More To It

Chapter 9- Let Me Help You

Khalid

“Zaynab is still in prayer?“,aunt Adelola asks me.

“I don’t know what she’s doing”,I reply with a shrug.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Didn’t you get out of your room?“,she asks me.

“I slept in the guest room”,I reply.

“Khalid”,mama sighs.

“This is a tough time for her. Just be more patient with her”,she tells me and rubs my hand.

I don’t reply, I just continue scrolling through my i********: feeds when Amari’s name pops up. I click on the message notification.

“Everything okay now?“-Amari

“Let’s not talk about that”-Me

I put my phone down then look up only to meet everyone’s suspicious looks.

“Are you speaking with that girl? Amari?“,baba asks me.

“Does it matter?“.

“You have a wife”.

“Yeah, one that doesn’t value me”.

“Khalid”,mama gasps.

“Mama. Please, am not here to talk about her”.

“You can’t seriously be entertaining some other girl when you have a wife. That’s disrespectful”,Aaleyah says.

“Yeah, well so is she”,I mumble to myself.

“Someone go check on Zaynab, she hasn’t come down since morning”,mama says.

Aaleyah who’s busy burping Amir starts to get up but Basha already starts making her way up the stairs when Zaynab appears at the top of the stairs fixing her hijab.

“Hey, you okay?“,Basha asks her.

“Yeah, why? What’s wrong? Did she call? Is everything okay?“,Zaynab asks her.

“No, we haven’t heard anything yet”,Basha shakes her head and walks down the stairs with Zaynab who groans lowly.

She glances at me but doesn’t say anything. She just sits beside Aayan who whispers into her ear. She looks at him and shakes her head. He continues whispering to her then all of a sudden she gasps loudly.

“I did-”

“You’re acting like a real jerk”,Fawaz lets out. By the tone of his voice, it seemed like he had been contemplating for a real time whether or not to say that.

“Sorry?“,Zaynab turns to him.

Fawaz sighs and scratches the back of his head.

“You’re being a real jerk to Khalid. It’s not fair. I know y’all had a friendship before marriage and all which was good but when y’all got married, don’t you think, I don’t know, that he deserves more than what you’re throwing at him. Am sorry but, y’all know I ain’t as patient, you should even be lucky he’s this patient. I would’ve dipped and got myself someone that actually values me as what I am. Your husband. Am just saying, you’re listening but you’re not taking it. You’re pushing him away, I’ve met Amari and if yo ass ain’t careful. I swear you bouta get a second wife for him or worse divorced. I can tell, his patience level is decreasing each time”,he explains to Zaynab.

Well damn. He gets it. Maybe I should’ve just talked to him from the very start.

“I don’t know what you want me to do, no seriously. I don’t”,Zaynab snaps with a hint of irritation evident.

“That’s your problem!“,Fawaz groans looking irritated himself.

“Why does this bother YOU so much?“,Zaynab yells.

“Actually, you right. I thought to talk to you as friends but since yo ass want to be like this. Watch him leave yo idiotic ass”,Fawaz snaps.

She hisses at him and ignores him completely.

“Zaynab”,Aaleyah looks at her.

“Look, just warn your husband. I don’t know why someone else’s problem is burning him”,Zaynab scoffs.

“Oda. Khalid, word of advice”,Fawaz stands up.

“Dip”,was all he said before walking into the kitchen with Azeez in his arms.

I glance at Zaynab who glares at me then hisses and looks away. I could tell she was angry, her right leg is just moving up and down each time.

“See, I don’t even get you sef”,she suddenly yells at me.

“What did I do? How did him speaking suddenly drop on me?“,I raise an eyebrow.

“I don’t know what you want me to do. What am I? Some portable object that you just say something and I’ll get it done? Does this time look like the right time to be forming some stupid argument? You can’t wait until Yousif is here and everyone is safe? I don’t get it it. You want me to be splitting my head I to two, worrying about what you want and how to get Yousif back? Well Khalid, oo, am sorry if am not the wife you wanted. A sorry am not perfect enough for you or your needs. Am sorry it’s not as easy as it is for everyone else to have a child. Am sorry I suck as a person in general. Sebi that’s what you want abi? Don’t worry though. I can tell this isn’t going anywhere. You don’t have to waste your patience on me anymore. I’ll do you one better. Get a divorce papers I’ll sign it for you. Marry Amari. Marry her, be happy. We’ll continue to be friends the way we were before. Because am not going to pretend to like any of this. I can’t be killing myself over something or anybody. Please abeg. If you’re not happy. Say so. M-“.

