More To It

Chapter 5- Let the Wind Take You

Zaynab

“So, what’s the problem. You slapped your husband? Aunty. Can you explain?“,mommy tells me.

I glance at Khalid who still has my handprint visible on his left cheek.

“You can’t speak?“,mommy raises her voice which made me jump.

“I didn’t mean to. It just jumped.out of me. I was angry”.

“So when am angry, you see me slapping your father? Or wait. Let me switch it. If your husband was angry, would you like him slapping you?“.

I shake my head and look down.

“What happened?“,aunt Ameerah asks me.

“He insulted me”.

“Telling you your problem isn’t always an insult”,Khalid rolls his eyes.

“Khalid. Don’t”aunty warns him. He sighs and nods.

“I don’t want to talk about it”.

“Do you think we came here for play?“,mommy yells.

“Ah calm down”,daddy tells her.

“Imagine. She slaps him and still has mouth”.

“Its okay. Calm down. Please na”,daddy tells her.

She scoffs and looks away.

“He compared me to mommy. He said I was like her because we both don’t want to risk our own lives to rescue the one we love”.

“Khalid”,aunt gasps loudly. Mommy stops shaking her legs and looks at Khalid with shock.

“It’s true. I know what happened to her was awful and leaves a print. But let’s all stop pretending as if it isn’t the same case. Abiodun is corrupting that boy’s mind. And she wants to save him but she’s not putting in any effort. She’s in the house and won’t step out. How do you expect to do save him when you won’t even try to face the one who has him. Her mother didn’t face the fire because she was scared of the fire and scared of getting hurt. So she left. Its the same case”,Khalid exclaims.

No one says anything after, which only meant that they agreed with him.

“Why are you both even fighting anyways? Forget that. Why are you fighting?“,mommy asks.

Khalid licks his lips and looks away.

“I don’t know. I talked to her about starting a family. She says she can’t because of everything going on. Its been 2 years, first of all. I haven’t asked or said anything because I felt like I was being selfish after all that she went through. But will it ever end though? Am always going to feel as if am being selfish. I was annoyed with her response so I just left it there. Then she finds messages from me and a friend, a female friend. She didn’t like it because we were talking about her. Look, I know it was wrong. But she gets me, the rest don’t. And it was just easier. m not saying it was right. But that’s just how it went down. She gets mad, then I end up getting angry and I told her about her and her mother statement and she slaps me. I left the house. And now we’re here”.

“Why would you be talking to a female anyway?“,his father asks him.

Khalid scratches his head and doesn’t reply.

“Is there something else? Why do you need to talk to a female. You have a wife”.

“I can’t, it just complicates things with Zaynab. We’re fine, we get along and everything. But with all the things about starting a family. It just feels like am her husband for every other part. But when it comes to family wise, I feel like a friend to her. and that I don’t have the right to ask her or tell that I want kids or anything. It just doesn’t feel right. I know I sound like such an hypocrite because being with her is something I’ve wanted but then it happened. Everything was good. But now? I don’t know”,he rubs his face and glances at me. I don’t say anything and just let him spill out his heart.

“How do you feel about what he said?“,mommy asks me..

I look at her then at Khalid.

“I don’t know. It’s his feelings. Did I not say beforehand? It will only complicate things if we put a label to what we had. But still, we did. But me, now. I can’t say I regret it, because I actually did gain feelings for him”,I whisper.

“You love him, he loves you. Let me not kid you omo mi (my child) marriage comes with a price. You can’t say that because of what you’re going through, that you will limit or not try to make your husband happy. He’s made you happy, we’ve all seen how patient and supportive he’s been towards you. But he’s aslo human and a man. He has needs and you have to not get angry because what he said is true. You can’t say you want something and not risk your life for it. You want your child back? Face your fear. You’ve gone through fire, abuse, you nearly died, suffered hesrtbreak, you’ve gone through so much. Facing that fool shouldn’t even be what scares you. Listen to me, your father and I would do anything to keep you and your siblings from harm, face whoever or whatever we have to to make sure you all are safe, just like and your aunties and uncles would do for their kids. You have to face your own fear too. That is what is called parenthood. Having a child comes with a price. Everything in life comes with a price”,mommy explains to me.

“And Khalid”,she turns to him.

“The way you too you put it down most likely sounded more like an insult to her. What she did was wrong in all ways. She shouldn’t have placed her hand on you. But please, for my sake, please forgive her. She’s still using her own weird brain child. Please omo mi (my child). Take everything easy, you just have to keep having patience with her. Don’t ruin your marriage for someone that won’t last”.

Khalid sighs and nods to everything she said.

“Oya. Go beg him na”,she looks at me.

“Go na”,she repeats.

I push the cushion gently off my lap then stand up and walk over to Khalid. I sit beside him and look down on my lap.

“Am sorry”,I whisper.

