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Eighteen

22nd May, 2015

On my way back home

1:16pm

Just like everyday, it had been a week already since I started being her rider. Not for once had she let us had a decent conversation, and I’m not going to give up. We always rode silently back home and to school, but she had never uttered more words apart from; “Goodmorning, Sir.” And whn I dropped her off at out meeting spot, she would look at me with a small smile on her lips, “Thank you sir.” That’s all. I loved the way she spoke, and I’ll make sure to make her speak more, In Sha Allah.

“Are you free this evening?” I asked out of the blue moon, she looked at me with a bewildered expression on her face. It meant as if she wasn’t expecting me to ask her this question and was looking around my car to check wether I was on phone.

“I’m asking you, not on the phone. Will you be free this weekend, or you have other plans for the weekeend?” It took he time before she shook her head, and I felt relieved.

“I’ll come and pick you up by 4:30pm, our usual meeting point?” She nodded her head yet again, an I dropped her off. I could see, she was fighting her mind for accepting to go out with me, but I wished and avowed she never regretted.

I was on the spot when it clicked 4:30pm. Nana asked me where I was heading to, I could only smile, because I had the intention of hiding Madina from anyone that knew me, and I was doing just fine, since I didn’t tell Mama.

After like five minutes, I saw her walking towards my car in an abaya, she looked as beautiful as I could ever imagine. The abaya was light pink in colour, and by Allah it suited her skin color. As the dying sun shone on her face, Madina pulled up her hand and covered her face, squeezing her lips.

She sat down in the seat and looked at me with a small smile on her lips. “Good evening, Sir.”

I groaned a little, and Madina took her time staring at me. “For godsake, Madina, you can call me Sir when it’s school time, but not moments like this. Call me Nasir, that’s my name incase you don’t know.”

I guess the face I made made her laughed, she gleamed when she laughed. Her voice sounded like a melody to my ears. “I can’t call your name, Sir. Can we go with Sir?” There was amusement in her tone, and she looked even more beautiful.

Through my peripheral view, I could see her looking at me. She had smile planted on her lips, like she admired what she saw on my face. I wanted to look at her to, but I didn’t want to interrupt her. “Where do you think we should go? This is my second time in Katsina, the first time was when Nana was brought here. I had to dodge school because of her wedding.”

“You seem to have a good relationship with your sister, I would love to see het someday.” Okay, a decent conversation would come. I felt the look she still had on my face.

“You would see her someday Insha Allah. Now, where do you think we should go?” She seemed to be ruminative for a while before she looked at me with a glint of what I assumed to be happiness and peace.

“Let’s go to Jibia, there’s a park over there; Chama park. I used to be there when My Dad was alive. The last time I was there was months before my Mom died. Can we go there?” She seemed to be escstatic about this place, and I would love to take her there. I checked my phone map and drove silently there.

She guided us towards the park when we entered Jibia, and her voice had risen with her enthusiasm about this park. The drive was only a few minutes more than theirty minutes. As we arrived at the parking lot, she looked at me with teary eyes, and pointed at a place where a car was parked.

“That’s where my Dad used to park, and he would always say; I love it when I’m here, Madina, it provides me some peace.” She tears and suppressed back her tears, letting a small smile on her lips.

“Let’s go out then, is there water inside? I can catch a glimpse of the waves and what seemed like a shore.”

She nodded her head before she walked out of the car, amused, relieved and in peace. I guess the only time she smiled is when she’s together with me, she seemed so much at ease. “You’ll so much love this place, sir. Let’s go in, we’re lucky there aren’t alot of people here today.”

I tailed behind her before she slowed her pace and we walked side by side. The was she looked at the place told a story of how much she missed coming over here, and I wished I can bring her here everyday.

Our first stop was at the dam, it looked beautiful and peaceful. Madina took in a breath and heaved it out while planting a smile on her lips. “Do you want to ride the boat?” She asked, and that brought me out of my reverie, I’ve been looking at her that i dind’t know she had already moved towards the boats and was speaking with one of the riders.

I followed her and we hopped on the boat. We sat opposite eachother and by Allah Madina looked so irresistible that I had to bring out my phone and started taking a picture of her. She was beautiful, and I believe her beauty defined beautiful even more accurate. She was playing with the water, and I believe her smile could lit up a darkness filled room.

We walked silently, and I believe our silence spoke more words than our words would ever did. We were trying to walk out of the park when she looked at me with a beautiful smile on her lips. “Thank you so much, Sir. I believe I’ve never been this happy ever since my father died.”

“You’re welcome, Madina. Anything for you.” And that was how our ride back home became, as she filled me up with her life. She told me all the good memories she had with her parents, and I believe she had all the things she needed in her life before her parents died.

23rd May, 2015

Driving to suya spot

10:26pm

I know I walk out of the house to but this suya because I couldnt’t get Madina off my mind. Nana had even got tired of asking me what I had in mind, because I choose to hid Madina from everyone that knew me. I remembered the look in her eyes when I dropped her off that evening, she was smiling widely, and the colour brought upon us by the now dead sun made her glowed even more beautifully.

I brought the suya and was driving back home when I made a halt in front of our meeting point with Madina. I believed I saw a girl seated there with a suitcase beside her when I was going, and while driving back, I couldn’t fight off that feeling off my chest. I’m only being paranoid, I know. But I want to prove myself wrong by checking it out myself.

I got down from the car and walked silently towards the girl. I stood beside her and watched as she cried bitterly with her body shaking with her tears. “Madina?” I wasn’t sure wether it was her, but I believe this sinking feeling in my heart.

