Thorns and Berries

Chapter Four

Husna

Salma's room was spacious, though not as Kaka's. It was a gaily decorated room and on its pink walls was a huge HD wallpaper of a garden filled with red geraniums and purple hibiscus flowers. As Salma and I walked into the room, the coolness of the room sponsored by silent swaying of the air conditioner vents, hit against my skin. A large plasma TV which was hung to the wall was turned to an Indian movie channel.
      
"Feel at home, coz." Salma said to me as she picked the remote control from the bed and walked to the television to change the channel.
      
"This is also my home, madam. I'm just as comfortable here as in my father's parlor." I replied as I plonked myself to lay on the large bed.
      
Salma laughed lightly at my reply and continued browsing through the channel lists on the TV screen.
     
"I am aware of that, young lady." Salma faced me swiftly.
      
"Are you still a die hard Nickelodeon fan?"
      
I laughed and sat up.
       
"You know in life,...there are just some things that can never change about a person even if he's brainwashed."
    
Salma narrowed her eyes and the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile.
       
"I'm not much of a motivational listener type of person as you may be, but..., I think I'll take your nonsense as a yes." She faced the television again, ignoring my laughter and mutter of olodo.
    
She instead opted to click the remote to the channel before her and the picture on the screen changed to reveal the image of a teenage boy in a superhero costume with an older man in the same costume.
        
"Yey! Henry Danger! Perfect!" I clapped my hands in glee and Salma shrugged indifferently before going to join me on the bed.
       
"Not my thing but let me give you a chance since you're a guest in this house." She stressed the 'guest'.
       
"Anyway, thanks lotsa. It's been like ages I'd last watched the series. Office work has been on my neck like crazy." Then casting Salma a pleading look, I asked in a fake and exaggerated babyish voice. "Got a popcorn?"
   
Salma laughed and punched me on the arm.
       
"Silly girl."
       
"Ouch! That hurts!" I faked hurt, rubbing a hand over the area to soothe the pain.
    
Salma only laughed and joined me in viewing the television for a few minutes before breaking the wall of silence between us.
       
"How has work been?"
       
"Oh, work. Yea. Stressful. So stressful." I replied rather absentmindedly, my attention already absorbed by the movie.        
"Any improvement on your part?"
     
I shook my head.
       
"Not really. Still working on myself though." I answered and the silence between us thickened except for the sound of my laughter at every humour displayed on the television screen.
    
However, when a dark skinned girl with primed hair said something about having a big problem, something suddenly struck me. Problem. Salma had a problem she wanted to share with me and I had been so dumb not to ask anything about it. Had I all of a sudden become a callous and selfish being not to care about the problem my best friend was having but instead, spend my time laughing and getting carried away by a TV series that barely lasts an hour unlike Salma, whose problem might make life changing differences?
     
I quietly turned to face Salma, slightly ashamed of myself and my show of little concern.
      
"Salma...," I called her attention and forced a gulp down my throat. "How are you doing? Is everything going well with the wedding plans?"
   
Salma sighed and hung her head downwards as she shook her head in self pity.
      
"I don't know, Husna. I'm so confused right now. The whole thing is in a mess."
       
"Hold on a sec." I said and then rose to shut the open door of the room before rejoining Salma on the bed. With the unbelievable characters present in the house, I was extremely cautious of the saying that 'walls have ears too'.
    
I took Salma's hands into mine and squeezed them lightly to support her emotions. Whatever hell Salma was going through, I would never leave her alone to it. We would both face it together just like we had always done in our childhood days.
       
"Feel free to share with me, Salma. You know I'm always here to support whatever hardship you're going through. I'll always have your back."
     
Salma raised her gaze to me. She forced a closed mouth smile and squeezed her hands into mine in appreciation.
        
"Thanks, Husna."
  
I returned the smile.
         
"So,...tell me. I'm all ears."
  
Salma exhaled deeply.
         
"Husna,...do you remember when I used to tell you that I've got lots of men at my call and I could do and get whatever I want from them with a snap of my fingers?"
         
I nodded. The old crazy Salma. How could I ever forget her?
          
"Yea."
         
"Okay..., now I think it's all getting back at me."
    
I lifted a brow and my forehead wrinkled in a frown. I was totally lost in whatever Salma was trying to say.
        
"I don't get you."
        
"You will. Soon." Salma paused and bit her lower lip—a habit of hers whenever she was confused and lost.
       
"When I was still schooling at ABU Zaria, there was this girl...Aneesa. I intentionally stole her boyfriend, Hameed, from her. Cos you know,...he is rich, cute, charming,...urm,...rich. Like filthy rich. His father is Sambo Indimi." She paused and peered into my face, probably expecting a reaction to the names she had just mentioned.
    