“I really didn’t mean to. You know I wouldn’t hurt you on purpose. Am sorry”.

He looks at me then raises an eyebrow.

“Yes you would. You’ve done it all our lives. Am surprised you didn’t wit another 18 hears to say sorry this time”,he comments.

“Kh-”

I let out a chuckle when I realize that he was messing with me.

He chuckles so I hug him.

“See, this, I like”,mommy smiles as we move away from each other smiling.

“Now, how’s that investigation going?“.

“It’s going well. The lady is so nice. You wouldn’t believe she’s not even letting us pay. She’s doing it free of charge. She even made me a photo frame of my son. He’s so adorable. She has her investigation on point”.

“Eh eh? Really?“.

“She is amazing. Imagine, people pay her millions to take their case but for some reason she takes ours free of charge. I don’t even know her. She’s so nice. She’s Nigerian and Muslim sef”.

“Ah, she sounds nice ooo. Why not invite her for dinner then. It’ll be a good gesture”,aunty suggests.

“Yeah?“.

“What’s her name?”

“Taibat”.

“Taibat? She has a family of her own abi?“mommy asks.

“Yeah, her husband died a few years back but they have a 27 or 28 year old son. His name is Ibrahim. He works alongside his mother, but he deals more with arresting the bad guys and stuff, ya’know. She deals with all the investigation and whereabouts, everything needed for them to trace whoever they’re after”,I explain.

“Wow. That’s good. She sounds amazing”.

“She is. She apparently offended some people or someone, so she said as a way of trying to repent, she’s going to do y case free of charge. I dotn know why its my case. But eh”,I shrug.

“Just YOUR case?“,daddy raises an eyebrow at me.

“Yeah”.

“It’s weird isn’t it”,Khalid hums.

“What’s her name again?“,daddy asks.

“Taibat”.

He hums and nods.

“What? Do you know her? She seems all bougie and s**t but she nice though”.

“Eh”he shrugs.

“Weird”I look at Khalid who looks down at me with a confused look matching my own.

“Well, uh, thanks for the help. We’ll go home now”,he stands up but then his phone starts ringing. All I see is ‘Amari’.

He looks at me then his phone then clears his throat.

“Can I?“,I take his phone without even waiting.

“Zaynab. Stop, I don’t take your things like what. Why you always touching my things for?“,he tries to take it back off me but I dip(leaveun away) real quick.

“Zaynab”,daddy calls with a warning tone.

“But he’s t-“.

“Doesn’t matter what he’s doing. You shouldn’t be touching his things”.

I frown then glare at Khalid who rolls his eyes so I throw his phone at him.

“Eat it”I mumble then pick up my phone.

“Keep witcho s**t and see if it doesn’t backfire on yo dumb ass” he walks past me with annoyance.

“See what you did now”mommy shakes her head.

“I don’t know why you’re even on his side. He’s the one being some promiscuous assho-”

“Do you have proof? Has he done anything? Don’t insult him like that Zaynab”.

I keep quiet then roll my eyes before storming towards the door then I stop and realize am actually scared. What the f**k. He knows that. That’s why he purposely left me here.

“Daddy, will you help me to the car?“,I run to the living room.

“Is your leg broken?“he asks me.

“No?“.

“Then walk”.

“Daddyyyy”.

“What did we just speak to you about?“.

“But-“.

I sigh then turn towards the door. I bite my lip and frown. I could already feel my breathing increase, my palms becoming sweaty and my heart start to beat faster than it’s supposed to.

“You won’t go anywhere if you don’t try at least”,Khalid appears at the entrance.

“Please?“I whisper.

“No. Walk”.

All of a sudden Khalid pushes me in front of him.

“Go on. You’re getting it”.

Once we get towards the front door, I run out of the house and quickly try to open the door but it was locked. My eyes widens then wind just start blowing into my face. My hijab starts blowing in different directions, my breathing automatically restore itself then my eyes involuntarily closes.

“Just let the wind take you”,Khalid yells from the front door.

I hold out my hand and smile as the wind hits every aching part of my body sending tingles in return.

“You enjoying?“,I hear Khalid chuckle so I open my eyes to find him standing in front of me with a smile.

I lean up and hold his face in my hands then kiss him.

“I forgot how good it felt to be outside. I feel good”,I whisper.

“Let’s go home”,he whispers against my lips then parts away and licks his lips. I smile as he opens the door for me. I enter then he shuts it and heads to his own side. He gets in and starts the engine.

I glance at him when his left hand join mine while he continues driving with his right.

“Am sorry if you felt insulted by what I said and did”,he whispers.

I smile then start caressing the back of his hand before placing a kiss on it.

“You don’t have to be sorry. You’re right. Am being a hypocrite. I’ll try to change”.

He looks at me then hums and faces the road. I could see a smile tugging at his lips though.