EXCERPT​

​

Sameera barely got into her room, when she fell on the

floor and started crying.

​

“Why.” She asked no one in particular. “Why is this happening to me? Why should Ahmed of all people do this to me, when I loved him so much?” She thought about all the things he said to her before, the love that he has so very well displayed, and now the wedding. It’s in two weeks. Invitations have already been sent out and everything is set. Oh the disgrace it is going to cause her and her family. Her father and mother will never be able to hold their heads high again. People will talk. Oh. How is she ever going to get over this? It is too much. “I will never forgive you Ahmed!” she screamed.

 

“Sameera. Is that you?” she heard her brother’s voice, and quickly wiped her face. But the tears just kept on flowing. Abba walked in to her room, as the door was open.

“Oh my! Sameera what’s wrong?” he asked. Squatting down next to her and touching her shoulder.

“Nothing,” she lied, trying to hide her face from him.

“Something is wrong Sameera. And I want you to tell me what it is.”

“I told you Abba. Nothing is wrong with me. I just don’t feel too good, that’s all.”

“Common, Sameera. I am your brother. You can tell me anything. Is it Ahmed?” he asked. And at the mention of his name, she broke down and started crying. Abba sat down on the floor and held his sister to him while she cried. Afterwards, she told him everything, in details. Abba was very angry.

 

“Ahmed. How could he?” he thought. “After promising me that he was serious about her? And stupid as I was, I believed him. What a weasel! Well, he can’t take my own sister for a ride. I am going to deal with him!” Just then, he heard the front door open and Ahmed called out to Sameera. He got up and went to the living room to meet him.

 

“You bastard! What are doing here?” he asked, in anger.

“Abba, I don’t know what you heard but it’s not like that. But I want to see Sameera and explain things to her.” Ahmed said, trying to calm Abba down.

“Well, she doesn’t want to see you. You better leave this house this very instant.”

“Come on, Abba. I really have to talk to her.”

“About what, Ahmed. We have talked about this and you made a promised to me. But I can see that you are not a man of your words.”

“That is not true. And you know that.” Ahmed said.

“Now, Get out of this house!”

“I am not leaving until I speak to Sameera.” Ahmed said, trying to push Abba away and go to Sameera’s room.

“I said get out!” Abba pushed him back.

“This is not your house. It belongs to my uncle Usman.” Ahmed fought back. And suddenly, they were raining blows on each other. Sameera came out and started screaming at them to stop. But they paid no attention to her. Within a few seconds, they were both bloody and the fight has intensified to a great extent.

 

Just at that moment, Mallam Usman, Mallam Abubakar and Hadiza walked in. They had earlier gone out together to inspect the new supermarket.

“What is going on here?” Usman asked, going to separate the boys. But it was so difficult that Abubakar had to come in too.

“Bastard!” Abba said, struggling to get free from his father. Ahmed was bleeding from his nose, and there was a deep cut on his temple with blood gushing out of it. His father applied pressure on it to stop the bleeding.

 

“Shut up!” Mallam Usman told his son. What is wrong with you? Even in front of us? What has gotten into you too?”

“I am sorry, Dad. But Ahmed was just playing Sameera. He had no intention of marrying her.” Abba said.

“That is a lie!” Ahmed fought back.

“What are you two talking about?” Mallam Abubakar asked.

“Sameera caught him in bed with another girl!” screamed Abba.

“That is a lie. I will never do that to Sameera.” Ahmed said, turning to look at his dad.

“Is that true, Ahmed?” His father asked.

“No Dad. She saw Yasmin in my room and thought something was going on…” He became very dizzy from the loss of blood and sat down while his father supported him.

“Yasmin? Who is Yasmin?” Mallam Usman asked.

“His concubine, perhaps.” Abba said and his father told him to shut up.

“There is nothing between us, I swear!”

“Look Dad. See this.” Abba said, showing his father the pictures. “He is lying.”

“Alright, that is it!” Abubakar cuts in angrily. “You can’t just be embarrassing my son like that, especially in front of me.”

“I am sorry Habu.” Mallam Usman said. “I will not want that to happen. But he is marrying my daughter in two weeks and this is happening. Is it true my son?”

