The Child Bride – Copyright of AryEmber
CHAPTER SIX
4 MONTHS AGO
“Look at these beautiful toys, won’t he just love them?” She asked her confused daughter-in-law.
Something must have definitely entered this woman, what child was she talking about?
Something must have definitely entered this woman, what child was she talking about?
“And this one! Won’t he just love playing with it? Running around the house pretending he can ….”
Ayisat felt she needed to explain again, she had no choice but to cut in. “But mother, I…..”
Ayisat felt she needed to explain again, she had no choice but to cut in. “But mother, I…..”
The woman shut her up with the look that spelt out ‘you must be mad’.
“So I bought all these for nothing? What have you been doing?! Feeding like a horse with nothing to show for it!”
“So I bought all these for nothing? What have you been doing?! Feeding like a horse with nothing to show for it!”
She shook at her loud voice. “Mother, it’s not my fault. I.… I tried to…..”
“Whose fault is it then?!” she shouted and pushed away everything she brought in anger. “Yes? I’m all hears, tell me who is to blame!”
“Whose fault is it then?!” she shouted and pushed away everything she brought in anger. “Yes? I’m all hears, tell me who is to blame!”
Ayisat burst into tears. “He won’t touch me! I have tried all I know but he won’t I swear mother!”
The woman hissed loudly. “Why would he? Who will want a pathetic and shabby dressed girl? You think any sane man will want you with that solemn expression you always have on? With you looking like the world is about to come an end? I won’t blame my Khalid if he refuses to touch you like this,” she hissed again, “so you see. It’s your fault you’re still without a child!”
She trembled again and said in a low voice. “I am sorry.”
“You must be stupid, what does your sorry do for me? Of what good is your sorry when I don’t have grandchildren running round this house yet?”
“You must be stupid, what does your sorry do for me? Of what good is your sorry when I don’t have grandchildren running round this house yet?”
Ayisat felt the need to ask. “What else can I do to make him want me?”
“Are you asking me? Fool! Do I look like a chancellor to you? Why don’t you go to your foolish friends, I was told one took in and had to drop out of school out of shame. She should be able to tell you how she got hers or better yet, go to your aunt. She is not dead, is she?”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered her late parents and she let them fall freely.
“Listen to me very well, I didn’t bring you here to eat and dine with my son out of my goodwill. I am not a philanthropist; I am not funding your brothers’ schooling and accommodating you just for you to tell me some pathetic story.
The next time I come visiting, what I want to hear is how weak your pregnancy is making you and not another flimsy excuse. Go and take a class on the act of seduction if you have to! You hear me?”
She nodded repeatedly and watched her packed all the wears she brought back into the bag.
“I can prepare something for you to eat before leaving mother.”
“I can prepare something for you to eat before leaving mother.”
If she thought that would get her on the good side of the woman, she was hugely mistaken. All she got for reply were more insults and curses before she left in anger.
Ayisat wished she could cry more but it was like her pool of tears had dried up. She was surely going to be sent to her grave early if she didn’t conceived a child soon but what could she do? Was it her fault he saw her as a girl who needed help instead of a wife?
He stared at the staircase with different thought running through his mind.
“This thing! This cursed thing!” he suddenly shouted and started to kick the staircase.
“This thing! This cursed thing!” he suddenly shouted and started to kick the staircase.
Khalid kicked the post, rails and the riser; he climbed on the stairs and kicked more. When he made to kick the handrail, he fell and landed on his behind.
For the first time since his father’s death, he cried. He cried out his hurt and pain, he cried for the girl he’d grown to love passionately and their baby.
Their baby, the one they would never get the chance to hold. Ayisat didn’t deserve all of these; she had nothing wrong and was too innocent to go through all these.
He was underserving of her and he knew it, had he not promised her happiness? Wasn’t he ever gave her sorrow instead of joy?
“Oh Ayi! Forgive me,” he muttered and wept bitterly.
“Oh Ayi! Forgive me,” he muttered and wept bitterly.
The door creaked opened and the main cause of his sadness walked in.
