ALIYA

Chapter 25 - Aliya

Truth be told, what I did to Bilal earlier today wasn't really good. I mean, I shouldn't have slapped him right? By the way he was just trying to help me but sadly I took it all wrong and now I was already regretting, hmmm! I heaved a sigh while waiting for my order.

I had ordered for a round of pounded yam from Iya, it would soon be on my table but would I even be able to eat it with my hand? My hand had been paining me ever since I slapped Bilal with it, probably due to the great force I had applied.

Anyways, what had happened had already happened. The only thing now was for me to later apologize for what I did to him, not just for the slap but for disgracing him in the presence of some of our staff members that were present there.

Actually, Iya's restaurant was the only one opposite our Head Office hence nearly all the staff used to go there to eat. After slapping Bilal in its premise, most of them became shocked. Bilal himself was shocked because he didn't expect such reaction from me.

And as angry as he seemed to be, he turned and left without saying a word to me. I also couldn't utter a word to him, I was panting at the same time trembling. The way he'd dragged me into the busy road and crossed it with me really terrified me beyond words.

"Ma!" Iya's daughter pulled me out of my trance as she approached me with a tray. "Your food is ready" She said and began serving me.

"Thank you, Timi" I managed to beam at her.

"You're welcome ma!" She said and left after serving me.

Gradually, I began eating my food with my hand ignoring the pain I'd felt each time I cut and squeezed the solid pounded yam in my plate. I really shouldn't have slapped Bilal that hard, his face wasn't as soft as I thought. Thank God I didn't even break my wrist.

I kept eating until I was finally done, thus I paid Iya and walked out of the restaurant. Now what? I asked myself as I stared at the busy road. God knows I was scared of being hit or swung by a moving vehicle. If it was on Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays, the traffic would have been less.

How I wish Bilal was here, maybe he would have... I couldn't finish thinking when someone held my hand and quickly crossed the busy road with me. It was Timi, Iya's daughter.

"Thank you!" I managed to say to her while panting. I couldn't stop imagining how none of us was hit.

"You are welcome ma" She beamed at me before crossing back to their restaurant.

And from afar, I saw her mother waving at me. It was obvious she was the one that asked the girl to help me. Thus, I waved back at her and walked away.

******

Immediately I was back into our Head Office, I went to Bilal's office to apologize for my unfavorable reaction earlier only for me to see him making love with his wife. I mean, kissing... yes, just kissing!

"Oh, sorry please!" I said as I quickly bounced back and slammed the door.

God, I hope I didn't land myself into trouble again? I mulled over about walking away when someone dragged the door open, it was Bilal's wife. "Aliya, is this your face? Come in please" She said with a smile.

"Ohh yeah, okay" I gulped and walked back into the office.

"So you refused to come see us right?" She said pulling one of the visitors chairs for me to sit.

"I... I was..." I stuttered as Bilal chimed in.

"She was very busy, I learnt that today" He said.

"Huh? But I'm still not satisfied, she should have..."

"Trust me, my love. Aliya has been so busy" He interrupted.

"Alright then" His wife said as she sat on his lap.

I, on the other hand, sat on the visitor's chair she pulled for me while staring at Bilal. He didn't seem like the person I mercilessly slapped earlier, he was having that smile on his face this time around and his look towards me didn't change a bit. Do I even need to apologize for what I did to him? I mean, he didn't seem angry anymore.

"How is Fawad?" His wife asked.

"Fawad is..." I cleared my throat. "...fine, presently at work"

"Good, and Hajiya? I hope you're not missing her too much? Fawad told us she's in France together with his mother" She uttered decently.

"Yes, they are in France and we missed them..." I said and then added with the little information I desired to share with them. She was actually a nice woman and from all indication, she truly loved her husband – Bilal!

******

Bilal's wife and I talked for quite some time before we started hearing the Adhan for Asr prayer. Thus Bilal went to his bathroom, performed ablution and came out. "I am going to Masjid" He said making me to nearly laugh at him, I never knew he was religious.

"Okay," His wife said as she handed him a food basket, the one she seemingly brought for him. "Give it to Sadiya, tell her not to wait for me anymore. She should go home with my driver"

"Alright" He collected the basket and left. All that moment, he couldn't stop glancing at me. And he couldn't stop smiling at me either. Like always!

"Let's go and pray in your office" His wife pulled me out of my trance.

"Okay ma" I said and without wasting much time we went to my office, performed ablution and prayed. She was a very simple woman.

After our prayer she continued gisting me about her life, how she met Bilal and so on. I'm sorry to say this, everything about her was okay except the fact that she talked too much.

I normally used to go home by 4pm but today, she made me stayed till quarter past 5pm after which she and Bilal gave me a lift home. They didn't even mind staying for dinner, they left the moment they dropped me by our gate.

Hence I went to our house, took shower before going downstairs to eat. Fawad should be back by now but somehow he wasn't, and I counted that as a blessing. I kept eating my food peacefully until my phone buzzed, it was a text message from... Bilal? I stared at it with my heart already beating fast.

"Today you did what I will never forget in my life, Aliya. I won't revenge though, but if you know what's best for you then don't you ever come my way. Delete this message!"

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And here we are again!

This protest has slowed us down even though I'm not among the protesters.

Oh Ya Allah, help our dear country.

Ameen!