Chapter 1 Miscarriage

　　He hissed and turned away from the gate, feeling more aroused with anger as she kept honking aggressively at the gate. Or in other words, at him. What was wrong with this girl? Didn't she know that if she were to spend the night honking at him, no one in the world will make him open the gate for her? Not even his employer, which was sadly her father.

　　This time, when she honked he was sure it lasted for more than a minute, he hissed again and palmed his face out of exasperation, waiting for the worse. Because the worse had always come, and this time too, even before he exhaled, the door got banged open.

　　“Who the hell do you think you are, Mujaheed?! What have gone into your head?!” Those words were the first he heard, and as he always did, he didn't look up at her. It was a waste of time. Or rather, he wanted to suppress himself from smacking her or suffocating her throat until she lost her breath.

　　She moved to the bench he was seated on and stood above his head, her hands placed on akimbo while she glared at him. He didn't have to look up at her to know that she was glaring at him. She had always glared at him, always hated and he made sure he annoyed her and made her angry as much as she did to him every blessed day.

　　“What are you paid for?” She asked with an angry tone and he fixed his eyes on the small cup he was taking his night tea from. She hissed and looked away huffing out an angry breath. “Do you take me as a nuisance? How could I be speaking to you and you're ignoring me? I've been honking at you for over five minutes! What do you mean?!”

　　It had came to the place he always wanted, where she would point out the kind of person she was and everyday, unless it got to that point, he would never budge. And right now, she pointed it out he took his eyes off from his cup, “There you are, a nuisance. I thought you've long realized that no matter what you do, I won't ever open the gate for you the moment it pass 8pm at night?” He was talking so calm, with a voice rich with melody and sophistication. Which she sometimes found unnerving.

　　“What do you mean?” She clamored. “Do you perhaps take yourself as my father or what? To be this bossy whenever I want to go out?! That's none of your business, Mujaheed! Look, just go and open the gate for me. That's your job, a freaking gateman and you have no right to be questioning me like this! I've heard enough!”

　　He softly hissed and poured himself more of his black tea, she glared at the pot and prayed for the day she would break it, all along with his tea things as she called them. “What's the time now?” He asked, casually sipping his tea as though he wasn't doing a thing that go against his job.

　　She hated herself the moment she found herself lifting up her wrist and she checked the time, it was past 10pm at night. Yes, she was going out this late at night, but what the hell was his business?! Wasn't it his job just to open the gate and close? And to guard the house too? Who the hell was this man? And whatever gave him the effrontery to be acting this way, she would love to know or see it.

　　“It's past 10pm at night, go back inside unless but if you persist, you can as well open the gate yourself.” He sipped his tea and ignored her standing figure above his head. He knew if she had the strength to, nothing could stop her from smacking his head so hard or even strangling him to death.

　　She hissed and glared at him even though she was sure it was only but a waste of effort. He didn't notice, and even if he did, he wouldn't mind. “Mujaheed, for the last time, open the gate for me.” She said through gritted teeth, hoping for the day she would successfully get some bandits to deal with this bunch of arrogance.

　　How could a voice sound as sultry as hers did? And she was infuriated, a minute away from shouting her lungs out? Mujaheed wondered and hissed, this girl, lady or woman, because he wasn't sure how he should address her, irritated the veins in him. He hissed again and when he looked up, his eyes fell into her bloodshot eyes, the anger was evident.

　　“You have two legs and hands, don't you? Open the gate yourself or stop shouting on me. Please, just go away, I wouldn't want someone to walk by and think we're having a simple conversation, which will be so embarrassing if you ask me.”

　　He didn't have to look up at her to know that he had hit a nerve, because Mujaheed could say this had been their routine, almost everyday. Or maybe on days her father wasn't around. She laughed humourlessly, the kind of laughter that could tell her bewilderment.

　　She clapped her hands and looked at him with an awe stricken expression, “Did you hear yourself right? Ya ilahi! This man is seriously-” She was cut off by her phone and she lifted up the screen.

　　“Hey, Babe.” She callrd out, smiling even though she was burning wihin.

　　“Come on, Babe, we've been waiting for you for long, is your Dad around? Do I need to come before you can sneak out?” The voice from the other end spoke, and she glared at the nonchalant figure of Mujaheed before she spoke back.

