Balkisa was so happy, she had a restless day waiting for her brother Ayatullah to be back from schools his bags arrived yesterday, she’s eager to see her gift he brought from Saudiyya.
She had been waiting for him in the veranda since the time their driver brought the bags from Airport.
Ayatullah forgot about his bags coming today, It’s after he came back from school and saw Her at the veranda that he remembered, he smiled before packing his car.
He walked to her smiling “lil sis hope you are not waiting for me” he asked after coming closer to her with a grin on his face.
She turned her back when she saw him, he smiled this is her method of saying she is angry, he tapped her shoulder and slightly move her body to face him, he grabbed her hand “am sorry dear now that am back let’s go and open the bags”
She squeezed her face before saying ” I am really angry at you, my friends at school keep whispering that am a liar it’s so disgrace.
He wanted to laugh but he needs to be serious this his trouble maker baby sis will be mad at him, just why would she go and tell her friends about the bags.
“Ok sorry dear I assured you that the things I bought for your are very special
She smiled brightly. ” Are you sure?” she asked looking at him, maybe she’s trying to confirm from his eyes whether he is lying or not..
“He smiled very sure dear”
” yeyeye!!” she smiled and shouted happily oya let’s go she rose up.
Balkisa sat with her palm on her chin, her lips pressed together, a furrowed brow, she’s so angry right now waiting for a slight chance to cry, nothing in the bags actually belongs to her, her facial expressions is so funny to Ayatullah that he want to laugh but he just can’t add salt to her injury.
He look at her ” my dear why are you quite, aren’t you happy to see what I brought?”
“But yaya what are all these?” she said her eyes filled up with tears
“Oh sorry I thought you wanted to see what I bought for the family first” he said laughing before standing on his feet and moving out of the room.
A few minutes later He come back holding another bag and dropped it in front of her. “This is yours. I’m sorry I came back in a hurry. This is all I get for you.”
“Oh wow!” She screamed then hugged him “this is why I love you, yaya you are the best bro. ever” he smile” seeing his little sister in happy made him happy too.
“Who invited you ” Ayatullah said to Fatahurrahman who just come into the room,
“So the bags arrived and you decided to hide it from me, thank God I am informed.” Fatahurrahman said
Fayatullah looked at Balkisa suspiciously who was busy checking her gift.
She smiled “Yaya Fatahurrahman and said Yaya Fatahu did I call you.? She asked looking at him.
Fatahu nodded his head “no you didn’t” he said before he started checking the bags “let’s discuss who called me later for now I have to choose what I wanted.” He said jokingly.
*****
Today is the day Ayatullah fixed for the girls who asked for his help to be guiding them on their courses, like always he is sitted next to Ummi and khadija while the girls are facing towards him.
Neither khadija nor Ummi said a word to them, all their attention was with their phone. He took about two hours teaching the girls before calling it a day
The girls burst into laughing after leaving, “So his friends are jealous, didn’t you see their faces” one among the girls said as they walk.
“Yes I saw it they must be out of their mind how can they love their junior, am sure he will married somebody else insisting that they are nothing but his teachers.” the darker one among them said.
“I would like to see their faces on his wedding day,” the first one said.
*****
Ayatullah looked at Ummi and khadija briefly then before saying ” why are you all quiet?”
Khadija smiled. It’s nothing. Maybe we all want to stay quiet today, but maybe Ummi is jealous. “She said looking at Ummi, she wanted to tease her.
He hummed ” jealous? Why would she be jealous if we are not friends?”
Is her phone that Ring stop her from answering his question ” hello my Amadi” she said before taking some steps away from them.
With the way she is smiling and laughing while talking on phone made Ayatullah wants to go and break the phone but he just can’t.
Ayatullah looked at khadija who’s busy with her phone and said “please can you explain more on Relationship between Amatullah and Ahmad,” khadija laugh “don’t tell me you are also jealous like me” he looked at her widening his eyes like you as in? He asked curiously.
She smiled “yes am jealous, he is her best friend not me, I actually envy him, their friendship is so strong that I think not a single person can come between them.” She said languidly
Ayatullah looked at Ummi again, ” I will soon be her favorite person,” he said to himself.
******
The fact that exam started made Ayatullah stay away from his two friends, because his love for Ummi will only distract him and stop him from concentrating.
Time await nobody, it flies before we notice, exam is over, Ummi finishes all her preparation to go back to kano, she already missed her friends before leaving, what annoyed her the most about this holiday is that if she go back home her Dad will force her to pay visit to her grandparent.
*****
Ummi felt less worried with the way her family welcomed her home.
Her half sisters organized a mini party for her, they invited their friends to celebrate together.
She really love her half sisters though she hate their mum, her love for them can’t let her disappoint them by not staying with them the whole day. Although she hate crowd but still she manage to stay.
She did not find herself until late in the night, she prayed Isha before going to bed, because she can’t fall asleep she thinks of checking her social media handles to see what’s happening, only to end up seeing several missed calls from khadija’s and Ayatullah, she smiled and started dialing Khadija’s number.
“Your phone is of no use, do you know how worried I am” khadija complained.
Ummi knows it that Khadija most complain ” Am sorry dear i’m with my little sisters and the phone was in my room, they organized a party for me letting them alone will only disappoint them.”
“It’s ok , hope you arrived safely,” Khadija asked.
