The fight is on
1908 Words
"Assalamu alaikum,” a young good looking man greeted with a friendly smile, extending his hand for a handshake.
“ Ameen wa alaikum salam.” Danny answered wondering if he had ever met him. He doubted if he had.
They were on the ambulatory side of the road that led into the school premises.
“ I guess we have never met,” Said the man, “ you must be Danny Adamu.”
“ I am.”
“ My name is Danny Ahmadu.”
“ A namesake. My pleasure.”
“ Yes, Fateemah’s cousin and fiancé”
“Oh, I just got it.” Danny was now astonished. “ She told me a lot about you.”
“ Yeah. We have been part of each other since we were kids…before the days you used to bully her.” He faked a laughter.
“ Back then when we were kids.”
“ I came all the way from Abuja to talk to you.” Danny Ahmadu said.
“I thought you were based in Jigawa.”
“ Yes, but I am in my FINAL year in University of Abuja.”
Danny did not miss the emphasis on the word final.
“ Congratulations! We just got into our third year.”
“ I know.”
“ So you said you wanted to talk to me. I can spare some time before going to the library.”
“ I am aware that you sent your people to my father during the break.”
“ Yep.”
“ And you were told that she had been betrothed.”
“ Can you please go straight to the point? I was on my way to library.”
“ I hear you still see her even when you were told she has been betrothed. That is wrong and I guess you are a monotheist.”
“ Did you discuss this with her?”
“ Not yet.”
“ Why did you not make your intention known to her all these years but chose to hide under the umbrella of cousin stuff? She took you as a brother. I never forced myself on her. We fell in love and I proposed. I went to her parents because I wanted it done before we graduate.
Her parents were not aware of your intentions so they sent us to your father. I could have stopped seeing her if …..she was in love with you….”
“ How do you know she is not in love with me?
“ Because we are very close and you know that yourself. I mean, why can’t you read between the lines? The last thing I will do is force myself on a girl who clearly loves me not and does not hide it. I still see her because we are still in love and I am not given up on her.
If you want me to stop seeing her, then make her fall in love with. I only need to the signs and I am off.”
“ Do you think your gadfly tactics will stand the test of time? I know what you are doing. you have been poisoning her mind….”
“ Then poison her mind against me then treat the poison I put in. Only love can do that. It is not poison, it is the power of love.”
“ A’a it is Luther Vandross, dan Shegiya.” He was now angry. “ I came to talk sense into your head but you seem to be more foolish than I guessed.”
“ Has it come down to insults and childishness?”
“ Call it whatever you want. I am warning you, stay away from her. I swear I can go to any length to stop you. If you think you will have her, then be rest assured that it will only be over my dead body or ……. “he gave a dangerous smile, “ her’s”
“ What ? What did you just say?”
“ We better lose her both. If you love her, then stay away from her.”
“ Hey, what do you plan to do? Kill her?”
“ I just told you.”
Danny Ahmadu tried to move but Danny blocked him.
“ Where do you think you are going? You just threatened her life…”
“This is your school compound and don’t make a scene. It is your word against mine. This is our little secret. The call is yours. Leave her for me or….we both lose her.”
“You are a coward! You are a swine! If anything happens to her…..”
“ She is my cousin so I care more. I can’t let someone else marry Teemah. I can’t leave to witness that. I got eyes here.”
Danny watched him walk away as he found himself sweating.
“ Why have you been avoiding me?” Fateemah asked with tear filled eyes. “ Three days and you keep popping up excuses. Three days of hell, My-noor. What wrong did I do to you?”
“ You have done nothing wrong, Teetee.”
“ I can’t understand.”
“ It’s just been …..”he paused. He could not come up with any excuse. He was confused, not knowing what to do.
“ Your cousin came here.” Denny said leaning on the wall. “ Danny…..”He then told her what happened.
She was speechless for some minutes.
“ Danny said that?”
“ Except if we are lying .” Denny said
“Why should you lie?” She said, “it’s just shocking. I must tell my dad at once.”
“He would deny. Tell your mum first. At least for the records. She would know what step to take next.” Denny said.
“ Thank you.” She said and went out of the room angrily without another word.
Denny winked at Danny.
Danny went after her.
“ Teetee.”
She kept walking fast, not turning back.
“ Teetee.”
“Please leave me alone.”
He caught up with her but she kept walking.
“Please listen to me…’
“ I have heard it all. What more do you have to say?”
“ I am sorry. He scared me. Did you see his eyes when he said it? He swore never to let us be. I could not let him hurt you.”
“So you decided to let me go, so I could marry him and be save, right?”
“ I don’t know. I was only thinking about your safety.”
“ What safety Danny?”
“Danny? Your-noor.”
“ Now I doubt that. You gave up on me! You let me go!”
“I did not. I was confused, scared and thinking of a way out.”
“ If Denny had not told me, you could have been avoiding me, until you break up with me….what am I even talking about? You have already broken up with me.”
“ No! I did not break up with you and please, try to reason with me. Please Teetee.”
When she did not stop moving, Danny caught her hand absentmindedly, she was forced to stop and she looked at him, then broke down into tears, not knowing when she ran into his hands. Her head on his chest as she cried bitterly.
Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting on bench in front of the room she shared with her friends.
“ Those three days were hell. Please never do that again.”
“If I did not do that, would you have put your head on my chest?”
She chuckled.
“The next one will be a slap.” She said.
“ I am very sorry.”
“ I know why you did it. I know you were trying to protect me. That should not get me angry. I was angry because you don’t know the magnitude of the love I have for you, or the value of our love. No threat can take me away from you. I will bear the risk of living with his threat but not living without you.
I will tell mum and it does not matter if he denies it but they must be aware. Now his dad sees us as enemies. He has been ranting, saying all sort of things, telling outsiders different things simply because dad told him the truth.
If his dad had given up, what then is his problem? He does not come to our house any more. He does not call me. I thought it was all over.”
“ I feel like I am the cause of a family rift.”
“ You are the cause of finding who they really are. In the case of his Baba Ahmadu, ignorance pays a major role. He is very archaic. Abba knows him well but as for Danny, it is astonishing. Baba Ahmadu would not go to that length of threatening.”
“ After all this, do you think Abba would let me marry you?”
“ You don’t know that man. He is strong willed and dauntless.”
“You got that from him.’
“Who says?”
“You just showed that Danny’s threat does not stop you.”
“ In life, one must not be pusillanimous but be pertinacious. We will all die one day. We just pray we leave with faith and luck.”
“Ameen. Insha God, we will be around for a while.”
“ Ameen.”
“ Teetee…”
“ My-noor”
“ I love you.”
She smiled and her eyes glittered.
“ I love you too.”
“ Jezebel.” Said the thick voice from the other end.
“ Things are just agglomerating to our advantage.” She said and laid her head on the headrest. “ It’s like we are directing a script we wrote. Aren’t we lucky?”
“ What is going on?”
“Yahanas is in the loop. There is one who is a new character in the play and he will be of help.”
“ Can’t it be made faster?”
“No. We are playing both sides. It has to look natural. Has he started anything on the list?”
“ That has to be next year when the new team come on board.”
“ So, why the hurry? You are safe. It is Jezebel.”
“ When will you come over. Jos is cold.”
“I have only been here for one week.”
“Abuja is empty without you.”
“ I will be there soon. Home for daddy.”
“ Hmmmmm…can’t wait. Jezebel.”
She gave Danny a last look as he said goodbye to Fateemah. He was cute. It was pity this was going to happen. She wished she could have him for just one weekend but…..this job of theirs.
She lit a cigarette and drove past him, and out off sight. Only if he knew who was in that car.
- Writer