　　“I'm so sorry, Babe. I've been held up by something, but I'll be there in a bit, sorry.” She apologised silently with a faint smile on her lips and she could imagine the annoyed expression on his face.

　　“Okay, Babe. Please come over soon. I'll hang up now.” And after the call ended, she glared at Mujaheed before she furiously walked back into the house. She opened the gate herself and went back to the car. She flung her bag to the back seat and aggressively drove out of the house.

　　She slowed down when she was sure that if she spoke he would hear her, “If you won't open the gate for me, you can close it. Unless you want to guard an open house.” She hissed loudly and rolled her window up before she drove off.

　　Mujaheed stared at the specks of dust her tyres left behind. But let's wait and see who'll unlock the house for you when you're back, he mused to himself and angrily stood to close the gate. Something caught his eyes on the floor, something sparkling.

　　He closed the gate before he bent down and took it into his palms, scrutinizing it before he understood what it was. It was a bracelet. Wait, he didn't quite understand. It looked like a bracelet or an anklet. It was hers, without doubt. He hissed softly and slid it inot his breast pocket. He had no intention of giving it back to her, but he didn't know why he didn't throw it away.

　　“Here's your dinner, Ya Mujaheed!” A lady walked over to him, smiling widely and it looked as if she had ran or jogged.

　　“Oh, that's so nice of you, Nana. But you know...” She cut him off before he finished his sentence.

　　She placed the tray on the paddles on the entrance to his part. She looked up with a cheeky grin, “She asked me to make it the way you like it, Rice and okro soup, right? That's what I did.”

　　He suppressed his angry expression and smiled appreciatively at her, “That's so nice, Nana. Thank you so much. But didn't I tell you to tell her that she should stop doing this?” He moved to where Nana stood, staring at him with her innocent eyes.

　　She pouted her lips a bit, “I told her and she nearly killed me that day. I have no choice but to do what she asked me. You know how it is.” She smiled and he nodded his head.

　　“I know, thank you, Nana. I'll tell her myself when next I see her, okay? You should go to bed, you have school tomorrow, don't you?” He asked and chuckled when she stifled a yawn.

　　“You know I hate going to school, Ya Mujaheed. Dahlia makes sure everyone in that school hates me, it's never fun.” He liked Nana, since the first day she was brought to this house from Sardauna, the village which she had told him tons and tons of stories about, he liked her.

　　She was only an innocent 14 years old girl whose father died, the grandmother that took care of her died too, which was Alhaji's Aunt and he brought her home after the condolences. It was evident that the people in the house treated her as though she were a maid, and she found peace only with him. She was funny, carefree and she spoke alot. The first time she called him Ya Mujaheed he told her to stop, but then she said that she once had a brother and he died, he couldn't deny her that.

　　“You know how Dahlia is, Nana, don't worry about her, okay? Just focus on your studies. You should really go and sleep unless you want them to be shouting at you in the morning for being late.” She smiled and innocence dripped from her eyes.

　　“I will, thank you, Ya Mujaheed. Goodnight? Enjoy your weird meal as well.” Because who ate white rice with okro soup? None but him.

Chapter 2 {Part 2}

　　He smiled, she was the only person he smiled at for a very long time now. It felt as if be bad forgotten how it felt like to smile, to feel the urge to laugh. “It's the sweetest combo ever, you should try it one day.” They spoke for a dew minutes before she walked back into the mansion. Alhaji Kamal Sardauna's mansion. A name that rang and echoed around the four walls of Taraba State.

　　He sat down on the paddle and looked up at the sky, he had always loved it at night. With the stars and the utter darkness that had engulfed the world, Mujaheed felt so much at ease. He loved being alone, and he had always hated it whenever someone intruded him. He began to eat his dinner, sadly smiling as some random thoughts crossed his mind. He could only be himself at night, not everyday, but on days he chose to be himself, it had always been at night, when no one could see him or notice. He hated to notice it himself.

　　✥

　　It was still dawn when he came out of his room and took a look around the parking lot of the house, surprised when he hadn’t seen her car. He thought he had slept off when she came back, that was why he left the key to the door where he used to hide it for her. Well, maybe not for her, but on days she went out to be so late at night, he had always kept the key for her. And somehow, she knew where he used to keep it, which was surprising. Because they had never spoken about it or even showed that they were aware of what had happened.

