Impulse

SIX: PRINCIPLES

She closed her door and leaned on it, it was like a pump of adrenaline through her bloodstream, the rush was exciting, butterflies in her stomach like a 10year old school girl, it felt so good.

She liked him, his bad boy slash gentle nature. Heenah had crushes in secondary school but this felt different, just imagining him still in her parlor gave her sweet chills.
And the shisha was not as bad as she thought, she loved the flavor it gave her throat, she wanted more. "A'udhubillahi mina-shaidanurrajeem" she said out loud realizing all the things she let happen a moment ago, the girl Heenah was not a girl without PRINCIPLES, but today she might have let things go a little too far.

Heenah rushed to the toilet and rinsed off her mouth, after, then performed ablution. She only realized it was around 3:30 and she did not pray zuhr. She didn't plan on staying long in the parlor, she wanted to say hello and back to her room, but she could not have predicted what happened that day in her house.
        ***
Abdulmaleek went to his father's house, he met his father in the parlor "Assalamualaikum" {peace be on to you} he said to his father.
"Wa'alaikumussalam" {and unto you peace} his father replied.

"Barka da yamma baba" {good evening father}
"Barka dai"  his father replied. Abdulmaleek had bad news, but he didn't know how to break it to his father.

Abdulmaleek knew nothing like the love of a mother, his father was everything to him. As such he was very close to his father. All his life he could never do anything contrary to what his father wanted. Only once did he defy his father, that was when his father insisted that he marry Adilah Haasim. His reason not being far from not wanting to settled down and commit to anyone, but why did he later marry her?

"Baba I have bad news" He cautiously began.
"Subahannallah, don't keep me in the dark, tell me"
"Alhaji Danbatta sold his remaining shares to Abubakar Moddibo, with that he becomes the majority share holder in the company, and we still owe him like 2billion Naira. He called today to sack me from work himself and insisted I move back to Kano with his granddaughter and work for him instead"

"What???" His father's voice was raised above his head "yana hauka ne?"{Is he mad?} his father was so upset his hand were shaking as he raged "abinda zai min kenan?" {is that what he will do to me?}

Abdulmaleek knew how this particular problem began, it began when Alhaji Moddibo tricked his friend into signing some papers that ended up being the death sentence of his father's entire life's work. To keep them in business Abdulmaleek was required to marry his granddaughter and work for Alhaji Moddibo in the beginning. Something his father found necessary, Abdulmaleek agreed to the former and refused to the latter.

He thought he could try and take it back, but Alhaji Moddibo kept bribing share holders up until now. Now he basically owned BD farms and there was nothing either Abdulmaleek or his father could do. Abdulmaleek grew feelings for Adilah, but he never forgot why he married her, even though it wasn't her fault, it kept him from completely falling in love with her. Well, that and her nagging.

"Baba, I honestly think we should just pay him his debt and try to build a new business" his father yelled immediately saying "kana hauka? {are you mad} my life's work?"

"We don't have a choice, we can build something better.." he leaned in to show his dedication "..I promise you I will build something better"

"If I do that, he wins"
"He has already won Baba, wallahi it is better for us. At the rate we're going, both me and you are salary earner for him fa"

His father thought carefully about it, he scratched his beard "I want you to divorce his granddaughter immediately" he concluded.

Abdulmaleek sat quietly, watching his father, his heartbeat quickened. He wondered why people toyed around with marriage like it was something to play with. Divorce was allowed in Islam, but is was most hated by Allah SWT, the devil rejoices when he comes between a married couple and Abdulmaleek thought no one knew this better than his father. Divorcing her, he thought might end some of his problems, like her excessive spending and her continuous drama, but THE MAN ABDULMALEEK was not a man without PRINCIPLES.
Abdulmaleek defied his father once in his entire life, everything his father instructed was gospel. Much to his distaste, today he did it a second time. "Baba! That is not a solution, I honestly wish I could but I don't think it will make anything better.."
His father raised his voice for the umpteenth time that day "Zan ci ubanka, ina fada kana kada??? {forgive me, my translation skills are very poor 😩} .. How dare you?"