Handsome Devil ✅

Twenty-Eight

The chilly breeze of morning made the waiting bride cold and she coiled to get some warmth. She felt herself shiver from the breeze and slowly moved, then flicked her eyelid open. It took minutes before she realized where she was and what she was doing.

She was a bride , wearing her Lafaya and waiting for her groom who promised to see off his friends and come back. Then she waited and he wasn't back and then everything came back in a torrent of storm she held her head that was heavy.

The realization hit her and it was embarrassing and shocking. Her groom left her to sleep alone in what was supposed to be the most important night of theirs. She gasped and held her chest where beneath was her heart that was simply broken. For a bride to give a tale of being left by her groom on their special night was insulting enough. She couldn't shake the feeling that it was intentional.

It was simple. He didn't come back. But what could be the reason for such unforgivable thing?? She searched her phone and checked his number.

The call was unanswered.

She looked up at the wall clock and it was past 5am in the morning. Gone was that special night of theirs for hers was spent alone. It was too early into her marital life to get angry. She refused to let herself be. Perhaps her Zayyad would come back and explain to her why he didn't come back. She decided not to raise an alarm and wait for his arrival. She walked around the house checking doors until she found the bathroom. She made ablution and prayed. She stayed long after the prayer asking Allah to give her the fortitude to build a home. A well deserving home where love prevail.

It was a phone call on Umar's phone that woke up Zayyad. They had a long night of partying and they didn't get to sleep till after 2 in the morning. They had so much fun it made Zayyad forgot what that night was supposed to be for him.

He searched for his phone and the first thing on the notification bar was Noor's call. It was then he remembered what actually happened.

"Ohh crap!!! What have I done?" He reached for his car key and tapped Umar.

"I need to go and see that girl."

"Which girl?" Umar asked half sleepy.

"The one I got married to yesterday." He emphasized and left.

It was too early for him to start messing up. Her father pleaded with him to take care of her and in less than 1o hours after the advice he had shown he was incapable.

He raised the curtain and saw her seated on the mat. She was dozing and that moved his heart. Even though he didn't like the marriage at least it wasn't her fault or her fault wasn't as much as his parents. He cleared his throat which made her turned.

Her face lit in a radiating smile when she saw her groom. She knew he would be back for her and would apologize for what happened and then take her hands and hug her warmly. She was living for that moment.

Her groom did the opposite of what she thought he would. He merely looked at her again before he walked upstairs to his room fuming that this was his first day of his misery. His marriage.

*****
Gwoggo made a deliberate choice of not calling her brother, Hamma Abdullahi, for she wanted him to think he has really lost a daughter. That was the punishment for not taking care of his daughter and leaving his greed driven wife, Hadiza on the realm of the household. She gave  Layla everything she needed and more. There was tenderness in the way she talk and address her.

Layla had surprisingly begin to look healthier and her heart was literally swollen with so much love she had been given by Gwoggo. She did basically nothing in the house even if she insisted. Gwoggo made her hot water for bath and gave her all sort of traditional medicine she could get to lessen her pain when the day actually comes. They talked about everything and Gwoggo was careful to never asked her about that incidence again.