Slowly, she looked up at me and the moment our eyes met, Madina broke into an outburst of tears and she stood up. Nearly, she wanted to hug me but restrained herself from doing so. I sensed her desperation and took her suitcase in my hand, and motioned for my car. She followed me behind and I turned to look at her when we settled on the car.

“Madina, what happened? Why are you out here crying all by yourself and with a suitcase?” I asked, I’m restraining myself from hugging her into my chest to console and wipe away my tears.

She looked at me with tears rolling from her eyes, “My uncles chased me out of the house, they said I chased men because one of my cousins saw us when you were dropping me off yesterday. They said they can’t live with me anymore.” She was crying with so much bitterness that ripped off my heart.

“When did that happened?” I asked, not taking my eyes off her not even for a bit.

“Yesterday night, I begged them to let me sleep there for yesterday and they compiled. I was chased out today as early as 8am, I was there all day. I have no one in this world other than you, you’re the only one I could count on. I stayed in this place knowing on Monda you’ll find me there. I don’t know where to go.” She was crying so hard that I was afraid she was going to choke herself due to her tears.

“I’ll take you somewhere else to spend the night, today. Tomorrow, we will find how to sort it out.” I said and swerved my steering wheel out of the area. I had no idea where I was taking her, I didn’t know of asingle hotel in Katsina. I searched for the hotels in Katsina and I liked the location where Makera motels was located. It had less croud around it.

I drove to the hotel, and when I pulled over in front of the hotel she looked at me with her teary eyes. “This is a hotel?” She asked, as if she didn’t understand what she read from the sighnboard.

“Yes, it’s a hotel, Madina. I have no place to take you to spend the night. You’ll sleep here for today, and I’ll see what I can do before Monday, Insha Allah.”

Reluctantly, she nodded her head and we walked out of the car. I went to the reception and booked a room for her. They gave me the room key and Madina followed behind me while I walked to the room holding her suitcase.

I unlocked the room and placed the suitcase on the sofa and she entered, she wan’t comfortable, that I can tell. She sat on the sofa beside the suitcase and I sat on the one opposite hers. I looked at her and cleared her throat. “Madina,” I called out, and she turned to look at me.

“Can you trust me?” I asked, because I could see it from her eys, she was afraid.

She looked at me as if she was afraid and wanted me to give her the confirmation that she can trust me. “Yes, I trust you, sir.” Not this name again, Madina.

I felt relieved, and a small smile graced her lips. “You’ll sleep here only for a day. I believe you didn’t eat anything, here is a suya you can eat and there’s water in the fridge. I’ll come tomorrow early. We will go back to your house and ask for their forgiveness, and personally; I’ll explain everything for them. I hope that’s fine?”

She looked at me and shook her head, “All is fine with me, but you can’tgo to our house, Sir. They’ll get me married to someone else if you do. I’ll just have to wait, I know my uncle that works in Enugu will find me when he gets back.”

“Until then, we can wait. You should try and sleep, Madina. Will you promise me?” I asked, and despite her beautiful amber eyes were mixed with tears, she smiled faintly. After she nodded her head, “Will you promise me not to cry again?” I asked.

Madina nodded her head and smiled softly. “I promise, but I need a favour from you also. Before that, Thank you, sir.”

I was already on my feet when I asked her what her favour was,and as she spoke; “Will you please sit with me and eat? I’m afraid to sit here, and if I’m alone, I will definitely cry.”

“I will, Madina. But you have to always smile at me before i leave. Deal?” She smiled at me and I asked her to wash her face and she did just that.

When she was back, I looked at her and sat back. I plled the black nylon between us and she looked at me when I motioned for her to eat. We ate in silence, but I didn’t miss the kind of look she had been flashing me. It was a look I had longed to see from her face, and I really wasn’t ready for it as it came.

She had a hold on me that I was afraid, I might get out of the line if things keep going the way they do. I stood up immediately as the thought crossed into my mind. The thought about hugging her to my arms until I earse all that broke he apart. To kiss her lips as hard as I can, to fill up the cracks in her heart.

“I should better leave. Take care of yourself, be safe.” I said, and she flashed me a look that meant she didn’t want me to go, but I had to, to avoid making the biggest mistake of my life.

As I laid down on my bed, I had no one but Madina in my mind. How bitterly she had cried, the looks on her face while she stared at me, the small smiles she had been flashing at me, they meant everything. But what’s more important was that I wanted nothing but to ease her pain. And I did, in the best way I can.

Today, when I called Mama, I asked her to pray for me, because I know taking care of Madina and trying to fight off my desires for her would be the hardest battle I’ll have to fight in my life. As I predicted, it wasn’t easy. It was the bitersweet kind of battle.

As I walked out of my room and entered Nana’s living room, I saw her making breakfast. We greeted each other and Nana looked at me with a small smile on her lips. “You never woke up early unless it’s weekdays. Today is Sunday, incase you forgot.”

I smiled, because I have something to take care of, which is more important that anything in this world for me; my sleep included. “Are you done with the breakfast?” I asked, walking around the kitchen. I loved tasting food whenver Mama or Nana were cooking, they hated it, and that’s why I loved it the most.

“Yes, I’m making something for Khliad. It’s on the dining table, you can have it.”

I looked around and felt I camn’t eat anything without Madina, eating together with her yesterday gave me a certain feeling I’m still not sure of. “Will you mind to pack some for me?”

“Are you eating outside or taking it to one of your bachelor friends?” She joked as she handed me the package. I smiled and walked away, if only I knew, that today would be the day I’ll have my life changed. Along with the girl I love; Madina Aminu Musawa.

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