Holding On To Life

chapter 14

"Gwaggo please. Let her stay even if for the rest of the day. I'll talk to her, I'll teach her everything." Ma'u pleaded.
Gwaggo's hard stare lingered on ma'u before she spoke.

"I refuse to allow her stay here for another minute. She's married and that's her home now. Do you want people to mock us, we'll be pointed at everywhere we go and be labelled as the family of the girl who came back home on the 3rd day after her marriage." She finished, heaving angrily.

She looked coldly at bilqees who was only crying. "Hey, get up and wipe your face, I'll get my scarf and take you back." She walked out.

Bilqees broke down crying holding her head which felt like it was about to split, her eyes bloodshot.

"let's go. " gwaggo spoke.

"uhm uhm." she shook her head with difficulty.

"Won't you come here?" She screeched.

Bilqees bundled herself even more in the corner of the room not adhering to gwaggo.

She felt gwaggo's hand pulling her from the corner she sat.
"Gwaggo leave me alone, I don't want to go!" She yelled snatching herself from her.

Gwaggo stood with her eyes and mouth opened out of shock at bilqees's outburst.

"Are you talking back at me, are you going to beat me! La'ilaha illalahu mahammada rasulillahi." She lamented clapping her hands.

'Yau kuma ni zaki nuna wa Maita qarara?' ( am i the one you are displaying your witchcraft to?) She stood hands akimbo.

"I am NOT a witch." She retorted. "If I am, I know the first life I'll take." She unflinchingly stared at gwaggo. her heart felt numb.

Gwaggo cringed at the statement. Her face immediately turned dark as she landed bilqees a resounding slap.

"Who do you think you are talking to me like that. I am your Father's mother. How dare you disrespect me. Even if you'll die you'll go back to your husband today." Gwaggo scooted and pulled her by the leg.

"Gwaggo please she's just a child." ma'u begged with trembling voice as bilqees screams intensified as she begged for help holding onto anything for support.

When they stepped outside the house gwaggo released her leg heaving.

"Stand to your feet before I thrash you dirty." She thundered with no sign of mercy in her voice.

Bilqees rose to her feet. "Tanimu!" Gwaggo called.
"Open the gate and stop a bike man  for me."

Tanimu quickly ran to the gate to do as he was told, with strong dislike brewing in him for gwaggo. "He has never seen a woman so void of emotions.

Gwaggo held bilqees's hand and pulled her towards the gate. She made her sit on the bike and she sat behind her sandwiching bilqees between herself and the bike man. She told him the address and they rode off.

Bilqees sat there looking into the grey sky heaving and sniffing as she knew she was done for. This will really be her life now.

They  got off the bike and she heard gwaggo instructing the bike man to wait for her.

She pulled her by the arm into the house which looked like a prison to bilqees.

They were met with 8 pairs of eyes including uwani's staring at them bewildered.

Gwaggo didn't let go of her arm and she reluctantly followed till they got to bilqees's room. Gwaggo pushed the door open and viciously walked in. She shoved bilqees to the floor before she started speaking.