“Uh, the f***s going on here?“,Ibrahim walks in with Malik.

“You’re here? And okay?“,she stops mid sentence then turns to them.

I can tell we’re not solving this. She’s right. We should just end it. I can’t, I can’t pretend or have patience anymore. I’ve tried.

“Everything okay?“,Eniola asks the boys who part ways with a smile on their face. That’s when aunt Jumoke walks into the room with a little boy in her arms.

“Is that?“.

“Yousif, meet your mother”,aunt whispers to the boy who picks up his head. His eyes are all red, it seems as if he had been crying.

“Mommy”,he yells.

“Yousif”,Zaynab smiles with tears in her eyes.

“They took me away from daddy but said they know you. I thought they were lying”, he cries then starts kicking his legs around. Aunt places him down then he runs over to Zaynab who gets on her knees and hugs Yousif tightly.

“You did it”,Eniola looks at aunt Jumoke who hums. Eniola smiles then she hugs aunt who gasps a little taken aback.

“Thank you”,Eniola whispers.

“You’re so cute”,Zaynab smiles kissing all over Yousif’s face making him giggle.

“Daddy said you were beautiful, YOU ARE. Beautifuler than anyone”,He exaggerates making Zaynab and everyone laugh.

“Beautifuler isn’t a word baby. It’s more beautiful, but aww thank you. You’re the more handsome in person”,she kisses him.

He giggles and hides his face in her chest.

She looks up at aunt and stands up.

“Thank you”,she throws herself against aunt with tears sliding down her cheeks.

“It’s nothing”,aunt whispers.

“It is. You don’t understand, I never thought I’d get him back. This erases anything you’ve done. Thank you, thank you”,she whispers. Aunt smiles a little then hugs Zaynab back tighter.

“Why are you hugging her mommy?“,Yousif asks her.

“Why wouldn’t I? This is your grandma”,she tells him.

His eyes widens then he starts jumping up and down.

“I’ve never had a grandma before”,he yells before running over to aunt.

“Hi grandma. You’re very pretty”,he waves.

Everyone laughs while aunt chuckles and hugs him.

“You’re so energetic”,she ruffles his hair.

“Yeah, me and daddy work out everyday. Look at my muscles”,he starts flexing but ain’t nothing there. He’s actually so cute and sweet.

“There’s nothing there”,Azeez blurts out.

Aayan snickers which made Zaynab smack his head.

“You’re just jealous that you’re all lanky”,Yousif replies to Azeez.

“What does that mean?“,Azeez asks him.

“I don’t know. But it sounds like an ugly word”,Yousif comments.

“NO”,everyone gasps then Azeez pouts ad his bottom lip starts trembling.

“Don’t bully him Yousif. You can both be friends”,Zaynab tells him.

“I don’t want to be friends with him”,Azeez starts crying and hides his face in Aaleyah’s waist.

“Azeez don’t cry”,she rubs his head then picks him up and pats his butt.

“You’re a cry baby. I don’t like cry babies. You cry for no reason”,Yousif glares at Azeez.

“Well, we know how he’s Abiodun’s son”,Fawaz mumbles.

“Fawaz”,his mom gasps loudly then smacks his head.

Zaynab just gave him a dirty look before hissing but he didn’t care, he just rolled his eyes.

“Yousif, don’t say that. It’s not nice”.

“But daddy tells his girlfriend every time she cries when he slaps her. But it doesn’t even hurt and she cries and daddy doesn’t like when people cry for no reason. I don’t like it either”,he shakes his head.

“Oh Yousif. He’s brainwashed your tiny self”,she whispers to herself then ruffles his hair.

“What about Abiodun?“,she asks aunt ho glances down at Yousif.

“Basha, take him to the play room with Azeez and Salma”,mama orders. Basha nods and takes Azeez from Aaleyah then leads Salma and Yousif towards the play room.

“He hadn’t realized yet, we got out of there as soon as we had Yousif. We’ll wait, if he calls Ibrahim today, which we’re hoping he does, then the steps will be in our favor. But if not, we just have to follow him. Because he’ll be taking matters in his own hands”,aunt explains.

