Forsaken Gem

Chapter 5

when we arrived at the hotel, it was written Emirates suite on the big banner just outside the gate, there were security guard stationed outside the gate in their navy blue uniform.
The driver spoke to them in English and at once they swanked the golden gate open displaying a cluster of four high stores building  extend over the big land.  beautiful flowers flanked by the wall covered the entire compound, and also the entire frontage has flowers.
He stepped out of the car leaving me in and I was not in a hurry to go out until the driver opened the door and ask me in the Hausa dialect to come out with respect.
Salem, was just halfway to the entrance when he glanced back and gestures me to come forth with his hands. I moved carefully not wanting to step on my long abaya and try as much as possible to see the way through the newly Nikab I wore covering my face.
Thanks to the queen of the night flower the scent of the whole environment was appealing.. I walked gently toward him as she paced forward while I followed him a tow the driver right behind us with my bag. We entered the lobby of the hotel which feels warmer than the outside, the carpet where soft and delicate  there were cushions arranged in double with a table in between, all around the lobby. The lobby was colored red and gold. Just at the side is a large table with a woman wearing red and gold outfit just behind the table. The driver asked me to sit on one of the vacant seat while he joined his master at the counter discussing with the young lady. The cushion was so comfortable and soft, I sat and sank into it gently. I peeped through my nikab to behold a man, woman and their two children just laughing joyfully at the opposite cushion from me. The father was carrying the young daughter whose doll has been jerked by her brother who was laughing and hid behind the woman who I believed is their mother. The father was consoling the girl while the mother was trying to collect the doll from the boy, they all looked happy, that is a typical happy family I thought. Which I never had in my life. I looked on as tears filled my eyes. I quickly wipe them with my hands from under my nikab.
The room was lovely also, with a parlor, decorated with beautiful curtains same color and chairs with arm rest and random cushion just below the chairs. I sat on the seat just close to the door while the driver took my box to a room which I believed was the bedroom.
The driver left abruptly leaving just me and Salem, I didn't know what to do as I sat quietly swindling my fingers. When I heard his voice I shivered and looked up to him. He was now wearing just a white jallabiya, his tummy protruding through his white jallabiya. He signaled me to come forth and with his hands he showed me to the room telling me to removed my heavy clothes. I followed him to the room completely petrified. He touched my back with his hands and I moved faster into my doom( I believe).
When he saw I was not ready to take my clothes off in front of him, he smiled and left the room. I looked around the room discribed an Arabian inspired room with lot of red and gold.
I removed the nikab and the accessories I had on and shifted towards the room I believe was the bathroom, took my bath and perform ablution. I prayed and there at the side of the room is my box which mama Larai told me contained my clothes. I opened it and took a long dress that is made up of cotton and wore it. It was soft and I knew it will be comfortable to sleep in. I climbed into the bed ready to sleep when I heard him calling my name in his Arabian voice and tongue pronouncing it just the way it is.
I answered and moved toward the sitting room wearing my hijab on top of the dress, I saw him sucking out of a hookah and releasing smoke, she was laying down just by the cushions. He signaled me to come forward I did out of respect and sat close to him. He jerked me close to him and laid my head on his chest, my heart pounded from beneath my chest, beating as fast as possible as I touched it as if to slow it down. He was whispering some words into my ear I couldn't understand, it was Arabic I guess and the only word I was able to understand is the word I don't get to hear more often
"Ant jamieela " that am beautiful.

After some weeks I got accustomed to my life in the hotel room, I get to eat three times a day or even more, I don't do any chores because the room service people always attend to the room I just take my bath and wait for my husband Salem to please him. I grew a little bit farther while my skin glowed. Salem doesn't have any problem except when ever he is in the room he wants me glued to his body. I used to resist but later on I got acclimated to the routine.
Salem goes out in the morning and return after  asr prayer, and once his back is desame thing over and over again. I grew tired and sometimes feign  tired and that is when he will frowned his face saying a word
"Atrakni, atrakni," shooing me with his hands
When I remember the matrons threat and knowing I don't have anywhere to go, I will quickly moved toward him and hand him what he want on a platter. In a month, I was not a wife to my husband Salem except a sex slave to a man I got married too. I now believed the matron really did sell me off to this Arab man.
When he is not in the room I cry while praying desperately asking Allah for a solution to my problem.
That was how I endured and I believe my strength where mostly from Allah, my creator bestowed on me the problem and him alone will provide solution to my problem.
One afternoon as I was lying down just on the rug I used to pray, I dozed off into a slight slumber only to be awaken by a knock on the door? Who might it be I asked myself as I moved toward the door! Salem had his key with him so he doesn't knock he just comes in whenever he wants. I asked in my local dialect who is was?
A woman voiced answered back that it the hotel staff.
I opened the door slightly viewing a skinny woman who is just skinny but has a old looking face. She looked at me giving me a stare and said
" do you want to vacate the room or you are staying?
At first I didn't understand what she was saying so I asked her in Hausa
She growls and rolled her eyes and then answered me in Hausa. It took me some minutes to finally accumulate what she was saying and understood. I told her am together with my husband who will be back soon enough.
She looked at me dazed
"Your husband? "She scoffed out loud
" well I didn't know alhaji Salem was married here in Nigeria, I thought anyway, never mind.. alhaji Salem has already left the country as we speak. He told us to allow you sleep until it was time for the room.
I looked at her with my mouth a gasp, dumbfounded.
" if you re done, please bring the key to the lobby we have to clean the room" she said as he walked pass leaving me.
"And by the way, he left a letter for you, you can collect it when you re done packing" she hissed and continued walking
I closed the door gently and fall to the ground, my head resting just beneath the door handle.
What is going on? I asked myself, as her word kept repeating through my ears. Tears kept streaming down my eyes as regret, distress and anger. Why did I allowed my life to be towed, why did I allow them to control my life? Why did I do to deserve this? I asked myself as I laid on the ground sobbing profusely. After about 30minutes I heard a knock again and it brought me back to my senses as I drew my nose and wiped my tears, I stood up and open the door to see the same woman who looked at me snarlingly
"If you won't come out quietly I will ask the security to drag you out " she said arrogantly
I quickly pleaded with her to give me two minutes to pack my belongings.
10 minutes later i collected the message which was in a brown envelope and was out of the hotel in the surrounding that looks beautiful on that faithful day he brought me here, even though it was dark but the serene was decent and comforting but today with the sun shining brightly the compound looks dark and conniving to me. I was just at the door when I heard the gatemen talking discussing
"Hmmm, so this is the new victim to alhaji Salem's deceit.." he scowl
The other gateman who happen to be abit older
"I pity her, she looks so young! What is she doing with a man like that.. " he lament
" don't pity her I, she must be one of the prostitute that stay at Tudun wada, those women can do anything for money wallahy" he swore
" hmmm, " the elderly man sign and looked on
I passed through the gate, not even glancing at them feeling the pain of their words against me. I looked through the street and thought of where to go.. no place except where I was brought up..

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