HEREMAKONO ( AWAITING HAPPINESS )

Chapter Seven. Part One

There was a faint knock from the door, too tired to even move a muscle, Nnadia went back to sleep. A few seconds later, she felt someone shaking her. She shook her head to wake herself properly and found herself staring into his eyes. 

" Good morning, wifey, sorry to wake you but it's fajr." He told her. 

Realizing the state she was in, with only a flimsy nightie that exposes her chest, Nnadia drew the duvet closer to her neck. " I will meet you outside." She said averting her gaze from him. 

He smiled and left her sitting there with her heart pounding in her chest. 

Her feelings about Abdullah were so incredibly confused. Part of her, a big part was in danger of falling in love with him. He was gorgeous, kind, considerate, and damn sexy. The rest of her didn't trust him for those exact reasons. Not after what happened to her. 

She quickly went into the bathroom to purify herself. She then went to meet him after putting on the appropriate attire for prayers. 

She found him standing outside her door. When he saw her, he held her hand and she didn't protest. He led her to his room where a praying mat was already in place. He stood in front to lead the prayer. When he started reciting, she was amazed. Who could have thought he was this religious. Nnadia herself didn't always perform her obligatory prayers, but the amount of peace she was feeling at this moment by just listening to his angelic voice brought a smile to her face. 

He turned to her after folding the mat. She couldn't resist admiring his muscular physique. She wondered if his tall frame would ever stop making her feel tiny. 

Abdullah arched his brow. 

Nnadia looked away from him. 

" You must be tired, N'na, go back to bed, we will talk later." He told her lovingly. 

What does he want to talk about now, Nnadia was wondering when something clicked on her mind. 'Did he just call me mom or he just decided to shorten my name.' It sure sounded like a mom to her. And she was aware he could speak Mandingo very well. 

Later that morning, her mother in law had brought them breakfast. After she and the other visitors left, Nnadia went into the kitchen to get some juice. She was about to open the fridge when her phone rang. She saw that it was Hajara so she picked up immediately. 

" Hi best," Nnadia said. 

" Hi new bride, tell me how was it, or are you going to wait until you reach your honeymoon destination tomorrow?" Hajara enquired eagerly. 

" What stupid honeymoon, I'm not going anywhere. Just because my parents forced me into this marriage doesn't mean he should expect anything from me." Nnadia replied, closing the fridge with one hand and the phone in the other. 

She turned to leave only to find her husband standing right at the kitchen door. He looked tense. 

" Abdullah," Nnadia said almost in a whisper. She stared at him in shock. She wasn't expecting him to be home. He had gone to see some friends off earlier. Nnadia ended the call quickly. 

" You were forced?." He asked, stressing on each word. A mixture of anger and disappointment flashed briefly in his eyes. 

Averting her gaze from his, she hesitated to reply. 

" Nnadia." He pressed. 

" Yes, I mean no. I..." She stuttered. Not knowing what to say to him. But the first word from her mouth was enough to shatter Abdullah's heart. 

" Astagfirullah.." He chanted. Pacing between the small space of the door.

" And you just let it happen?" He half yelled. Face palming himself, he took a deep breath. " Why didn't you speak up? At least you could have told me. Is my mom aware of this?" He asked again. 

" No." She was sweating even though the air conditioner was on. She knew that this conversation wasn't going to end well.  " Please don't tell her, my mom will practically kill me if she ever finds out that I told you." She pleaded on the verge of tears. 

Clenching his fist, Abdullah decided to leave because he couldn't make sense of the situation. 

" I need to get some fresh air and clear my head." He told her quietly and left.

Nnadia just stood there transfixed. What decision is he going to take now, she wondered. She later called Hajara and told her everything. 

" Sit him down and talk to him. Tell him you are going to give your marriage a chance. He is your husband, he will definitely understand." Hajara told her. 

" But what if he doesn't want to listen to me. I mean he was very angry when he left." Nnadia replied worried. 

" Are you nuts? It doesn't take a soothsayer to say that man is crazy about you. Just stop acting silly for once." She advised. 

Feeling terrible, Nnadia decided to follow Hajara's advice. She waited all day but Abdullah did not show up. Around nine pm, she went to bed feeling scared. She didn't know what to expect from him anymore. 

The next morning, Nnadia woke up a bit late. "He didn't wake me up for prayers." She realized. 

She hurriedly took her shower and went to look for him.  ' Maybe he didn't come home yesterday.' She thought. She knocked on his door but got no reply. She continued downstairs on her quest. To her surprise, she saw him sitting on the couch with his laptop on his lap. 

Nervously, she approached him. " Good morning." She spoke. 

"Good morning." He replied, not looking her way. 

" Can we talk?" She asked, worried that he might decline. 

Abdullah set his laptop aside, " I was hoping the same." He said, turning to face her. He looked perfect this morning, his face calm. The emotions it had yesterday were gone altogether. 

" Here, sit." He motioned to the space on the couch next to him. Nnadia did as she was told. 

" Nnadia, I like you, in fact, I more than like you, but that doesn't change the fact that you've really hurt me." He paused. He was staring at her, and Nnadia looked down at her hands feeling ashamed.

" All my life I prayed for God to bless me with the perfect woman, just so I would never commit the sin of divorce. You know Allah hates divorce right?" He asked her. 

Nnadia nodded, unable to speak. 

" If you knew that you didn't like me from the first time we met, you should've told me. You shouldn't have agreed to marry me in front of everyone. But it's done now, and I won't cause problems for you with your parents." He told her calmly. 

Nnadia sighed with relief when she heard that, but she wasn't prepared at all for what he said next. 

" You can stay here comfortably for as long as you want. And if you ever find someone that you like, I.. I will give you a divorce." His face looked pained. "Please know that I don't expect anything from you and won't ever invade your privacy. Your needs will be met and if there's anything else you might want, all you have to do is ask." He finished calmly, glancing away from her. 

Nnadia was speechless. She wanted to tell him lots of things, but she was a coward so her mouth remained sealed. 

Thanks for reading, guys. 

By the way, N'na means mother in Madingo. 

Oh and this chapter is dedicated to my favorite reader Armarana.