ALWAYS ZAYN

17'

"Allah will make matters easy in the hereafter for he who eases hardship for a Muslim." -Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H)

HIS PAST.

"That girl was my wife." Even though Nana wanted nothing to do more than keep quite and listen more closely and reckfully, she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her mouth. That proved that she's in autopilot. That filthy woman was his wife? Why the heck did he marry her and why is she sounding so jealous herself? Well, she's his wife after all. She has all the rights to do that.

"She wasn't like this before or so I thought." He answered her unquestioned question but that didn't stop the jealousy from consuming her being. "Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" He chuckled when she frowned, she looks very cute but he wants to see her smile, so he trace his hand to smoothen the furrow around her brow and then draw a smile with his index and thumb fingers he continued when the smile didn't move.

For some odd and unbeknownst reasons to him, he wants to tell her everything that has happened between him and that filthy woman. Is not that it's a bad past, it is but he's over it.

"I had this friend called Munir. We were really closed like twin brothers and to top it all, we were neighbours so we got to spend all our days together. I thought everything was good but damn, I was so naive to notice that. We finished our secondary and it was time to go to university. I decided that I should stop smoking, yeah, we were smoking from grade 11 to 12 and that was his doing. He said that 'smoking will take all our worries away' and those were his words. I thought, oh yes, let's chill because some other day, we won't be able to do that. I told him about my decision but he didn't agree so I continued like the sick puppy I was." He chuckled darkly.

"When my father got to know that he's the bad influencer, he withdraw his hands from paying his school fees and took me to Oxford University to separate me with him. That didn't work the first year though. He was schooling in Ahmadu Bello University Zaria but we were still very close and closer when I came back after finishing my first year. We kept on hanging through out the two months break I had and then I continued smoking. I stopped when I went to London but continued because of him. My father was very disappointed that he didn't let me come back for any break till after four years.

"I failed my first year studying international relationship because I wasn't concentrating very much. I had to drop the course and take business management even though that was not what I wanted to major in. My father was disappointed but he didn't show it because he loves me so much. My family love me so much that it broke my heart when I didn't let go of my hatred for those horrible people, which results to so many problems.

"They visited five times when I was there -the whole family- just because they don't want me to come back and meet Munir again. My father almost filed a complaint against him but I stopped him and choose to stay back in London.

"Then I met this girl, Halima, the one we met earlier. She was this innocent fellow that doesn't even talk to anyone only some few girls. She's always pushing her nose in her book or phone all the time and I always bump into her almost everyday. I didn't notice her at first but Munir told me about her. He was in Nigeria but he's telling me about someone who is in Oxford and I didn't even question how they knew each other. I get to know her for sometime, she lived in Nigeria and the same state as me and all. We started dating after a few weeks of knowing each other as she asked me out. She said she wants to try dating someone 'cause she's never dated anyone before. Of course I agreed as I thought she was a saint but darn, was I wrong.

"She also smokes! After so many pushings, I started smoking also but this time with her. Then she drugged me one night, we were sitting in her dorm and the room was all hers and uh, we slept together. Not just sleep but you know." Nana murmured Subhan'Allah underneath her breath but didn't judge. The jealousy kept bubbling inside her though. She keeps decapitating Halima's head in her mind.