The sound of the slap froze her even before the pain reverberated through her entire body. It wasn't just physical pain it was emotional too. He pushed her and she fell backwards landing half into the coffee table which shattered under her weight and the rest of her crashing against the love seat which shifted under the force with which she crashed into it. She winced in pain but she abruptly tried getting back up. Abdulkareem is a beast and she knows what comes next after he gets her to a flat surface... he immediately pulled her long thick hair and twisted it around his hand pulling her up by her hair. Two more slaps and a blow to her stomach and she fell to the ground.. he pulled out his belt and started beating her all the while cursing and kicking her... she felt weak and dehumanised but that wasn't what broke her. After the beating when he was sure she wouldn't lift a finger to help herself cause she just couldn't, he did what he always did he raped her.. she felt his grunts and the pain of someone pushing into you without sending the proper messages and his constant whispers in her ear that that was all she was good for. She is an animal after all and so she should get treated as such. When the pain became unbearable she withdrew into herself and let the blackness engulf her. later, she would think, maybe she really deserved her punishment. After all, she did break his rule. she had waited until her father returned home at 5pm before going home.
She came to slowly.. and the pain she was in reminded her that she was alive. She wished she wasn't though.. she laid there unable to move and going in and out of consciousness until she heard Mairo's voice.. soothing as usual and there she gave in to her weakness and let the darkness engulf her again to a place of peace.. the place were nothing hurts anymore.
It was the adhan that woke her up... gently she got off the bed. Mairo, her live in maid, a heftily built woman in her late thirties must have taken care of her as usual.
She was hurting every where and her sight was hazy but she managed an excruciating walk to her bathroom.. she Took a shower and her ritual bath before coming out to pray Fajr. As usual 30 minutes after the mosque in her house quieted indicating the end of prayers her husband walked in smiling as if all was right in the world.
"Good morning beautiful"
He moved in to give her a kiss and she cringed away and then froze... he hates when she does that. Bracing her self for a blow she looked up and their eyes met. There was fire in his eyes... but his face held a contorted smile she bet he thought he was fooling her.
I am sorry about yesterday... you made me do it. Why can't you just be obedient for once?
She tried to think back to the events of yesterday night... maybe she did make him do it. And he only forces himself on her only as punishment to her otherwise he would have sex with her the halal way... even though even that also hurts.
She tried giving him a small smile and this time around she wasn't caught unawares when he leaned in to kiss her... even though everything in her felt repulsed by him she stayed still.
He pulled back looking more annoyed than he had when she cringed at his touch
"You are just so unresponsive"and later you'd try blaming me for having a girlfriend"
If only he knew how much she preferred him having his girlfriends around, in her head she scoffed at the thought of her complaining about his numerous women. as if she had the guts. In this Marriage of hers, it has been made abundantly clear that she wasn't allowed an opinion let alone the right to condemn something he does. she tried it once, that was the first time he gave her the beating of her life. or so she thought. after that, she has received several beatings, she understands now, that what he did then was child's play.
"My head hurts.. i am sorry".. she apologised not even knowing why she was apologising..
"Be sorry for yourself" . He straightened.
I am going to take a nap, make sure the house remains quiet and wake me up only after Onu comes. Onu is Abdulkareem's friend and Assistant/Manager.
She nodded and immediately he left she slumped on her praying mat and cried until she had no more tears to shed. She was sure she would die an unhappy woman. She called Mairo and relayed Abdulkareems instruction before she went back to reciting her quran. She didn't know when she drifted into sleep, curled up on her praying mat.
YASEER.
Yaseer was not in the mood for boardroom politics and he had his best poker face on so everyone from the SH&Co constructions company he was looking to acquire were trying hard not to squirm in their seats. He learnt some negotiations tactics long ago and he made sure he implemented it when needed. Adjusting his necktie he spoke for the first time since he entered his boardroom where the meeting was holding and that was some 10 minutes ago. "We are having some maintenance issue so the air condition is out" he apologized. "But that not withstanding we should go ahead and talk figures".
We know you are folding up, we took a look at your Financial Projections, P&L, Balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, footnotes and tax returns for the past three years. We know you have no money but what we are banking on is the good business relation you have. Yusuf the head of the acquisition team took over from Yaseer which allowed him time to watch his team at work.
He had the best and he knew it.. his little mind games wasn't because he needed an edge. It was just that, a game.
"We'd like for you to maintain the staff, i don't want to see my people losing their jobs because of some mismanagement on my part" the owner of SH&Co said. The silence stretched. The only sound in the boardroom was that of Yaseer's fingers drumming the table.
"You aren't in a position to negotiate now are you?
The owner of SH&Co swallowed visibly "no Sir. Sir i wasn't.. we werent. . He stuttered... just before Yaseer cut him off.
"Relax Mr Auwal. I am not heartless. Your staff stays".
"Aha! Alhamdulillah. . Thank y.."
"Don't thank me, some of them will be losing there jobs." Yaseer cut him off again and Mr Auwal's face fell again.
"If we are all settled on terms then my work is done here. I'll leave you with our able acquisition team. It was nice doing business with you Mr Auwal. Without waiting for a reply he was up and out the door with Gregory half waking half running to meet up with his Oga's long strides.
Instead of going back to his office he headed out and walked to his car were the driver parks right in front on standby. The moment saminu his driver saw him, he got out n ran around to open his door, saluting as if he was in front of some military personnel before he ran back and got into the car. Where to Sir? He said as he pulled out of the building
"Umma's,"
"yes sir" Saminu responded and fell silent as his Oga picked up one of the news papers that Gregory stocks daily. They put it in the car cause he prefers it that way.
Let me know what you think
Read
Vote
Comment
