17/18
REPLACEMENT GIRL
CHAPTER 17
*RANIA POV*
“So you are leaving?” Adnan said with a sad face. He had been my course mate since Bsc.
“Do you expect me to stay? I gotta see my folks, I missed ’em so fv¢king badly!” I uttered.
“But I love you, Rania” He lamented.
“Oh come on, Adnan!” I said as I waved a cab.
Adnan Abdul-Rasheed and I met in our first day at school. He was the caring type but I never liked him. Women used to rush him. He was an Arabian guy from United Arab Emirates. He was very handsome but I wasn’t into him, in fact even his pres£nce used to irritate me.
“You breaking my heart?” He calmly said.
“I never said I love you, Adnan” I rolled my eyes at him. “Hey cabman, get your filthy as-s over here!” I creamed at an incoming cab.
“When I first met you, Rania….”
“plea-se don’t start that cra-p, Adnan!” I yelled at him as I helped the cabman in loading my luggage into the trunk of the cab. “Goodbye” I win-ked at him as I stormed into the cab.
“I love you, Rania” He said throu-gh the glas-s.
“Thank you!” I squealed.
My destination was few miles away – the Los Angeles International Airport. I huffed as I dialed my father’s contact and told him I was on my way home – Nigeria. He was very happy, same as my siblings who insisted they must talk to me like I wasn’t coming back home.
I paid the cabman immediately he pu-ll-ed over in the front of the airport entrance. It was one of the busiest airports in the world. I walked in and waited for my dep@rture time. When it was time, I was cleared and I boarded into a Supernova Airline’s Boeing 737-600.
The plane taxied to the runaway and took off after so much traffics in the runaway. We were supposed to land at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja but our plane developed some technical issues so we landed in the nearest airport which happened to be that of Maikunkele in Minna, Niger State. So tragic!
“Hello dad, we just landed in Nigeria but Minna due to some technical issues. They said we should wait for two days to be transported to Abuja but I can’t stay that long so I’m going to board a wheel to…” I said as he cut in.
“You are not boarding any car, just wait for them. Ahmad Jaafar is living nearby so call him and tell him to pick you up” He said.
That moment, I wanted to scream but then I decided to compose myself. “Why Ahmad, dad? I don’t even have his contact again, it been years!” I uttered.
“Just like I said, he’s living nearby. Stay there until your dep@rture day arrives, we will patiently wait for you here. I will s£nd you Ahmad’s contact” He said and ended the call.
Ahmad was my cousin brother and also my first love. He was six years older than me but we shared common s-en-ses. He loved me too but just infatuation – you know – but I took it serious, and even when he R@p£d me at 13 and repeated the same thing at 14 and 15 I didn’t say anything. Yes, I would call it r@p£ because even with my cons£nt at such ages it is regarded as r@p£ in many countries. He was a per-vert and a very bad guy. He was the reason why I didn’t give a damn about love and men anymore because I didn’t trust the two!
“Gosh!” I muttered a curse as soon as his contact arrived thus, I saved it as ‘My vir-ginity Tanker’ before texting him a message to come and pick me up. He must be so surprised to hear from me after such a long period of time.
“Hello Ahmad, the son of Uncle Jaafar Zaki. It’s me, Rania, the daughter of Bappah Zaki. I just c@m£ back from the States, we had an emergency landing at Minna Airport. My dad says you’re very close, can you come and get me before my dep@rture time? They promised to find a plane that will take us to Abuja next tomorrow!”
It took him almost forever to reply me, perhaps he was surprised as I presumed.
“Lost bird, I’ll s£nd my driver to pick you up”
He finally texted back and I glared at the text. Did I looked like a maniac to him? I hissed and quic-kly typed back.
“Don’t even try that. Just come by yourself!”
Thus, he texted back with;
“Gosh, Rania you are wicked”
I glared at the text and just s£nt;
“Mtsww (Hisses)!”
…
Almost an hour later, he called me and asked me to meet him in the airport’s parking lot which I did. I stormed into his car and I could tell that the guilt of his past evils was allover his face, he wanted to drive but he was too coy to do that. He wasn’t coy when he had me back then.
“Are you gonna drive or keep huffing till I ask you to?” I said wrinkling one of my brows.
“Okay” He said and started the engine.
