"We raised you better than this Hassan, how do you want our in-laws to react? We sent you abroad to get an education, what did you do?"
"He came back with a pregnant mistress mom, what a shame." Zeenat chipped in, responding to her mother.
"My friend will you shut up! How dare you?" Hassan roared, pointing his index finger at Zeenat, he continued in a strained voice… "It seems you are forgetting your position in this family, don't worry, I will soon put you in your place".
"Oh you shut up! Silly bo...." Musa responded but was cut short by his long term life threatening cough which got aggravated with anger. As he coughed, both his daughter Zeenat and his wife Suliyat rushed at him.
"Quickly Zeenat, go get him some water," Suliyat commanded. As Zeenat ran to the kitchen, Suliyat yelled for her to bring her father's medicine. Hassan on the other hand, tried to reach out to his father to render him support by joining his mother to rub on his father's back. But Musa even with his near death experience, still was very angry at Hassan for bringing a pregnant woman home.
After being calmed and stabilized by his medications, Musa gestured to be taken upstairs to his room. Suliyat assisted her husband upstairs and Zeenat followed suit, holding her father's phone, his medications and a bottle of water.
"Your parents don't seem to like me", Fareeda spoke to Hassan, bending her head downward.
"They do, it's just a first time thing. Don't worry, they will come around." After a brief silence, Hassan continued, "shall we go upstairs so that you can freshen up?"
"Sure," Fareeda responded with a smile, both holding hands as they progressed to Hassan's room.
All through the night, Musa could barely get a shut eye, he wondered what he was going to tell his in-law when words got out.
"This boy has ruined me!" Musa exclaimed, placing his hands at akimbo, with his back rested against some stacks of pillows. No sooner after his exclamation, Suliyat awakened from her light sleep.
"Everything Ok dear?" Suliyat questioned and yawned, blocking her mouth with her hand.
"Suliyat, your son has ruined us, he has finished this family." Musa panicked.
"If it's about the Mistress, solutions are beyond my power dear. I just pray to Allah that Abdulbasit considers our long standing friendship and take things lightly with us".
"Suliyat, it is a slap on Abdul's face. It would have been better if the mistress wasn't pregnant. How do we convince him that we don't have a hand in any of Hassan's madness? Would Aminat still want to be a wife to Hassan who is expecting a baby with another woman?"
"Aminat is a Muslim lady, surely she understands our religion and polygamy, I don't think Aminat will be an issue."
"Suliyat you are going to annoy me, Hassan can barely take care of himself, he lives off this family. The survival of this family is dependent on Abdul's wealth, where does Hassan get the resources to practice polygamy Suliyat? I'm asking you!" By now Musa's voice was pitching with anger.
"Calm down my husband, I didn't mean it that way. We are all looking for a solution out of this nightmare. I'm sorry if my words came out as offensive. Remember your health."
"Suliyat, please shut up. Because you will finally be the reason Allah calls me tonight."
"I'm sorry, I'll just go back to sleep now."
"And she's still talking." Musa gave Suliyat a stare while she adjusted herself to be one with the sheets.
By morning, Musa had summoned Hassan and Fareeda to his study. Both of them walked in on Musa drowning himself in tobacco.
"Dad, do you realize that this practice is bad for your health?" Hassan questioned his father on his tobacco intake.
He offered Fareeda a seat on the long wooly sofa and then sat by her side. Musa paid no attention to them and just enjoyed his tobacco. When he was done, he smirked and then threw a yab at Hassan, while tidying up and stashing away the leftover tobacco.
"You know so much yet, you delved into polygamy with no wealth, no means of survival, still under your father's roof with not a single investment for long term earnings.
Tell me Hassan, does your mistress know you are broke and can't fend for her without the help of your wife's family?”
"Dad, stop! you can't disrespect me like this, not in the presence of Fareeda."
"Oh, Fareeda they call you, does your parents know of your condition? Do they know that you are here in this house?" Musa questioned Fareeda.
Fareeda, catching a glimpse at Hassan, stuttered lightly, as she responded to Musa, "H…ee..ee… he stopped by my parents the moment I got pregnant and made things official with them before we came here sir."
"Now you listen to me young lady, you are lucky we don't reject our children and no child of ours is born out of wedlock.
Your Nikah will hold but secretly, your relations with Hassan will remain private as you will be referred to as the wife to our distant relatives."
Taking a long look of disgust and contempt at Fareeda, Musa continued, "Hope you have something befitting a Nikah?" Looking at his watch, Musa informed the couple that the Imam would be at their home in the next three hours to conduct the ceremony.
