The Child Bride – Copyright of AryEmber
CHAPTER THREE
6 YEARS AGO
He was going insane, what was happening?
“Who is the father of that bastard? Answer me!” he roared.
She shouted back, “don’t you, in your miserable life, call my son a bastard! I did you a huge favour and instead of you to thank me, you are barking. What rights do you have to call my son a bastard? You that cannot produce a miscarriage or a single still birth, not to even talk of a child yet you are calling a boy bastard, better accept him like that.”
He gaped at her. “How dare you? I married you because of that boy and you still have the guts to tell to accept him like that? Knowing full well he’s not mine?”
“So? Haven’t you heard that beggars don’t get to choose? Well my dear, you are like a beggar here_ _ _” she stopped quickly and moved far away from him.
Khalid was going to strike her, he probably would have if she had not move backwards.
“You would have slapped me? Ah! We both would have die here today! You would have seen your creator you madman!”
“It is your entire family that is mad you shameless hag! You’d better start packing and get out of my house with that bastard before I come back because I don’t want either of you in my house any longer!”
He left her but could still hear her rants, she was insulting and cursing him.
PRESENT
He looked at the paper again and smiled, he was not surprised. In fact, he expected the result to be just brilliant, she had read like her life depended on it and her grades attest to that. He was so proud of her.
Khalid thought of what she would be doing right now, probably just having her breakfast. She sometimes forget to eat when engrossed in reading and most times refused to touch her food until she was through with the house choirs. He, in those times, had to force to leave the chores.
No, she was an early raiser and would have long eaten her food by now. He could recite her daily work routine by heart an anthem, a smile played on his lips on remembering he was the reason she got up late the past few days ago.
“I miss you my sweet Ayi, how I wish you are here with me,” he muttered.
He was acting like a love sick teenager, here he was thinking about his wife when he should concentrate on the work that made him travelled and that needed finishing before today ended.
“I can’t help myself, I love you and no body _ _ _ _” he stopped singing suddenly.
What if she didn’t feel the same towards him? She had married him because of her situation and certainly not because of love, how could she ever love him? Their age difference was glaring and she does everything for him as a duty, not because she really had a choice.
Khalid reminded himself he also married for a reason far from love and he had no rights to judge her. Only he loved her now, more than he could have ever dreamed of and it hurt him to think she didn’t and may never feel the same.
She probably was in love with that boy of her age. He was good looking and obviously would be the fantasy boy of a lot of teenage girls, she had been so happy on the day he was them together.
And if she was with him now, doing more than talking? He shook off the thought, she would never do that to him.
She was different, certainly not like Khodijat.
Ayisat may not love him now but he was determined to win her heart forever, he went back to work with the determination.
EIGHT MONTHS AGO
“She is so young mother! Allah, how could you ever think that I would want a girl so young! She’s sixteen years old for the love of God!”
“Eighteen , not sixteen. She is of legal age to marry.” His mother corrected.
“I don’t care if she’s twenty! I won’t marry someone I’m two decades older than!
“I don’t see what is wrong with that really, what matters is her health. She was tested in one of the best hospitals in this state and nothing was found to be wrong with her, besides, I married your father at that same age. Our marriage was a happy one until he left me alone in this world; I never regretted that I married him at that age”
He scoffed. ”Please mother. Father died not that he left, I’m quite sure he didn’t even wish to die! And you might have been eighteen when you married him; he was only two years older. I have a zero behind that two for the love of Allah!”
“You should have thought of that before you married that harlot because of her bastard despite my warnings or when you told to find you a wife who is more or less a slave with your description. She has to be obedient mother, she has to be submissive mother, she_ _ _ _”
“I see now that I made a terrible mistake but you are the one who wouldn’t stop reminding me what’s at stake! Left to me, I would rather let them have it all than to marry a child just for her to birth me a kid.”
She stood up. ”It seems like you don’t understand; I would rather be six feet under than to let those vultures get what’s mine! Father thought he was smart but I’m prepared to show everyone that I cannot be cheated out of what’s mine by rights.
I already gave you more than enough time to get a wife and father a child but you were not able to do this and now, you have just 2 years which means that I have that same years to lose everything so do I care that you are old enough to father her? No!”
Khalid wished for a moment that her mother had not married his father but that was not the issue now. How he was going to get out of a fight he didn’t considered his, was the problem.
………………………………………………………………………………………
PRESENT
She touched her stomach and closed her eyes, could she be mistaken? No, it had to be it. What makes a girl not to see her flows for three consecutive months? It had got to be that it!
For a moment she thought something moved in her but she knew it was only her imagination or it was a naughty worm playing inside her, she smiled at her silliness but soon frowned. What would happen now?
Would he not send her out once she served her purpose? He had promised to help her but promises do get broken! Oh how she wished this was a different situation! She would have been the happiest girl on earth.
SIX MONTHS AGO
Wind blew softly through the window, making the curtains danced to different direction but stayed glue to the window.
She was cold and shivered time to time because of this, she thought of putting on her night gown but decided against it, she had to be ready for when he’d come in
When he did come in, the low noise from the door announced his arrival. Ayisat sat up on the bed, using the bed sheet to cover herself. She wasn’t really naked, she still had her undies on but she felt as though she had nothing on.
Her plan was to wait for him wearing nothing, she had seen an actress did that in a movie she saw and her husband had appreciate it but she was not sure her new husband would want this. She didn’t know what he’d like, she barely knew him at all! Besides this, courage failed her and the cold wasn’t gentle on her.
She watched him took a chair and sat opposite to her.
“Should I lie down?”
He raised an eyebrow and asked instead,” How old are you again?”
Ayisat was surprised at the question and this made her stammered, “e_ e_ eighteen.”
“And you know how old I am, you know I’m old enough to be your father?”
She didn’t answer this time, why was he asking her all this? Was this how he does his own thing? Asking questions before the act? She hadn’t heard or read of this before, his voice interrupted her thoughts.
“I am no monster; I don’t take teenagers to bed. I married you because my hands are tied and I understand you did for your family. You don’t have to worry, they will be taken care of as promised but I won’t sleep with you.”
“But I’m to bear you children, how will that happen if you won’t touch me?”
“That won’t be happening….”
“But your mother…..”
He rose up suddenly,” if I were you, I’d think of the perfect lie to explain why there’s no pregnancy when she ask of it because you will never carry my child.” With that, he walked away ignoring her pleadings
“Oh what am I going to do now?” she bit her lips.
This was her fault, why did she have to look and act pathetic? Now, how exactly was she going to take in when he wouldn’t touch her?
PRESENT
“I’m pregnant,” she repeated countless time, pacing to and fro.
This pregnancy was due to their sleepless nights of pleasure; she should have known there were going to be consequences.
Consequences? Was this not the reason why he married you, a voice said in her head. It was all over now, once she gave birth, she would no longer be needed and surely would be tossed out. There would be no one to help them anymore.
“I may not be allowed to even see my baby,” she muttered to herself sadly.
The doorbell pulled her out of her trance and she stopped pacing. Ayisat hurried to the door, she would have to tell him any ways.
She took a deep breath and calmed herself even the doorbell kept on ringing. She forced a smile knowing he hate to see her worried, she then opened the door.
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