MAKESHIFT HUSBAND (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Alhaji Yakasai paced around his room. He glanced at his phone again.

No messages.

No new calls.

He had expected this but seeing it hurt him. With a yell, he flung his phone on the bed.

He reached for the phone again and forced himself to sit on the bed. He dialed the number for the twentieth time and sighed when the other person answered this time.

"Baba"

"Zan ci uwarka Yakubu. What do you take me for? You just got released from prison and you've started again? Why did you kidnap that young man? You're still obsessed over that woman who sent you to the cell in the first place. I have told you times without number to stay away from her. She's already married so what do you want again?"

Alhaji yakasai stopped to catch his breath. Yaks was his only son and he'd raised him together with his sister's son, Kamaldeen ever since they were children.

A difference of one year was all that stood between them and most outsiders weren't even aware that kamaldeen wasn't his real son.

He had given Kamal everything material and raised his son with love and care but every time he always wondered how the one who grew without care didn't give problems like the one nurtured with love.

"Baba" Yaks drawled lazily. "Are you wondering how I turned out to be so different from Kamal again?"

Alhaji Yakasai remained mute.

"Oh" Yaks added. "Don't think that I am not aware of the people you have trailing me so you better tell them to withdraw before I do it myself."

Alhaji's fury grew and he felt his chest tighten. "Yakubu I am your father! You will listen to me when I tell you to stay away from that woman if not.."

"If not what Baba?" Yaks' voice lost all traces of indifference. He adopted a threatning tone.

Alhaji Yakasai suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

Since when did he start feeling afraid of his own son?

"If something happens to Maryam, Baba" Yaks added. "If you do something to her then I'll..."

"You will kill me? Kill your father for her?"

"Yes" Yaks answered without hesitation. "I'll kill you Alhaji Yakasai. If you do something to Mary, Zan kashe ka har lahira"

Beep!

He hung up.

Alhaji was startled to see that his hands were trembling. He opened his gallery and at Maryam's picture.

Blasted woman! He cursed.

Five years back, when he had warned her to stay away from his son, Yaks returned home that very day and threatened to cut all ties with him if he ever tried to separate them again.

Alhaji wondered if she had charmed him.

He sighed and pulled the envelope from Hajiya Bintu's side. He sat still for three seconds in tribute to the lady who'd been marked by Hajiya Bintu.

Alhaji wondered which one of his boys he should send to the job or if it should be a staged accident.

He preferred to make clear cuts without leaving anything behind.

His hands shook and he dropped the woman's picture.

This woman!

Maryam!!

His son's Maryam!!!

*********************

The nurse smiled at Maryam.

"Your vitals are all stable now and the doctor said as soon as this drip is finished, you'll be discharged if no issues come up again"

"The baby." She hesitated. "Is the baby fine?"

The doctor told her everything was okay but she was still feeling a bit nervous and scared.

"Don't worry" the nurse smiled at her again and he closed the file he had been writing on. "The baby is very okay. This is your first child right?"

Maryam nodded.

"Ah" he exhaled. "No wonder. I can relate to your worries too. Just a few months back, my wife broke the news to me too and I was very shocked that I froze for a while"

A small smile graced Maryam's lips. He was shocked? Was he as shocked as she had been? As shocked as Kamal had been?

She frowned again.

Kamal.

He remained adamant on not divorcing her.

"Is everything okay?" Concern laced the nurse's voice.

"I'm fine"

He studied her face for a minute, disbelief clearly. "Alright. I can see you're troubled but you don't want to share so I won't push. Take care of yourself. Stress isn't good for the baby"

Maryam closed her eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. She was hoping with all her heart to get a few minutes of sleep.

The door opened again and someone walked in.

'Perhaps the nurse left something behind?' She mused.

The footsteps stopped by her side and the person didn't make another move. Too tired to care, Maryam shifted and changed her position. Her left tight felt sore.

"Mary" he called and her eyes flew open in alarm.

Yaks smiled and took her hand in his. He brought her knuckles to his lips and placed light kisses on them.

"Jacob" She answered out of reflex. He smiled and squeezed her hand again.

She snatched her hand back as though she'd been burnt.

"What... What are you doing here?"

Yaks eyes dimmed.

He stared at his empty hand for a minute then the smile returned to his face.

"I came to see you Mary. I missed you my love. I've missed you a lot"

He smiled again and sat on the bed close to her.

She sat up quickly and moved so there was distance between them.

"Yaks.. I... I am married" she looked away. "You..you can't touch me, you're not allowed to be here like this"

"I know you're married Mary" the sides of his cheeks sunk in as two dimples appeared.

"I also know you're married to my brother."

"What?"

He moved to brush a finger across her face but she avoided him. His frozen hand remained in the air for a few seconds.

The gentle look on his face didn't change at all. "Don't be so surprised my love. I know it was a temporary marriage but I'm back now. I'm ready to marry you my love. Everything that  happened before is all gone now. We can start afresh"

Maryam resisted the urge to smile. Perhaps in this lifetime, she would never find a man who would love her like Yaks did even though he did it in his own wrong way.

"Yaks" she started cautiously. "I'm pregnant"

SO IT'S GETTING TO AN END AND I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM MY READERS. WHO AND WHO DO YOU SHIP TOGETHER?

1: KAMAL & MARYAM?
2: YAKS &MARYAM?
3: ABDULHAQQ &MARYAM?
         OR
4: SHE ENDS UP ALONE, HER OWN WOMAN.