Behind A Smile ✔

20

Unedited. First draft!

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Opening her eyes angrily, she spoke in a dangerous low voice. "Please take that baby away from me. I don't want to even see him."

"What do you mean?" Hafsa asked, puzzled.

"I don't want that baby, mum. Please just take him away from me. Give him away to anyone you want, I don't care, but I'm definitely not keeping that baby with me." She bewailed.

"Do you even know what you're saying?" Hafsa boomed, startling the poor baby who instantly began to wail. "This is your baby we're talking about!"

"He. Is. Not. My. Baby." She enunciated.

Hafsa gazed at Zynah in absolute disbelief. "You must be out of your mind. Instead of thanking Allah for this blessing, you're here denying him. Are you alright at all?"

"I'm perfectly fine." She replied. "But I won't be if I keep seeing that baby. I'm pleading with you, please take him away from my sight. I need to sleep and he is disturbing me."

Hafsa was taken aback by Zynah's words. She never imagined Zynah would be so heartless. There, was her newborn baby crying and yet she was unmoved. She even had the heart to say she didn't want him after coming to the world barely thirty minutes ago. "I understand you're hurt by what his father did to you, but this baby is innocent, Zynah. Why punish him for the sins of his father?" She lamented.

"You don't understand what I had to go through in his hands, mum. I suffered. I still suffer whenever I get reminded of his deeds. How then do you want me to want that baby? To want his baby!" She cried.

"Believe me, dear, I understand a lot more than you would know, but that's Bilaal. He is the person that made you go through hell, not this innocent baby right here." She explained. "Please don't treat him this way. He is a responsibility given to you by Allah. You have no rights whatsoever to punish him for a sin he knows nothing about. He's probably very hungry right now, please breastfeed him." She stretched her arms out to her.

"No." She shook her head adamantly. "Please don't bring that baby any closer to me. I don't know what I might do." She beseeched.

"Enough, Zynah." Hafsa sprung up. "I have had enough of your stupidity. Had it been you didn't just give birth, I would have slapped some sense into you. Now take him and don't you dare disobey me."

"I d—"

"Take him." Hafsa deadpanned.

Not because she wanted, but because she didn't want to disobey her mother, she took and breastfed him.

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Pacing to and fro in his room, Bilaal couldn't help, but feel uneasy. For some inexplicable reason, he felt strange. He didn't know why, but something was wrong somewhere. "Zynah." He muttered to himself. "Is she safe?" He asked himself.

He fished out his cellphone from his pocket and was about to give the new private investigator he hired a call, when his dad's call came through. Hesitantly, he received. "Hello, dad."

"I have something very important to discuss with you, Bilaal. I need you to be in Kaduna by tomorrow."

"What is it?" He questioned rather too rudely.

"I will inform you once you arrive."

"Can't it wait?" He questioned.

"I'm sorry, it can't." He replied.

"What is so important that can't wait, dad? I'm busy with work. I don't think I can make it." He declined.

"You have to take an excuse from work then. What I have to say is very important and it's concerning your future. I have summoned Nazmeera as well. You both need to be here unfailingly.