chapter 10

"Train yourself to accept disappointments, even if it comes from people you trusted with your heart."

♣️ Sumaya ♣️

Whoever said marriage doesn't come with a manual, Diploma or certificate deserves an award.

It's been barely 48hours in my marriage and there's already trouble in paradise.

I sweep my eyes across the emty room again and sigh. He left, without bothering to check in with me. Or am I expecting too much?

No! I deserve an explanation or at least acknowledgement of my presence in the house. What will it cost him to let me know of his whereabouts? Absolutely nothing!

I massage my temple with my fingers, a migraine seems to have made a temporary home in my head.

I'm famished. I had a hard time falling asleep with the current situation at hand and don't forget the cold.

I wrap my hands around myself as a shiver runs through my body. A sharp throbbing pain in my chest causes me to shut my eyes tight and hold on to the door handle.

When I open my eyes, the room is spinning so I ease myself onto the floor. Water like drops fall on my hand from my nose, a sign that a cold is coming for me. Could my day get any worse?

"What are you doing on the floor?" 

I gasp. "You startled me, Farouq." I place my left hand on my weirdly beating heart and sigh in relief.

"You look pale." He studies me.

"I'm not feeling too well." I run my hands through my braided hair.

"What's wrong?" He squats to my level.

Seriously! Did he suddenly get amnesia overnight? Or is he just playing dumb.

"I slept in the cold, on my wedding night." I don't resist the urge to roll my eyes openly. Who does that? Such a wicked man and not to forget egoistic.

"But you asked for it." He stands up, walks to the bed and sits.

What! Did I really? Or is he just being manipulative? I decide it's the latter.

"I . . . I asked for it?" I stammer.

"Yes, that's exactly what I said." He crosses his leg over the other.

The nerve of this man!

My lips are trembling and if I don't control my tongue, insults will spew like a river. I facepalm, why am I even going back and forth with such a clueless and heartless man, who makes me question everything I know?

Without uttering a single word, I leave the room and take slow tired steps down the stairs. I let out a tired and loud grumble when I hear him call out to me. But I don't stop heading for the door, I need a breather.

"Where are you going?" Farouq quickly descends the stairs as I wrap my hand around the door handle and pull.

"What business is it of yours?" I don't resist clicking my tongue before shutting the door behind me.

"Maya! Come back here!" He yells.

"Musa, fungua mlango. (Musa, open the gate." I ignore Farouq and give the watchman a stern gaze. He looks torn in-between opening and not opening but decides to unlock it.

"Sumaya, come back inside, let's talk." Farouq follows me as I step outside the gate. It's more of an order than a request that I won't bow to.

I'm greeted by a bunch of cheerful, playing kids. Carefree of the troubles of life. The girls are skipping a rope while the boys as usual, struggle to make it to the goal post. I imagine myself in their position and smirk. 

Farouq grabs my hand and I turn so quick I almost lose balance. I take a deep breath to calm myself down. "I need space to think. I'm just taking a walk." I say as calmly as possible. "And if you don't let go of my hand now, so help me . . ." I add in a tone of warning.

He loosens the hold on my hand, letting me walk away.

My head feels heavier than the rest of my body. I'm lost in thought and can barely see my surroundings as everything is a blur. I'm not sure if it's because of how terrible my body feels but I need painkillers.

I don't know how long I've been walking but when I snap back to my senses, I'm in a busy market. Vendors are screaming left right and centre for customers to buy their various goods.

A Chemist at the far end of the market catches my attention and I quickly stride towards it only to realize it's a small hospital combined with a chemist.

"Hello, how may I help you?" The lady at the desk greets me with a smile.

I answer her with the same tone she invited me in with and explain exactly how I feel.

"I may need to run some tests on you before I can prescribe any medication. Testing malaria and pneumonia costs 500sh."

"Alright. Is that what I have and how long will it take?" She puts on her coat and gives me all the information I need as I follow her to the lab.

After thirty minutes of impatiently waiting, she comes back with my diagnosis.

"Who do you live with?" I'm taken back with her question and wonder what it has to do with my health.

"My husband why?" The words feels so strange coming from my lips.

She takes the seat beside me and looks into my eyes. "Does he stress you?"

"Not really." I shrug.

"Well, your BP is too high for someone your age and you're suffering from Pneumonia. Your temperature is also high hence the shivering. I will prescribe you some drugs and write down a check-up date. I also advise you to rid yourself of stress or you'll end up on more medication sooner than you think." She begins to scribble on my patient form before packing up some drugs in a bag for me.

