A WEEK LATER (morning 7:01am)
Ridwan: (dressing up) baby!!
Zainab: (running from the kitchen to join him in their master bedroom, happily ) guess what baby?
Ridwan: whhha? Why are you so excited?
Zainab: just guess? (place her hand behind her ) c’mon! try to guess?
Ridwan: you know I’m not good at guessing game.
Zainab: atleast give it a try now, for my sake.
Ridwan: ok fine! You are pregnant?
Zainab: hell no! why would I be pregnant? We got married 9 days ago. Babies doesn’t form at fast.
Ridwan: you know I’m eager! I love babies so much and I cant wait to carry mine, and that’s the lifetime gift you can ever give me baby.
Zainab: (couldn’t resist staring at his eyes) may Allah bless us with a pious kids soon.
Ridwan: so what are you holding?
Zainab: (stretch out her hands towards his face) smell it?
Ridwan: why would I spell what I can see? C’mon baby, open your hand let me see it.
Zainab: don’t you trust me? or do you think I will place a dirt in my hand for my crown to smell it?
Ridwan: no baby! Aright then (he bend his head towards her hand and immediately she kiss his forehead for 3 seconds which left him speechless)
Zainab: I hope you love it?
Ridwan: (smile) come here.. (he grab her into his arms) you are just full of wonders arnt you?
Zainab: I just want to brighten your morning, so you can have a lovely day at work. And guess what?
Ridwan: what baby?
Zainab: (whispers to his ears)
Ridwan: (jaw drop as he become speechless) baaaby!
Zainab: yes brother Ridwan
Ridwan: (still couldn’t believe his ears) now definitely I’m gonna have the best day today.. now you have glue your name in my brain and heart throughout today.. I just cant wait to be back.. or how about we.. (tried to kiss her while she covers his lips) c’mon.
Zainab: till you are back! That’s our agreement.. you can let me go now, I’m also late for work you know.
Ridwan: (he obeyed and salute her) shon sir! Yes ma’am!
Zainab: what are you doing? (chuckles) anyway breakfast is ready.. you can go and eat first while I wear my unifoam.
Ridwan: shon sir! Yes ma! (salute)
Zainab: ayo! Stop it jor! You are making me seems weird.. you too shon sir! Shon shon sir! (salute him) now go! Time is going.
Ridwan: let me watch you change… I want to see my property one last time to brighten my day even more.
Zainab: you are unbelievable.
Ridwan: I know.. let me see what belong to me..
30 minutes later
In the compound
Ridwan: madam come out now! This is 7:41am for crying out loud!
Zainab: (responding from inside) I’m coming., I second!
Ridwan: (sigh heavily) women and their wasting of time.
Zainab: (finally show up) so how do you I look baby?
Ridwan: finally! Now lets go.
Zainab: oh! I don’t look good enough? I better go check myself and change something (she ran inside back)
Ridwan: ohh! Why didn’t I say gorgeous! Why didn’t I? baby you look gorgeous!!1 you look absolutely amazing please come out! Ife!!
Zainab: yes sir!
Ridwan: please come out… you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.. now can we go?
Zainab: are you sure or you are just saying that so I wont waste your time?
Ridwan: I swear to God! You look absolutely amazing.. (he grab her waste and open the car door for her) my Queen.
Zainab: thank you my king (curtsy)
Ridwan: (close the door ) finally!
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Later in the night (7:21pm)
Mum: Mustakeemah!!!
Mustakeemah: ma! It almost ready! I’m done preparing the swallow just the soup that remain.
Mum: hurry up oh! your father will soon be back! Mustakeem!!
Najat: he went out ma.
Mum: what of Munir?
Mustakeemah: they went out together.
Mum: ok, just hurry up I’m starving as well.
Mustakeemah: ok mum.. (seems uneasy) Najat! Go check the time for me..
Najat: ok
Mustakeemah: time is going! I need to do this fast…
Najat: 7:31pm ma.
Mustakeemah: damn it! beat the ewedu with the broom.. please hurry up.
Najat: ok… you seems to be in hurry.
Mustakeemah: obviously! Magrib time had passed and it almost time for ishai as well.
Najat: eeeyyyaa.
10 minutes later, mustakeemah finally serve everyone and present their father’s own at the dinning room. Then off to her room to pray.
Mustakeemah: (coming out of the bathroom after ablution, when she heard a knock at the door) who is it? God! I hope is not mum.
Najat: I’m the one sis.
Mustakeemah: what do you want? Cant you see I’m busy?
Najat: please open the door first.
Mustakeemah: are you the only one?
Najat: yes.
Mustakeemah: (sign of relief then she open the door) what is it? cant you see that I’m busy?
