All For What!

24

Immediately Nafisa got to the house, she realised even the gate was already locked. She knocked on the door severally, but got no response. The gatekeeper must already be asleep - she thought. How was she going to get into the house now?! She bent down and picked a stone from the ground in which she used to knock on the door harder. Immediately, she heard a door opening and quickly threw the stone away.

"Who be that?" She heard, Adam, the gateman ask in pidgin English, inquiring who was at the gate.

"Open the door, Adam," she commanded.

"Who you be first?" He continued with  his questions.

Nafisa rolled her eyes and said; "it's me, Nafisa."

Immediately she said that, he unlocked the door. "Ahhh! Madam and oga been they look for you since oh!"

"What type of English are you even speaking? You should go and update your knowledge," Nafisa said with irritation before walking away. She could hear him mumbling incoherent words behind her back, but she didn't care to pay any more attention to him. She had a more important problem to deal with.

Getting to the front door, Nafisa rang the doorbell and just as soon, Sa'eed opened the door. Nafisa's heartbeat accelerated seeing the look on Sa'eed's face. He was furious and if Nafisa was to be honest with herself, she knew she was a tad bit scared of Sa'eed.

"Where are you coming from?" He asked, sternly.

Nafisa flinched at the tone of his voice and began to stutter. "I... I am coming... From—"

"Shut up! I won't condone this kind of behavior in my house! What kind of example do you think you're setting for my daughter?!" He yelled.

Nafisa was lost of word. She couldn't bring herself to cook up lies to defend herself for fear of what Sa'eed might do to her. Due to the anger he was exhibiting, Nafisa feared he would hit her.

"Go back to where you're coming from." Sa'eed yelled, pointing a finger at the gate.

On instinct, Nafisa got down on her knees and started begging for mercy. "I have nowhere to go to, please have mercy on me," she cried.

Sa'eed turned his back in her. He felt not even an ounce bit of pity for her. She wasn't a good influence on their daughter - his instincts told him and they never lie.

Maryam who was in her room, heard the commotion outside and went to see what it was for herself. On getting outside, she was surprised by the scene unfolding before her. She quickly went to Nafisa and helped her up. "What is happening here?" She asked no one in particular. "- where are you coning from?" She turned her attention to Nafisa and asked.

"I'm... I'm coming from school, we didn't finish our group project in time and I fell asleep. When... When I woke up, it was already late and that was when I-"

"Don't believe anything that comes out from that girl's mouth. She's a liar!" Sa'eed said, cutting her off.

"Please let's listen to her explanation first, habibi," Maryam pleaded.

"Listen to what? Her lies? I'm not a fool, Maryam! She's leaving this house today," Sa'eed said, sternly.

"SubhanAllah! Habibi, where do you want her to go to this night?" Maryam asked, horrified. Nafisa was now their responsibility and having Sa'eed throw her out of the house in the night would be dangerous for her as a female. She didn't have the heart to let that happen. She was also a mother.

"I don't care! She's not staying here from now henceforth," Sa'eed remarked with finality.

"I'm sorry, but she's going nowhere! She's a girl for crying out loud! What do you think would happen to her out there? We are parents and we should put ourselves in her parent's shoes; if Manal was to commit the same mistake—"

"Don't even go there!" Sa'eed warned. He was getting furious at his wife also and it was all because of a stranger! "-I know the kind of value, morals and discipline I'm instilling in my daughter and in sha Allah, she would never do anything to bring shame to our family." Sa'eed finished, narrowing his eyes at Maryam. He couldn't believe she could even think that about their daughter.

"You're getting me wrong, I didn't mean it that-" one look at Maryam from Sa'eed cut her off abruptly. She could see the anger boiling in his eyes - anger directed to her. She instantly felt a pang in her heart. The last thing she wanted was for her husband to be angry at her, but she couldn't stand with folded hands and allow him ruin a young girl's life.

Sa'eed threw one last disgusting look at Nafisa before furiously walking into the house and slamming he door. He rarely showed his anger for he was a patient man, but whenever he did, it was for a serious reason.

"Come inside," Maryam told Nafisa and hurried to go meet her husband in their room.

Nafisa thanked her stars. If it wasn't for Maryam, only Allah knew what was going to happen to her. It would have been the end for her. Where would she have gone to? She had absolutely no where to go to. She knew not a single soul in the city she could stay in their house for the night.  Maryam was really a live saver!

• • •

"Habibi, please listen to me, I'm sorry," Maryam apologized for the umpteenth time that night. Sa'eed had refuse to talk or even spare her a glance. He was still very furious about  Nafisa still being in their house and all because of Maryam. "- think of this rationally, habibi; if I had allow you throw the poor girl out of the house at that ungodly hour, what do you think would have happened to her? There are tons of bad people  out there just waiting to strike. I'm just protecting someone's child. Please stop being angry at me now."

"You didn't want her to leave because it was late right?" Sa'eed asked with an emotionless face.

"Exactly my point—"

Sa'eed interrupted her. "Then she leaves first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Ya Allah!" Maryam sighed. "-habibi! Please just let this go this once and I promise, it'd never repeat itself again." She pleaded.

"Suit yourself!" Sa'eed replied and left the room for Manal's.