Adsactly Short Story: TWO WEEKS TO HAPPILY NEVER AFTER
“How could you have been so heartless Zainab? I certainly did not raise you this way! You have brought disgrace on yourself and our family. Barely three weeks? How dare you?”
Zainab sat sobbing silently as her mother’s words washed over her. Her mother stood over her, speaking angrily down at her while her father, Tiamu sat a few feet away staring pointedly at her. He had remained silent since the interrogation began, only shaking his head at intervals while he stared angrily at her. Shehu, her husband, had dropped her off at her parents' residence two days ago.
Her parents’ efforts to get Shehu to tell them what had happened between them yielded no results. He insisted that they ask Zainab to tell them herself. She would give it to them, they had waited till now to ask her, starving their curiosity. Shehu would not relent. He had told her just before he dropped her off; he had made his decision and would not go back on it.
Zainab tasted regret as her tears touched her lips. She wished she could go back in time to make things right. If she could, she would have never married Shehu. He did not deserve what he had been served.
Friendship and Love
Zainab and Shehu had been good friends since their teenage years although Shehu had been hardly ever around. His parents had sent him abroad for his tertiary education where he had subsequently bagged masters and PhD degrees. He had also worked a few years before returning home.
The two friends had stayed very much in touch across the distance and had swiftly picked up their friendship where they left off after Shehu’s return. In fact, members of both families had already married the duo off in their minds.
At twenty-eight years old, Zainab’s parents felt she was very well behind on snatching up a suitor for marriage. Since she had rejected several suitors already, it was just a little time before they arrived at the conclusion that she must have been awaiting Shehu’s return. Only Zainab’s younger sister, Sherifat knew the reason for the rejections.
On his own part, Shehu declared his love interest in Zainab soon after his arrival and was devastated when she politely turned him down. Apparently, he had mistaken their friendship for something more as she had found love in another man, Bello. Shehu was too late on that.
After Zainab’s rejection, Shehu gave her lots of space for both their sakes. They remained friends but the difference was obvious to anyone who had known them before then.
Zainab had been in a relationship with Bello for five years but had kept it away from the prying eyes of her strict parents who she knew did not care for a son-in-law of a different religion. She hoped to cross that bridge when she got there. For starters, she was fraught with the problem of convincing Bello that now was a good a time as any to get married. He claimed he wanted to marry her but was not yet ready to do so just yet.
She could not understand his reason for not wanting to take them to the next level yet. They were both financially stable enough to set up a home of their own. Zainab had put her everything into the relationship despite having had a desire to get married before she clocked twenty-five. Three years after, she was nowhere near getting married. She had everything else she wanted; a very good job and income included but only marriage eluded her.
The pressure on her to get married had mounted over the last couple of years especially after Sherifat got hitched and delivered her first child. Jamal, her little nephew clocked a year old few weeks ago.
Moving out of the family house had not saved her from her mother’s not-so-subtle reminders that her biological clock was ticking. People were beginning to ask questions about Zainab’s unmarried status and according to mama, it was becoming quite embarrassing. Those nosy neighbours and relatives in Zainab’s opinion could all stick their perky little noses elsewhere as long as they stayed out of her business. Try as she did to remain unaffected, it bothered her. Bello’s refusal to see reason bothered her even more.
Sherifat thought it was about time her only sister realized that Bello was most likely toying with her emotions. She understood Zainab pretty well enough. It had to be difficult for her to let go of Bello considering how much she loved him and the time she had invested into the relationship. Her sister wasn’t the type to get emotionally attracted to someone easily and when she did, it was even harder to let go. She had seen Zainab struggle through her first heart break, it had not exactly been a pretty sight. Sherifat knew Zainab had to relive that experience if she would be free of the stagnancy called Bello. This time, Zainab needed to break her own heart all by herself. First, Sherifat had to make Zainab see reason.
Breaking Free
Bello got Zainab gold earrings for her 29th birthday. They came in a cute little box that got her heart skipping at its sight. Her disappointment had been evident and outspoken. Bello reiterated his stance; he was far from ready to walk down the aisle with her. His words finally got through to Zainab’s consciousness. He could not grant her heart desire. He would not compromise. She did what had to be done, ending the relationship despite Bello’s pleas for her to remain patient with him.
Sherifat felt sorry seeing Zainab so distraught after the breakup but happy that she had finally found the courage to move past him. It was she who encouraged Zainab to reconnect with Shehu because he could be the friend she really needed. Zainab listened this time. She called him up and he bridged the gap that had grown between them since her rejection. She needed him; he made himself available to her.