Najat: I know you want to pray and I was thinking.. (she hurriedly covers her mouth and drag her in then slam the door)
Mustakeemah: keep it down! Mum might hear you!
Najat: I’m sorry, but I do admire how you pray.. and I wish to join you today.. I notice you hid the fact that you do pray from everyone else because we don’t pray in this house.. and they should be proud of you.
Mustakeemah: do you want to join me or not?
Najat: I want to.
Mustakeemah: then go do your ablution and join me quick.. because we need to be fast about it.
Najat: ok!
3 minutes later, in the middle of prayer when suddenly her mother began to shout her name.
Mum: mustakeemah!!!! You are ignoring my call right? Najat nko? Najat!! Ahhh!
Mustakeemah: (suddenly enter the house with Munir) Ekule maami
Mum: (ignore their greetings) mustakeemah!! I swear if I should come over there ehm? You will regret it..
Munir: maybe she put on headphone, let me go call her.
Mum: did I send you? (she push him out of her way and head straight to their room banging at the door twice then decided to peep and her jaw drop) Mustakeemah!!
Mustakeemah: (hurriedly round up with the prayer and jump up to open the door) mum am sorry I was praying that’s … (before she could finish her statement, she land a hot slap on her face and give najat her own size as well) what are you trying to prove to me in this house? That we are kafir abi? you want to make us look bad abi? that you are holy or what? that we are too bad till that your mouth is too big to tell me you want to pray abi ? you want to prove to be those hijab sister.. those green snake under green grass abi? ehnn? Those stupid women that claim to be holy when they are the devils right? before you transform into that, I will be the one to all most take your life.. and you didn’t do it alone, you want to initiate the child that was given to me to take care of abi? as far as I’m your mother in this house.. I will make sure that I deal with those evil intentions of yours in this house.. just because you want to pray, you decided prepare rubbish soup for me, you turn jute soup into spinach for abi? how will you father eat his meal when your evil hijab mind wont let you do good.. (he drag her ears to the living room) on your knees!
Mustakeemah: (already in tears) mummy you are getting me wrong, I swear I didn’t mean to prepare rubbish! Please.. it wont happen again please.
Mustakeem: mum what happened? (run out of his room) what did she do?
Mum: oya! You too join her! (point at najat who is already soak in tears)
Najat: we are sorry ma’am.
Dad: ekule ooh! What is going on here?
Mum: welcome dear.. you just go in and shower first.. let me deal with them myself.
Dad: what did they do this time? Ahhh! What exactly is their offence?
Mum: she is also joining those hijabian witches or what ever they called them… she prepare rubbish for me tonight as well and lock herself with this one to pray, making it look like we are the bad ones.
Dad: so my instinct was right when first saw you with those women in masquerade wear! So you have join them? Get my belt.
Mustakeem: dad!! Ahhhh!!! I don’t see anything bad in she praying now… she is worshiping Allah and you guys want to punish her? is unfair now.. assuming she was seen outside doing hookup what ever is when you can do this… but she is practicing islam.. instead fo you guys to be proud of her.
Dad: oh so now you want to teach us how to train you guys abi? turning into those masquerade abi? for your information islam is not about what is not about what you wear or how many times you pray, it is by your heart, your intentions.. so who are you to caution us on how to deal with her? how dare you? infact on your knees too.
Munir: daddy please.. she did nothing wrong now.
Dad: oh so you too is talking.
Mustakeemah: (gather courage to speak) islam is not by heart alone dad! If is by heart alone then our prophet Muhammed s.a.w praying his 5 daily prayers and instructing his fellowers about the sunnah of praying.. that means he was also wasting his time what? this is how this civilized world view it.. but that’s not how islam work.. islam is a religion of peace.. you can never change my mind one this.. whether you have a good heart or a bad heart, pray! Because they will help you and speak for you on the day of kiyama. Good heart wont help alone! And nothing you can do to stop me from completing my five daily prayers… I don’t care of how much you punish me, but who so ever Allah choose to guide.. no one! I mean no one, can misguide them and I pray Allah should guide you all to the right path as well.. (instantly her father land a hot slap on her face leading her to fall on her face in shock)
Mustakeem and munir: dad!
Dad: (drag his belt from his trouser ready to lash her body when the boys obstruct their dad)
Mustakeem: dad please! You are making a big mistake.
Munir: if you want to hit her then you punish us all..
2 minutes later
Munir, mustakeem, mustakeemah and Najat were all on their knees patiently waiting for their parents verdict as they left them in the living room.
Mustakeemah: (cries out silently)
Mustakeem: (path her back) sorry…
Najat: sorry ma, this is all my fault, I land you in this big mess.
Munir: sorry sis.. it is well.. all I know is if he want to disown you, then he should disown us all.
Mustakeem: absolutely!
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