I watch her absentmindedly, trying to take in the news that I'm slowly heading to depression.

After getting my first injection, I head back to the desk to get my drugs.

"Here you go. That will be 2,800Ksh. It includes the two remaining injections."

I dig into my pocket to pay her up but come out empty. With my breath held, I quickly scan the rest of my pockets but there's nothing except from my phone.

My eyes meet with hers and I look down. How could I have forgotten the money or did I lose it? As I jumble my mind on what to do, I feel a person's presence towering over me. I turn around at the same time as he speaks, his voice powerful and deep.

"Are you okay? " A man I had barely noticed come in, gives me a wary look.

"Uh-" The words get stuck in my throat. How do I explain to a total stranger, that I have no money? Embarrassing, right?

"How much for everything?" He asks the doctor and my jaw drops.

I don't want to imagine that he's a mind reader. I decide that's he put two and two together before approaching me.

He's a bald head with a well kept coal-black beard that piques anyone's curiosity.

He depicts himself as a tall dignified man probably in his late twenties. He's dressed in an expensive designer suit and is a brown-skin man with a quiet noticeable manner.

"Here." The echo of his voice startles me. I was lost, trying to study him.

"Thank you so much." For some reason, my voice is horribly hoarse. I take the bag from him, thank the doctor and begin walking away.

"I could drop you home." He strides quickly beside me, trying to match my steps.

"No, I'll be just fine, thank you"

"Maya!" I almost collapse when I hear Farouqs voice. Please tell me I'm hallucinating.

"You shameless woman! And you, what are you doing with a married woman? My wife, to be precise." Farouq is as real as life, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Oh my goodness! This is a disaster in the flesh. How did he get here? He must have followed me, more like stalked me. He took advantage of the fact that I rarely look back nor around me while stressed.

Before I can blink, a crowd has gathered around us, whispering to themselves. I bow my head, I have a billion explanations at the tip of my tongue but none seems to want to come out.

"She's done nothing wrong. Surely, there's a better way to address this than to humiliate her in public." The kindhearted stranger who's name I don't even know says in my defense.

I make eye-contact with Farouq and what I see scares me to the core.

Before I can make make out the look I had seen, a stinging slap blinds me from his view and I scream, covering half of my affected face with my hand.

I hear gasps and more whispers.

My right eye feels like it's just gone blind and I don't see anything for seconds but stars. I realize I'm now on the floor when my left eye comes face to face with Farouq's feet.

For a moment, I can only see people's lips moving but can hear no words.

The stranger tries to help me up but Farouq pushes him aside and his hand swings in slow motion, yet another slap coming for me. I close my eyes and resign to my fate but the slap never arrives.

I open my functioning eye and what I see drains me. The stranger is holding on to Farouq's hand and they both look like they are about to lose it and kill eachother.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" The idlers who have nothing better to do than to encourage violence wait in anticipation.

"A mature man never raises his hand on a woman, especially an ill one." The stranger jutts his chin out and gives Farouq a wide stance.

And just like that, Farouq charges at the stranger and a fight breaks.

But boy, Farouq is beaten like a baby. He can fight alright, but this time he's chosen the wrong guy. 

The stranger doesn't go untouched either, Farouq manages to throw a few kicks and punches.

And the crowd, they cheer like football fans during a match.

"Get out of here." The doctor helps me up and sneaks us out from the now made battlefield. Fortunately, no one notices my escape.

I don't know how or when I arrive at my parents' door but I'm dirty, shoe-less and in tears.

Daddy opens up but doesn't let me in. Instead, he pulls the door shut behind him.

"Umefanya nini Maya? (What did you do Maya?)" Daddy whisper yells.

Why is he whispering?

"Dad, tafadhali, nakuomba, usimuambie Farouq niko hapa. (Dad, please, I'm begging you, don't tell Farouq that I'm here." I put my hands together in a plea.

He seems to be in deep thought, with his chin rested on his hand and his eyes looking everywhere but me.

Suddenly, I begin to feel woozy and Daddy is stretching apart to three mirror like images of him.

I try unsuccessfully to raise my hand up and call out to him with a voice I barely recognise.

Everything around me shakes and for a split second, I think it's an earthquake while in fact it's me hitting the ground.

My eyelids feel so heavy. I try. I really do try to keep them open, but the darkness snatches me in.