Impulse

SEVENTEEN: BRIDESMAID

Tahira's mother wanted a wedding to be remembered the Kamu took place the next day after Henna which was on a Friday evening, there was nothing casual about the KAMU, the decorations were top notch. It was all flowers and roses as everyone was getting ready for the wedding until the bride was nowhere to be seen, in and out of the house she was searched for but missing. "INNALILLAHI WA INNALILLAHI RAJUUN" Zainab kept chanting, Tahira left the house about and hour and a half ago and told Zainab to cover for her, she tried to keep it quiet but as the event drew closer, Mommy kept asking where Tahira was and why she wasn't getting ready. Zainab lied and said that she was at next house getting her makeup done.

All calls to Tahira's phone were ignored, Zainab, Ummi and Hadiza kept trying to stall and track her down. Ajeay was called by Zainab to confirm whether he had seen his bride "Abdulmaleek ya cuce ni" was his first reaction, automatically to him If Tahira was missing then maybe she finally decided to elope with Abdulmaleek, that was the only explanation he could come up with, after all he ignored all threats made by Senior.

"Abdulmaleek? What are you talking about?" Zainab asked.
"Oh you didn't you know? They been seeing each other lately, and Senior threatened me 2days ago to walk away"

"Tahira will not elope with anybody, much less Abdulmaleek.."
"Why? you think she loved him any less than she used to? He asked me to leave his girl 'his girl' was what he called her"

Zainab had mixed feelings perhaps they had all gone mad, if daddy learned of this it would be difficult to keep Tahira from the beating of her life. "Look she wouldn't do this, lets just keep searching and see if we can find her, please don't tell anyone for now"

But for how long can they hide the absence of the bride, Zainab scrolled down her list to call Abdulmaleek only to realize that her phone was used to call him the day before. Her stomach twitched at the thought of the possibility that her friend had committed this grave mistake. She called him and lucky for her he picked up immediately. "Abdulmaleek I thought you more responsible than this"

"Zainab?"
"Running away is not the answer"
"What are you talking about, we're not running away"
"Where is she?"
"I am bringing her back now" he confirm was indeed with her, Tahira called him some about an hour plus ago asking to see him but he could not get to her earlier because he was a bit far away from where she was.

"The Kamu starts in minutes and the bride is undressed, unmade, what is wrong with you two?"

"Calm down Zainab, we're almost there" calm down? How could he ask her to calm down when she was the one who had to explain how Tahira up and disappeared, how was anything about this behavior OK and how was she expected to calm down about it. She rolled her eyes "just bring her back" she concluded.
He looked to his side where Tahira sat miserably "Zainab is worried"
Her eyes was glued to the window and her position didn't change.

A few minutes late Tahira ran into the house, she didn't stop for anyone that noticed her and called, she went straight to her late brother's quarters where she and her friends have been staying since the wedding activities started.
"Tahira! What in God's name..." Zainab started
"Shhhh shhhh shhhhh Zee there's no time, I need to get ready" she said casually. And ran into the bathroom.

In like 5minutes she came out of the shower and went straight to the makeup artist who had been waiting "nothing that will take time, keep it simple and fast" she instructed the makeup artist.

Zainab still stood where Tahira left her, she was too perplexed to make any effort to scold Tahira for what she believed was stupid behavior. Tahira looked up "Zee come on I'm sorry"
Zainab shook her head, she wondered what has going on between Abdulmaleek and Tahira. The answer no matter what it was she thought could not be good.