Chapter 36

"What are you doing in my room? Look I don't have time for any of...." Salmah smacked her hard across her fair cheek. "This is for disrespecting my aunties and mother." Then she smacked her other cheek, "and this if for slapping me for no reason." Before amira could recover from the shock and pain, they all gathered around her before they started pouncing on her. She didn't know who started the first punch but all she could do was yelp for help. They hit her till she was numb and in pain. "What is going on here? Oh ya Allah, amira? Get away from my daughter you rascals." Mommy pushed them away and knelt before her daughter. Before they could leave the room, Muhsin's mother came in together with Aunty Raliya, Yusuf's mother and Aunty Hadiza, salmah's mother. They looked at amira to the girls standing there as if they did nothing. "What has she done to you? Why would you beat my daughter? A fully grown woman? Are you all crazy?" Mommy fumed in anger as she glared at them. "What? They did what?" Aunty Raliya being the eldest spoke. Muhsin's mother was so much in shock that she couldn't utter a word. "Salmah, what happened?" Aunty raliya asked the oldest. Salmah crossed her arms on her chest as she breathed heavily. "Yapendo, she did a lot of things and you guys didn't do anything about it so we took matters into...." The sound of the slap scared the rest of the girls there. "Thank you," salmah's mother mouthed. "Go and kneel down in Hajiya mama's room. All of you!" She yelled and they quickly left the room before she pounced on them. "Please forgive them for their childish act. We need to take her to the hospital for check up," aunty raliya mouthed as she knelt down beside amira to check if they've wounded her and luckily, her eye was starting to swell up as she bleed from her mouth. "Wallah I will not agree to any apology. I must revenge, they cannot go scot-free for this! I will not agree to any of your apologies..." "Will you shut up," her mother shouted. She looked at them and smiled a little. "Don't worry Hajiya, she will be fine. And it's okay. She deserved what they did to her since she decided to be stubborn and disrespectful," she finished talking as she glared at amira. Muhsin's mother left to get her some ice while Yusuf and salmah's mothers consoled her. Hajiya mama looked at her grandchildren standing by the wall in her room. "I said what are you doing here? What's with the angry faces?" She asked them again. "Hajiya it's Mommy, please don't allow her punish us. We did something and I know she wants to punish us," salmah lamented as she approached her grandmother. Hajiya mama looked at her grandchildren to the women seated in the room. "You don't want your favourite grandchildren to get beaten right?" Salmah whines while she hugged hajiya mama. "My people look at this girl? Can you imagine? What have you done to Hadiza?" She asked filled with amusement. The two women came in, Aunty raliya and aunty Hadiza. With their faces showing no mercy. "ha'an, you people should tell me what's going on. Hadiza? What happened what did salmah and her sister's did that you want to beat them?" Hajiya mama asked looking at her two daughter's ready to pounce on their children. "Mama we did not say we were going to beat them. Please don't allow them to deceive you. These five idiots went into Muhsin's room and beat his wife mercilessly and salmah is their leader. She's there with a swollen eye and a bleeding mouth." Salmah quickly stood up from the bed before hajiya mama could land a painful smack on her face. "Come back here salamatu," she commanded. "Hajiyata please, at least listen to our side of the story," she pleaded. "Hajiya mama, these kids took the matter into their hands just because she disrespected me and her mother in law," aunty Hadiza cuts in while she glared at her daughter. "She slapped me, twice and Hamma Muhsin did nothing about it," she imparted to defend herself. "Shut up! Who did you inform about that? You just went ahead to beat someone's wife not thinking of what her husband might do to you? And who told you he did nothing about it? Were you together with them the whole time?" Hajiya mama Bawled. "Look, you people should get out of my room. Whatever your mothers decide to do to you, you deserve it and prepare for your brother's punishment too." Hajiya sent them all away when she remembered the preying eyes around them. Aunty Hadiza grabbed salmah by the ear and pushed her out with the rest. Immediately after prayers, the knot was tied. Hadiza Abdulmutallab Saraki was finally married to her cousin, Ahmad Adam Saraki. After the wedding reception, they headed back home just for Muhsin to find out what happened and deep in him, he was happy about what they did. He acted like it was nothing and ignored her throughout the day while she spent the whole day in their room tearing up. Later in the evening, his mother summoned him to her room. He met her sitting on the edge of the bed. She eyed him the moment he entered her room. He found a spot on the soft carpet and settled down before her. "Aunty you were looking for me," he muttered, gazing at her displeased expression before he lowered his gaze. "You think what you have done to your wife was the right or a cool thing? Pretending to be ignorant, you know I have noticed you the whole day that you didn't check up on her despite knowing what your sisters did." He knew this was going to happen the moment he came in and observed her facial expression. What exactly has he done wrong here? "Aunty whatever happened, it was her fault. You keep saying we should let her be and she keeps on disrespecting..."