The next thing I knew, I was at Rimi Clinic. It was after Maghrib when I regained consciousness. The room was crowded with people. My father was beside me, holding my hand. As I woke up, he was the first person I saw. I started looking around, trying to remember what had happened. My father looked at me and said, "How are you feeling, my dear?" Everyone in the room started expressing their concerns for me. I raised my hand to wipe my face and noticed the henna, which reminded me that I was a bride. Immediately, I remembered what had happened and quickly sat up, saying, "Dad, did you hear what Adams did to me? He broke off our engagement!"
My father hugged me and said, "Be patient, don't worry." At that moment, I looked around the room and saw Alhaji, Yaya Kabir, my brother, Mama, and Aunty Yagana. I asked, "So, even my brother has arrived? Didn't Adams tell me they were coming together?" I burst into tears, and my father and Alhaji tried to console me. Mama, however, said, "Why are you crying? If he said he doesn't love you, is it by force?" Through my tears, I replied, "Mama, he said he still loves me but won't marry me. Maybe he was just teasing me." I looked at my brother and pleaded, "Please, did you all come together?"
He glared at me and said, "Stop talking to people right now. Tomorrow is his wedding in Yola, and his parents have apologized. He and the girl he wanted to marry insisted. He said if he didn't marry the girl, he would die. I think it's not entirely his fault; there must be something else." Mama said, "No problem, Abdulrahim. His behavior was disgraceful and an insult. He waited until three days before the wedding to call it off, after we had invited everyone. What do we do now? What Adams did to us is unforgivable, but we leave it to God."
My father said, "Please be patient. Let's calm her down first, then we can decide what to do." I quickly interjected, "Yes, Dad, please help me talk to Adams. I love him." Mama wanted to hit me, but Alhaji stopped her. They both scolded her, saying, "Habiba, why the beating?" My brother left the room. After a while, the doctor came and said that my condition was not serious; I was just scared. To avoid further stress, they discharged me.
When we got outside where the cars were parked, Alhaji asked me to get in the car. I refused, saying I wasn't going back there. My father said, "Let's go home then," but I insisted, "No." Mama, irritated, said, "Are you going to Adam's house then? You have to come back." I said, "I'll go with Aunty Yagana." Alhaji agreed and told my brother, "You all should go to Abdulrahman."
In the car, I lay on Aunty Yagana while my brother drove. Aunty Yagana asked, "Abdulrahim, why did your friend do this to us?" He replied, "Aunty, I can't understand it myself. Yesterday, we were together after a game. We were supposed to finish yesterday and come back today with our friends. I even called Kabir to book a hotel for us to stay in. But last night, he suddenly said he wanted to go to Ghana to see Aisha." I asked, "Who is Aisha?" He replied, "The girl he was supposed to marry but refused. Now he wants her. Early this morning, he left. His father called me to ask if there was any problem between him and Iman. I said no. Then his father said he wanted to marry Aisha today. They tried to refuse, but he collapsed, so they rushed to Yola. His father said they would come back and apologize."
Hearing this story made me cry even more because I realized I still loved Adams.