Safaa

Chapter Sixty

Alhaji Sunusi fixed his gaze on his eldest wife when the driver started the car that would convey them home. She was calm, behaving like she was not the one who acted like someone who had lost his senses some minutes ago. They were almost home when she began ranting and mumbling incoherent words, dispelling their peaceful journey back home.

"Take me back, she must forgive me" She yelled trying to unlock the car.

Her attempt at jumping out of a moving car further ascertained his fear, he knew Turai well and she would never try ending her life by herself.

"Turai what is wrong with you? You have to stop this madness" He firmly held her hands stopping her from reaching the lock.

The driver slowed the car hearing the commotion in the backseat but Alhaji Sunusi told him to move on. When they reached home, he silently guided his wife into her apartment, asked the maid to bring her a bottle of chilled water and then told her to rest. He was about to leave her living room when her voice stopped him.

"I hate her, I hate Safaa" Hajiya Turai cried face palming herself.

"Why? Why do you want her forgiveness then?" He asked walking to her.

"Because my children want me to, I wish she died while giving birth to..." Alhaji Sunusi cut her off with a resounding slap, Hajiya Turai was not even able to finish what she wanted to say.

"I have been trying not to pounce on you Turai because I thought something was wrong with you, now I realise you're sane, you know what you are doing, You did the most unimaginable thing, you paid someone to wreck the girl's car" Alhaji Sunusi seethed pointing a finger at her.

"You slapped me?" Hajiya Turai asked.

She placed her palm on her cheek, finding it hard to believe the man who was always at her beck and call just laid his hand on her face. It shocked her to core and after some minutes, when it finally registered on her mind that he did slapped her. She began pacing the living room in frenzy smashing against the wall, all the breakable things that came her way. The glasses pierced through her soft palms, but she did not care, all she wanted was something she could do to make her anger go away.

"You should stop that Turai, am warning you" He shouted.

Fadwa heard the crackling sound coming from downstairs while she was blow-drying her wet hair, she thought it was one of the Maids that broke some of their mother's china, but when the sound did not stop for more than five minutes, she rushed to Shukrah's room to inform her something was happening.

"I heard it" Shukrah said when Fadwa came into her room with a dishevelled hair.

"Can we check? Are you sure it's not armed robbers Shukrah? I'm getting married in two weeks, I don't want to die now" Fadwa panicked grabbing Shukrah's arms.

"Am sure it's nothing serious, let's go and check" Shukrah acted brave and they tiptoed down to their mother's living room.

They met a sight none of them expected to see, their mother was aimlessly pacing the place, the side of the living room she smashed flower vases, frames and other ornamentals stained with droplets of blood falling from her wounded hands and their father calmly seated on one of the sofa while he watched her.

"Mama what are you doing? What is wrong?" Fadwa moved close to stop her mother but she tossed a small flower vase her way, Shukrah had to drag her quickly to avoid the vase from having a contact with her.

"Daddy what is wrong?" Shukrah went and scooted near her father and asked him.

"It's a long story my dear, just do me a favour and sedate your mother, I'll tell you everything later" He whispered to Shukrah who was now a well trained doctor.