While on our way to his house, I decided to break the long silence that crept upon us. “Are you still the bad guy I knew?” I uttered.
“I’ve changed” He said.
“Wow, perfect!” I cl@pped my hands.
“Actually, things dramatically changed the moment I married my wife, Naziha” He said concentrating on the road. “Why didn’t you come to our wedding? Were you still angry?”
“Yes I was still angry with you, fool!” I rolled my eyes at him. “So how’s your wife? Fine?”
“Hmm” He heaved a sigh. “It’s a long story”
“A long story that can’t be summarized?” I gulped. “Don’t tell me you guys broke…”
“Hey, I will tell you everything but wait till we reach home first, okay?” He calmly said.
“Okay!” I huffed.
“I love you, Rania” He said.
“What?” I glared at him. “Wanna take advantage of me again? Oh, come on not again!”
“No, it’s not like that” He sighed and continued. “You are my first love, I thought I’ve forgotten about you but by seeing you today I feel like…”
“ra-ping me like you did in the past – not once and not twice, huh?” I wrinkled my brows.
“Rania I did all that with your cons£nt. I am a hor-nytype so plea-se don’t blame me” He said.
“I will always blame you because you changed my life entirely the moment you broke my heart. I f0rç£d myself to hate the people I loved overseas because I was scared they would do the same thing you did to me” I muttered.
“I am so sorry, Rania but I am now a… a changed man so forgive me plea-se” He implored me.
“Are you asking us to come back to each other?” I scoffed.
“Ehm, not really but…”
“Just drive, Ahmad!” I yelled at him.
***************
*An hour later*
*HUMAIRAH POV*
“Who’s that woman?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know” I muttered.
“You mean Ahmad didn’t say anything about her to you?” She asked.
“No, he did not” I said washing the dishes.
Just an hour ago, Ahmad went out to God knows where and brou-ght back with him a very beautiful lady. Her skin was very fair and she looked like all those celebrities. I thought Naziha was beautiful but this one was more beautiful than her. The moment I saw her I alre-ady knew I would never get Ahmad. Maybe he brou-ght her to replace his missing wife, wasn’t I supposed to be his replacement girl? It should’ve been me but he never loved me so he didn’t notice me, after all I was only his house worker and if not because I st©pped him from violating me that day he would’ve turned me into his concubine too. God plea-se re-move his love from my heart, I can’t take it anymore. I silently prayed in my fragile mind.
“Maybe she’s just a family friend” Sarah said.
“I hope so, Sarah” I said as I quic-kly rinsed my hands and dried them with a very clean rag.
We were done with our work for the day and it was time for home. Ahmad was upstairs with his visitor, they were busy and I didn’t want to disturb them so I texted him and told him I was going home. He texted back with “Goodnight” . Like seriously? I thought he was going to take me home today too. I heaved a sigh and walked to Faisal outside. Sarah was living closeby so all she did was trekking.
“Seems like I would be the one to take someone home today” Faisal sm-irked at me and continued. “That woman is the perfect definition of beautiy, if oga (boss) marry her, their children would be like arabs. He’s fair, she’s fair, not brown or should I say dark like… let me just keep quiet” He tea-sed me.
“You are mad” I hissed at him.
“Madly in love with yo… no one!” He laughed.
“Insanity!” I said as I stormed into the car.
He drove me home and I quic-kly alighted the car and ran inside the house. That day I had the most bored night ever, and the following day I oversle-pt. I woke up so late, I had to rush to Ahmad’s house because I missed Faisal’s shuttle. The mad boy refused to call me when he c@m£, that’s if he had really come as I presumed.
I paid off the cabman immediately he dropped me at the gate, thus I stormed into the house in furry. I wanted strangling Faisal but then my eyes landed on a police hillux parked in the compound, what was it doing in the house at such hour? What happened? I wondered as I quic-kly ran into the main house to see for myself.
CHAPTER 18
“Just like I told you earlier, the car was intercepted in Kaduna and the driver said he ordered it from Jumia but he’s still in our custody. We are trying our possible best to ensure that justice is practically served” One of the officers said.
“Thank you, Inspector Abiyamo. But how about my wife, Naziha? Any information about her plea-se?” Ahmad wrinkled a brow.