　　After he had prayed his Subh prayer in the mosque adjoined with the house, Mujaheed sat down and began to brew his tea like he had always down, and when the driver came to take them to school, they exchanged a brisk pleasantry.

　　“Good morning, Mujaheed, how have you been?” He greeted first, and Mujaheed looked up at him wearing the expression he had always worn. The nonchalant and cold look that often pushed people away from him; which he would forever be indebted to.

　　“Morning, Jibril, how have you been as well?” That was it, and even after Jibril had replied him, he only nodded his head and looked away.

　　The girls began to come out, they were only two of them; Dahlia which was Alhaji’s third and last daughter than Nana. Dahlia barely threw him a glance when she hopped into the car and shouted at Nana that ran to greet him.

　　“Good morning, Ya Mujaheed! I hope you slept well?” She asked with a small smile and he nodded his head.

　　“I did, how was your night, Nana?” He questioned, and she nodded her head as she ran off, waving at him and he waved back at her.

　　He wondered why Jibril didn’t come back early even though he didn’t give a damn. And after an hour or more, he watched as the car drove to the house and that was when he realized the reason he stayed so long, he had taken Alhaji from the airport. Mujaheed rushed to the gate and yanked it open, his face holding its usual expression. He didn’t mind whoever it was, he would always give you this expression no matter who you are.

　　“Good morning, Alhaji and how was your trip?” He greeted, ducking his head down a bit to show his respect.

　　Alhaji Kamal looked up at him with a warm smile, he had always liked Mujaheed. “Good morning to you too, Mujaheed. It was fine, thank you. I hope there isn’t a problem when I was away?” He questioned and Mujaheed shook his head at him while he walked back to the door, to sip his tea again.

　　At first when Alhaji asked, he wanted to tell him about her, that she hadn’t come back home, but then he thought maybe she was back without her car or something, and he would rather not. Jibril came out with the car shortly after that Alhaji had sent him again, and he sat there in utter silence, watching as the sun began to rise to the sky and sometimes, it blinded his view. But he loved the sensation of the burning sun on his skin, it was much better at times that what he used to feel.

　　“Mujaheed!!!” Alhaji called out at him while rushing towards the gate. He immediately stood up and walked into the house, wondering what had gone wrong for Alhaji to come out calling his name in such a distraught voice.

　　“What is it, Alhaji?” He asked, looking at his face that looked so forlorn.

　　“I got a call, Fareeda! She’s in the hospital!” He said in a raspy breath and held his head.

　　“Should I call Jibril to take you there?” Even though he wondered what happened to her last night, he didn’t faze. But he totally understood that he was this frightened. Maybe she got in contact with some thugs and disrespected them like she was used to? He prayed it was like that, let them teach her some lesson at least.

　　“No, Jibril is far away from home. Can you take me there please? You know how to drive, right?” Alhaji asked and Mujaheed could only nod his head. He walked to the parking lot and brought one of the parked cars out, and they drove directly to the said hospital.

　　On arriving, Alhaji turned to him from the corner he sat, “I pray she didn’t do something bad this time, Ya Allah.” He silently prayed and without answering, Mujaheed walked out of the car and opened the door for him.

　　They walked to the reception together, with Alhaji trying all he could to compose himself so none of the people watching over them could tell that he was in pain or rather, frightened. They went directly to the doctor’s office, and when Mujaheed tried to go out and give them some privacy, Alhaji asked him not to. Mujaheed understood that, he was hypertensive, maybe he was afraid of an attack or something? He couldn’t directly point a finger at his reason.

　　“What’s wrong with her, Dr? I mean, when was she brought here?” How could he tell him that he knew his daughter hadn’t slept home? And she was later found in a hospital without him knowing? Away on a business trip?

　　“She was brought here around 3am by a guy named Adam, I don’t know maybe he’s her husband but he hasn’t come back and when we asked her for her guardian’s number, she gave us your’s, Alhaji.” Alhaji gulped down a lump in his throat and closed his eyes, this was what he had been fearing to happen. He knew it, Fareeda hadn’t stopped dating this Adam of a guy, what the hell was wrong with her? Did he have to nearly kill her before she could get what he was trying to say, for Allah’s sake?

　　“And what’s wrong with her, Doctor?” He asked again, trying so hard to keep his anger in check. Fareeda will have a taste of it today, for sure. He would have to make sure that she couldn’t move a limb from her body.