Zainab’s eyes seemed to open to Shehu’s unconditional affection. She did not resist it when her feelings towards him grew rapidly and did not refuse when Shehu suggested they try their hands at dating each other. They had dated for eight months when Shehu asked her to marry him at a surprise proposal party with both their families in attendance. Zainab said yes and their excited families began their wedding plans in earnest. They had waited long enough for this joining.
Not So Fast…
Few weeks to the wedding, Zainab began getting several calls from Bello who had stayed silent during the months following their breakup. His calls persisted despite her refusal to pick up. He soon tired of waiting on her to pick up and visited her work place. She would refuse to see him and he would leave after waiting so long, only to return another day.
Shehu soon got curious about the incessant calls at odd hours which Zainab never picked up. Zainab knew she had to take care of it when he began to get irritated and impatient at her evasiveness. She did what she had to do; pay Bello a visit of her own.
Happily Never After
It was two weeks after their very successful wedding. Zainab had been in the bathroom when an enraged Shehu barged in. Bello had sent her a message and Shehu had seen it by chance. Things had changed pretty fast afterwards. Shehu had looked through her phone and seen the series of messages and frequent phone calls. According to him, she was not a smart cheat.
Zainab agreed. She was not a smart cheat. In fact, she had not meant to cheat. Never in her wildest imagination had she thought she would end up here.
She had only set out to warn Bello to leave her alone and that step had found her here. Bello had broken through her defenses. She should have well let well alone, perhaps Bello would have grown tired of calling and visiting her by now. Instead, she had gone to his house to give him a piece of her mind and that was when their affair had begun.
The first time had been a mistake that had led to several more. She had really tried to leave but Bello would not let her. He had threatened to crash her wedding if she left him again and then kill himself.
Zainab knew better now. She could have called his bluff if she had really wanted to or done something about it but she had felt so ashamed. She had not wanted Shehu to find out. She had realized soon after his proposal that she did not love Shehu, at least not in the way he deserved to be loved. He was just a rebound; a friend who had offered her a shoulder to cry on when she needed one and she had gotten carried away by the affection he showed her.
Everyone had been so happy at the prospect of a wedding finally joining the two families that she could not bring herself to break their hearts. Not when they had waited so long.
She should have known better. She knew better now but the damage had been done. The bond between the two families would never remain the same.
She did not know if Shehu would ever find it in his heart to forgive her. Had she lost the friendship they had shared all their lives? The words he had thrown at her before dropping her off had shaken her severely;
“I would never divorce you Zainab, never. You would remain married to me for the rest of our lives. You would be a married woman without a husband. I did not deserve this in the least. I would go on without you, I would find love again, even get married and have children but you would remain married but single.”
Without been told, Zainab knew she had been dished the ultimate punishment for a cheating wife. Shehu was permitted to marry more wives but she could never marry another for as long as she remained married to him. She did not care to know what became of Bello. He had not bothered calling since she angrily shut him down over the phone. He had shattered her dreams of having a happy home.
All she could do now was hope that Shehu would forgive her.
THE END
Story authored by @royalrose
All images were obtained from pixabay.
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Wow, i hardly read long blogs, but i did this one. To the end,
Interesting story, that unfortunately many of us can relate with.
Religion driving us away from the one we love , and the crippling pressure to get married.
I am 28 at the moment, and i feel every bit of the pressure.
Mom just broke her long silence on this matter few days ago, and i dont know what to tell her, rather than just avoid the topic.
I dont want to be pressured into marriage when am not ready. Dont want to end up in the hands of an innocent man whom i dont love, and certainly dont want to be married. and yet remain single.
Wait a minute, who even said marriage is for everybody?
I totally understand. I hope you do what is right for you at the end. Thanks for reading
Hun, i am ur new subbie. Looking forward to reading more beautiful stories. You are great at it.
What a sad story... And this is a case that has happened many times in real life.
In the end, everything ends in tragedy for Zainab and for the two people who want to be with her. She lacked maturity and courage, even though she was 29 years old. He couldn't make the best choice.
But I don't judge her. Her literal family was pushing her. Her biggest concern was staying single, childless and homeless. And for this reason I make desperate decisions.... Decisions that ended up hurting her and the people around her. Even her sister was a pressure on her, because she already had a husband and children.
Let's just say he did the most damage to himself, his best friend and his family. And this happens when you get carried away by other people's pressures. That is why we must always make the best decision we can make for ourselves.