“That too, we are trying our best” The officer said. “But sir, are you really sure she’s still in Nigeria? The bank told us she changed some Nigerian currency worth 5million naira into American dollars. Why would she do that?”
“You’ve got a point officer but, let’s just keep searching for her here plea-se. If you are able to find her today or tomorrow I will make sure I change your life, I promise” Ahmad as-sured him.
“Alright, we will try our best sir” The police officer said and then shook hands with Ahmad. “Have a nice day sir” He beamed and left with his men.
…
After Ahmad and his lady took their breakfast in the dining island, they drove out to God knows where. I was now a garbage to him, he didn’t even have time for me at all – no text messages, calls, or even hanging out. Well, who was I even to him? A cook, ex best friend, that’s all.
“Hmm” Sarah heaved a sigh as she helped me packed Ahmed’s cloths for laundry. “He has changed” She said expecting a reply from me. “Isn’t it, Humairah?”
“I don’t know” I gulped. “Let’s just do our job!”
“Alright then” She shrugged.
We did the laundry and other necessary things too, we also cooked launch but Ahmad and his lady didn’t come back to eat theirs. It was after magrib prayer that they c@m£ back, and by then we were done cooking dinner alre-ady so we served them. They ate and went upstairs together.
Sarah and I washed the dishes and prepared for home. We walked out of the house and I bade her goodbye as she began trekking home. Faisal ignited the car into action and gently drove to where I was standing. Just as I was about hopping into the car my phone buzzed.
“Goodnight Humairah, sweet dreams!”
It was a text message from Ahmad, hence I smiled and heaved a sigh.
“You too, sir!”
I replied, and in less than a minute he replied back.
“The new lady in the house, her name is Rania. I wanted to do a formal introduction but she won’t be staying long. She’s my cousin sister”
I smiled at his text and quic-kly typed back.
“She’s beautiful!”
Thus, he replied back again.
“I know. Just go home, it’s getting late”
“Okay, sir!”
*************
*AHMAD’S POV*
“I don’t blame your wife, it is your evil that is haunting you. Are you even sure she’s the one that is infertile and not you?” Rania said as she wrinkled one of her thick brows. “Are you?”
“Let’s figure it out” I tea-singly said giving her a S-xy wi-nk. I actually didn’t mean it at all.
“Why do you like S-x this much?” She eyed me.
“Hmm” I muttered with a slight smile on my face. “It depends on the people around me”
“So you are saying I am too h0t?” She broke into a scornful laughter. “Yet you broke my heart!”
“I did that for the betterment of you, Rania” I said as I reached for her hands in the dining table. “If we had continued our relationsh!pback then I might have gotten you pregnant at such early age, that was why I just… ended it”
“Silly excuse” She rolled her eyes. “I shouldn’t have let you in… in the first place”
“Don’t say that Rania, I swear I wanted marrying you after school but you were so angry with me that you ran overseas to study. You cut all ties with me, and on the verge of getting rid of you from my head I met Naziha” I said.
“And now she’s gone for good!” She said.
“Point of correction, it is for a while not for good” I said in what seemed like a whisper.
“Like seriously?” She huffed. “Okay then!”
“Yeah, by the way your hands are warm” I said beaming at her.
“Hey, get your f* hands off me! I don’t really trust you, Ahmad” She pu-ll-ed her hands away.
“Hmm, why?” I queried.
“Because I once trusted you and it got me to no where. I won’t try that mistake again” She said.
“Okay,” I stood from the dining table with my hands up in surrender. “I will be in my room upstairs, I have a missed sleep to expiate”
“Suit yourself!” She said sipping her coffee.
I didn’t blame her for whatever she was doing to me, I knew I was a bad boy and what I did to her in the past wasn’t really good. I wished to make things right, I wished to make her happy so that she shouldn’t die (someday) with my hatred in her heart. Of course I still loved her, she was the only one I could feel in my heart right now ap@rt from Naziha. Albeit Humairah was also… I mean, yes, she was a good girl and a caring teenager!
…
The deadline of my parents’ ultimatum was today and Naziha hadn’t return back yet, her whereabout was still unknown to me. I was now left with no other option but to divorce her. Oh Allah, plea-se don’t let me do what I will later regret in my life. Ameen!