　　“He told us that she fell from the stairs and she isn’t deeply wounded. But sadly, we couldn’t save her baby. She had a miscarriage.”

　　Alhaji felt as if there was thunder strongly striking the walls of his ears, his head, his heart. It felt blank and eerily silent everywhere. Did he hear him right? Fareeda had a what?! But he had to act up, he wouldn’t have to show this man that his daughter wasn’t married like they all thought, lest he wanted the news to evolve around the streets of Taraba state that Alhaji Kamal Sardauna’s daughter had an illegitimate child miscarried.

　　He immediately stood up, “Can we see her please?”

　　The doctor called a nurse and asked her to take them to the room Fareeda was kept, Alhaji wanted nothing but to lay his eyes on her, until then, he didn’t know how to treat her. What kind of punishment she deserved and what he would say to her. She had never had his stricken with grief, shame and confusion until today.

　　The nurse showed them the room, smiled and walked off to her duty. He needn’t to turn back to know that Mujaheed was following him, and when he tried to turn the doorknob to enter, Mujaheed spoke, “I’ll wait in the car, Alhaji.”

　　He softly shook his head, he didn’t want to be tagged as a father that killed his daughter, he needed someone that can save Fareeda from his hands in this room. What was left? He had heard it, Fareeda had had a miscarriage, and she had never been married. Brought to the hospital by a random guy named Adam at 3am at night. He softly turned to look at him, “No, let’s get inside together.”

　　Mujaheed turned to look at Alhaji and saw that he was painfully staring at her with the most pathetic expression Mujaheed had ever seen. “Will you apologize to him or not? What do you think you’re doing, Fareeda? He’s your father and if you were a good daughter, you would have been on your knees begging for his forgiveness, not this!” He wished he could beat the hell out of her too, she deserved a painful beating.

Chapter 3 Blindness

　　Fareeda heard the door moved, and she moved her hand on the nightstand, looking for her eyeglasses. She wanted to see who it was, maybe Adam was back or as the nurse who had collected her father’s number said, they had already called him? She wondered. She didn’t find the glass, and she thought for a moment, where had it been?

　　She heard the footsteps, and out of curiosity and fear of what would have happened, who it would be, she spoke first, “Nurse?” There was silence, and she knew for sure it wouldn’t be the nurse because if she was the one, she would have answered her. “Who is it? Adam?” She called out again, and she was sit-in upright on the bed now. She could only see their blur visions, it was men, two of them standing while facing her.

　　Moving her palms on her eyes to clear what she knew wasn’t there, she still didn’t see anything but the blur vision. Where in the world was her glass? Why didn’t she asked the nurse to hand it to her when she came for her father’s number? “Who it is, please?” She asked again, still not giving up on her search. Where was her bag? Did Adam put the glass in her bag or something?

　　The next thing she felt was a striking slap on her left cheek and not knowing she was at the edge of the bed, she fell. “Oh my! Who it is?!” She thundered, but her whole body was shaking out of fear. Who it is? What the hell was going on and where the hell was her glass?!

　　“It’s me! And today I’ll make sure you regret ever staying alive in this world, stupid girl!” Alhaji thundered and plucked out the IV that was attached to her body. He used the long tube and rolled it into two, and before she spoke a word, she heard the first slash on her body.

　　“What did you think you just did? How could you do this to me, Fareeda?! How dare you do this to me?!” He had never been this furious all his life, he kept beating her while she moved in all directions and he followed her, it was easier that she didn’t have her glass on her, she wouldn’t see the hatred he had for her and the disgust all over his face.

　　“What do you think you’re doing, Alhaji! What is it? What have I done to you? I’m sick, can’t you see this for Allah’s sake?!” She clamoured and managed to stand up, holding her body that kept shaking with sickness and the way he had beaten her had made it difficult for her to breathe.

　　He strokes the rolled-up tube on her body once more before he cleared the bead of sweat on his forehead. “Are you even asking me? Who’s child did you miscarried, Fareeda? And where did you went yesterday for a man that’s not married to you to bring you to the hospital?! Is this the kind of life you’ve chosen for yourself?!” He roared, and even though she flinched like she did whenever Alhaji was angry at her, she held a stoic expression and cleared the bead of sweat on her forehead, holding onto the wall behind her to support her shaking figure.

　　“What did you say?” She quivered and flicked back the tears that had already accumulated in her eyes. She had to put up with this expression.