He ignored her and continued to weep, not caring what anyone would say if he was seen crying.
“Don’t you want to go and see her?” she asked but got no reply, this provoked her and she said in anger. “Really?
He ignored her and continued to weep, not caring what anyone would say if he was seen crying.
“Don’t you want to go and see her?” she asked but got no reply, this provoked her and she said in anger. “Really?
You are just going to sit here all day and cry? Instead of you to go and have your bath, then…..”
“Don’t you tell me what to do mother!” he shouted and stood up in anger. “This is what you wanted right? Are you happy now?”
“Don’t you tell me what to do mother!” he shouted and stood up in anger. “This is what you wanted right? Are you happy now?”
He cut her off. “That was not what I asked! Are you happy now mother?!”
His loud voice shocked the woman; she gaped at him wondering if this was truly her son but it was him! He had never raised his voice at her!
His loud voice shocked the woman; she gaped at him wondering if this was truly her son but it was him! He had never raised his voice at her!
Khalid continued. “You never cared, did you? You never cared about my happiness; all you’ve ever wanted was to prove to your sisters that you can outsmart grandfather, you never cared about me!”
She took a step and shook her head. “That’s not true Khalid, you know it’s not. All I ever wanted to do was to secure a good future for you and your children when you eventually have them.”
“You never cared! I was miserable! Did you know? I contemplated suicide. Did you know that your only son, the one you truly care for as you claimed wanted to take his life?”
**************
She blinked in confusion, what nonsense was he talking about?
“No, that’s not true. You are blabbing rubbish!”
“No, that’s not true. You are blabbing rubbish!”
“Am I? I was a walking dead mother; I couldn’t see any meaning to life until Ayisat.”
“What are you talking about? Y.. you were fine, n…nothing was wrong with you!”
“What are you talking about? Y.. you were fine, n…nothing was wrong with you!”
“A lot was wrong with me! But you were only concerned about the inheritance, if Ayi had not come into my life, you would be a childless widow and that money you cared so much about would be useless….”
“Allah forbids!”
“Allah forbids!”
He laughed bitterly. “Oh you should thank him because I would have, that girl? Ayisat? She completed me, made me want to continue living but how did you treat her? Like dirt! Tell me mother, where is that precious pregnancy now? Please tell me because my wife is in the hospital now but no longer with my child all because of you! You mother!
You and your meddling with our affairs! What did that result to now?”
“How could you accuse me of such? When you know all I did was for the safety of the baby, to prevent what Malim Al amir foretold.” She was close to tears.
“How could you accuse me of such? When you know all I did was for the safety of the baby, to prevent what Malim Al amir foretold.” She was close to tears.
He should keep shut especially as she was about to cry, he must insult the woman that brought him into this world. She deserved his respect and nothing else! He was too angry and hurt to agree with his reasonable side; didn’t he deserve to let out his grievances too? Had he not been tolerant of her enough?
“That man saw something alright but what he failed to tell you or what you failed to listen to was that you were going to be the one to deprive me of my first child!”
“Ah!” she exclaimed and burst into tears.
“Ah!” she exclaimed and burst into tears.
Khalid ignored her and continued. “I did everything to please you, everything! I got married to Kodijah in hurry for you! I got married to Ayisat for you and broke every promise I made her because of you! I watched you treat you as you please but did nothing to stop you much to my shame! Did you ever stop to think she might have been your daughter? Imagine I had a sister, would you wish her your kind of mother in law? Would pray for her to be treated the way you treat Ayisat? Would you?!”
His words cut through her like a knife and she cried harder, she realised how bad she had behaved to the poor girl and knew she was wrong. Her son was not making it easy for her, he continued to remind her of her awful deeds.
“You call your sisters witches, may be they are truly. Maybe they even have a hand in what happened but you are not innocent mother because Ayisat did nothing wrong, she is a sweet girl whom you could have choose to know more and love but you didn’t. You didn’t and I was a coward too.”
With that, he left her and she continued to cry.
With that, he left her and she continued to cry.
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