“Do you think he knows where I live?“,Zaynab asks her.

“I think its wise if you get an alarm set up in your house. I can’t say for sure. But he has his way. If you can even, set a safe room. But if not, then an alarm is wise”.

Zaynab gulps and scratches her head with a look of uneasiness.

“We have to go now though”,aunt adds.

“Oh okay”.

We greet her and she replies before walking out with Ibrahim.

“Now what the hell were you yelling for when we entered?“,Malik asks Zaynab.

“Ugh nothing”,she mumbles then she intentionally pushes past my shoulder. She walks down the hallway towards the playroom then Malik looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

“Um. I think marrying each other was probably the worst decision Like EVER. No of fence bruh but I liked it better when y’all was friends. Everything was much easier. Now it’s just hella complicated”,he shalss his head.

“At this point. That’s probably the realist thing I’ve heard”,I whisper.

“Anyways, am going home”,I pick up my keys from the table and make my way out.

“What about Zaynab?“,mama asks me.

“What about her? When she’s ready to come. She can either come with the boys or get a cab”,I mumble and before she could say anything, I rush out of the room.

“Khalid”,mama yells but I don’t answer to her call. I walk out of the house and shut the door then jog over to my car. I get in and start the car then drive off.

***

Phone Conversation

“I just got back from work. The kids were hectic today for some reason. But Alhamdulilah am feeling better now. How was your day?“,-Amari

“Eh. Could say hectic too. Am good, I guess. When are off?“-Me

“Well its a Monday to Friday job *chuckles* so am free on Saturday. But you have work Saturday. So Friday evening?“-Amari

“6?“-Me

“Will you pick me up? Or will I drive myself?“,-Amari

“I say meet me at Starbucks”-Me

“Yeah? Okay, sounds like a plan. Have you even eaten?“-Amari

“Me? Not yet *sighs*“-Me

“Why not? Where’s Zaynab?“,-Amari

“I left her at my parents house. I don’t know how she-”

I get cut off in the middle of my sentence when I hear the front door slam violently.

“Well. I think she’s here. There was a violent slam downstairs. She’s most likely angry that I left her with no ride”-Me

“You’re actually the worst like *laughs* I should leave you then”-Amari

“Yeah, okay. See you on Friday then”,-Me

“Bye”-Amari + Me

I hang up then get up from the bed. I make my way towards the entrance of my bedroom. I step out but instantly fly backwards and hit the floor.

“f**k”,I curse lowly then open my eyes.

“WHAT THE f**k ZAYNAb”,I scream as I look towards the door then gasp loudly when I see who it is.

“WHERE’S MY SON”,Abiodun screams with anger evident all over his face and body language, the veins on his neck were clearly visible.

“W-what?“.

“WHERE. IS. MY. f*****g. SON?“,he walks over towards me. I scoot backwards into the bed board when he whips out a gun.

“Dude. I don’t know. I don’t know where he is”,I yell and instantly put my hand up in surrender.

“Wow. You really must think that am messing with you *chuckles evily*. Imma ask you again. Where is my son?“,he repeats.

“Abiodun. I really don’t know. I just got back from work. I don’t know” I tell him.

He stares at me for a few seconds then he gets down in a squat in front of me. As he opens his mouth to speak, the front door downstairs slams shut.

“THIS f*****g NIGGA REALLY LEFT ME WITH NO RIDE? KHALID I SWEAR YOU’RE DEAD”, Zaynab screams from downstairs.

“Mommy who’s Khalid?“,Yousif yells.

Abiodun smirks then pats my cheek lightly.

“Keep quiet, don’t utter a word or I will scatter your brains. We clear?“,he whispers.

I shake my head frantically then he walks behind the door and hides there as Zaynab enters the room.

“You bastard”,she screams.

“Go. He’s here”,I mouth to her.

“So you have the guts to leave me here? Huh? You fu-“.

“Go”, I repeat but her ass was just screaming.

That’s when Abiodun walks out from behind the door.

“Boo”.

She let’s out a massive scream then jumps backwards and hits the floor.

“Daddy”,Yousif jumps on Abiodun who smiles.

“Hey lil man. Go downstairs”,he tells Yousif who instantly obeys.

He turns to me then holds the gun towards my head.

“Ab-ab-abiodun. Please am begging you. He has nothing to do with this. Please don’t hurt him”,Zaynab begs him. I look at her when her voice becomes shaky.

