RUWAIDA ✔️

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

Muhammad moved from the door and inched slightly forward, watching as Bello opened the gate door in haste, shouting on top of his voice at some people that gathered outside, then he too rushed out. Muhammad had heard the noises while still in bed and decided to check. It was just past Fajr and it wasn't normal for their neighborhood to become so noisy, which made him alarmed.

He wore his flip flops and walked out the exit, which faced the medium sized green colored gate, supporting himself with the wall beside him. He worked all night, his eyes straight on his laptop as he generated his week synopsis, while Ruwaida kept checking on him urging him to go to sleep, but he refused up until she fell asleep on the couch too, but he made sure she didn't spend the night there tho. Now, even to walk properly had seemed like a great task for Muhammad. He wished he'd listened to his persistent wife and went to sleep.

Look! Even the neighbors that day seemed to be against him and his rest. He moved closer to the crowd, their bickering becoming louder with every step. He folded his arms to his bosom and listened with attentive ears, trying to know exactly what was happening without getting involved.

His eyes moved hastily to the woman that stood by the side, sobbing silently while her arms crooked around her daughter with all protectiveness. Why is she crying? He thought, and made for them, he greeted her before he asked if something was wrong. Even without much hindrance one could see the fear that blocked her teary eyes.

"Yakubu ya cucemu! Allah ya isa tsakanina da Kai Yakubu( Yakubu has cheated us! May Allah be the judge betweeen us!)," She raised the end of her veil and wiped her face, shaking her head continuously. Muhammad placed both his hands in his pocket and sighed. There was only one Yakubu he knew, and he hoped that the appearing to be gentle man wasn't all con man. 

Yakubu. He remember a time when he met him in the mosque. The man had issues with paying his house rent and he'd asked a few people in the mosque who had bluntly shunned him away. As if they don't know who Yakubu was! Muhammad wanted to help but Alhaji Kasim, who said to be Yakubu's uncle, warned Muhammad not to give him his money. Muhammad did not realize why tho, he only agreed not to, seeing the old man looked nothing like someone that will paint you black.

And since then, the only story he heard about Yakubu again, was him becoming supercalifragilisticexpialidociously rich overnight. No exaggerations. It all started with him going around the neighborhood and asking who owed him, and giving them double the money he borrowed, the next week, it was a brand new Mercedes and ending of the month, he already had a building nothing less than a mini mansion. It was scary, but then, he claimed to have gone into Fertilizer business. And his wife, it was said that she goes around flaunting this and that about her husband.

"Yakubu Tailor?," Muhammad asked her, hoping she'd say no. But again, she nodded, her sobs becoming vehement. Before he could ask what happened, another lady drew nearer to her, holding her tenderly by her shoulder. The lady too had bags under her eyes and it gave the impression that she'd also been crying. "Aunty Laraba, they said we should follow them to the police station," she announced, taking the hand of the little girl.

Laraba stared shockingly at the lady before she released her daughter, letting the other woman walk her away. She made to leave when Muhammad abruptly stopped her. He wanted to badly know what happened. "What happened to Yakubu? Is everything okay?," Laraba did not answer him, she only peered at the crowd who stared back at her, their eyes filled with pity, mockery and at the same time, a questionable amount of sympathy. She did not like it, people always look at her with adoration, wishing they were her,having all that she'd but now, it seemed like they'll die first, be reborn and still say woe to been like her!

"Yakubu! Yakubu has finished me," she cried, raising her hand to feel her face. "Kidnapping! Yakubu is a kidnapper," she lifted  up her head horror stricken, as if that was when reality stroke her. "My own husband is a kidnapper! Nashiga uku( I'm finished) it cannot be, Yakubu won't do anything like that, bazai ba (he wouldn't do it)," Muhammad did not look any less shocked, and for a few seconds he appeared too astonished to speak.

"Innalillahi wainna Ilaihirrajiun," He prayed. Laraba shook her head, wiped her dampened face and pushed her legs to move from Dr Muhammad. She wanted to beg him to help her talk to the police so they give Yakubu's bail, but the look on his face apparently had her do otherwise. It was only Allah that could help them now. His uncle too refused to even come out of his house when the police arrived and dragged Yakubu forcefully out of his house, which caused the people around to notice what was happening and eventually gathered. Started murmuring up until a police announced his crime and ask one of the street boys to inform his family of the man being in their custody.

Laraba had went for a friend's daughter's wedding as usual, and on her return along with her youngest daughter, came to know of the heart-wrenching news that still refused to settle in her. It all felt like a dream.

Muhammad watched as their driver opened the car for her, she adjusted her veil and entered the backseat before the car zoomed off, leaving Muhammad standing in a stunned sick silence. The crowd began dispersing and so did Muhammad. He walked back into their house.

The moment he marched into the kitchen, he found Ruwaida trying to wear her shoes, and she too glanced up, a sudden look of relief clouding her face. "Hamdan Lillah! I thought you left for work without informing me," she spoke, removing the red Hijaab she wore and slowly walking to him.

He collected the Hijab and began an attempt to fold it, and said almost hopefully. "Were you going to follow me there if I did? Maybe drag me back,"

She laughed a little and sat on the kitchen table that was beside them. "No...I just saw that your phone is still home and I thought maybe you're outside so I wanted to check," she replied, taking the not so neatly folded hijab and giving the phone to him. "What happened? I heard voices too," she looked up quizzically as she searched his eyes.

Turaad reached out and took her hand, and she stood up, stared down at their hands before letting him walk her into the living room, and they both sank in the long couch, Ruwaida allowing her head rest on his broad shoulder, just sitting there in silence for a while, before Muhammad eventually spoke. "Someone was arrested for kidnapping, this early morning, and you know what's even more surprising?,"  She shook her head. "Yakubu Tailor! Our neighbor,"

"What?!,"

"I was also as petrified, I mean the man seems like a gentle man, always smiling, one can't expect such an act from him," He exclaimed in disbelief. "You think the allegations could be fake? Maybe he's just a suspect,"

Ruwaida ran her fingers on the prints of her gown. "Mm, could be that he's just a suspect, I pray he isn't part of the people that are dragging back the development in our country, and instilling pain in the hearts of the victims,"

"Ameen!," A message beep interrupted their conversation and Muhammad raised his phone to check.

Dr. Zainab
Assalamu Alaikum. Tomorrow's Ruwaida's second chemotherapy session. Would like to see you before the commencement of the treatment in my office. Be early please.

He smiled and placed the phone into his shirt pocket. "Oh! It's just Dr Zainab, she reminded us of the treatment...," when he noticed her rhythmic breathing, he stopped and glanced down at her. "Are you sleeping," He sounded amused, seeing her eyes closed and he wondered how she could fall asleep so fast. If he only knew how comforting that position was for her.

"Uh-hm," she murmured, adjusted more properly and that was how they both spent the rest of the early morning hours.

I feel like making someone smile, a triple update it is! 🥱

Love_
SilentWriter 🦋