Rania and I drove to my parents’ house and guess what? They were so happy to see her! You know, she had been overseas for so long. We chitchat and also poke fun before my father cleared his throat.
“Ahmad, have you heard anything about your wife’s whereabouts?” He wrinkled a brow.
“Dad, I don’t really think she’s still in Nigeria. I heard she changed the money she stole from me into American currency and that tells me she hypothetically flew overseas” I explained.
“Shegiyar yarinya (useless girl), and that serves you right too!” My mother chimed into the conversation.
“Mum, we’ve talked about this alre-ady” I said.
“Yes we did, and now…” She said as she handed me a pen and paper. “I want you to issue a divorce to her. Write it down here, baby boy”
“Okay mum” I heaved a de-ep sigh as I gently collected the pen and paper from her. “Done!” I handed them back to her after having done what she asked me to.
“That’s my baby boy” She smiled and gave me a pe-ck on my forehead. “You did great today!”
“br@vo!” My father cl@pped his hands and then cleared his throat. “Now you are back to work”
“Thank you, dad” I huffed.
“You are welcome” He said and turned to Rania. “When are you going home?”
“It supposed to be today but I changed my mind. Ahmad nee-ds someone by his side because he’s weak. I will stay till he get married again” She said ma-king me to turn to her with a wrinkled brow.
Did she even know what she was saying? Why would she just change her mind without consulting me? I had been re-sisting the urge of tou-ching her ever since she arrived and now that I was happy she would be going she decided to stay? If she continue living with me then something might just happen in the end. Perhaps I should just marry her, or what do you think?
“Rania, what do you really mean?” My mother asked her.
“I mean…” Rania cleared her throat about to continue when my father intercepted her.
“If you both love each other we can just wed you, after all you are all Zaki by the way” He said wearing a broad smile on his face.
“Actually, that’s not…” Rania was saying when I cut in.
“We nee-d some time to think about it, dad” I said and turned to Rania. “Or what do you think?”
“Anything you say, Ahmad” She eyed me.
“Hmm” I huffed.
…
After spending hours in my father’s house, Rania and I decided to drive back home. She was so quiet in the car and so was I until eventually I ended the silence. “People say if you love something you have to learn how to let it go, I don’t believe in that bull$h!t until today. Naziha is gone, I know, and I ought to start a new beginning with someone I have feelings for, someone I love” I said as Rania snapped at me.
“And that person is definitely not me, Ahmad!” She said and continued. “All I want to do is to help you feel less lonely until you get the right person but you ended up tangling me in your f* web. I am very disappointed in you, you should have just told your father that we can’t get married”
“But why, Rania? You are my first love and I still love you. God knows why your plane had emergency landing here and He alone knows why Naziha left. Probably, He wants me to make things right this time around. I had discarded the thought of marrying you before but when my father brou-ght it up I knew I just have to do it”
“I believe in the adage that says, if you love a woman you will never violate her. You, Ahmad, you violated me thrice in the past and ever since I arrived you’ve been showing interest in my b©dy again. All that makes me think you are only after my b©dy, not love” She said and that made me pu-ll-ed over the car in the roadside and turned off the engine.
“The adage you quoted is ru-bbish because being hor-nyis not easy. A man that violates you and still wants to marry you truly loves you. S-x with the right person doesn’t end love and love ends only when the heart fails to see a reason to keep holding on” I uttered and continued. “The first day I met Naziha, I had S-x with her. It was in Brimstone. We did that many times before we got married, and I could still feel her in my heart. She wasn’t v!rg!nwhen I met her but I didn’t care. That is what love is all about, not what pla-yboys show their victims. A pla-yboy will never wish to marry the girl he sle-pt with!”
“Hmm, I am sorry you are the hor-nytype” She said.
“It’s okay, just accept me back plea-se” I pleaded.
“Okay, but if you truly love me and want to marry me then promise me that you will never break my heart again” She calmly requested.
“Rania,” I said taking her hand into a warm clasp. “I hate ma-king promises but In Shaa Allah (if God will) I will not break your heart again” I as-sured her.
“Okay in that case I forgive you” She said.
“Thank you!” I drew closer to her and k!$$£d her on herl-ips. “I love you, Rania” I said.
“I… I love you too, Ahmad” She said.
***************
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