I gulped in unconscious nervousness. Hameed Indimi. Why does that name appear like a torture to me even after I had just confronted the devil himself? And the knowledge of Salma having a thing with him startled me—a bit though. Salma was of no doubt Hameed's type of girl. The extremely extroverted slay queen. I wondered what Salma and his female admirers see in him that sweeps them off their feet. He had nothing highly commendable to boost of asides his father's wealth and his football skills. And...his good looks too. Hot, sexy and alluring. Just the perfect type I had always imagined for my wedding night—spiced with a hot mug of chocolate drink and a warm bubble bath with him after an entire night of exploring and exploring what celibates dream of exploring on their first nights.
    
I snapped my eyes shut and tried to shake the thoughts off my head. There I go again, getting wooed by his mind caging exterior without considering how gross and myopic his interiors were.
      
"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid Husna!" I scolded myself in my head.
    
Giving a deep sigh, I regained a hold of my emotions again and gave an 'okay, go on' eye language. If Salma was expecting a celebrity hug and a pat on the back from me for stealing a multi billionaire's son from his girlfriend, then she was wrong. Very, very, wrong. I never embraced the idea of hurting others to please yourself even if you were victimized. A teaching I had acquired from my father—God bless him. Ironically, I had broken his teachings when I attacked Hameed today.
     
Salma sniffed and continued. Bits of disappointment written all over her now solemn face.
       
"So, being the bitch Aneesa was, she picked up fights with me at school until we eventually graduated and found our separate ways. Three days ago, I came across her at Shoprite and she congratulated me on my forthcoming wedding. She even showed to me my invitation card." Her pupils suddenly dilated irately much to my alarm. "My own invitation card o! Can you imagine! Who ever does that?"
       
Her countenance became calmer again.
      
"I am totally clueless how the invitation came to her hands. She also told me Hameed and my other boyfriends back at the university would surely be at my wedding to congratulate me."
     
I shrugged in lesser worries. I was still not clear on how that was a problem. The only problem I perceived was how Salma had suddenly changed into a boyfriend snatcher and a lady who uses her charms to entice people and manipulate things the way she wanted.
      
"Well, what's the big deal in that? I don't see how that should be a panic to us."
   
Salma's eyes stared in disbelief at my remark and she gradually withdrew her hands from mine. I looked back in lost at Salma's reaction.
      
"Are you for real, Husna? Are you deaf or did you not hear all what I just said?"
       
I frowned.
       
"Calm down, Salma. You're freaking me out. I was only asking for directions cos I'm lost in your tale."
     
Salma managed to control herself a few seconds later and exhaled deeply.
       
"Look, Husna. I'm really really sorry about that. I didn't mean to be harsh on you."
    
It was my turn to sigh. I was really surprised at Salma's emotional imbalance. Maybe the issue was as serious as she had claimed it to be. No matter how unfair Salma's treatment to Hameed's ex girlfriend was, I would have to listen to her side of the story first. Judgement can come later.
         
"It's okay. Just go on with what you were saying."
       
Salma bit her lower lip again.
         
"I and Hameed never broke up. We're still a couple."
         
I gawked at Salma, unwilling to believe her confession.
          
"We're still in a relationship." She added.
          
"Subhanallah!" Are you insane?"
        
Salma only shrugged.
          
"You'll call me more names once I'm done. So for now, I think I'm satisfied with being called insane. Anyway, as I was saying, we're still together. And just so you'd know,..." She bit her lip again. "He's one of the many boyfriends I have. There's also Walid and Kabiru. I'm still in a relationship with them both." Then scanning for a reply in my eyes which were now looking at her, hard and protruded in shock, she added,
        
"You are now free to call me as many terrible names as you can. I deserve them all."
     
My jaw went slack as I stared at her in horror. My tongue hung mid-air in my mouth, heavy with unspoken words but dumb as a fish. I was aware of how silly Salma could be at times but never reasoned she could be as crazy and unthoughtful as this—putting her own wedding at stake all because of her immoral, complicated and absurd lifestyle.
     
When I regained my speech, I blurted out.
        
"You are..."
        
"A fool." Salma completed the sentence for me much to my relief. If I had been uninterrupted in completing my statement with the strong emotions spiralling inside of me, I was sure that would have been the most hurtful words Salma could have heard from me in her entire life.
    
Salma nodded in acceptance of her own insult. "Yes I am a stupid fool who's stuck in her own shits and has got Karma catching up on her for all her bad deeds."
  
I covered my face with my palms, once again in deep lost. Now, I understood too well what Salma had meant when she said everything was in a jeopardy. If her boyfriends would all attend the wedding, then they would of no doubt expose her dubious games and the groom's family could abruptly call off the wedding because I was certain, that no family would like to have a slay queen with tons of boyfriends as their future in-law. And although I was definitely not much of an optimist as Kaka, I knew I was not a pessimist either. I was just neutral and logical but yet, I could already perceive the entire big wedding plans foredoomed for failure.