“I don’t need him. Don’t worry babygirl. I just need you to get in the car with our son. If you don’t, then your husband here will be just like the others. We clear?“,he tells her as he tightens his hold on the fun and places it right on my forehead.

Wallahi my heart was besting so hard I thought it’d jump out of my chest.

Zaynab quickly stands up and runs out of the room.

“Wow. That was easier than o thought. I really though I’d have to kill you first” he chuckles.

“I was looking forward to it. But since she obeyed. I’ll spare your life”,he tells me then he walks out backwards with his gun still aimed at me.

Once he was out of sight I quickly get on my feet and take out my phone when I hear the front door slam shut yet again.

I phone aunt Jumoke but her phone doesn’t go through so I try Malik’s but neither did his so I just pick up my keys.

***

“So he has her”,Uncle Abdul repeats what I’ve been telling them for the past 5 minutes now.

“She just left after he threatened to shoot me. He has both her and their son. I don’t know where they’re gone but all I know is that he has them”,I repeat and rub my forehead with uneasiness.

“Did you call mommy?“,Eniola asks.

“I tried her number and Malik’s. I don’t have Ibrahim’s number but I tried the rest. I think Malik is at work but I don’t know why she’s not picking up. What if he has her too? Maybe he suspected them”.

“She’s probably bu-“.

“Yo, got your message”,Malik walks into the room holding a CD in his hand.

“What is that? Forget that. Abiodun has Zaynab and Yousif”,I tell him.

“Yeah, I heard in your message. I went straight to your place and I found this CD on your doorstep”,he shakes the CD then walks towards the TV. He gets down in a squat and turns on the CD player and puts it in.

“It’s a good thing they keep a CD player here”,Aayan mumbles.

Malik stands up and presses play on the controller then moves backward, beside Fawaz.

The screen turns on and an upbeat tone starts playing.

“Really? Music?“,Malik groans then walks over to remove it when a Zaynab appears on the screen, tied up to a chair and her mouth duct taped while Abiodun is seated on the edge of his couch. Yousif is seated on the floor playing with his toy cars.

Malik instantly moves back to his position.

“Oh my God”,I whisper along with just about everybody present in the room.

“Yousif do you realize why your mother is being punished?“,Abiodun asks Yousif who looks up from his toys.

“She took me without your permission daddy and you don’t like when people do things without your permission”,Yousif replies.

“See. Why can’t you be as smart as our son”,Abiodun shakes his head.

“Do you think your mother deserves to be punished?“,he asks Yousif who looks towards Zaynab who has tears sliding down her cheeks with fear written all over her face.

“This guy is a psychopath”,Fawaz whispers.

“Uh, I don’t want you to hurt mommy daddy”,Yousif frowns.

“I know babyboy. I don’t want to hurt your ma either. But there’s always repercussions to everything... Right?“.

“Yeah”,Yousif nods sadly then continues to play with his toys.

“Untie your mother for me”,he tells Yousif.

“Okay”.

Yousif jumps up then walks over to Zaynab. He starts untying the ropes skillfully. It doesn’t look like this is his first time. He takes the duct tape off Zaynab’s lips and smiles sadly.

“Am sorry mommy”,he whispers.

She sniffs and shakes her head.

“Sit”,Abiodun nods at Yousif who obeys. He squats down in front of Zaynab then places his hand on her arm.

“Mmm. Do you know how hurt you made me feel when you tried to kill me? I thank your brother, Ibrahim who came in time to get me to the hospital. Oh yeah, tour brother saved me not knowing that I was actually the cause for what YOU call “unhappiness”. Isn’t that so ironic?“,he chuckles.

“Ah Ibrahim”,Malik whispers.

“He’s loyal unlike SOMEBODY”,Abiodun adds.

“You nearly killed us, what did you expect me to do”,Zaynab whispers.

“How about shut up and do what I told you to do. Please me, that’s it. Abeke didn’t understand that. But you did, which is why I spared your life. But you’re growing wings and taking my son from me? Now Zaynab. Baby you know better than that”,he sighs.

He brushes her cheeks and smiles.

“I missed you, you know”.

She leans back and moves his hand off her face.

He smirks then he stands up. He turns to walk away making Zaynab let out a sigh of relief but that soon was replaced with a scream of pain as Abiodun punches her right in the face sending her flying into the floor.

