Taofeek
I
was pacing back and forth in my office, wondering what would be the outcome of
the meeting and how I would be able to handle the presentation which would be held
in the next thirty minutes. I wondered why the so-called presentation had to
happen on the same day I would be meeting Khayrah to reveal what she had been
hiding from me…what everyone had been hiding from me.
The
presentation would hold soon and I needed to report financial statements and
tax returns to the management before noon. When Khayrah had asked where we
could meet, I had suggested that we meet at Treaties, a restaurant located on
the same street where I worked.
Khayrah
had promised to reveal what she was hiding after breakfast on the day she was
discharged from the hospital. I had spent close to an hour at her place, talking
to her family members and eating pancakes and fish rolls prepared by Hafsah.
Khayrah
had accompanied me to the end of the street when I was leaving for home,
sighing deeply and occasionally glancing at me. I knew that what she was about
to say would be something so grievous, that it might affect our relationship.
Tears
streamed down her face as she stopped halfway and stared at me. “I cannot tell
you. Not now, not today. Not even tomorrow. I’m scared of telling you this and
I hope you forgive me when you realize the truth. I’m scared because telling
you now might make it the last time I’ll be seeing your face. Can we see on
Monday? I promise to tell you everything!” she had pleaded and I nodded in
response, fighting the tears that had swelled my eyes from falling.
Today
was finally the D-day! The day I would find out the truth…the truth that Khayrah
had kept away from me.
A sudden knock on the office door startled me
from my thought. Daniel came in that second, smiling graciously. “Fine guy! How you dey now? You just dey
fresh anyhow like butter! Me sef wan get fine face like you oo!” He
laughed, striding towards the table and taking a seat.
Daniel
was my closest colleague at my workplace. A tall and lanky man who hailed from
the Eastern part of the country, he had a jovial nature that always made me
cheerful, even on days that I felt disconsolate.
“Fine face no dey bring money oo!”
I chuckled, resuming my seat and playing with the stapler on the table.
Daniel
roared in a staccato of laughter. “But e
dey bring fine babes…”
“This babe I wan marry…I no know
wetin she wan tell me. I just dey confused. I no fit concentrate.”
“Khayrah?
What happened?” Daniel’s eyes widened in shock as his face turned serious all
of a sudden.
“There’s
something she’s hiding from me. It might cause our relationship to end. I spent
last night ruminating over what could have happened. It’s possible she found
out about my children. It’s possible she hasn’t gotten over her ex. It’s
possible she doesn’t want to continue with this, because of my financial
status…anything could be possible, Daniel.” I placed my hands over my head in
frustration.
Daniel
patted me on the shoulder. “You’ll be fine, I promise. You’re strong and brave.
I’m sure you can handle this. I would have invited you to our usual hangout at the
beer parlour tonight but I just remembered you’ve turned alfa!” Daniel guffawed as he marched towards the door. “Please, be
fine.”
“I
will,” I winked at him in assurance.
***
I
raised my hands in supplication and thereafter, bowed down to praise Allah for
His uncountable blessings. I thanked Him for guiding me to the right path,
despite the wrong deeds I had committed in the past. I prayed that He continued
to keep me steadfast on the right path until I take my last breath. I thanked
Him for a successful presentation and for receiving great news about my
promotion at my workplace. I prayed that my meeting with Khayrah would turn out
successful and that we would work out whatever issue she brought forth.
After
performing two rak’ah of nawafil, I kept my lips busy with praises
as I walked down the road, recalling the events that had occurred within the
space of one hour. After the successful presentation, I had been invited by the
Chief Accountant to his office. It was then he broke the news that I had been
promoted to the position of a Senior Accountant. It was unbelievable! I never
expected the news!
‘If Khayrah wants to end this because
of my financial status, then this is good news!’
I muttered, walking towards the restaurant at a faster pace.
Khayrah
was seated at the tail end of the room, engrossed in her phone as she sipped
from the flask she always took around. She always kept to time; I wondered what
made her imbibe to time management strictly. She was putting on a red gown and
black hijab, her spectacles
glistening in the room.
Walking
up to where she was seated, I smiled and greeted with the salam.
Khayrah
whipped her head up. “Wa’alaykumu salam.” She replied and lowered her eyes.
It
was very unusual for her. On a normal day, Khayrah would furrow her eyebrows
and accuse me of getting there late as usual. This time around, she smiled
weakly. Khayrah looked sick and ashen. She looked thinner than the last time I
set eyes on her. I wondered if she had fallen ill again.
“I’m
sorry. I had to perform salah before
heading here. How are you? I hope you’re in a perfect state of health?”
“AlhamduliLlaah.
I have something…” she was saying but I cut her statement in a surge of
excitement.
“I
have a piece of great news for you. But before that, I have a little concern.
You look sick, my love. Have you been sleeping with mosquito net?”
“It’s
not about mosquito net, Taofeek. There’s something I need to tell you…”
“I
have something to tell you to. I just got promoted to the position of a Senior
Accountant. This translates to an upgrade in my monthly salary. I don’t know
what you want to tell me but if it’s about the fact I’m not rich enough…”
“Please,
just let me talk!” Khayrah yelled in frustration, tears streaming down her
face.
It
was then I knew that it was more than what I had expected. It was not about my
financial status…it was worse than that!
Dreading
to hear the news, I placed my shivering hands on my head and said silently.
“Are you still in love with Abdul Lateef?”