"Dad, you can't just fix a Nikah without informing anyone, how about Fareeda's family? Did you ever consider how they will get here, wherever they are, under such short notice?"
"No wonder you got distracted from your education to sow a seed of disgrace. I thought you knew too much?" Musa fired at Hassan.
Turning to Fareeda with a crooked smile which exposed his tobacco browned teeth, Musa spoke to Fareed, "you have three hours to call your parents and inform them of your Nikah. Moreso, let them know that their presence will be appreciated via video call."
"Ok sir" Fareeda bowed. As they both made an attempt to exit, Musa spoke again, "it will interest you to know Hassan that I already informed Abdulbasit, Aminat's father of your arrival.
Aminat will be escorted to our home tomorrow". Turning to Fareeda, he added, "remember your place is in the guest room, you are the wife of a distant relative who died. Keep up a good act, and I won't have to send you back to your parents."
Both couples exited in a depressed state. Fareeda didn't have much of a say, she was already aware of Aminat but still got carried away with their affair. She couldn't be angry at anyone but herself and in the midst of the ridicule, she could only console herself that Musa approved of a Nikah.
Fareeda's family however, were not as high and mighty. If not for the scholarship Fareeda was fortunate to get, she wouldn’t have met Hassan.
Infact they felt privileged that Fareeda would be married into wealth without knowing in detail what she was up against.
Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, Fareeda was married to Hassan in secret and Aminat joined the family. They were all at peace and Aminat developed a soft spot for Fareeda.
To Aminat, Fareeda is a pregnant widow who deserves all the love her close relatives could offer her. Seeing how nicely Aminat was towards Fareeda, the love she showed her, the care and all the plans she has for the baby ones he's born, Hassan felt really guilty. Thus, he decided to damn the consequences and come clean.
One evening, he asked Aminat out on a walk. Without hesitation, Aminat jumped on the offer. The last time they were on a walk was the night he traveled abroad for school.
“You know this night reminded me of when we were much younger. We used to do a lot of walks, they called us the walking couple.” Aminat said Laughing out loud, the laughter soon came to an end when she noticed she was laughing alone and Hassan seemed uptight. She continued, “is everything ok?”
Breathing in and out heavily, Hassan responded, “I have a confession to make Aminat, I can no longer live with the guilt”.
“Hmmm, a confession?”
“Yes Aminat and I hope it doesn't change anything between us.”
“Well it depends on the gravity of this confession.”
“Ok, well….” Inhaling and exhaling deeply again, Hassan revealed, “the thing is, Fareeda is my wife. She is not a widow and the baby she's carrying is mine”. Upon Hassan’s revelation, Aminat paused on her walk immediately which caused Hassan to panic.
After some minutes of silence, Aminat asked, “Do you love her?”. She stared deeply into Hassan's soul which made him very uncomfortable as he avoided eye .
“Aminat I am so sorry, I know, I wronged and I can't possibly make things right but I just don't want to keep living a lie.”
“Do you love her Hassan?” Aminat asked again this time in a tone laced with anger.
“Yes, yes I do love her Aminat, she makes me happy. She was there when no one else was, she accepted me regardless of my baggage and commitment.”
“Wow! She seemed more like a better wife. So it's just about my family's wealth with me?”
“No, I don't care about your wealth. If I do I wouldn't make this revelation. You are a good woman, Aminat. Fareeda just happened, she got pregnant and given her condition, it would have been unfair not to take her in and do what's right.”
“Oh wow! You suddenly know what's right. I was in my parents house waiting for you Hassan. You insisted on us getting married before you go abroad. If you were going to run into the arms of another woman, why not inform me earlier than this? What do you think my father would do when he finds out? Did you think about our family's business merger before getting involved with Fareeda? Did you even consider my honor Hassan?”
As Aminat fumed, Hassan couldn't utter a word till she exhausted all her anger. They continued walking and sensing that the atmosphere is less tense, Hassan asked Aminat, “where do we go from here?”
Taking a deep breath, Aminat responded, “I will not let you ruin our family friendship, Fareeda is a good girl, I have nothing against her but I will not share you, you will divorce her and she will be well rewarded.
She will be paid off and we will just pretend she never happens.”
Sensing some sort of disapproval from Hassan, Aminat added, “either you forget about her existence or you and your family face my father's wrath and you know how badly that would end for your father and your entire household.”
Not having much of a choice, Hassan agreed to Aminat’s conditions.
Thank you 🙂
Wow. What a story!
Somehow I feel for Fareeda.