Married To A Tyrant [PREVIEW]

Before The Wedding - Part 10

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SALMA

The tiny droplets of rain slid down my bedroom window. The cold air seeped in through the partial opening of the window, as I watched the bits of rain fall on my carpet. On any other day, I would have stood up to close it. But not today. Today, I let it fall.

The ceiling fan swung lazily over the room, blowing a subtle breeze around the room. Any other person would have turned off the fan because of the cold. But I wasn't any other person.

I was cooped up in my duvet, pressing my phone to my ear. Safiya still hadn't answered my call after forty seven missed calls. No one bothered to tell me that she had left for Kano five days ago. She had missed the engagement, and I needed my best friend beside me.

I've been trying to call her for three days now, but she still hadn't answered. I tried calling her friend's house where she was staying, but no one answered as well. I was becoming very frustrated, because she had called Nana this morning and she didn't even ask about me. Mama ignored all my inquiries about her sudden disappearance, simply telling me that she'd be back very soon.

When she didn't pick the call for the umpteenth time, I threw the phone aside and pressed my fingers into my forehead. I was beginning to get a migraine, but I ignored it because I've been getting migraines constantly now. I rolled over and rummaged through my bedside drawer for some medication. I've been stacking painkillers in my drawer since the day Mama broke the news to me. They helped to ease the pain, but somehow I felt like a drug addict, constantly drowning my pain and misery away. But I couldn't stop. The pain was far too unbearable.

My fingers finally felt the paper bag the pills were in. I pulled two pills out and threw them into my mouth, sipping water from the bottle on the drawer. I screwed the cap back and dropped the bottle, just as I heard the adhan calling for Asr prayer. I dragged my feet to the bathroom, shutting my eyes as the bright light was making my headache worse. The painkillers hadn't kicked in yet.

I placed my hands on either sides of the bathroom mirror and slowly opened my eyes. My hair had fallen over my face, so I pushed it back where it rested smoothly against my back. I stared up at my reflection, the figure staring back at me looking very unfamiliar. But at this point, I'd gotten used to seeing this image staring back at me. My eyes were extremely bloodshot, and the mascara I'd put on this morning was running down my face with the tears. My nose was bright red, and several pimples had popped up all over my face. My lips were chapped, and my shoulder were sagging unnaturally.

"What are you turning into, Salma?" I whispered to my reflection, staring deep into her hazel eyes. She smiled weakly back at me, her collarbones jutting out against her skin. Her cheekbones were sharper and more prominent than ever against her clammy skin.

"How did this happen to you?" I asked, cocking my head. She cocked her head as well, and her lips curve downward sadly. "Life isn't fair." she replied.

"Where is the fire that once burned in your eyes?" I asked, a single tear sliding down my cheek.

"That fire has been quenched," she replied, "by the river of inevitability. The flame that once burned in my soul is now reduced to dying embers, with no spark to ignite them."

I drooped my head as more tears poured from my eyes. You'd think a girl will get tired of crying. But I wasn't tired of crying. I'd been crying nonstop for several days, but my tear ducts were still not dried up yet.

"Mamana, kina ciki ne (My mother, are you in there)?" Mama called, knocking the bathroom door softly. I coughed so she'll know I'm in here.