“I
have cancer, Taofeek. Yes, you heard me right. I have cancer. I was diagnosed
with acute lymphocytic leukemia last year. I am dying, Taofeek. I wake up every
morning, knowing that my days on earth are limited. It’s like counting one’s
last breath. I’ve undergone several weeks of aggressive chemotherapy. To keep
the disease under control, I am receiving low-dose chemotherapy and radiation
therapy to kill cancer cells. I am also receiving on-and-off maintenance
treatment. Since acute leukemia patients usually have extremely low counts of
healthy blood cells, we are usually given transfusions of red blood cells and platelets,
and we receive drugs to fight infection and to reduce nausea and vomiting that
may arise as side effects of chemotherapy. I didn’t slump at Domino because of Malaria. I
slumped because of this! I do not need mosquito net…I am dying and my days on
earth are limited.” Khayrah said with shivering lips. Tears had filled her face
and she was bawling loudly, catching the attention of others in the restaurant.
My
eyes widened in shock and disbelief. I had imagined several stories Khayrah
might have planned on telling me. But I hadn’t expected it to be as worse than
this! Cancer, the deadliest disease, was what Khayrah had?! I found it
unfathomable. On second thought, I imagined that she could be joking…maybe she
had planned with her parents to test my love for her…but this was different! No
one would lie about having cancer! Khayrah had cancer! Khayrah was dying! The
woman I planned on spending the rest of my life with had limited time to spend
on earth.
I
stared at her with moistened eyes, wishing that someone would wake me from my
slumber to inform me that I had been dreaming.
“Tell
me this isn’t true. You can’t have leukemia, Khayrah. We planned on spending
the rest of our lives with each other. You can’t…”
“I
am a monster, Taofeek. I am a selfish and inconsiderate woman with no regards
for human feelings. I should have told you this from the onset. I knew that no
man would want to walk down the aisle with a dying woman…not a woman who might
leave the world before her wedding night. Abdul Lateef left me because of this.
I just wanted to fulfill my wish of falling in love and getting married before
I die. I’m really sorry, Taofeek.” Khayrah pleaded in tears.
“I…I
don’t even know what to say…” I prattled, wondering if I even knew anything
about the woman I wanted to get married to. I wondered where to start from after
feeling fulfilled that I had found the one. I wondered if I could still get
married to Khayrah, after knowing the state of her health.
“Please
forgive me. I’m sure you’re probably wondering what words to tell me…how to
tell me that the marriage wouldn’t hold. I’m used to this, Taofeek. Abdul
Lateef, a man whom I loved with all of my heart broke off our engagement when I
least expected. I won’t be surprised if you do so too, and I understand why you
have to. I was at fault for hiding such grievous news from you.”
“I’m
also at fault. We hid terrible things from each other.”
Khayrah
arched her brows in concern. “You didn’t hide anything from me…”
“I
did. I did terrible things in the past. I engaged in illicit affairs with
different women. I have three children out of wedlock.”
Khayrah
cleaned her wet nostrils and glared at me. “Three children?!”
“Yes,
Aliyah, Hassan and Hassanah.”
“I
can’t believe this. Why would you hide this from me? You know what? We’ve both
wronged each other and this won’t work.” Khayrah said, grabbing her bag and
storming out of the building.
I
didn’t try to stop her because it was right. We couldn’t be together. I
couldn’t get married to a dying woman. Khayrah couldn’t also accept the fact
that I had three children.
As
she walked out of the building, I critically studied her physique for the first
time. How hadn’t I noticed that she was too thin and frail to look normal?
***
“Cancer?
Haba! That’s too much oo! So, when you finally decided to
settle down, you didn’t see any woman but one with leukemia? B’e ko yi se tobi to, ehn Taofeek?” My
father said in an exasperating tone as we all sat in the living room, listening
to all that had transpired yesterday.
Jaleel
was seated at the right corner of the room, whipping his head up intermittently
to show that he was a part of the discussion while he was engrossed on his
laptop. Lukman, my elder brother, had visited and he was sitting beside me on
the wide sofa.
“Cancer
ke? Why didn’t she tell you before
now? It wasn’t right to keep such a thing away from her fiancé. It is very
wrong!” Lukman continued.
“But
I also hid my children from her. I should have told her before we started this
whole marriage plans.”
“Hiding
her health status is worse than this oo!
Well, thank God this is all over and you’ve just gotten promoted. In sha Allah,
you’ll find a better woman who will be your rightful wife. I’m going inside to
rest, jare.” My father remarked,
walking into the room.
Lukman
turned towards me with scrutinizing eyes. “Do you still intend to go on with
this?”
“I’m
going inside, bro. I also need to rest.” I stood up but Lukman tailed me as I
entered my room. “Do you know what it means to get married to her? She’ll be
dying anytime and you’ll be left heartbroken.”
“How
about us? We will die anytime, too. Who has the probability of not dying before
those diagnosed with cancer? This ailment can be seen as a reminder of death.
Several times, we go about our various businesses, without thinking that we
could depart this world at any point in time, with no warning. But those with
terminal illnesses are pre-informed about the vanity of this world. They are
aware that death could appear at any point and as they count their last
breaths, they are more conscious about Allah and the last day.” I admonished
him.
Lukman
sighed deeply and gazed at me. “I want to invite you to a ceremony. With your
handsome look, you’ll surely catch one or two ladies there. Is it not you? I
wonder the number of ladies you’ve been with!” He winked at me.
“What
of your wife and child?”
Lukman
snorted as he walked towards the wardrobe. “Marriage life is not that easy oo. I want us to go alone, without a
company. I miss my single life sha,”
he replied.
“Without
Aliyah?”
“You
can’t take your daughter everywhere you go to. We’re going alone to this
ceremony.”
“Okay…”
I was saying when my phone started to ring. I checked the caller and it was an
unknown number. “Hello, who’s this?”
“How
is my daughter? I hope she’s fine?”
“Who’s
this?” I asked with a shaky voice.
“Jasmine.
I just returned to Nigeria. I need to see my daughter.”
Don't miss out on the previous episodes:
0 comments:
Post a Comment