Chapter Five

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They both decided it'll be best to have separate rooms for now, Muhammad had said,

"I'll wait for however long it takes for you to get comfortable with me but be warned, once you do, you won't be able to keep your hands off this hunk."

They both bursted into laughter, "hunk is a muscular man, see your thin arms, no be only hunk, you that have the face of hulk."

His eyes widened in horror and she laughed hard at his reaction, now retired back in her room, Amirah smiled at the memory as she arranged her clothes in the wardrobe, Muhammad was just something else.

When they had met, she had been blown away with how much this good looking man was staring at her and when he had walked up to her to make her laugh and collect her number, Amirah had already began crushing on everything about him.

It took her four months to get bored and irritated with him, that was the longest for her. The little things he used to do that was heart warming to her began to provoke her but he stuck with her, he was like an itch that refused to go away. When Baba had called her to ask her about the man Hajiya said wanted to marry her and who's name was Muhammad, she had been left appalled and had no choice but to go with it, he then asked to see the man.

Three days was the amount of time it took a very excited Muhammad to get an urgent leave from his workplace and to come down to Kano to see her father, it turned out his father was an old friend of Baba.

If only Muhammad knew the things she had done was capable of she was sure he wouldn't be this head over heels for her.

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Amirah was awoken by a pounding on her door and someone calling her name from the other side of it, she groggily rubbed her eyes and turned on her bedside lamp.

"Amirah!" Muhammad called again followed by another knock.

"I'm coming." She said in a voice filled with irritation, it wasn't daybreak so what was so important he had to disturb her sleep?

She opened the door to reveal Muhammad claded in a brown thawb.

"What's wrong? Why did you have to wake me up? Do you know how long it took for me to finally fall asleep?" He seemed taken aback by her questions and the annoyance in her tone.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to wake you up so we could perform the fajr prayers together." He explained.

"I'm unclean." She said and without waiting to hear anything more from him, she shut the door in his face and went back to the warmness of her bed.

The next time she opened her eyes, her bedside clock read 10am, she dragged her limbs from the bed and went out of the room, from the quiet nature of the house, she guessed that Muhammad had already gone to work. His little fajr drama this morning had irked her, maybe she should warn him about it, her sleep was highly important so he shouldn't interrupt it by waking her up for prayers, she prayed fajr whenever she woke up and if she woke up after the allocated time for praying, she doesn't bother.

Amirah headed to her favorite part of her new home, the kitchen. It was huge and to her liking.

She checked the top shelfs for something to eat. She ended up preparing noodles and she decided she'll need to go the market soon.

After eating, Amirah cleaned for she hated seeing even the littlest of dirt and no speck of dirt ever escaped her sharp eyes, Khadijah usually teased her about having OCD.

Cleaning the house prove to be not much of a trouble and she was soon done leaving her extremely bored, with nothing much to do, she went into her bags and brought out her drawing sheet, she began designing buildings.

Two hours into it, she was tired and extremely bored.

"Ya Allah! What does he expect me to do around here?"

Shaking her head, she took her bath and changed into a blue gown, picked up her veil and phone before heading out for a walk, just as she was in the compound, she heard a knock on the gate.

Wondering who it was, she opened the gate to reveal a short and plump woman.

"Hello I'm Mrs Jane, the cleaning lady for the estate. Your husband asked for my services."

"Oh! uhmm I'm sorry, I don't think I'll be needing your services, it was probably a mistake from my husband's part." Amirah explained, she saw the crestfallen look that envelope the lady's face then she thought about rethinking her decision.

"Or... maybe I actually do but not today, how about tomorrow?"

Her face immediately lit up, "tomorrow is good, thank you ma. See you then."

Amirah locked the gate behind her and went down the long road, she decided to call Hajiya.

"Assalamu alaykum- peace be upon you. How are you doing?" Hajiya asked as soon as she picked.

"Walaykum salam- and unto you peace. I'm fine, how are things at home?"

"Alhamdulilah- praises be to Allah. How is your husband? How are you feeling? You must be sore, pour that black oil into warm water and use it to wash yourself down there thoroughly."

Amirah rolled her eyes, "Hajiya I'm fine don't bother."

"Toh sannu. Where's your husband?"

"He went to work before I..." Amirah realized what she was just about to reveal but it was too late for Hajiya caught on it and Amirah was ahocked when she heard her laughter.

"So he stressed you that much? Muhammadu kennan."

Amirah just left Hajiya to her dirty thoughts, they spoke more before the call finally ended. Khadijah was next.

"Matar mu. What's up? How's marriage life Mrs Amirah Muhammad Balarabe?"

"This girl! Marriage life is nothing special abeg, I was still sleeping when he left for work."

"Was that how much he stressed you last night? That Muhammadu!" Khadijah said laughing.

"Are you sure it's not Hajiya that's your mother? You both have to get your minds out of the gutter wallahi. We didn't do anything last night and besides, we have separate rooms."

"Separate rooms?" Khadijah asked in obvious shock.

"Yes, separate rooms, I had even been the one to request it."

"Haba Amirah, I'm sure that wasn't what Muhammad had in mind when he asked you to marry him, which newly wedded couple have you heard of using separate rooms? Why don't you just go ahead and live in separate houses?"

"Are we like the regular couples? He forced himself on me."

"Be there treating him anyhow, your husband is a fine man and you are both now living in Lagos, I heard the girls there even prefer married men so be guided and treat your man right before another girl who treats him like a king snatches him right out of your hands."

"Toh let her snatch him, I'll just come back to Baba's house, I wasn't even ready to leave sef."

"Be careful what you wish for." Khadijah said in a sing song voice.

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Night arrived soon enough and Amirah had noodles for dinner again, she was ready to go to bed even though it was just past 7, that was how much this place was boring her, the estate had steady lights but the television was yet to be set up. She was used to being in a full house with loud chatters all day long or she and Khadijah will just take a stroll to any of their friend's place, here she was running out of her mind.

Her phone pinged indicating a message just came in.

I'm sorry, I might be a little late, there's been an emergency at the hospital. I've sent someone to the house with dinner for you.

She couldn't help but smile at his thoughtfulness, so she replied with a thank you.

Thirty minutes later, a knock rang from the gate, she opened the door and saw a man standing outside, she couldn't deny how good looking he was,

"Hello, I'm Muhammad's friend Abubakar, your husband asked me to bring this for you." He handed her the blue polythene bag.

"Thank you." She said collecting the bag.

"You are welcome and hope my friend isn't troubling you much?"

She shook her head with a smile.

"I think you should know he really wanted to come home early to you but there was an emergency at the hospital and..."

"I know, thank you."

He nodded, "goodnight."

"Goodnight."

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The next morning Amirah was woken up by an incesstant knock, she got up from her bed and headed to the door angrily ready to give her so called husband a damn piece of her mind.