So I think a moral drawn from this story would be:
The unfortunate thing was that she had to learn this lesson the hard way. A life lesson she'll never forget.
Thank you for this great story @adsactly @royalrose!!
Thank you too for your very insightful comment and that vital lesson shared.
Quite the hook at the introduction to the story, grabbed my interest as I read on to find out more... Quite the distressing set of circumstances, Zainab's emotions really betrayed her, first by making her wait for years and then again when I guess she let Bello get through to her that first time... But Bello is also a villain here by toying with Zainab's emotions so much, but Zainab's sister is smart, smart enough to realize what was happening
I admit that I got a little mixed up with the names at times but I think I got it sorted out, can't be a proper drama without a good number of affected people... Also wow yeah this story is a good cautionary tale, I think, timeless and relevant to everyone, maybe it'll help encourage self reflection on the real nature of a relationship so as to ward off a lifetime of unhappiness where the real winner is Bello who basically escapes without consequence so far - insult to injury
Anyway great storytelling, even if the ending wasn't so happy, but that's how things are sometimes
Your comment made me smile. Thanks for paying attention to the story enough to dissect it meaningfully. Cheers!
Man I’ve heard something like this literally happen . I mean she was trying , someone give her a break . All she really needed was time , 2 weeks into the wedding and her last was haunting her . Poor Zaineb
Well, we can't really say if she would grow to love Shehu if given the time you think she needs
Interesting .. amazing words
It is nice to have that balance between your life and those around you
Great post from you
Thanks for sharing..
Thank You
Good post sir once again.Excellent writing,you are a great writer.Nice love story, thanks for sharing sir.
Thank you
Nice dear
Interesting story @adsactly
Many things can happen in life. Sometimes good times and bad times. Life is like life.
My witness for you
If Shehu really loves her so much he should find a way to forgive her, cos she tried her best to make the marriage work... Quality story you got there...
Thumbs up!!!
Thanks Sammie! We can't really force emotions you know else I'm pretty sure Zainab would have done just that for Shehu
good post!
good post
THaNks
Nice story
THANK YOU
Really loved it.
Nice work 👍🏾
Thank you.
Great post good work at the post .thanks for shareing
This may seem like fiction but it isn't. It is a real life story, in fact, it happens again and again.
I know if cases like this.
It's ease to blame one party or the other, but I would rather advise that each one knows what works for him or her.
Deciding early what the future holds for a relationship is key. Don't let anyone waste your time and don't waste other people's time.
Love is a serious task. And when time comes for the decision to marry comes, pay attention to every detail.
Thanks @adsactly and @royalrose for this amazing story.
Very well said, Idowu. Thanks for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts.
Great post.
Upvote and resteemit done sir..
NICE STORY
Thank you
The best relationship is mother, father and friends 😙
Even those disappoint sometimes
Nice stories! You really wrote something. I love and love to be loved. I think everyone on our planet deserve this feeling. Where would we come if there was no love? Beautiful post. :)
Thank you
It worth reading over and over again..thanks for this @adsactly
Thanks for reading
This got me laughing
Friendship and Love
I would say that most of the times people misread what a good friendship means.
I´m not an expert in love for life, definitely, but the reality is that people think they found "the one" when they are happy, it is supposed to be that way, but in fact what matters the most is for "the one" to always search for your happiness, even if its not with them... Hard to explain, but Love is hard to understand on itself.
You are right and true, love is hard to explain, as are most things connected with it. Thanks for reading.
Good story. Thank you.
A Dubai couple’s union is a serious contender for the title of shortest marriage in history, after the groom decided to divorce his bride less than 15 minutes after marrying her.
You may be wondering what on Earth could make a man to divorce his wife so fast. Well, in this case, the answer is money, more specifically the dowry payment he had agreed to pay the bride’s father. As per the contract the groom and his father-in-law had signed, the newly-married man agreed to pay the bride’s father 100,000 Dirhams ($27,224) in two installments – 50,000 Dirhams ($13,612) upon the signing of the marriage contract inside the Sharia office, and the other 50,000 Dirhams upon leaving the court building.
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Really? Interesting
That's was so sweet and toughing the words of love
excellent story of strong plot but excelete anyway ... I liked a lot
Nice write up @adsactly ......... Although i was thinking she'll be forgiven &they'll live happily ever after.
Lovely friendship
I gave you an upvote on your first post! Please give me a follow and I will give you a follow in return!
Great post ! Upvoted you :) Keep up the good work - and thanks for sharing
