CH007

Madam Rabiatu smiled. Zara couldn't tell why she did,but she had noticed the small and quiet curl of her lips when she had said that.

The first wife didn't say anything or even show a reaction, instead, she had paused eating and stared at Zara for a while before she continued eating.

Yarrah pulled at Zara's dress from behind her where she was standing. Heart raised as she prayed fervently for her to stop talking. This one wasn't a calm girl like most of their women were raised to be. And women weren't allowed to question men or even raise a voice to them, it was going to be hard to teach her the ways of life of the people she had come to be with.

"Is this how you speak about your father back at home?" Jamila shot after her brief and momentary silence.

It as so sudden how she had replied her before and with such an uncut and immoral tone. Just who did she think she was to?

"I'm surprised you'd ask that Jamila, don't you respect your father as well? I'm going to become his wife soon and that meant I'd be one in him, next to him and one of him. Shouldn't you begin according me with the respect you do to him already?"

Rabiatu wanted to curl her lips again but immediately refrained from doing so when she noticed the glaring eyes of the first wife that were all over her.

"Stop" Ayman managed to mutter while staring at his sister.

"Look mother,he's trying to make it my fault when clearly it is that of the untrained and uncultured woman" she said to her mother while turning intermittently to stare at Zara.

"I'm not sure what you're trying to imply but I am not uncultured and neither am I untrained. And my self worth isn't something for you to decide based on your biased opinions"

Zara didn't know what was wrong with her but she felt repulsed by he lady's energy. And was getting all defensive about it even as her moral governess had instructed her not to argue with anyone on her arrival.

Tssskkkk. She scuffed. So she was merely supposed to keep quiet and watch this girl who looks almost like her age mate insult and belittle her because she feels she's inferior to her, the daughter of the prime minister? Not under her watch.

"The food is getting cold" Ayman said and Zara noticed how everyone paused from staring at her and began eating once again.

She wondered how possible it was and then she recalled that he had said that he was the first born son of the first wife. Perhaps his position as the family's eldest gave him that power to be the acting head in his father's absence.

Tariq didn't stop glancing at Zara as he ate. She was by far more than he had imagined her to be and needed taming the soonest. He had imagined her to be a girl influenced by the Western world with civilization and expecting equal respect like they preach in the news, but he hadn't in his wildest thoughts think that she might also be this very assertive and never resisting from talking back.

"I apologize if my presence ruined the serene dinner you all were used to before my presence" Zara said calmly while standing and bending towards the direction of the two older women.

In her anger, she had failed to realize their presence or accord them the respect and honour they had deserved, but she wasn't a thoughtless girl not to apologize. Her parents trained her well, with the exception being on foolishly submitting to all of ancient patriarchys whims without questions.

Ayman was surprised. She was a smart girl and that captivated him further about her. She hadn't been in the wrong though, but some of her words may have come out as disrespectful but she wasn't entirely wrong,but the timing and location she had asserted herself were what were and she seemed to have realized that and was apologizing.

Rabiatu smiled at Zara but the other woman said nothing npr even flinch to show that she had noticed Zara's presence,even as she raised her head severally to eat.

Ayman pulled her seat closer to her and motioned for her to sit down later after she received no responses from his mother.

She was his mother and he her son, and she, merely a new bride that has been brought to the house for their father, what could she know more than him for her not to sit down when she had been asked.

The dinner went on in stark silence without any of the members of the family talking to each other.

"Can I get an extra plate please?" Zara bent behind and asked Yarrah who didn't know why she was asking for one.

She felt awkward, the silence that had enveloped the dining had made them hear her request to Yarrah,so now she had to come up with a lie to defend what she was about to do.

"I get hungry at times during the night. So I usually keep food beside me for when I might wake up hungry. That way I won't disturb others in their sleep"

" There's absolutely no problems with that Zara. Get her an extra plates. Take as much as you want, the food is not going to eat itself"

"What? Are you a woman who got pregnant out of wedlock for you to feel hungry during late nights when people are sleeping?" Jamilas unbridled tongue lashed again.

Zara was quick to ignore her not wanting to annoy her this time around. Since she had known that she wanted to take some food to her room, it won't cut as a surprise if she were to find her trying to throw away the foods on the table now in her bid to prevent her from taking any.

She had seen numerous women like her on romance telenovelas before.

"Won't you call your daughter to order, fellow wife? She's becoming too impertinent and rude to our soon to be co-wife" Rabiatu turned to the first wife and said but the elderly woman ignored her.

"You do not speak to my mother that way and especially not at my presence" Jamila fired at her.

" Jamila stop this madness!" Ayman screamed at her.

"And who are you to speak to my mother that way?" Tariq interjected, shooting his own question at Jamila.

"When humans are talking, grapist sons of lowlife women shouldn't have the impetus to meddle!" Jamila answered back.

"What did you just say?" Tariq questioned while standing.

Ayman stood top, rushing over to the opposite side of the table to hold Tariq down.

"Didn't you hear what I said? Why shouldn't I speak to your mother that way? She disrespected my mother first. What gave her the right to? My mother has sons and daughters whereas all she has is one son who turned out to become a grapist"

That was it now and Tariq has lost it. He freed one of his arms from Ayman's grip and launched a table vase he picked from the table at Jamila but she was quick in dodging it.

"Get out of this place this instant Jamila! Go to your room and meditate upon your disrespectful words to your father's wives!" Ayman commanded and Jamila did as she has been told, hissing as she left.

Rabiatu's calm demeanour had been shaken and she was trying hard to control the tears in her eyes.

"Just go to your room mother if you're going to embarrass me by crying" Tariq shouted at her and she stood up immediately and left, breaking into a loud cry as she almost took the intersection to her room.

Tariq turned to leave too.

"What are you still doing there?" He questioned his wife as he walked a few distance and noticed she was still seated at the table.

She dropped her spoon immediately and got up from her chair, helping her two sons down too as they followed Tariq closely behind.

"Whoever decides to bring trouble with his hands upon his household should be alive to witness the punishment he brings upon himself" the first wife muttered under her breath but loud enough for everyone left in the room to hear as she stood and left too.

Zara was lost for words at what had just currently happened. She didn't know how to explain it.