SYNOPSIS

In the shadow of her parents’ tumultuous divorce, Hibbatullah, a young woman scarred by the emotional wreckage, finds solace in her independence and fear of commitment. 

Her world turns upside down when her well-intentioned father, desperate to see her settled, arranges a meeting with a potential suitor, against Hibba’s vehement protests. 

Reluctantly, she agrees to the meeting, only for an unexpected twist of fate to bind her in matrimony with Abdallah Modibbo, a man living on the opposite side of the world. Hailing from different cultural backgrounds, Hibba and Abdallah seemingly have nothing in common. 

East meets West in a collision of traditions, values, and lifestyles. 

As they navigate the challenges of their accidental union, Hibba and Abdallah discover the beauty in their differences. 

Their journey becomes a tapestry woven with threads of compromise, understanding, and a shared determination to overcome the odds. Amidst the clash of cultures, a unique harmony emerges, creating a love that transcends geographical boundaries and defies preconceived notions. 

Unintended Vows is a poignant tale of love born from unforeseen circumstances, where East meets West, exploring the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of unexpected connections.

Chapter One

Manhattan, New York

“Welcome to Souq Sandwich. What can I get you?”

Hibba scanned the overhead menu as she tapped her well-manicured nails on her chin. She wasn’t really hungry even though she’d been awake since the crack of dawn. She just came out for some fresh air and stumbled across the food truck around the block. From what she saw on the menu, they specialized in Lebanese food and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything that wasn’t microwaved in the last few weeks. She was going to scarf it down whether she was hungry or not. She deserved that.

She’d purposely skipped the hotel’s breakfast buffet because she didn’t want to run into her father. He was usually very cranky in the morning.

“I’ll have the Lentil soup, Vermicelli noodles and sheesh tawouk. Thank you” she said with a smile while the lady at the counter nodded and disappeared to get Hibba’s order.

Despite the fact that the street was already packed at 8 in the morning, Hibba was the only one waiting in line. She took this as an opportunity to dial her mother.

 She picked on the second ring.

“Bibba” her mother called in a soft voice. She sounded like she was still in bed.

Hibba rolled her eyes at the use of her old nickname. She wanted to whine about it but realized she was actually happy to hear her mother’s voice, so she kept quite in an effort not to ruin the moment. 

“Na’am Mama ina kwana?”

She could hear the smile in her mother’s voice. “Lafiya Kalau. Even though its afternoon here”

Her mother, Batool Ahmad is a translator who works with the United Nations. She’s currently in the middle east for an assignment.

Hibba pinched her nose and smiled. “Sorry I forgot. When does your flight leave?”

There was a slight pause before her mother replied from the other end. “I’m sorry Bibs. I won’t be able to make it tonight”

Something heavy and cold dropped in the pit of her stomach.

“What? Why?” she could already feel her heart breaking before her mother could even state her reasons.

This was the first time they were meeting together as a family in the last ten years. Her parents’ divorce wasn’t dirty, but it tore her apart every time she had to choose between one of them; who to spend her holidays with, whether to go meet her dad when he was in the US or the other way round when her mother was in Nigeria. This constant dilemma was one of the reasons she was all over the world at the early stages in her life. She couldn’t decide who she wanted to stay with at first. Her parents weren’t helping the matter because they were both busy people and were not particularly ecstatic that she will stay with one of them. That was how she left the US when she was fifteen and went to stay with her father. He enrolled her in a boarding school and sent her to her mother during the holidays. When she graduated, she decided to move back to the US for her tertiary education because her father had remarried and his wife didn’t like her one bit.

She’d heard about how divorce destabilized kids; she really thought it was a literal explanation. Until she found herself, a full grown 24-year-old woman trying to grasp desperately at the remaining pieces of what she once called a family.

“Something came up and even though I have clearance to come back home and get ready for this new assignment, I decided to just go there from here”

Hibba shut her eyes as she felt hot tears threatening to spill. “Mama why?”

Her mother breathed hard. “I’m sorry. I’m just not ready Bibs. This is hard for me as it is hard for you, if not harder. Please don’t be mad at me”

She opened her mouth to reply but then decided it wasn’t worth it anymore.

She had been the glue that was binding this family together. She had been the one that has been fighting and trying to make this work while her parents sat back and watched like overgrown toddlers. 

She had plans for this weekend but cancelled them all when she heard her father will be in the states. She bought last minute tickets which made a huge dent in her account and was lucky her father offered to pay for her hotel even though she didn’t want to be in the same hotel with him. All this, and this is what she gets in return.

There and then, she decided that she’d had enough. She wasn’t going to spend the rest of her life trying to make her parents see eye to eye. She was done being whatever it is she’s trying to be.

With that thought, she ended the call and blocked her mother’s number.

Clutching the brown paper bag that contained her breakfast that she was looking forward to a few minutes ago, she walked into the hotel lobby with a heavy heart. As if her mood wasn’t already sour, the universe decided to torture her a bit more. Her father stepped out of the elevator just as she was getting in. He looked like he’d just woken up and was heading to have his breakfast. She muttered a greeting and was about to pass him when she decided against it and turned towards him.

“Um…Mama just informed me that she can’t make it tonight”

Her father regarded her for a minute before he pushed his glasses up his nose. “Okay” he said with a slight nod and turned towards the breakfast loungue.

Hibba stood there; stupefied.

This was the perfect moment for him to get unnecessarily angry at her mother or make a snide remark about how she prioritized her work over everything and everyone else, but he didn’t even flinch. 

This meant one thing; he knew. He absolutely knew.

A new wave of anger surged through her before she entered the elevator and punched the 8 button hard.