“No Uncle. I swear, I will never hurt Sameera.” Ahmed said.

“Oh no. he is not marrying her anymore!” Abba said.

“Shut up Abba.” His father told him. “Let Sameera decide that for herself.” Sameera got up and ran into her room.

“See dad, she doesn’t want him anymore. Besides, I don’t want this idiot to marry my sister.” Abba was very angry.

“Don’t insult my son, Abba especially not after doing this to him. What are you trying to do? Kill him, because he wants to marry your sister?” Mallam Abubakar’s words were filled with anger.

“Habu!” Mallam Usman said in surprise. “Why are you talking like this? Is there any difference between Abba and Ahmed to you? Are they not both your children?”

“That doesn’t mean I should stand here and watch Abba kill my son.”

 

“Alright Habu. Is it just about this or is there something you want to tell me, huh? Why don’t you go ahead and say it.” Mallam Usman was getting angry now. “It was obvious that you didn’t want this marriage to take place right from the start. Am I right?”

“Honey…” Hadiza tried to cut the tension.

“No Dije. I want him to say it. Because from the day this marriage was proposed, he didn’t seem happy about it. All he did was complain. Nobody is forcing this marriage on anyone.”

“You know what; I don’t have time for this. If you don’t want my son to marry your daughter, fine.” Mallam Abubakar said.

“You are the one that doesn’t want this marriage, Habu. But it’s Ok. I am sure that my Daughter will find someone even better than your son.”

“Honey!” Hadiza said in surprise.

“No, Usman. Your Daughter is not good enough for him. And if you don’t mind, I will like to take my son to the hospital before I lose him too.”

“Baba Ahmed, please don’t go.” Hadiza pleaded with Abubakar.

“Hadiza!” Usman Screamed at her. “Let him go. I don’t need him.” And with Hadiza crying, Mallam Abubakar left the house with his son, who was too weak to even speak, to the hospital. He promised himself that he will never have anything to do with the Usman family again. Mallam Usman promised himself the same thing.

Sameera barely got into her room, when she fell on the

floor and started crying.

 

“Why.” She asked no one in particular. “Why is this happening to me? Why should Ahmed of all people do this to me, when I loved him so much?” She thought about all the things he said to her before, the love that he has so very well displayed, and now the wedding. It’s in two weeks. Invitations have already been sent out and everything is set. Oh the disgrace it is going to cause her and her family. Her father and mother will never be able to hold their heads high again. People will talk. Oh. How is she ever going to get over this? It is too much. “I will never forgive you Ahmed!” she screamed.

 

“Sameera. Is that you?” she heard her brother’s voice, and quickly wiped her face. But the tears just kept on flowing. Abba walked in to her room, as the door was open.

“Oh my! Sameera what’s wrong?” he asked. Squatting down next to her and touching her shoulder.

“Nothing,” she lied, trying to hide her face from him.

“Something is wrong Sameera. And I want you to tell me what it is.”

“I told you Abba. Nothing is wrong with me. I just don’t feel too good, that’s all.”

“Common, Sameera. I am your brother. You can tell me anything. Is it Ahmed?” he asked. And at the mention of his name, she broke down and started crying. Abba sat down on the floor and held his sister to him while she cried. Afterwards, she told him everything, in details. Abba was very angry.

 

“Ahmed. How could he?” he thought. “After promising me that he was serious about her? And stupid as I was, I believed him. What a weasel! Well, he can’t take my own sister for a ride. I am going to deal with him!” Just then, he heard the front door open and Ahmed called out to Sameera. He got up and went to the living room to meet him.

 

“You bastard! What are doing here?” he asked, in anger.

“Abba, I don’t know what you heard but it’s not like that. But I want to see Sameera and explain things to her.” Ahmed said, trying to calm Abba down.

“Well, she doesn’t want to see you. You better leave this house this very instant.”

“Come on, Abba. I really have to talk to her.”

“About what, Ahmed. We have talked about this and you made a promised to me. But I can see that you are not a man of your words.”

“That is not true. And you know that.” Ahmed said.