“What the-“.

“Oh my God”,I whisper, my heart beat races faster than normal when he picks up a crying Zaynab by her hijab. Blood is running down her nose and her lip is also busted.

“Pl-please am sorry. Please”,she repeats while crying.

“He’s a monster”,Aamanee and Basha whisper.

“I didn’t want to do this. You know you caused this”,he shakes his head then he rips off her hijab and throws it on the floor. He then holds her by her braids and drags her on the floor towards the wall.

Yousif stands up and sits beside the couch. He hides his face in his hands and rocks back and forth.

“YOUSIF”,Abiodun screams.

“Y-yes daddy?“,he stutters and drops his hand instantly.

“THIS. THIS IS HOW YOU GET THEM TO LISTEN”.

Yousif nods instantly then Abiodun smashes Zaynab’s head into the wall. Once, twice, thrice and onwards. He just kept ramming her head into it repeatedly with no mercy at all.

“Here”,Aaleyah covers Azeez’s eyes quickly and pulls him away.

“Go play”,she tells him.

“But aunt z-”

“Go play. Salma go play with him”,she tells Salma who nods then drags Azeez into the playroom.

Abiodun groans loudly then he drops a bloody and weakened looking Zaynab onto the floor like she was trash.

She just lies there crying her heart out.

“Am not satisfied. I don’t know”,Abiodun huffs then he walks over to her.

“Pl- AHHHH”.

He pulls her up and sits her on the couch.

“Look at me”,he yells.

She obeys instantly. Her forehead is filled with blood, heck her whole face was now bloody.

“Yousif, come clean her up”.

Yousif runs into the kitchen then minutes later he comes back with a bowl of water and towel. He sits beside Zaynab and starts wiping her face, skillfully.

When he was done all that was visible were the cuts all over her face. He had her bandaged to stop the blood from running down.

“You can go play”,Abiodun tells Yousif who nods then runs out of the room.

Abiodun turns to Zaynab and brushes her lips.

“Are you going to listen to what I say from now on?” He asks her.

She looks down and nods.

“Good girl. Now let’s go. I gotta say I missed this with you”,he picks her up then walks towards a room.

“No”,I mumble.

“What do we do?“,Aayan asks Malik who looks so shocked at what we’ve just watched.

“It was this bad”,he whispers.

“Apparently”,I mumble.

“He relocated, I don’t even know where to start looking, to be honest. Am stuck. The guy has been in this business for years, he knows how to run”,Malik shakes his head and runs his fingers through his hair.

A door closes but the room Abiodun took Zaynab in never opened. Maybe its Yousif. The living room door opens then aunt Jumoke walks in.

“Mommy? What’s she doing there?“,Eniola gasps.

“No wonder she hasn’t been picking up your calls. She must’ve been following him”,Malik gasps.

“Wow. She really is good”,he adds.

“But she’ll get hurt”,Eniola frowns.

“At this point, like Ibrahim said, she doesn’t care”,Malik shrugs.

Aunt Jumoke looks around the room and looks at her phone. She wlks down the hallway and disappears from the screen. A few minutes later she comes back with an unconscious looking Yousif in her arms. She walks out of the room and shuts the door the same time Abiodun walks out shirtless.

“Yousif?“,he calls.

No response.

YOUSIF?“,he screams with impatience.

No response.

“The f**k is this boy up to?“.

He walks down the hallway. Minutes later he storms into the living room angrily.

“WHO THE f**k TOOK MY DAMN SON”,he screams loudly and kicks the table which instantly dismantles. He whips out his gun and just starts randomly shooting at nothing.

“Calm down Abiodun”,aunt Jumoke’s voice is heard throughout the entire house.

“Is she using a speaker?“,Fawaz whispers.

“Maybe, who knows”,Malik mumbles.

“Who are you? HOW DARE YOU COME INTO MY HOUSE AND TOUCH MY f*****g SON?“,he screams.

“The same way, tu had the audacity to think you have the right to touch my daughter. Names Jumoke. I don’t suppose we’ve met”,aunt replies.

“WHAT? AIN’T YOU ADELOLA OR SOMETHING?“.

“Nah. She’s the kind soul that stepped in when I couldn’t perform my duties properly. So you could say, I owe her. Am their biological mother”,Aunt tells him.

“WOW”,Abiodun whispers to himself.

