CHAPTER 22

Na'ima the third wife of Zahid was

in Paris when she got the news

that her husband is about to take

a fourth wife. She employed a

private investigator to follow her

husband everywhere he goes, a

few months ago. So that she can

have daily updates on what he

does.  It is no news to everyone

who knows Zahid that his third

wife Na'ima is the most beautiful

of his wives and she is also a model

and an actress. Na'ima who has

always prided herself on her beauty

and talent felt that she will be the

last wife of Zahid but when she

got the news of his first marriage,

she went crazy and began to trash

everywhere in her hotel room

because she has always been

known to have a nasty temper.

She was attending a Fashion Week

at Paris when her private investigator

updated her on her husband's new

adventure. She instantly left

everything that she was doing and

took the next flight coming back to

London. She refused to move down

to Saudi Arabia with Zahid after

their marriage because of her

career. Before marrying Zahid,

she had an agreement with him

that she will never be forced to

wear hijabs. Although Na'ima

wears hijabs but she prefers to

do it on her own terms not

because someone is forcing

her to do it. Immediately she got

to London, she went to her

parent's house as she went to cry

and whine to her mother about how

Zahid wants to turn her life upside

down by getting married a fourth wife.

Na'ima's mother who has always

pampered her daughter was furious

after she heard that her son-in-law

was about to take another wife.

She looked at her daughter who

was crying beside her and felt

very angry at Zahid. She stood

and asked her daughter. What does

he want that he can't get from you?

You are from a very good family,

you are talented, beautiful, and

accomplished. What does he want

from a third rate model who lives in

Africa? I think it's high time we

looked for that model and teach

her a lesson. Your father never

married a second wife because I

never allowed it. Despite the fact

that his family was forcing him to

get a second wife because I could

not have another child after giving

birth to you, he could not dare it

because he knew who I was. Na'ima,

I think it's high time you also tread

the path that I did. When you

become so calm for a man, he feels

like he can do whatever he wants

to do, to you and you have no right

to protest.

While mother and daughter were

busy complaining, Na'ima's father

walked in as he clapped his hands

and laughed. He looked at his wife

and asked her, do you think that

every man is like me? I never took a

second wife because I never felt

like doing it not because you

stopped me. Stop deceiving your

daughter and giving her the wrong

ideas because her case right now,

is the case of a third wife crying that

her husband is cheating on her. How

is that even possible? Zahid already

had two wives before he married

you and his two wives welcomed

you and accommodated you

despite the fact that all you've ever

been to them is rude. Do not forget

that his first and second wives are

better than you are, so why will you

stop your husband from marrying

a third wife even though you feel

better than her? I guess you are

forgetting that you have no say in

whatever your husband does.

Her mother looked at her father

and said, do not let our daughter

feel small. Our daughter is being

treated unfairly and instead of you

to encourage her and call her

husband to order, you are here

blaming her instead. Are you even

the father of this girl? 

You have always been a bad

woman that's the reason you want

to influence your daughter to also

be like you but I would like you to

understand that men of these

days are not as patient as I was

with you. When you instill bad

morals in your daughter, be ready

to receive her back to your house

very soon because she will be

kicked out of her husband's house.

As it is already, her manners are

terrible so do not make them worse

than they are. You have made her

depend so much on her looks which

is worse than making a person feel

small because the day anything

happens to any part of her skin, that

day you might end up losing your

precious daughter. It was your job

to teach this girl how to be a proper

lady but you failed at it because you

were busy running after me to see

the next woman I am talking with so

you can fight with her. It is still not

too late to teach your daughter

what is right and wrong. When I go

out these days, I hear people talk

about how my daughter has got a

nasty temper which she can barely

control and such news does not

bring me Joy.

Her mother shouted, I don't care if

my daughter has got a nasty

temper or not. Whoever cannot

take it should get away from her.

I brought her up as a princess and

a princess she will be because

princesses are created to give

orders and not take orders from

people.

Na'ima's father shook his head

as he says, you are also forgetting

that princesses are created to serve.

I pity you on this perilous journey

you are taking your daughter on.

Don't just come crying back to me

when it all crashes on your head

and this girl begins to blame you

for how her life has turned out. If

Zahid decides to take another wife,

I will gladly attend the wedding and

welcome the young lady like a

father should.

Na'ima got very angry after she

heard her father made such

comments. She cried and asked

her father. Aren't you supposed to

support me because I am your

child? Why should you support

someone else who you do not even

know? You want to attend the

marriage of the lady who wants

to snatch your daughter's husband.

Do you want the world to make

mockery of me and feel that I

am incompetent that's the

reason that he took another wife.

Mum can you please talk to Dad.

Na'ima cried and stormed out of her

parent's house because the only

place she thought that she could

go to find comfort has been made

uncomfortable by her father. She

got home, packed her bags, and

was headed for Nigeria because

she needs to see that Najiba whom

her husband wants to get married to.

It's only been three years since

Zahid got married to her and she

decided not to have children yet

because of her career and so that

she can always look young and

sexy for her husband. She cried and

shouted when she got to their house

in London. You bastard Zahid just

last week you were here and we

made love on this bed. You

always make me think that I will

be your last wife so why are you

going after another woman? Now

everyone will laugh at me because

you are  trampling on my pride.

