep busy. I went to the bathroom, which is spacious and clean. Nurrain must have a maid because I've never seen a boy's room be so sparkling clean, it was much cleaner than my room and I am not a messy person, or at least I don't think I am.
I did my ablution and stepped into the room, Nurrain's not back and I'm great full for small mercies now that things have calmed down I'm abundantly aware of how scantly dressed I am in only a knee length camisole and a scarf covering my head. The Ac is on full blast and the cold has doubled since my skin is wet from the ablution and it is causing the silk material to cling to my body like a second skin in a way that is borderline indecent. I can't let him see me like this, he's seen too much already as it is.
Unfortunately for me, when I checked the suitcases he packed there was no hijab to be found anywhere, he packed in such haste he must not have missed them since I kept them in a separate dresser. What do I do now? I can't stay like this! My nipples are stiff from the cold and poking out like headlights for God sake! I heard voices coming closer and I panicked, I opened his closet and grabbed the first tshirt I layed my hands on and pulled it on just as the key turned and he stepped in.
"You rushed me out of my room like the house was on my fire and now I don't have a single hijab to pray, couldn't you have just let me pack slo...... " Seeing baffa walk in after him had me clamping my mouth shut. I went on my knees to greet him and he answered in a nice tone but he looked pensive and distracted. My stomach began tightening in a knot, what now!
I got my answer when baffa spoke "look Nurrain like I told your mom this is your home and you and your wife have every right to stay, she can't force you to leave not while I am still alive besides yanzu dare yayi where will you go"
I knew Ammi hates me but she loves Nurrain so much, I didn't think she will chase him out because of a single mistake but then again my parents washed their hands off me because of a mistake too so maybe it's a recurring theme among elders now to solve a problem by cutting their children off.
Nurrain picked up the car keys and wallet he had dropped on the center table earlier when we walked in before answering Baffa.
"Baffa please don't be angry with Ammi, she is just hurting and needs an outlet that's why she is lashing out at me and her feelings are justified, you are right this is my home but it's her home to and she has every right to decide who gets to live under her roof. You asked me to stay married and I did, you asked me to bring Maya here and I complied because you are my dad and I can't go against you but baffa Ammi is my mother and I can't go against her too, I have honored all your wishes please let me honor her single request as well"
"Her request is unreasonable son, how can she ask you to send your wife away in the middle of the night knowing fully well I ordered you to bring her home wato she wants to show me ban isa ba kenan" baffa states and my stomach cramps up again Hajiya made it clear I'm not welcome back home, my extended family are no doubt pissed at me as well so if Nurrain sends me out where would I go, I felt helpless and that helplessness soon translated to anger, I am tired of people kicking me around like a football,I won't stay where i am not wanted so I told them as much "baffa it's okay if Ammi doesn't want me here I'll leave I have caused enough trouble for your family already" I hurled my suitcases up and made for the door. His hand engulfing my wrist stopped me in my tracks
"Where do you think you are going crazy, it's late and you are not even dressed" he asked
"What's it to you, I can go wherever I want to,you can't stop me" I snapped, why won't he just let me slink away in peace.
"Trust me I'm not doing it for you" he states and turns to Baffa "don't worry about us baffa just take care of Ammi her blood pressure is way too high right now I don't want it to get worst, we will go to a hotel for the night and tomorrow I'll start looking for a more permanent solution for us"
Baffa clearly didn't like the situation but he agreed after a little more cajoling. From there conversation I understood that Ammi's blood pressure has shoot through the roof and she is insisting she doesn't want me here, Nurrain is afraid her health will get worst so he agreed to her decision but what I don't get is why he has to leave with me he could easily book me a room and be done with it but he didn't.
Once Baffa left he rushed back inside and got me a hijab from his sister, once I was decently covered we got back in the car and drove to a hotel. It was a grand place, clearly expensive but I was too tired to take in the stunning site all I want is a hot bath and a warm bed. He booked us a suit with two rooms and a living room, and I was grateful,I need space and a little me time to clear my head.
Once I was safely behind closed doors of my room I heaved a sigh. What a day!
I took a long bath,prayed and got in bed, I feel like I could sleep for weeks. I know I should probably be strategizing on what to do with my life going forward but I just don't have the energy. Then came the knock on my door and he waltzed in before I could give him permission.
"What is with you and barging into rooms uninvited!" I snapped sitting up while bringing my duvet along.
"Relax, I have no desire to look at your body if that's what has you so terrified, I just brought you food" his tone is dripping with mirth and I could let me win.
"I'm not terrified I just want you to remember your manners,besides I'm not hungry so you can take whatever that is with you as you leave" but of course the universe is against me and my stomach choose that moment to grumble so loudly I'm sure the people in the hallway could here it. He chuckles and I tell him to shut up.
"Eat it or not it's your business but just keep the stomach gurgling down some of us want to sleep" he turned to leave but a sharp ringtone pierced the silence and I didn't realize it's my phone until he snapped at me to answer the call or put it on silence, I have totally forgotten I had fished it out of the suitcase earlier and place it next to my pillow. But who could be calling me so late, its midnight already,maybe it Yah Nabila,the news must have reached her by now but the name I saw on the display stunned me so much every inch of my body clamped up. Nurrain rounded the bed and used a hand to poke my cheeks "hey, are you okay, who's calling?" I couldn't tell him so I turned the phone to face him so he could see the Nurah's name splashed on the display.
"That rat Bastard" he seethes and I agreed completely.

***********
What do you think Nurah has to say for himself.
I wonder what the future holds for this two.

Ps: the chapter is unedited