“WELL WHY ARE YOU HIDING? YOU SON OF A b***h. SHOW YOURSELF. OR ARE YOU SCARED?“,he screams.

“Scared? Why never. Irritated? Slightly”,she responds.

“WHERE IS MY SON? IF YOU HAND HIM TO ME I’LL SPARE YOUR LIFE”,he yells.

“How about I do you a better one?“,she asks.

“WHICH IS?“.

“Look around your surroundings carefully. And just contemplate on how stupid you are. Because not only do I have MY GRANDSON with me. But also MY DAUGHTER”,she says.

He looks around the house then his eyes widens. He runs into the room he came out of and where he took Zaynab then he screams and runs back out.

“WHERE IS SHE?“,he screams.

The door opens and aunt Jumoke walks out with a smile.

“YOU”,he screams and starts charging towards her angrily. Just then Ibrahim appears beside her with his gun aimed towards Abiodun.

“Ibrahim?“,Abiodun gasps loudly.

“Touch my mother and see if I don’t shoot your brains out. Nigga f**k with me”,Ibrahim snaps.

Abiodun looks between the two then he walks backwards and puts his hand up in surrender.

“A real nigga knows when to surrender. Don’t worry, this isn’t the end. I’ve been to jail before. I’ll get out before you know it”,he comments.

“Don’t worry. I know you will. Jail isn’t your destination. You’re going into a mental facility”,Aunt Jumoke tells Abiodun who looks at her as if she’s crazy.

“ARE YOU MAD? DO I LOOK SICK TO YOU?“,he screams at her.

“Well, the way you were attacking Zaynab says otherwise. You have what they call Borderline Personality Disorder. Little things that sane people brush off angers you which is why you also have difficulty co trolling your angers. Then you blame your angers and problems in life on other people. So this is why, jail isn’t for you. You’re getting professional help”,aunt tells him.

“So the nigga actually is sick”,Fawaz mumbles.

“WHAT YOU’RE SAYING IS ANGERING ME. YOU HAVE 5 SECONDS TO GIVE ME BACK MY SON. 5 f*****g SECONDS”,he screams with his breathing increasing after each word.

Aunt doesn’t move an inch.

“GIVE ME BACK MY SON”,he starts pacing the floor then he let’s out a loud scream filling the whole house.

He let’s out an animalistic growl before leaping on aunt out of nowhere.

Ibrahim stumbles backwards from the sudden reaction and his gun hits the floor. As he bends down to get the gun, another hand had hold on it before he could.

“Mark?“,Fawaz raises an eyebrow.

“GET THEM NOW!“,Abiodun screams at Mark who nods.

“Wait Mark is on Abiodun’s side?“,Fawaz literally yells out.

“That f*****g bastard”,both him and Malik gasp.

Abiodun breaths heavily as he stands above an unconscious aunt. Mark had the gun aimed at Ibrahim who gulps.

“Look, Abiodun. Am sure we c-“.

Abiodun flips the gun out of Mark’s hand and sends two bullets towards Ibrahim’s way. The bullets attack both arm sending him into the wall with screams of agony.

Abiodun kicks at the wall angrily. He looks a complete animal as he smacks his own head repeatedly.

“LOOK AROUND THE COMPOUND. GET ME MY SON AND ZAYNAB. NOW!“,he screams at Mark who stumbles then he runs out of the house in search of the two.

“He’s going to kill her”,Eniola whispers as Abiodun turns to aunt who was now waking up.

“Welcome back sleeping f*****g beauty”,Abiodun snaps at her.

She looks at him and rubs her forehead in pain.

“What I will do to you is beyond your knowledge. You think you’re smart? You think you’re smarter than me? YOU THINK YOU’RE f*****g SMART?“,he screams and sends a kick into her stomach.

Aunt groans loudly and holds her stomach in pain. She starts coughing whole rubbing her chest then she starts standing up.

“I never said that. Am not debating on whether or not your smart”,she tells him and leans against the wall breathing heavily.

“I will make your life hell”,Abiodun backs her up into the wall.

She smiles and chuckles. He furrows his eyebrows and moves backwards while staring confusedly at her.

