MAKESHIFT HUSBAND (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

As soon as Kamal stepped out of his car, he knew something was wrong.

The compound was neat, the flowers were beautiful, the sky was bright and something was definitely not okay.

As though the three minutes journey from the parking lot to the main house had changed to that of hours,  Kamal reached the door and pushed.

To his surprise, the door opened without any resistance and it scared him. He knew Zainab would never leave the house open because she loved to sit in shorts and would fear someone walking in on her.

He glanced at the still fans and the fact that there was light yet she'd left the fans off scared him again.

"Zainab!" Giving in to his fear, he called and rushed to their room. "Ameer!!"

The sight of the empty crib felt like someone had given him a punch that knocked the air out of his lungs.

Where were his wife and son?

Doubling his steps, he hurried back to the gate and asked the gateman who answered albeit fearfully.

"Madam sister com carry madam dazu when u dey office. Madam carry small akwai fa"

Kamal exhaled deeply and sat on the bench next to the gateman.

Zainab had left him. She had decided she didn't want to endure anymore and left.

His head felt heavy as he remembered every argument they had over Maryam,  the many times he was close to calling her as Maryam, the fact he got himself to feel that she wasn't as good haunted him.

Zainab had tried and he knew that. He wouldn't let go of almost four years of marriage and though he didn't know how, he knew he had to fix it and ran to get his car's key.

That was how he ended up here, in Abuja to look for his wife.

*****

"Sit down Kamal " Alhaji caught hajiya Bintu's arm and pulled her back as she lunged at Kamal who closed his eyes and took a step back.

"Leave me alone Alhaji. Let me throw this disgust of a man in a place he'll never forget" Hajiya bintu struggled against his hold.

When she realised she couldn't free herself, hajiya bintu fell to her knees and started to cry.

"Where is my daughter?" She screamed admist tears. "I won't hold you responsible I promise. Just find my daughter and bring her back to me"

"Hajiya get a grip on yourself and calm down" Alhaji muttered.

"Don't tell me to calm down"

"Zainab will be fine"

"You don't know that" Hajiya bintu wept, her head resting on Alhaji's knee, the energy seemed to have evaporated.

Kamal opened his  eyes and exhaled gently. Truly, he had expected a slap from his mother in law.

"Where is Zainab?"

Kamal and Alhaji asked at the same time, then glanced at each other with shock.

Kamal felt as if energy was being sucked out of him and his legs felt weak, unable to hold him up.

He sank to the floor, not feeling the softness of the carpet.

Alhaji shook his head and tightened his grip on hajiya bintu.

"Hajiya ki tafi ciki." He spoke without looking at her. "I want to talk to my responsible son in law alone."

The emphasis he made on the "responsible" made kamal feel a sound slap on his face.

Hajiya bintu moved to disagree but a stern look from alhaji made her swallow her protest and throwing kamal the most withering look she could muster, she gave a loud hiss to accompany her outside the parlor, still wiping her face.

"Kamal I am extremely  disappointed in you." Alhaji began. "And for the first time ever, I truly do regret marrying my daughter off to you"

Kamal's head shot up in shock. He had never thought he would hear such words from Alhaji. 

His mouth felt heavy, he couldn't defend himself.

"I am not saying that because you married another wife, I am saying that because of the blindfold you put on my daughter when you married again, because you got so giddy over a new woman and left that cloud your mind." Alhaji shrugged. Maybe I am sounding partial, maybe a but bias towards my daughter but I am a father and I have cherished my daughter for so many years before I gave her to you"

Alhaji stopped to look at kamal's face. The younger man's expression was sad and he looked a bit lost.

Truth be told, Alhaji didn't really blame kamal for marrying another wife under the name of being a makeshift husband. After all how many men would get married and even have kids without their first wives knowing?

But he was his daughter's father and what man would want his daughter to almost run mad from feeling her marriage was slipping out of her hand.

He blamed Zainab for leaving her home.

Alhaji believed he'd raised his daughter's to be better than that but it seemed, the only daughter who really listened to him and took after his personality was Husna.

He closed his eyes and struggled to fight his expression. Not just Hajiya bintu, even had the thought of calling the police but decided against at the last moment.

"Baba" Kamal started and paused. What exactly would he say to justify himself?

He had the right to marry four wives?

Was that even a reason? It didn't sound okay even in his head.

"Baba, I beg you, just let me see zainab. I'll do anything and everything she wants." At this point, Kamal did little to stop the tears that raced down his face.

As he closed his eyes, all he saw Zainab and how she'd started to fall apart, when he started to loose her but he had been too immersed in his unsettled feelings for Maryam that he failed to let her know just how much she weighed in his heart.

"Anything you say?"

Caught up in his thoughts, Kamal failed to notice the new voice and agreed readily.

"Anything I promise"

"Then divorce me"

Zainab said as she walked in with Ameer asleep in her arms.