SONDER

CHAPTER TWO

HER

If Razak could scream in frustration right now, he would.

He always hates it when their dad and Rhadha come face to face.

He is a father that finds his stubborn,wise and defensive daughter disgusting.

To him, Rhadha doesn't know how to act like a Muslim lady.

City life has corrupt her

Their dad's usual statement.

Smiles

He described her wrong.

Rhadha is not brash and disrespectful ,she simply just calls the colour by it's name,no effect,no filter,no nothing.

He despises her because he doesn't know how to control her and to make her submit like the other women in his household.

She walked closer to the car, beside her dad, ignoring Rhashi's signals to keep quiet.

No one says no to their father except Rhadha and she couldn't help it.

Especially when he is always wrong.

With a coy smile,Rhadha stopped,close to her dad

"Good afternoon father." she gave a little bow before continuing,

"congratulations on the wedding. May Allah bless the union" She smiled up at her father.

Yes he is old,that doesn't make him look it.

Merely looking at him, one would think he is in his late thirties.

Rhadha couldn't help but realize that her father is no longer on his wedding robes.

" Thank you Rhadha." the father said a bit too loud,maybe trying to send a message across,Rhadha wouldn't want to read meaning to that,she didn't care.

But the dog of a friend standing beside her father is starting to dig a hole on her chest with his eyes.

pervert!

Still,she kept a calm appearance.

Whereas, her father's composure is not that calm.

He has something to say to her,else he usually just avoid any interaction with her.

She is the unnecessary headache after all.

And like a virus, her father, keeps away from her unless there is something else.

Deciding for herself that there is nothing else to say,she decided to move away till she heard him say stop.

She did. A bit curious to know what else her father has to say.

" As you already know, your sisters are already settling down.

I don't want that for you and Rhashi"the father paused and looked into the car,for Rhashi's reaction .

Still, Rhadha just smiled, a sinister one.

the audacity of my father!

she screamed in her head.

The only words ever in her father's mouth is marriage or a good family alliance that would keep his political seat under his buttocks.

It is not a topic they aren't used to.

But Rhadha didn't let her true feelings show.

She is always prepared for such a thing whether it is her father or someone else.

The dad started.

" The main reason I invited you all here is not for the wedding"

Rhadha smiled again.

She knows this .

But acting dumb was so much sweeter.

But instead of replying her father,Rhadha only nodded.

" I told you few weeks ago that it is better for you to settle down. what is the hold up." Alhaji Abba smiled and whispered to her dad again.

Both statements her dad made ignited a lot in Rhadha. By now Razak and Rhashi are stepping out of the car.

Like a peacock,her dad feels proud of himself.

Whatever he thinks he is seeing in Razak eyes,he read as fear when in actual sense,it is simply hatred.

Hatred for him as a father,a politician and his stupid ideology about women being nothing but objects for a good trade.

Rhadha could vividly remember the only daughter of the first wife, Amira, who was forced into marriage with the governor's son when she was only sixteen years of age.

Catch them while they are young

Her father's words to back up his cruel actions.

But Rhadha and Rhashi are both going to be nineteen really soon, apparently,the only daughters willing to work to earn instead of depending on daddy's money like the rest of her sisters who are actually very comfortable with getting married anytime.

"Are you going against me again?" her father continued.

Razak still fuming,Rhashi a tad bit scared but standing defiantly,Alhaji Abba still starring holes on her body and her dad looking satisfied so satisfied with himself.

Rhadha replied.

But not to her father.

"Razak please, can we go now. I already have my purse with me." She ended and walked into the car,leaving a bewildered father and his friend.

Razak and Rhashi immediately hopped in and with the speed Razak drove off ,someone would think they had just successfully robbed a bank rather than had a little discussion with their father.

"You know that was a bad mistake right? He won't stop until he gets what he wants" Razak might be a brave guy but he knows his dad well enough. The man won't stop until Rhadha and Rhashi get married.

Become third and fourth wife to his perverted friend, the senator.

"I don't want to get married. Not now at least" Rhashi said with a cracked voice and teary eyes.

Yes, Rhadha knows all these. Her father might likely disown them if he doesn't get what he wants from them. At this point Rhadha doesn't care.

She'd rather be called a bastard than marry some old man for her father's sake.

"Then was I wrong with the way I acted? Should I have begged him for my singleness? Or better yet, let me tell him that I'd rather die than let any man touch me !"

again....

That word was at the top of her tongue.

Her vulnerability and weakness which she polished so well.

it became her strength and bravery.

Her siblings became silent after Rhadha's outburst.

Needless to say,the car ride was only quiet for few minutes and Rhashi brought back life into their next conversations.

But Rhadha never invested herself into the words even when she heard Razak say something about 'airport, doctor's son' and first time in Nigeria'

She wasnt bothered about anything,she was only just sleepy. Her dad made them take a useless trip, when they are supposed to be resting on this fine Saturday.

HIM

He has been bored out of his mind lying on the hospital bed for the past two months.

Theo,his cousin who is apparently his only friend, found a solution for his health.

Or so he thought.

"Where are you taking me?" it was a question that has been left unanswered by Theo.

The Solution Bringer.

Cyril knows that Theo lied when he told him that they would be going down to Miami.

For vacation.

He had pondered on this question. Because nowhere is as beautiful and more vacation filled like Greece, so why leave here?

And also, as malicious,bossy and intelligent as Cyril is,he is hundred percent an introvert.

Not pleased with the silence that accompanied his question,he decided to take violence as a questioning tool.

Theo was pretending but badly failing, to be asleep.

They have been in this goddamn plane for more than ten hours!

He threw the Champaign glass at his cousin

this ought to do the trick

Theo luckily dodged the glass.

" Are you trying to kill me or......" Seeing his cousins face shut him up.

If anything,Cyril is angry at himself for being restricted to crutches and a ton of pain .

He hissed in pain.

Feeling uncomfortable and knowing he can't reveal the destination yet, Theo did what he knows best.

Lie.

" I told you, we are going to Miami to have some fun.

Besides,it has been a long time since you came to check up on business here" Theo was nervous, Cyril could smell it like he could smell the brand new leather seats and brown oil paint covering his private plane.

It was unbelievable that Theo could try to hide a lie this long.

He sighed in disbelief.

"Okay then,a piece of advice if and I mean if, this plane lands and there is no Miami, I suggest you poof off "

Successfully delivering his threat, Cyril reclined his chair to take a nap as Theo starred at his cousin in disbelief and fear