ENSHROUDED

39

Just like Humaira ordered, no one dared let Abba into A & H from that day. It had already been months, but Abba could only wait when he saw her driving out of the hotel and he would follow her. He knew she knew of his stalking and was just waiting for the right time to have her guys mercilessly deal with him. But he wasn't going to relent just too soon, he knew she was going back to him. She was only angry at him for a mean but as he kept persisting, Abba was sure she would relent and come back home. That way, this silence Mama and his whole family were treating him will be brought to an end. He knew if it was their normal selves, Mama would've already come to Taraba herself or sent Nasir to come and check up on him since he changed hi sim card, but none came.

It all felt painful, and as painfully as it sounded; he missed Aisha. He knew it was time to get his bitter punishment from Allah. How he used an innocent girl just get away from the wrath of his father and still proceeded and treated her the way he did. Not just that, he divorced her with three talaqs at the same time which Allah hated the most. Divorce was something permissible made by Allah by also the most hated to him. And it was a promise, whoever divorced his wife with three talaqs at the same time will surely regret it badly. It was his time to serve his punishment.

He pulled over in front of Nuriyya's home and sighed as he saw the lights were on. He thought she was either not at home or she was sleeping, he had been calling her but there wasn't a response from her. This had been happening for the past few months, it all seemed like a new Nuriyya to him. She no more called him 'Abba na' and that's something Abba wanted to cry about. She no more showed her anger when he mentioned Aisha, it looked all normal and natural to her.

He didn't knock when he entered the room and found her prancing around in her kitchen with soft music in the background as she hummed. She looked even more beautiful than the last time he came to this house and saw her, he felt the sudden urge to hug her to his chest. He did, but Nuriyya abruptly shrugged him off her body. "Nuriyya," he drawled, unable to confirm whether she was the Nuriyya he knew that was treating him this way.

"Abba, you startled me," She said naturally and went back to her cooking, not sparing him a glance.

Abba gulped down a lump in his throat and looked at the delicacy she was cooking. This was not for him, because he couldn't remember the last time Nuriyya cooked for him. When Aisha was home, she always cooked for them, after he divorced her, they always ate outside. "Who are you cooking for? Not your girlfriends." He knew how she hated cooking even though being so good at it. She'd rather go to a restaurant and but the food for whoever wanted to eat in her house.

She briskly glanced up at him and he was sure he saw a blush creeping on her cheeks. "Oh yeah, I'm having a guest in hours to come, just a few hours. Besides, what brought you here?" She went back to her cooking, not glancing his way and she didn't see the frightened look he had on his face.

To ease the awkward ambience, Abba stood up and went to her fridge, he got himself a drink before he sat back on the kitchen island and looked at her. She was being too cold with him that it suddenly felt cold as if he was standing bare on a snowy night.

"I came over to see you since you aren't picking my calls anymore. Why?" He knew asking about who her visitor was a pointless effort and just a way of hurting himself with his own words because it was too obvious to be real.

"Oh, that? I don't feel like talking whenever you called and unfortunately, when the mode comes back I forget you called. Anything important to tell me?" She walked out of the kitchen and came back holding a bowl, which he saw in the living room on his way in.

Aba shook his head painfully and smiled. "No, I just want to hear your voice. So now, we good?" He was trying, making an effort to make her stay, to be still his Nuriyya that she used to be. But it seemed that Nuriyya was only but a memory. And he was afraid, seriously afraid.