Finally, in her room, she collapsed on the bed face down and took two long deep breaths before bursting into thick hot tears. She wasn’t sure how long she cried but she eventually fell into a deep slumber and woke hours later when the intercom in her room started ringing. She answered the phone groggily as she sat up and put her head in her hands.

“Yeah?”

“Where have you been? I’ve been calling your phone” her father’s voice came through the speaker. 

She sighed and leaned her head back against the headboard. The ringer on her phone was always off. 

“I slept off” she replied simply.

He muttered something under his breath before he continued “I’m waiting for you in the lobby. We’re going out”

“I can’t” she said without missing a beat.

He scoffed. “It’s not a request Hibbatullah Rabi’u” and with that, he hung up.

She looked down at the receiver and blinked. He just called her with her government name, that meant he wasn’t joking.

She groaned and fell back on the pillows as she felt her eyes prick with incoming tears.

This was an awful day. She was already dreading whatever it was he had planned.

He waited twenty minutes before he saw her coming out through the elevator doors. She was dressed warmly for the weather; a coat, a scarf and some fancy looking Uggs. 

“What took you so long?”

She looked down at her hands as she put on her gloves. “I took a shower”

He could sense her foul mood from the way she was talking to him without looking up. He felt sorry for her because her mood was going to get a thousand times more when he finally drops ‘the bomb’ on her. He and her mother had planned to talk to her together, but it seems her mother had chickened out. And he wasn’t about to postpone it because she was in a crappy mood. This was far more important than her raging hormones.

“Let’s go” he finally said and led the way.

A car was already out-front when they stepped outside. He opened the door for her and she slipped in without a word.

She didn’t have any idea where they were going and she didn’t bother to ask because she was mentally exhausted. The crying and all the overthinking have made her head and heart hurt simultaneously. She wanted to just get everything over with. She’d already booked a flight to Chicago for the following morning. She couldn’t spend another day in this city without her mother, or with her father who had equally betrayed her. At least Aunty Waheedah cares about her and loves her like her own, she will find comfort in the arms of the woman who is her only family in the states apart from her mother.

She was so knee deep in thought she didn’t realize they’d arrive until she heard the door open on her side. She looked up and saw her father smiling down at her.

She stepped out of the car and only then realized that they were at her favorite restaurant in the city.

She turned and gave him a questionable look but he didn’t give her an answer.

When the hostess led them to their table, she realized it was set for three.

Another wave of anger surged through her when she realized her mother was supposed to be there. Despite all the pent up feelings, she sat down and took off her gloves and scarf. It was warm and toasty inside the restaurant.

They ate through their appetizers and entrée in silence.

When the strawberry cheesecake was finally served, her father began to speak.

“There’s something very important I’d like to discuss with you” he said in his best businessman’s voice.

She wiped her mouth with a napkin and sat upright. Whatever it was he was going to say was very serious and she was already dreading to hear it.

He clasped his hands together and placed them in front of him on the table. “We had this conversation with your mother a few months back and she agreed we talk to you about it together, but since she chickened out, I’m here to give it to you with no sugarcoats whatsoever”

Hibba’s heartbeat escalated. She didn’t like where this was going.

“I know your mother and I haven’t given you the best example at marriage and I’m sorry we did this to you.”

She swallowed and looked down at her plate. 

“I want you to know that everyone has their own destiny and the fact that we didn’t have a good marriage doesn’t mean you are going to have a bad one too” he pinched the bridge of his nose and quickly shook his head “Not that our marriage was bad, it just reached its expiry date”

Hibba stared at him without a word. If he was trying to apologize for everything, then he was ten years late. 

“You’re all we have Hibbatullah. And we don’t want you to live a lonely life.”

Her brows knitted. “I’m not lonely” her voice sounded hoarse because this was the first time she’d spoken since they left the hotel. She cleared her throat and repeated herself. “I’m not lonely. I am fine. My life is fine”

Her father nodded “I understand. But we want you to give happiness a chance. Take a few steps from where you’re currently at and see where it leads”

What was he getting at? She was now genuinely confused.

“I am aware of the number of suitors you’ve turned down in the last five years. Just because I haven’t said anything doesn’t mean I don’t care”

That was her cue to roll her eyes. So the elaborate meal and apologies where a ploy to get her down to listen to this? She was done.

“I’m not having this conversation” she leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms over her chest like a petulant child.

Alhaji Rabi’u narrowed his eyes at her. “Oh yes you are”

She swallowed something hard and bitter down her throat and stared at him.

“I have someone in mind whom I think will be a good match for you….”

“What?” she sat up, wide eyed. “You’re joking right?”

He gave her a murderous look that sent chills down her spine. “No I’m not. Ni sa’an wasanki ne?”

Sometimes she forgets that her father is a full-fledged northern Nigerian man and she wasn’t supposed to talk to him in some type of way. She was brought up in a world where she was allowed to speak her mind to whosoever and whenever; age and status be damned.

“Listen to me attentively young lady. This man is a responsible man and I attest to his good character. His uncle is one of my good friends and trusted business partner. I have given them your details. He is going to call you, and when he does, you answer. Ki na ji na ko?”

Hibba wasn’t listening. He lost her at ‘young lady’. All she heard was white noise and a loud ringing in her ears.

Marriage was the very last thing in her mind. In fact, she was totally against it.

Back when she was in high school, she had given the idea a thought and was planning on not having children if she eventually did get married. If the marriage didn’t work out in the long run, at least there won’t be any innocent kids to traumatize for life.

When she finally turned 20, she decided she wasn’t getting married at all. It was a waste of time and nothing good comes out of it.

“Baba I can’t” she choked out “I can’t”

Her father reached across the table and patted her hand in the most awkward way possible. “You can and you will. Now it your cheesecake”

Was he for real?

Unintended Vows 2 >>