“I’ve regretted a lot of things Abiodun. A LOT OF THINGS. I once had a good relationship with my daughters, but my selfish self took the easy route out. For common money. Imagine. I left my youngest daughter in a dire to die. What kind of mother does that to her own child? Their father was the most sweetest, softest man I’ve ever met. Not once did he ever raise his voice at me. It was the other way around. I insulted him, made him feel like s**t. And even then he didn’t get angry, in fact, he always tried to appease me. He tried his best every time. I was just selfish and wicked. I did what I wanted. I wmhave all that I’ve ever wanted, the money, the fame. Everything. But, not happiness. My daughters hate me, they call someone else their mother, Abdullah married her. I can’t even be angry, and am not. He seems happy, that’s enough. I just wished I never made that move. I wish I had gone into that fire to save Zaynab, my daughter. I wish I had taken my role as his wife more seriously, I wish I had performed my duty properly. I would give all this up within seconds if I could just go back in time. But that isn’t possible is it?“,she chuckles and rests her head against the wall as tears slide down her cheeks.

Abiodun was just staring at her for some reason. He wasn’t making a move. He actually seemed to be listening attentively to her words.

“I hated myself for it. I still do. When I realized my mistake, it was too late. The fire was gone, I couldn’t go back...to do what? I was ashamed for my act. It’s why I took this job. I couldn’t help my own daughter, I could at least help others that are helpless and have no one to help them. It’s why I keep risking my life over and over again for those I don’t even know. How I wish I could’ve done that doe my own daughter. My son also didn’t get the good childhood he should’ve. He had everything, but never a father’s love. And it was all my fault. Everything. I caused everything. I caused all this”,she finishes and sighs sadly.

“So you can’t make my life hell, it’s already hell”,she tells him.

“If you kill me now it wouldn’t make much of a difference to me. All I wanted was for forgiveness. For them to forgive me. And they have, it’s not forgotten, never but to hear them say that they forgive me is better than anything. If you kill me, it wouldn’t be a nightmare for me. You can’t find Zaynab or your son. Knowing they’re safe will make me die happily. You can’t escape here Abiodun. You really can’t. And as for that question, am I smarter than you? I wouldn’t say that. Your brain works mysteriously. But you need rest. You have a past. You have a story. Sometimes you just need to share that story to feel at ease”,she tells Abiodun who’s face falls.

“YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME”,he snaps at her.

She smiles and closes her eyes slowly.

“Your parents, Phillip and Jessics Knowles. Your father killed your mother, he kept you in the basement and tortured you repeatedly every day. The first time you killed someone was when you were 13 years old. Your father electrocuted your sister and mother to death and made you watch. Your father hated women, he viewed them as objects, as pets that should obey each and every word. He installed his views in you. You grew up to be JUST LIKE HIM”.

Abiodun tightens the hold on his gun as he glares at her.

“Am NOTHING like him”,he exclaims with force.

“You killed, the number is uncountable, you don’t value women. You had more than four wives and you killed them all, the exception is Zaynab. You killed all.your daughters also but you left Salma alive. Because deep down, you want to change. You saw that she was happy with her new parents so you spared her life. But you killed the rest. You had a son and you treated him just exactly the same way your family treated you except you didn’t beat him. But you’re teaching him all the wrong values and installing your father and your views in him. You get angry at every little thing, you hate when people cry because you believe that crying is a sign of weakness....correct?“,she asks him.

“You don’t know. Anything”,he whispers with a shaky tone.

“Oh. But I do”,she moves away from the wall.

“You never experienced the proper training, you never got a mother or fathers love. All you’ve known is death, abuse and blood. It wasn’t a surprise that you ended this way. BUT”,she stops.

“You’re different from your father”,she says.

He looks at her with a calmer attitude.

“He just didn’t care. But you, you want to change. I’ve been following you for a while now. All the calls you make, every move you make, everywhere you go. You want to be happy. You want to be a good person, a good husband, a good father. But you don’t know how to. You tried to kill Salma. I was there when you held your gun at her from a distance. But when she started laughing as Aayan was playing with her, you put the gun away. You left her alone after that. You tried to kill Zaynab a million times. Every time she laughed or seemed happy with Khalid and her family. You left. You were battling with your emotions. You don’t know HOW to be good. You’re not a monster. You’re not a bad person. You’re just someone in need of help. You need guidance. But you can’t get there if you don’t seek help. But you don’t trust anyone. I don’t blame you. And am not telling you to trust anyone. But let me ask you something”.

She stands in front of him.

“Do you want to be like your father?“,she asks him.

