A doomed honeymoon

‘I’m sorry it woke you up. The phone was actually off till we woke up to pray Subhi.’ I said picking it up. ‘But why do you need to put it on so early on a Saturday when everyone goes back to sleep after the prayer? Since your callers do not realise the sanctity of […]

‘I’m sorry it woke you up. The phone was actually off till we woke up to pray Subhi.’ I said picking it up.

‘But why do you need to put it on so early on a Saturday when everyone goes back to sleep after the prayer? Since your callers do not realise the sanctity of the weekend morning, in this family, then we should always keep our phones off in order to get our well-deserved rest.’ He persisted.

‘Ok inshAllah. Look it’s even my young new neighbour from down the street. I wonder why she should be calling me so early in the morning?’ I observed.

‘She knows you are goody-two-shoes who will not mind being disturbed at any hour of the day. Please pick your call and go to your room to answer her. I want to get back to sleep.’ He requested.

‘Alright but she’s even calling me again. Please let me hear what she has to say.’ Picking her call I simply said ‘Hello, assalamu alaikum’ before my neighbour’s screaming voice replied:

‘He’s dead Anti Bint, he’s dead they’ve killed him.’

‘Who is dead Adama? Who has been killed?’ I asked her in alarm.

‘My husband, they’ve killed him. I just tried his number and someone picked it up and said he had been killed. Oh my God, I am finished, na shiga uku.’ Adama kept on screaming.

‘Please calm down Adama I’m coming right over inshAllah.’ I assured her. Turning over to Tahir I explained ‘I don’t know how much of that you heard, but apparently her husband has been killed somewhere. She is totally hysterical so I couldn’t ask for details but I will rush over now to find out whether it’s true or just a false alarm from some quarters.’ I said, rising from the bed to get dressed.

‘Kai, but this is truly sad if it is true.’ Tahir answered, sitting up. ‘Were they not the newly-weds who had dinner with us a few weeks ago? I’m not sure they have been married two months or have they?’ he asked.

‘It’s either two months or less but it can’t be more.’ I replied putting on my Abaya. ‘I have to rush now. See you later.’

‘Ok Bint please call if you need me. I will put on my phone now.’ Tahir offered.  I walked down the two houses separating us from Adama’s apartment with my feet feeling like logs. I dreaded the possibility that I will really walk in there and confirm her husband’s death. But Adama was not waiting within the four walls of her house for any confirmation. The moment I opened the gate to her block of flats, I saw her on her veranda held in a hug by her immediate neighbour from the apartment opposite. She rushed over to my arms and broke into heavy sobs.

‘He is dead. My Abdul is dead, they have killed him.’ She repeated.

‘But how can you be sure, did anyone see him?’

‘No but the man who picked the phone told me the soldiers had shot him. He said he had to remove Abdul’s phone from his pocket in order to answer me. After that I screamed and threw away the phone. My neighbour Asiya came in to find out what was wrong, she’s been with me since then. I am totally confused, Anti Bint I don’t know what to do.’ She cried.

‘Did you try the number again?’ I asked still holding her.

‘No, after Asiya’s arrival I called my family home and then called you. I am too scared to try it again. I don’t know what they’ll say. I don’t even know where he was killed. He only said to me he had gone to the pharmacy to get me some drugs. I had a bad night suffering from stomach cramps and nausea. He left as soon as it was 7am, telling me that he’s sure some pharmacies will be open even though it’s a weekend. He wanted to get me something to stop the nausea and enable me to sleep. But I tried his line to tell him to get us some cotton bud soon after. The line kept ringing without reply. By the time a stranger answered it was to tell me my husband was no more.’ She sobbed.

‘How long ago was that?’ I asked.

‘About 30 minutes ago.’ She answered.

‘Let me try the line again.’ I offered. And she asked her neighbour to hand me the phone. I dialled the number and a strange voice promptly answered. I asked to speak to the owner but he simply replied, ‘l am sorry to say Madam, the owner of this phone is dead.’

‘Inna Lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un,’ I prayed, how did he die?’ I asked and he answered ‘He was shot dead when the task force soldiers came storming this area. He had just left the pharmacy and was about to enter his car when they came and started shooting anyhow. I am the pharmacy owner. I only came out after their bloody deed was done and saw him lying dead. While standing over him I kept hearing his phone ringing from his pocket. I picked it up and spoke to the first caller. She screamed and cried before I could say more. If you are his relative please come and pick his body now. I have called the police but they are not yet here. However no police work can bring him back, therefore better come and pick him up and give him a decent burial.’ He advised. ‘Ok, thank you’ I said in tears, ‘where is your pharmacy located?’ And he gave me the address. Turning over to the two young women facing me, I had nothing to say because the tears streaming down my face said it all. ‘I have the address, my husband and I will get to the pharmacy now.’ I explained.

‘I am coming with you.’ Adama cried.

‘No please don’t come, Asiya please stay and calm her down until her parents come. I am sure they are on their way.’ Walking Adama inside the sitting room , I sat her down and said. Please Adama take heart and be brave. Whatever this turns out to be, consider it the will of God. I know it is very difficult but please try, nothing happens without God’s permission, be brave and continue to pray. We will be back soon inshAllah.‘ I urged, trying to rise up.

‘But we’ve only been married six weeks Anti Bint. We were so happy together.  I remember the day I was confirmed pregnant, he couldn’t sleep. He kept waking up to say ‘If it s a girl we will do this, if it’s a boy we will do that and what if we get twins?’ Then he would and say ‘yes we should have twins, a boy and a girl. Then we will name them after ourselves.’ Abdul was like a little boy that night, two weeks ago. And now he wouldn’t see any of that and our child will never know the wonderful man who fathered it. Oh my God Anti Bint, what did he do to deserve being killed, why must he die so young?’ And with this she broke down again crying deep, heartrending sobs. Just then her mother and sisters came in and rushed over to hug her. Leaving her safely in their warm embrace, I walked out of the apartment, the sound of their cries trailing me behind.

As I walked briskly towards our house in order to get Tahir to join me in going to the pharmacy, I recalled the first time they knocked on our door to announce that they were our newly-wedded neighbours from ‘that block of flats.’ They were the picture of love and happiness. We saw them twice since then, first when we invited them to dinner and then when they invited us. In many ways they reminded me of Tahir and I during our first year of marriage. Happy, confident, very much in love. Only theirs was a doomed honeymoon. How else do you describe a new marriage brought to an abrupt end by a cruel soldier’s bullet? Is this what we will continue to see in a country turned to a battlefield between soldiers and unknown assailants? May Allah bring an end to this unfortunate bloodshed so that Adama’s kind of tragedy will not become the order of the day.

Tahir was already up and dressed when I walked into our sitting room. He took one look at my tear-stained face and came over to hug me. I didn’t need to tell him the worst had been confirmed.