Hidden Sun

chapter two

Chapter two
At the age of seventeen Laylah was now in SSS2, and she again tried talking to her father again about being a fine artist because she thought she was old enough to choose a course for herself,
“Daddy you know now I am seventeen and I think I am old enough to choose a course for myself, daddy it is not like I do not trust or respect your decision for me to study law but I want you to have a second thought on it, you see daddy I know fine art and I would not suffer much since it is what I want and I will do it with sincere intentions of learning to know it but daddy if I will study law then I would do it because you told me to study it and I would study it to pass and not to know also I would not dedicate myself in it “ Alhaji Ibrahim was quite for a while then he said
“So you are now telling me that I do not know what is good for you, and you are now telling me you are old enough to make your own decisions isn’t it?”
“No daddy that’s not what I mean, what I am saying is …” Alhaji Ibrahim interrupted her
“What the hell are you saying, will you shut up! Now listen to me, you are studying law and that’s my final decision if you would not, then I am getting you married and no one can stop me because I cannot be paying your school fees for you to study a very useless course, never!” Dalilah came from the kitchen and said “Laylah go to your room “Laylah left and headed for her room
“Alhaji what do you mean by you are getting her married, she is our only child if we don’t give her what she want who will?”
“So you are part of this eh! Are you saying I am wrong? Since when did you start going against my decisions, I see, so you were the one who told her to go against my decision because of a useless course right? “
“Why will you call it a useless course, no course is useless and besides fine art is a very nice course and many are studying it “
“Yes many are, but my daughter will not be part of it and you have started getting on my nerves by arguing about this, you better stay out of this matter or else…”
“Or what, is she not also my daughter, can’t I take part in making decisions that concern her, Alhaji you are not getting her married wallahi, that will be after my death”
“So this is what you will tell me right?” Alhaji got angry and slapped Dalilah, he started beating her as if he was fighting with his fellow man after that he told her he would deal with her and he left. Laylah hearing all this cries quickly rushed out of her room only to find her mother lying helpless on the floor.
“Mummy what has daddy done to you, I am very sorry because of me you are in this state”
“No Laylah , don’t ever think you are the cause of this, I will use my last breath to fight for your right, you don’t have to get married at a very young age like me, I know it’s disadvantages because I have been through it, just don’t worry”

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It is a week now since the fight between Alhaji Ibrahim and his wife, Laylah went to school; Alhaji returned home early, he called Dalilah to his room; he wanted to talk to her with regards to his comment the other day
“Dalilah, due to what happened the last time I am very sorry and I wish to inform you that in two weeks’ time I will be getting married”
“Ok, but to who will you get married?”
“I have told you the part you need to know, the rest you will know it when the time comes, that is what I want to tell you, you may leave now”
Dalilah left the room and went to her own room, she was shattered but she tried so hard to control her emotions so that when Laylah returns she would not notice a change in her mood but she was wrong, when Laylah returns it was the opposite that happened, she fainted and she was rushed to the hospital and Laylah found out about her father’s marriage, the doctor confirmed that she has a heart attack which was caused by shock, she had to be kept under observation for some days. Dalilah’s younger sister  Bilkisu stayed with  her in the hospital, Bilkisu was five years younger than Dalilah, she was also married at the age of seventeen to a famous doctor; doctor Khalid, he has two more wives who always cause trouble for Bilkisu and her husband to the extent that he divorced her. Laylah has never met bilkisu’s husband, she only saw him once in a picture in bilkisu’s   phone.
Laylah was very worried about her mother’s condition, on her way home from school; she stopped at her mother’s shop to get some things but unfortunately there was traffic jam on her way back and she returned home late, on reaching home she found her father at home very angry, she tried to explain why she came late but he was just not ready to listen to her, he beats her mercilessly saying: because her mother is in the hospital, she does what pleases her and thinks no one will come to know about it, and he also restricted her from going to the hospital alone and also he told his driver to take her to school and bring her back, Laylah did not tell her mother about what was going on because she does not want to cause her any worry that will worsen her situation

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A week has passed and Dalilah has finally returned home, she was surprised to see the change in the house, Alhaji renovated some parts of the house and it was three days to his wedding .Bilkisu came to the house in the evening looking so worried and tensed, Dalilah asked her what the problem was but she said she had to speak with her privately so they both entered Dalilah’s room and shut the door.
“Yaya, you know I will never want anything to hurt you; you are the only person I have left in my life, you are my strongest pillar which I rely on since I was young and I not only regard you as my senior sister but as my mother because you were the person who took care of me after our mother passed away and I am so much indebted you” she paused for a while
“But bilkisu why are you saying all this now, did something happen or did you ask me for something and I refuse you”
“No that’s not the case now, Dalilah I don’t ever want to be the cause of your marriage to be broken but I have to tell you this” Dalilah by this time understood the point she was trying to make
“Oh did you hear the news of Alhaji’s marriage, I am so sorry you had to hear it from someone, I had forgotten to tell you but it is the truth Alhaji is getting married in the next three days, I guess I will have to start adjusting to his new ways now” and she narrated what happened two weeks ago and how she ended up in the hospital to bilkisu, bilkisu was shocked to hear all this and suddenly broke into tears
“Why are you crying bilkisu, did something else happen?”
“No Yaya, but I guess it is yet to happen”
“Bilkisu stop talking in riddles and tell me what the problem is”
“Yaya, I think you don’t know this but Alhaji is getting married to Salma, this means you will become a rival to your own trusted best friend”
“What do you mean Bilkisu, are you sure what you are saying is true”
“Yes Yaya, I was shocked when I heard it, I had to call her junior sister to confirm it, please Yaya don’t worry yourself too much as it is, you are already hurt a lot by all this”
“Bilkisu why shouldn’t I worry she is my trusted friend” she was weeping so much that she collapsed again, Bilkisu rushed her to the hospital but it was too late, she died. Laylah could not believe the news of her mother’s death, she returned from school very happy that day expecting to see her mother and tell her about her exams result but when she returned, she was not allowed to enter the house instead, she was taken to her aunt’s house by the driver, Laylah was confused to see all this things, it was later that her aunt told her what was happening, it was a very shocking news for her as she fainted twice, she could not eat anything for almost three days since she heard the news and she stayed with her aunt for thirteen days before she returned to her father’s house.
Due to Dalilah’s sudden death Alhaji’s wedding was postponed to two weeks time which was held three weeks after Dalilah’s death.

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