He shakes his head.

“Do you want your son to be like you?“.

He shakes his head.

“Do you want to be a good father to him?“.

He nods.

“Do you want to find someone to settle down with and treat them with love?“.

He looks down but nods.

“Do you want to be better?“.

He nods.

He looks down at her and she smiles.

“Let me help you”.

“No one can help me”,he whispers and looks away from her.

“God can. I realized my mistake. All you have to do is know where you went wrong, know that what you did was wrong, know that taking someone else’s life isn’t up to you, know that there is a God, Allah. Do you know that?“,she asks him.

“Isn’t he supposed to help people? All he’s done is send trouble my way. I could’ve died and still then, he didn’t help me. So no. I don’t believe in him”,Abiodun says.

“You’re alive, you can walk, talk, you’re wealthy, you wanted a sonx you got a son. Sometimes things have to happen for us to realize something. But most importantly. Life itself is a test. You’ve never been at an exam and seen a teacher give the student answers to the test have you? That’s exactly what it is. Allah has to let us make our own decisions. If Allah made us Muslims then He wants to see us in Heaven. We just have to prove our worth to him”

“Heaven? *chuckles* do you realize how many people I’ve killed? There’s no heaven for me”,Abiodun chuckles.

“Have you heard the story of the man who killed 100 people?“she asks him.

“Yeah”he mumbles.

“That’s your story”,she tells him.

“You need to change, realize what you did was wrong, pray, ask for forgiveness and promise never to do the same again. But you have to be ready to believe that He will forgive. Who knows, maybe me messing up was destined so that I’d meet you. You’ve been through so much. Don’t let your end be more painful than your past. You still have a chance. Let me help you. Let me help you be a better person, be a better father for your son”,she whispers to him.

He stares at her as she spoke then he looks up at the ceiling.

“Give me the gun”,she whispers.

He looks at her then the gun in his hand.

“N-”

“Watch me put it away yourself”,she tells him.

He watches her intensely as he hands her his gun. She puts it in her trouser pocket then smiles.

“That’s step 1. You’re going into a psych hospital. You have to be there. You have to cooperate with them. If you’re good, they can realse you. After that, I’ll get you into a therapy class with a professional. Talking helps. I’ll visit you regularly at the hospital. And if Zaynab allows, maybe she can let your son see you”,she explains to him.

“Don’t go behind me. I don’t like when people cheat me”,he tells aunt.

“It won’t happen. Untie my son”,she tells him.

He turns to Ibrahim who’s unconscious on the chair.

The door bursts open and two ambulance nurses run in with a stretcher.

They place Ibrahim on the stretcher then turn to aunt.

“We’ll follow behind you”,she tells them. They nod then rush out of the house. Just then two men walk in what looks like the work uniform of psych hospital nurses.

“Patient, Abiodun Adebisi?“,one of the men ask.

Aunt looks at Abiodun who’s jaw tightens.

“You’ll be fine. Do this for your son”,she whispers to him.

“Don’t let him forget me”,he tells her.

“He’s attached to you. He’s a daddy’s boy. He’s not forgetting you anytime soon”,she assures him.

“He sighs then nods. He walks willingly to the nurses who hold his arms securely. They walk outside with aunt following them. She stands at the entrance and watches then after a while she walls back in holding her stomach. She leans against the wall and let’s put a groan.

“Aw, I feel bad for her”,Aamanee whispers.

“Mommy”,Zaynab limps out of a room and over to aunt who opens her eyes slowly.

Aunt smiles a little as Zaynab limps over to her with Yousif by her side. They both sit beside aunt then Zaynab hugs aunt.

“Thank you. For everything”,Zaynab tells her.

“It’s a duty I should’ve took on from the very start. I shouldn’t have left you and your sister and am sorry for what I did. To the three of you”,aunt whispers.

“You’re forgiven mama. You’re forgiven. You regret it and you saved me, my son and even Abiodun himself. Thank you for everything”,Zaynab tells her then kisses her.

“We should get you to the hospital and also check on your brother”,aunt stands up with Zaynab’s help.

“Is daddy going to be okay?“,Yousif asks.

“He’ll be fine. You’ll see him, hopefully soon enough”,aunt assures him. He smiles and nods and tightens his hold around Zaynab’s waist as the three of them walk out of the house.

The video stays on though which means he had everything automatically on record.

“Wow