The Intruder

CHAPTER 13: MORE TROUBLE

It was drizzling as Umar tried to work his way through the next street. The road was so bad, it felt like the potholes were "drumholes". Even with his pair of glasses, he still couldn't help tripping over one or two of these holes in the dark.
There were well to do people on this street, he thought; people that could use their connections and money to get the road done, but no, they wouldn't. They prefer driving around in jeeps, than helping make life better for those that can't afford jeeps. When you drive through this road consistently for a week with a small car, you start looking for a mechanic. Umar was sure this road contributed to the misfortune of his car. He couldn't count how many times he had to visit his mechanic over the past few months. Even his mechanic was tired of the constant visits. Well, thanks to no job and no money, the car would have to just stay home the way it was.
As he continued to walk, his mood got worse. The rain was not even helping matters, and if he wasn't careful, he could end up with a sprained ankle.
He could have taken a cab, or a bus; but walking was more refreshing for him these days. Even though he was of a slim build, he knew he still needed to do more exercise to be fit. He shook his head at his thoughts. How convenient to think of walking as a form of exercise now that his car was down.

As Umar passed by the hotel he had gone into the previous day, he sighed and stopped in front of it. Should he go in? It had been a brief break from reality yesterday, sitting at that bar, drinking with that lady. So what if he wasn't supposed to drink? He felt like a different person yesterday, with more freedom; and he still felt that way today. At least, he was too wasted yesterday to go with that lady to her room, so he was sure he didn't commit adultery. He smiled to himself, thinking of how he was unconsciously 'managing' the number of major sins he was committing.

Umar was still standing there in the rain, in front of the hotel, trying to decide whether to go in or not,when he heard sounds of running feet coming towards him. He turned back to see who it was, or who they were. It was already dark and he could not really make out who was running. Suddenly he started hearing screams of "Catch him! Don't let him escape!"
Umar did not want to get into trouble because it was obvious that trouble was what was coming before him. As he turned quickly towards the hotel, he miscalculated his steps and fell into the open drainage beside the driveway.

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Mister and Mrs. Shittu had been at home since afternoon , but nobody would have known. They had gone to stay in the guest bedroom on the other side of their house to discuss what was on ground.

"My son is now a drunkard. My own son!" Mrs. Shittu wailed.
"It's okay my dear. Maybe we can go and visit him. Then we can discuss with him." Mister Shittu consoled her.
"I'm sure that Munawwarah girl is the cause of all my son's problems!" Mrs. Shittu continued. "Umar has always been a good boy. A good Muslim. When one marries a 'bad legged' wife, one's destiny can change for bad!"
"Don't say that Sally," Mr. Shittu said. "When I married you also, I had an accident with my new car, remember? Did my mum tag you a 'bad legged' wife for that?"
Mrs. Sally Shittu muttered something under her breath and refused to answer. Her husband shook his head and moved towards the bed.
"I think I need to rest a little before we go see Umar."
Mrs. Shittu stared at her husband, surprised. "So you can still talk about resting when our son needs us?!"
"Lady, calm down. I need to have my thinking faculties intact when we go and visit. He might be rebellious after the drama you said he pulled this morning at the hospital, so we need to be calm with him. And I can't be calm if I'm stressed psychologically."
Mister Shittu was already snoring as soon as he lay on the bed. Sally Shittu was annoyed and restless, and when she didn't know what else to do, she started trying her son's number. It kept on repeating 'not available', and that made her more restless. She contemplated going to see Umar herself, but she knew her husband would be so mad at her. He might be a gentleman, but he was very strict, and he didn't tolerate his wife's impulsiveness. Sally kept on pacing back and forth in the room, until she got tired and sat beside her husband on the bed. Before long, she fell asleep.

It was the sound of Munawwarah's father screaming from the next compound that woke them up.