　　“You miscarried a baby yesterday! Or did you not understand what that means? Or perhaps you’ve been married somewhere without me knowing?” He thundered, slashing more of the tube onto her body, and to her surprise, she didn’t feel any pain when he beat her now.

　　She placed her shivering hand on her flat stomach and felt it as empty as it used to be. When did it happen? How could she become pregnant without her noticing? How could she miscarry her baby? She could feel the cloud of agony trying to overshadow her heart. “Alhaji, are you sure about what you’re saying? How could it be? How could I lose my baby without even knowing he or she is inside me?” She was finding it so hard not to break down, but she had to be strong in front of Alhaji no matter what it took.

　　He let go of the tube and began beating her mercilessly with his hands, punching and beating her until she fell unto her knees, this time, she couldn’t stop herself from crying. She was even feeling dizzy and she knew it would only be a matter of seconds before she out of consciousness. “How dare you feel sorry about the child you lost? What have you turned into? What have you turned yourself into, Fareeda?” He punched her stomach so hard that she screamed at the pitch of her voice and that was when Mujaheed knew he had stepped up, that was his use here after all.

　　“Alhaji,” he spoke softly while he took a hold of Alhaji’s hand away from her. They both stared at the way she held onto her stomach so hard while she winched in pain, excruciating pain that would be hard not to cry over. “I think you have to sit down and cool for some time. I’ll call the nurse to take care of her.”

　　Alhaji sat down as Majaheed suggested but he shook his head at the latter. She didn’t need a nurse, she deserved to die, a painful death that would make her regret the kind of life she lived before she took her last breath. “No, don’t call anyone to help her here, she doesn’t deserve to be helped!” He said breathlessly, holding his chest to calm himself down.

　　From where she was crouched onto her knees with both her hands on her lower abdomen, Fareeda looked up to the direction she heard her father’s voice came from and also, where she was sure the blurry vision she was seeing was his. She cleared her tears and tried so hard to stop them from pouring down her cheeks, “Of course,” she started, tilting her head upwards a little, “I don’t deserve to be helped, I truly don’t deserve it. The one that deserved it didn’t get it how could I? And do you know what, Alhaji? I’m so sad that I couldn’t bring this baby into this world, I wish I could. Because I don’t have any wish greater than giving birth to a baby without being married, so I could present him or her to you and see what you’d do…” She let go of her words due to the excruciating pain that seeped into her lower abdomen.

　　She winced for a few minutes before she looked up again, “And do you know what? I’m not regretting ever being pregnant. I’m sadder that I have lost it. And guess what? If I would be given the chance to, I’d make sure I give birth to an illegitimate baby and present him or her to your monstrous self so I can…” Mujaheed didn’t know when he moved forward and slapped her so hard across her left cheeks.

　　“Are you okay? Is this the right way to speak to your father? After doing such a shameful act, do you still have the guts to speak at him with such horrible words? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? He’s your father, what do you think you’re saying to him?!” He thundered. He hated it when he saw children being bad to their parents because these kids didn’t know what they had that he didn’t have the chance to.

　　Whose voice was she hearing right now? Did she hear him right? Or perhaps she was now hallucinating? It could never be him, right? Whenever Alhaji was in town, he only drove around town with Jibril, and this was not Jibril’s voice. “And you, who the hell are you? Please don’t tell me it’s the one I’m thinking of?”

　　“Whoever it is shouldn’t be what you should worry about, right now you have to apologize to your father and ask for His forgiveness! What do you think you’re doing?!” What did she mean? She couldn’t see him or perhaps she had forgotten his face?

　　Fareeda scoffed, still finding it so hard to believe that the voice she was hearing belonged to Mujaheed, there was no doubt it was his voice. She didn’t miss the arrogance, the pride and a touch of masculinity his voice always carried. He might have seen her been beaten by Alhaji, but that didn’t give him the right to slap her and order her around. Where the hell was her glasses?! Because she needed to look right into his eyes before she told him everything she wanted and reminded him of his filthy position in their lives. He was, but a gateman and that was it!

　　“And who are you?! Who the hell do you think you are to order me around, Mujaheed? Wait, not that, what gave you the guts?!” She thundered, her whole body shaking with pain and anger, she wished she could see them right now so she could strange whoever she laid her hands on. What a waste of opportunity.