Trackside Romance

EIGHT: Shattered Vows.

Hello🌚

I slowly opened my eyes, only to be greeted by an unfamiliar pounding headache. The dawn's light seeping into the room intensified the discomfort. I groaned, massaging my temples, then sat up in bed. The memories of last night flooded back. Wait! I couldn't remember returning home. I couldn't recall anything from the party! What's wrong with me?!

The door to the room opened, and Aysha walked in and tossed a sachet of tablets onto the bed. "Take that for your headache," she said, irritation evident in her voice.

"How do you know I have a headache?" I asked, confused, as I reached for the pill.

She was about to respond, but suddenly paused. With a hiss, she grabbed her phone from the side table, and in a matter of seconds, she handed the phone over to me.

It was a video. No, not just any video. It was a scandalous clip from last night's party. The atmosphere was filled with so much celebrations, but this particular clip unveiled a shocking revelation. The video exposed me, dancing with an unfamiliar guy, in a manner that could be misinterpreted by many.

My heart sank as I watched the footage, and the room suddenly felt suffocating. Without no doubt was me.

"You've caused such a horrible scandal, Meenah" she said, "Why would you do such a thing?" She added, but I was too shaken up to reply.

My heart stopped for a few seconds. I couldn't believe it. It couldn't be me. No, please, it can't. I swiped down and read the caption. "Ameena Abdallah Alkali, formerly known as Meenah Alkali, fiancée to the popularly known Fareed Rayhan Jarma (Rjay), involved in a disastrous act. A video spreading across social media reveals her immoral and disdainful acts."

The comment section of the blogger's post was even more People expressed various negative, loathing, and abusive comments towards me.

"Did he expect less after choosing a mannerless girl to be his wife? What a display of indecency. God forbid!"

"Always acting like a saint but I knew she wasn't one."

"Rjay doesn't deserve this after all the love he has showered her with,"

"Daman I never liked her for our Rjay."

"So sad🥲! We all thought she was a decent but turns out we were wrong."

"She has caused such a huge scandal for the family. And she didn't even care that their wedding is soon approaching. Allah ya Kara, ta jawo ma kanta magana. Mtcheww"

I found myself scrolling through almost 10k comments, unable to comprehend the overwhelming responses. I'm speechless, and I'm aware my life won't be the same after this. The very condemnation I've expressed towards individuals involved in social media scandals has now become my reality. I unintentionally committed something worse I didn't mean too; it's not my fault. I can't recall anything of that sort happening.

"Wash up; Baba is waiting for you in his living room," she announced before leaving the room.

All this time, Fareed was on my mind. Only God knows what he must be thinking right now. That I betrayed him? I'm sure he's devastated by this, and it's all my fault. I shouldn't have gone to that party. Honestly, I have many unanswered questions, but the most important thing right now is to speak with the man I love.

I scurried around for my phone and found it inside my side drawer. I went straight to my call log and dialed Fareed's number which was switched off. Persistently, I kept on trying and trying but it wasn't going through so I gave up and put on my hijab before moving out of the room to Baba's living room.