When History Repeats Itself

Chapter One

** Sumaya - Angela Simmons**

Present Day

Friday Night

The sound of breaking glass jolted me awake from my sleep. I rubbed my eyes wondering what the hell was going on. Then I heard it again, this time it was louder and accompanied with my sister, Sumaya screaming at someone. Who?

"YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING, WORTHLESS, SORRY EXCUSE FOR A HUSBAND!"

That answered my next question. I lived in a spare room of an apartment my sister shared with her husband, Kobby. I rushed out of my room, only wearing an oversize grey tee-shirt I had stolen from my dad. I got to the kitchen area to find Kobby on one side of the kitchen island and a deranged Sumaya on the other hurling whatever her hands could find at him.

It was an hour to midnight. I was pretty sure all the ruckus was keeping our neighbors awake. I was more worried about Sumaya killing her husband in rage.

I took step forward and was forced to retreat when another plate went flying at Kobby's head. He narrowly dodged the plate which ended up smashing onto the kitchen worktop behind him. The floor was a mess and my sister was barefooted.

"YOU COULD NOT WAIT TO DEFILE OUR MARITAL BED. TWO YEARS OF MARRIAGE AND YOU BRING THAT WHORE INTO MY APARTMENT AND SLEEP WITH HER IN MY BED WHILE I'M SLAVING AT WORK TRYING TO PROVIDE FOR US BOTH!"

This was bad. This was really bad. I got to her just in time to grab her arm and stop her from throwing another one of her fancy plates at him. I set the plate on the worktop and held her as the range of emotions she felt overwhelmed her entire body. She was visibly shaking.

"We can work this out, Sumaya. It was meaningless. At least I was not having an affair with your sister. Doesn't that count for something?" Kobby spoke up which I wish he hadn't.

I could not believe the words coming out of his mouth.

"Get out" I said in a clipped tone as I sensed rage coursing through my sister's veins once more. It was a simple command. He turned around and stepped over broken glass and ceramic as he made his way towards the door.

"When you're ready to talk, you know where I'll be" he said with his back turned to us before walking out the door. The minute the door closed behind him, the floodgates Sumaya had so strongly kept shut flew open. I had never seen Sumaya look so devastated. She crumpled into my arms and cried.

When she calmed down a bit, I grabbed her car keys and without a word exchanged between us I led her to her car, the shiny black SUV, parked downstairs. She curled up on the back seat, sobbing as I got into the driver's seat and drove off to the only place I knew she needed to be.

A text message and short drive later, we arrived at my dad's house. It was past midnight but the lights were on in the house. They were expecting us. The minute the front door swung open, my dad took one look at us and his brown eyes showed his pain. I was still wearing his oversized grey tee shirt and flip-flops holding onto a still sobbing Sumaya wearing an old faded pair of pajamas.

Sumaya pushed past him and ran into her mother's arms. Aunt Jemila quietly walked her upstairs to her bedroom while my dad and I went to his study.

My dad poured a glass of bourbon from a bottle he always kept in his bottom drawer. I watched him take a long gulp and set the glass down. I saw the fire in those brown eyes die out as he sat in deep thought. I circled his large dark wood desk and hugged him from behind. He lightly touched my forearm then let his arm drop to his lap.

"She doesn't hate you. She doesn't put you in the same category as him. Yaya needs her dad, she just needs her mum more now" I told him, mentioning his longtime nickname for Sumaya.