My ‘acting’ husband

‘Really, how do you know that?’ I asked.‘He just called me to ask whether she is here.’ He replied.‘That is surprising because she told me that he dropped her this morning.’ I answered, confused.‘Well, you better call her and ask what is going on because he sounded really disturbed that he returned home to find […]

‘Really, how do you know that?’ I asked.
‘He just called me to ask whether she is here.’ He replied.
‘That is surprising because she told me that he dropped her this morning.’ I answered, confused.
‘Well, you better call her and ask what is going on because he sounded really disturbed that he returned home to find her absent.’
‘That sounds like he didn’t even know she had gone out. Could they have quarreled so early in their marriage? I mean they’ve only been married one month ago.’ I wondered aloud, sitting next to him on the couch.
‘A lover’s quarrel is possible even a week into a marriage, because as you know it’s caused by friction between two people trying to start a life together.’ Tahir explained, philosophically.
‘I know but that kind of quarrel is usually settled before the day is over because during the honeymoon, newly-weds are ever-ready to forgive each other. Let me go and talk to her.’ I said rising up.
‘Yes, please do so.’ Tahir urged. I found Talatu alone at my sitting room watching TV. ‘When is your husband coming for you?’ I asked, sitting opposite her.
‘I don’t know.’ She replied, looking away.
‘What do you mean you don’t know?’ I demanded. ‘Why did you lie to me that he brought you when he didn’t even know that you were here?’ When she remained silent I said ‘Well your husband called Tahir and asked whether you were here. That’s how we got to know that you came without his knowledge.  Anyway, you better get ready to go now because he will be here any moment to pick you.’ I warned.
‘I will not be going anywhere with him Anti Bint. This marriage is over. I am only here to mentally prepare myself before going to my parent’s house tomorrow.’ Talatu replied defiantly.
‘What? Are you crazy? You have only been married a month, how can you say it’s over?’ I queried.
‘That’s the truth Anti Bint. I can never, ever go back to that house.’
She vowed.
‘Wow, I had no idea the problem is this serious. Now please tell me what happened to make you feel this way.’ I urged. She looked up at me but suddenly began to cry. I moved next to her and with my hands on her shoulder, I handed her a pocket tissue and said:
‘Please Talatu, stop crying and tell me the problem. There is nothing that can’t be solved with a good analysis.’
‘No, Anti Bint, my problem cannot be solved in any way because I feel desecrated and violated.’ She replied, tearfully.
‘Desecrated, violated? Still tell me about it.’ I urged.
‘The day I was taken to his house, Danladi joined me in my room and offered me some nice fruit juice to drink. I took it and soon fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning he was lying next to me, full of praises about my virginity and how honoured he felt to have won such a prize. It was obvious to me, from the discomfort I felt that something did happen between us but I couldn’t remember a thing.
I told him I couldn’t remember anything happening and he said it must have been because of the exhaustion due to the wedding festivities. He helped me to the bathroom and treated me so delicately. I had my bath and got ready for fajr prayer, still wondering why I couldn’t remember what my first night as a wife was like.
Anyway that continued to happen for the next few weeks. Every night he had something for me to drink and every morning I will see evidence that we had been together without remembering how it went. Last night, I decided I wanted to know what was really happening. By now I was sufficiently convinced that he was putting something in my drink to keep me sedated. So unknown to him I took an identical cup to the one he usually served me something in and kept it next to the bed, covered by the flowing bedspread. When he gave me his nightly juice I simply switched it with the one under the bed and pretended to be drinking.
After a while I put the empty cup down and pretended to be asleep.
A few minutes later, I heard him pick the phone and say to someone ‘You can come now.’ In no time at all, his cousin, who lives with us, stepped into our room. Danladi rose from the bed and simply said to him ‘Your woman’ before walking out of the room. Because my eyes were dimmed they couldn’t see that I was looking at them. In fact Danladi walked out of the room without even turning back to look at me. I waited in total shock while his cousin undressed and came to lie next to me. It was when he reached out to touch me that I rose up quickly and pushed him away. In total surprise, all he could say was ‘So you are awake.’
‘Yes’ I replied ‘and your dirty game is over.’ I said, picking up the flower vase that decorated my two bedside drawers and raising it menacingly over his head. ‘You are going to answer all my questions or else I will drop this on your head.’ I threatened.
‘Ok, I will’ Maikudi said ‘but please allow me to get dressed first.’
he pleaded, reaching out for his clothes. At this point he only had his pants on.
‘No, you will remain the way you are till you tell me everything. How long have you been sleeping with me?’ I asked, standing over him with the flower vase as my weapon.
‘Since the day they brought you here.’ he replied.
‘Did he ever tell you why he wanted you and not him to sleep with me?’
‘Yes, he said he recently realized that he was impotent and that he found out too late to call off the wedding.’ Maikudi explained.
‘And so when he asked you to do this, it didn’t occur to you to refuse, to advise him to tell me the truth or to remind him that you will be committing adultery with me since I am not your wife?’ I asked.
‘Actually I did all that but he was very convincing in his arguments that he didn’t to lose you; that any child we may have together will be like his since I am his first cousin and that the whole thing will end once you are pregnant.’ He answered.
‘In all this you didn’t care to remember that Almighty God is a witness to all you were doing, that I was being violated since I was not your wife …..’
‘I am sorry Talatu what your husband offered me to do this was a lot of money. I saw the chance to go for my master’s degree abroad and decided to agree. He assured me that nothing will go wrong because you will always be sedated. I am very, very sorry, please forgive me.’ He begged.
‘No, just pick your clothes and leave my room. I will deal with your cousin in my own way. After he left, I locked up my room and just lied down on my bed and cried. He must have reported everything to Danladi because within minutes he was at my door knocking. Luckily all my keys were in one place, there was no spare outside. He knocked and begged me to open the door but I didn’t even reply him. I knew if I were to lay eyes on him I will hit him with the first weapon I saw. I felt so betrayed that all I wanted was to kill someone.
 I therefore ignored the door till he got tired and left. He repeated the same thing after the dawn prayer but I refused to open the door. I remained in my room till after he left for work. That was when I opened my door, had some breakfast and came straight to your house. At first I wanted to tell you everything. But then I felt so ashamed I didn’t know where to start. Please let me spend the night here. I will travel home first thing tomorrow inshaAllah.’ Talatu concluded.
‘I am truly sorry about this Talatu. What kind of a human being is Danladi? Please stay here as long as you wish and if he should ever show up at our door asking for you, I will personally chase him out.
Do you think he’s really impotent?’ I asked.
‘I don’t know Anti Bint and I don’t care. From this moment on Danladi is dead to me.’ She replied, resolutely.