Chapter 1

Safeeya's pov "Safeeya!" He yelled my name so loudly, that I knew he wanted something. maybe he had lost his hoodie or even his towel. "Yes Humaid, I am coming" I yelled while rounding up the work which I had in the kitchen. I dropped the soup from the gas and placed it on the island, after doing all that, I made my way to him. He was sitting on the couch in the living room, he didn't look like he needed my help. "Yes Humaid, what do you need?" I asked. "Well, I wanted-" He said, he had a sly smile on his face, a mischievous one that a person gets when they are about to do something stupid. "What?" I asked, my Hausa intonation was very clear, I hate it whenever I speak like that, but it is part of me I can never lose. "You," he said, I raised my left eyebrow in confusion. "What do you need me for?" I was so confused, he was acting very weird. "Well I wanted to watch a movie with you, the 3d movie which I had promised to watch with you," he said, I chuckled. "Oh, you got the movie?" I asked, I sat down next to him. "Yes I did, so common let's go to the bedroom and watch it. it's a very interesting Korean movie," he said, we took calm strides over to the bedroom. Our house happens to be a two-bedroom bungalow, it is very conducive to live in and I love it. "Your hands feel so soft" He chuckled. "Yes, I have been using that thing you got me, what do they call it again?" I was trying so hard to remember the name of the cream he got me last week, after complaining that my palms were too rough for a lady's. "Shea butter," He said while opening the door to the bedroom, I facepalmed myself, the name was so easy to remember, yet I forgot. "Oh yeah, Shea butter" Sometimes I wished I could do away with this horrible Hausa accent of mine. I wish I could speak so audibly like alhanislam. a poet and a motivational speaker on Instagram whom Adeelah my Friend once told me about, I wish I was her. "That's it," He said, he had inserted the DVD in the decoder. "Jumong?" I questioned feeling quite bored already, he nodded. "Yeah, I didn't watch the last episode where his grandson was the one taking the rule" Humaid sat on the couch next to me, and I rolled my eyes. "Well I don't actually like war films so I am going to sleep, as it is, it's almost time for Isha (Islamic obligatory prayer)" I said while checking the time on my phone. "Why? please watch it with me " he tried to pout, I laughed, he looked very ugly doing that, it didn't suit him one bit. "I need to sleep wallahi," I said while standing up on my feet. "Okay then, goodnight, I'll be here till midnight. I need to watch the film till the end" He said while adjusting the pillows on the couch. "Okay then, bye, but don't forget to pray Isha," I said and he nodded. "Goodnight," I said before making my way toward the stairs. I walked slowly with the thought of my life invading my heart. Two years ago I was a village girl whose mum sold kosai (beans cake) as a means of earning, but with the Arrival of Aunty Zarah, Humaid's mother, everything changed, my life changed. Aunty Sarah adored my behavior and the fact that I could speak fluent English and also write without going to school. I didn't attend the school like most people my age because Baba, my father, believed that it was a waste of money. Indeed, it wasn't easy watching my friends go to school, I had to sit home all day and do nothing helpful but run errands. Being a curious person, I begged my friend Iman, who had the opportunity to go to school to teach me, she thought me a lot, and that is why I'm able to read and write today. Aunty Sarah on the other hand came with a proposal to me to get married to her son, Humaid. who had liked me from the very first day he set his eyes on me. And thankfully, I also had a liking for him just like many girls in the village did back then. Humaid was a handsome and charming young man who could sweep a girl off her feet with just his smile, many girls wanted him but he chose me and here I am, happily married to him.