Najiba got to her house and the

first thing she did was to contact

her parents. When the call got

connected, she did not bother

asking her mother how she has

been as she already knows

that her mother is fine because

a person who is not fine will not

be busy arranging someone else's

marriage behind their backs. She

immediately bombarded her mother

with questions. Mum why are you

joining father to do this to me?

Haven't I told you that I don't want

to get married now? You know that

if I marry Zahid he will drag me

down to Saudi Arabia and cover me

with a hijab. How do you expect me

to follow my dreams with that?

Mum I have always had faith in you

but you have just let me down.

Calm down sweetheart, you can still

have faith in me. Instead of scolding

me, you should be grateful and

thanking me for trying to give your

career a boost. In case you have

not noticed, Zahid is not a man

who will force you to wear a hijab or

force you to go live in Saudi Arabia.

I got you the best match that you can

ever get and instead of getting a

thank you I am receiving a scolding?

It's thatt how I brought you up to

be? Ungrateful? Najiba I am your

mother and I will do anything to

make you happy and elevate you to

the peak of your career. If you marry

Zahid, you will have his money and

connections in your grasp and you

can still have your men because he

will be too busy chasing after other

women than trying to monitor you

and know what you are doing.

Mum are you serious? Do you know

that he gave me twelve days to

think about the marriage? Initially,

I wanted to refuse but after hearing

everything that you have just told me,

I will accept and I promise that I won't

let you down because you are the

best mother in the world.

 Of course I am the best mother in

the world. Who else will look out for

you if not your mother? I went to his

father to propose this marriage and

stylishly reminded his father of the

debt of gratitude that he owes your

father. So you see my dear, whatever

problem you have, just leave it to your

mother because she will handle it

for you. I just want you to avoid being

seen with other men in this period

because this is a very crucial time

and his other wives might just be

watching you so they can discredit

you in his presence and stop the

marriage. You have to be very

careful and watch out for his third

wife Na'ima. If you think that your

friends are evil, try my Na'ima

because she is the queen of evil.

So my dear you have to be wise and

smart and you have to come back

home because you still need to learn

from me except you want Na'ima to

stop your marriage or kick you out of

the marriage within two weeks.

Najiba's mother knows so much

about Na'ima because she and

Na'ima's mother were friends

when they were younger. Najiba's

mother met a man whom she

loved and he also loved her but

her friend came in between them

as she did everything possible to

make sure she separated them

and got married to the man. Today

they have a daughter who is exactly

like her mother and even worse.

She purposely instigated Zahid's

father into forcing his son to

marrying Najiba because she

wanted to get back at her friend

for cheating her many years ago.

She wants to use her daughter to

do the same thing which her friend

did to her but this time, she will

not let her friend win because she

has grown smarter over the years.

Najiba's mother smiled as she can't

wait to see the look on her friend's

face on the day her daughter marries

Zahid. She was giving her daughter

a better future and at the same time,

getting her revenge on her friend

who betrayed her many years ago.

She smiled as she looked at a

picture in her hands and said,

Hajar, you thought it was over

after you married the man that I

was in love with and relocated with

him to London because you had

more money. I told you back then

that I will make sure that I get back

at you but you never understood

because you thought I was bluffing.

The heavens has blessed me with a

daughter just as it did you and now

the battle will begin again in a new

generation and we will see who will

emerge victorious at the end of the day.

 Sarah finally located Itohan and went

to pay her a visit in her office. When

Itohan was told that she had a visitor,

she thought it was an old friend or a

client, so she asked the person to

come in. When Sarah stepped into

the office, Itohan went frozen for

a few seconds because she never

expected to set her eyes upon this

evil lady again in her life.

Sarah smiled as she looked around

Itohan's office and said, well the

poor will always be poor and the

middle class will always remain as

the middle class because that is

how they are designed to be. I can

see that you have still not gotten

married because it seems you

could never get over Jamil. What a

pity that you are still here wasting

away and instead of being the

model that you have always

wanted to be, you ended up being

a manager. What a sad story. Do

you know that I think about you

almost every day, and each time I do,

I feel sad for your life because

everyone moved on except you

Itohan. Your love life became zero,

your career also died. That's really

sad. Indeed I wonder how you still

manage to livee your life after 

everything that has happened

because the best thing you should

have done for yourself was to

commit suicide.

Itohan regained her composure

and laughed. Well, little evil girl

Sarah, I think you are wrong when

you said everyone moved on with

their lives except me. I can see that

you have no career and you are still

single while Jamil is married. You

can see that I am better because

I picked something else to do and I

excel at it. Unlike some people who

are busy moving to and fro like the

devil Looking For Whom to devour.

Sarah laughed and said, well, you

are mistaken because Jamil is no

longer married, so very soon, I will

 have him in my arms once again.

Nobody can ever separate me from

him and I guess that's a lesson you

and his late wife Samantha have

learned the hard way already. Oh! I

forgot to tell you that his wife

passed on over a week ago. Oh poor

Samantha God rest her soul was

bitten by a viper in her home and

no one knew how it entered the

house while her husband was away

at work and it was midnight also.

The phone lines weren't working on

that day because there was a  heavy

storm.

After hearing what Sarah had just said,

Itohan couldn't believe that Sarah will

go as far as killing somebody

because of her obsession for a

man who will never see her as

anything other than a younger sister.