Chapter 1
Three years ago.
Yusuf POV
I was drowning in darkness, I could feel what was going on around me but I couldn't move, I couldn't even open my eyes. I heard what people around me were saying, their cries. The movement of one place to another but I couldn't open my eyes.
I didn't know how many days, weeks, months or years that I'd been living in the darkness.
I heard someone coming in, taking a seat. The person held my hands, stroking it softly. The person's hand was warm.
"Yusuf, wake up" it was my mom, she was crying as usual. "It has been so long, dear. Just give a sign or twitch your finger or furrow your brow" She sniffled, I wished to move my hand to comfort her but it was impossible.
Some minutes passed before I heard the screech of the chair I believed she was sitting on. She was going again. I'd like to stop her, I was tired of this darkness.
My eyes flutter opened, I blinked continuously so that my eyes could adapt to the ray of light.
"Mom" I croaked out and everything went blank.
I'd lost consciousness.
~~~~
I'd been moved to another room after I'd regained consciousness. The doctor came in and asked me how I was feeling then I replied to him I was feeling okay except for the slight headache.
"What happened?" I asked in a low voice.
"You met with an accident two years ago" mum replied.
"Me? accident?" I asked dumbfounded because I couldn't remember being in an accident.
"Yeah"
"But, why don't I remember?"
"What do you remember last?" as the doctor asked, I searched my deepest mind for anything but found nothing. I held my head while I felt immense pain.
"It's okay, don't force yourself. You'll remember with time" he advised.
"Sophia has given..." I looked at her confused.
Who's the hell was Sophia?
The name sounds strange in my head.
"Mom" I cut her off when she was blabbing, "Who is Sophia?" she stared at me as I'd grown another pair of the head.
"Don't tell me, you don't know who Sophia is? She asked timidly while I nodded. She opened her mouth to scream or talk before the doctor dragged her out, telling her there was something important he needed to talk about.
~~~~
Life had been going smoothly with my fiance and personal nurse (Khadijah) who regulated everything about my health. She told me to use our spare time to teach at school. Well, I did not resent it because I met a boy there - Abdullahi. He was a lovely kid, his parents were blessed to have him.
I wished I was the one who gave birth to him.
On Abdullahi's fifth birthday, he was in a car accident which nearly killed me. He loses so much blood that the doctors were trying to find a suitable match for him. My mum told me about this and I went to the hospital without missing a bit. I'd grown attached to the boy if anything were to happen to him. I would definitely leave myself down. After I donated my blood, I visited him at the hospital thrice a day.
When Abdullahi told me his mother was coming to school, I was excited. I could not wait to see his mother. He never stops talking about his mother. Even though, through his stuttering, he always feels excited when talking about his mommy. His mother must be a very nice woman.
Abdullah tugged my sleep when I was trying to rest my brain after a long time of teaching. Teachers were really trying; writing lessons notes, teaching, writing it on the board, checking the pupils' mistakes. Kudos to the world teachers.
He was smiling happily, jumping up and down, clapping his hands together. "Captain Z, my mom is around" he beamed. The tiredness in my body flew out of the window. I stood up abruptly, button up my shirt and sleeve.
I couldn't wait to see his mother. Abdullahi dragged me toward the room where his mother was. I was getting nervous. I could feel a bead of sweat on my forehead, my hands were moist with sweat.
Abdullah opened the door, I was the lady backing the door. It looked like her and my fiance were arguing about something. "Mom" Abdullah called to the lady who was backing us. "Mee-et cap-tain Z" I heard Abdullah said in a happy voice.
I smiled, waiting for her to turn around as she stared up at me. She looked shocked and surprised, she was breathing hard. Her eyes were closing and opening, realization washed over me that she was about to faint.
"Not again", I heard her mumbled. Shaking her head vigorously in denial.
And she mumbled out "Yusuf" before she fell on my arms.
~~~~~
Abdullah's mother was doing like a possessed being, I avoided her at all especially after her scene when she woke up, calling me 'Yusuf' and I told my name wasn't Yusuf but she was in denial. She hit my chest, telling me I was lying.
The woman was crazy, I thought.
My wedding day arrived, I couldn't wait to marry Khadijah, she took care of me very well. My medicine at the right time, food served at the right time but I didn't know why my mother didn't like her though. As I was dressing, the door to my room was locked and I called the person at the door in. Abdullah's mother came in looking nervous. I was shocked when I saw she was the one, I mentally groaned.
I gave her a chair to sit and she sat down telling me she had a story for me. I was physically upset but I put it in her bay and told her I was hearing.
She started with the story of a girl, I laughed, butted in, asking her question in between her storytime. The story she was saying was conjuring in my brain, turning to image. I felt a sharp piercing pain in my head, I held it softly and told her to stop but she never, she continued. The pounding and sting in my head were making it hard for me to breath. I clutched my head for any possible way to slow the pain down but her voice was making it intensified.
The woman was a bad omen, she couldn't even help me, I thought.
"Then after suffering for three years, she later married to her childhood crush but the childhood crush was suffering from an anger issue. Well, she lives through her second husband's abuse. Five years later, fortunately, she met her first husband but unfortunately, the husband did not remember her, telling her that he was her Yusuf, he was Zubair'' she sobbed, she moved closer to me to touch me but I pushed her away.
I didn't want her help.
"Don't touch me!" my eyes glistening with tears, "my head" I cried. "Mom!" I hollered for my mother.
My mother came inside worriedly, I held her hand vulnerable. "Mom, my head. My medicine" I clutched my head.
"Go to the shelf there my wife, his medicine is there," she told her and she went to the shelf as she took the medicine, the medicine slipped from her mind and fell. The pills scattered on the fall.
She came to my mother's side, "the medicine has.." she sobbed on her clumsy shaky hands.
She was a misfortune.
I held my head, breathing heavily. My eyes were opening and closing, I was fighting for consciousness. She and my mother tried to make me stand, as I stood up, I fell down with a loud thud and everything went dark.
~~~~
When I woke up at the hospital, my mother narrated everything to me about Khadijah deeds. She choked Sophia. I couldn't wait for her to wake up and plead for forgiveness.
How could I forget her?
My drug.
The air I breathe in.
My rock
I remembered everything.
The woman I called bad omen was my wife, the mother of my child.
The woman I called misfortune was my wife, the mother of my child.
We all went to her room, she was miserable. Her face looked paler than before. She was knowledgeable. Allah blessed her with knowledge. I could wait for her to come home with me. I grinned at my thoughts.
Then her mother broke the news that she was pregnant, my world shattered. They were laughing, I was breaking inside. When she noticed my expression, she stopped laughing and scribbled down something. Everyone left leaving only the guy, me and her.
She said she had moved on, she waited for me. I caused her pain.
No
I was feeling an agonizing pain inside.
My mind was crushed.
My brain was crumbling.
My heart was breaking.
I crouched on the ground, crying my heart out.
I'd lost her.