“Now, Get out of this house!”

“I am not leaving until I speak to Sameera.” Ahmed said, trying to push Abba away and go to Sameera’s room.

“I said get out!” Abba pushed him back.

“This is not your house. It belongs to my uncle Usman.” Ahmed fought back. And suddenly, they were raining blows on each other. Sameera came out and started screaming at them to stop. But they paid no attention to her. Within a few seconds, they were both bloody and the fight has intensified to a great extent.

 

Just at that moment, Mallam Usman, Mallam Abubakar and Hadiza walked in. They had earlier gone out together to inspect the new supermarket.

“What is going on here?” Usman asked, going to separate the boys. But it was so difficult that Abubakar had to come in too.

“Bastard!” Abba said, struggling to get free from his father. Ahmed was bleeding from his nose, and there was a deep cut on his temple with blood gushing out of it. His father applied pressure on it to stop the bleeding.

 

“Shut up!” Mallam Usman told his son. What is wrong with you? Even in front of us? What has gotten into you too?”

“I am sorry, Dad. But Ahmed was just playing Sameera. He had no intention of marrying her.” Abba said.

“That is a lie!” Ahmed fought back.

“What are you two talking about?” Mallam Abubakar asked.

“Sameera caught him in bed with another girl!” screamed Abba.

“That is a lie. I will never do that to Sameera.” Ahmed said, turning to look at his dad.

“Is that true, Ahmed?” His father asked.

“No Dad. She saw Yasmin in my room and thought something was going on…” He became very dizzy from the loss of blood and sat down while his father supported him.

“Yasmin? Who is Yasmin?” Mallam Usman asked.

“His concubine, perhaps.” Abba said and his father told him to shut up.

“There is nothing between us, I swear!”

“Look Dad. See this.” Abba said, showing his father the pictures. “He is lying.”

“Alright, that is it!” Abubakar cuts in angrily. “You can’t just be embarrassing my son like that, especially in front of me.”

“I am sorry Habu.” Mallam Usman said. “I will not want that to happen. But he is marrying my daughter in two weeks and this is happening. Is it true my son?”

“No Uncle. I swear, I will never hurt Sameera.” Ahmed said.

“Oh no. he is not marrying her anymore!” Abba said.

“Shut up Abba.” His father told him. “Let Sameera decide that for herself.” Sameera got up and ran into her room.

“See dad, she doesn’t want him anymore. Besides, I don’t want this idiot to marry my sister.” Abba was very angry.

“Don’t insult my son, Abba especially not after doing this to him. What are you trying to do? Kill him, because he wants to marry your sister?” Mallam Abubakar’s words were filled with anger.

“Habu!” Mallam Usman said in surprise. “Why are you talking like this? Is there any difference between Abba and Ahmed to you? Are they not both your children?”

“That doesn’t mean I should stand here and watch Abba kill my son.”

 

“Alright Habu. Is it just about this or is there something you want to tell me, huh? Why don’t you go ahead and say it.” Mallam Usman was getting angry now. “It was obvious that you didn’t want this marriage to take place right from the start. Am I right?”

“Honey…” Hadiza tried to cut the tension.

“No Dije. I want him to say it. Because from the day this marriage was proposed, he didn’t seem happy about it. All he did was complain. Nobody is forcing this marriage on anyone.”

“You know what; I don’t have time for this. If you don’t want my son to marry your daughter, fine.” Mallam Abubakar said.

“You are the one that doesn’t want this marriage, Habu. But it’s Ok. I am sure that my Daughter will find someone even better than your son.”

“Honey!” Hadiza said in surprise.

“No, Usman. Your Daughter is not good enough for him. And if you don’t mind, I will like to take my son to the hospital before I lose him too.”

“Baba Ahmed, please don’t go.” Hadiza pleaded with Abubakar.

“Hadiza!” Usman Screamed at her. “Let him go. I don’t need him.” And with Hadiza crying, Mallam Abubakar left the house with his son, who was too weak to even speak, to the hospital. He promised himself that he will never have anything to do with the Usman family again. Mallam Usman promised himself the same thing.