“Yes dear will call you later, Ayatullah keep calling” Ummi mentioned.
“ok then” khadija said and ended the call.
Just like khadija, he also complained for not answering his call on time, she apologized after explaining.
*****
Seeing Ummi today reminded usman of her mother (Zainaba), though she’s on his mind all the time but his plight worsened after he saws ummi, he blame himself like always and today the blame is for being happy even though he doesn’t know how the love of his life is.
Sa’ada left for her room quietly, she chooses to let him by himself with the way he keep crying like a little baby, to avoid quarreling she needs not to ask him why, way he shouted at their little zee and send her out of his room, after all his love for her, he adores her because she is their last born he named after Zainaba (Abu) he love the girl so much, his behavior towards the girls made Sa’ada thought things most be serious she wants to ask but she’s afraid.
*****
Ummi was busy with her phone when her sister’s voice cut her attention.
“Hello love, how are you Amira said after answering her phone which rang, they sat outside their room, in the courtyard to have some fresh air
Ummi was daze, she keep starring at Amira who took a step away from her open mouthed, she just can’t believe her baby sister is in a relationship, what a life.
Seeing how Amira is blushing on phone made her rise up and trudge to her, she collected the phone and ended the call, the number was saved as, ‘my Armour’ she turned on Amira horribly “who is this.”
Amira laughed ” yaya am not that little girl, please open your eyes and look at me. I am now 18, my age mates are already mothers.”
It’s after Amira said it that she looks at her “maybe I am the only one seeing her like a baby but she’s right, she’s now grown up” Ummi thought.
“Ok who is he, where did you meet?” she asked at the same time.
Amira sniffed, before she sat on the plastic chair she previously rose from.
“He lives in the neighborhood and we met on my way to school,” she said, avoiding her sister’s gaze who pinned her with her eyes.
“Are you sure, i just can’t believe it that you met him in your way out just, how? I could remembered you will walk for several metres before seeing another human here, don’t tell me he’s in car and still notice you by the road side.”
“Yaya am not lying.” She said innocently
Ummi looked at her for some second, before she continued pressing her phone without adding anything.
******
Ayatullah lives restlessly since after the holidays, he misses his friends alot more especially Amatullah he can’t help thinking about her.
He thought he wouldn’t miss Khadija because she isn’t the person he loves, but he does. He believes that now living together, chatting and eating together means a lot, it’s after these holidays that he understands we can still miss people we don’t actually love so badly.
Balkisa isn’t home, and Mami is in her room praying like she does every friday, the entire house becomes a prison to him he walks to the parking lot, and drives out.
He drove directly to Fatahurrahman’s Place, he parked his car then went to Ummi’s chamber (Fatahu’s Mum) and greeted her. They chatted a little after complaining about him, not visiting regularly before she let him go.
He trudged to Fatahu’s chamber where he saw him sitting on a 3 seater chair, busy with his phone. Fatahurrahman raised his head a little before saying, “so you finally decided to visit, what brought you here?”
“Mtss” Ayatullah hissed, “this is why I never want to come, you always speak in total contempt” he said before he turned to leave.”
Fatahurrahman raised up and move quickly to stop Ayatullah from leaving, he grabbed his hand, “sorry boy my mistake” he said Jokingly
Ayatullah looks at him narrowly as he squeezes his face glaring at him “who are you calling boy.?”
“Ok then sorry wrinkled old man” he said in a serious voice.
hmmm Ayatullah hummed “Fatahu you will never change nor can you grow.
“Ok let’s sit, they sat together and Fatahurrahman looked at Ayatullah who seemed down “what’s wrong?” with care he asked.
“I missed my friends, especially the love of my life” Ayatullah replied in his energy-lacking voice.
“Common man, few weeks remain to resume, but let me ask, did she know about your love for her?” Fatahurrahman asked, trying to comfort his friend.
“No to them, our relationship is nothing but friendship, am nothing but friends, nothing more,” he said languidly.
“You are in troubl, how can you love your friend without her knowledge am telling you, you might be wasting your time she might have another man.”
“It’s better if you let her know she might not have another man but she can give another one a chance if she see’s you as a friend.”
He added “The worse part of not revealing your feelings is that both of them in most cases might fall for you, and the girl you love may never say it thinking you can never accept her as your woman, at the end when you decided to say your mind the one that revealed her heart might misunderstood, as such their friendship can turn to foeship and if they decides to keep their relationship you would never have any of them.”
Ayatullah keep quite for long before he sit well, he slapped his forehead a little “why is that am stupid sometimes I never think in a right way.”
Fatahurrahman giggle, he nudge, “so you finally said it your self, it’s actually not sometimes but if I can say the truth you are stupid the entire time.”
Ayatullah frowned his face “this is why I hate you, how can you called me stupid”
He steeple his hand together and come down from the chair” “am sorry my mistake” then steal a glance at Ayatullah and laugh “so you are laughing” Ayatullah roared
“how can I laugh in a situation like this, pls forgive me” he said tilting his head looking sorry
Ayatullah burst into laughter the way his friend did.
Their friendship was such a great relationship, Fatahurrahman was such a simple person while Ayatullah was somehow a hard man though Fatahu liked teasing him he knew it was on purpose but still played the role of being in anger.
“Now advise me, first what do i need to do” Ayatullah pleaded.
Fatahurrahman makes a short audible inhalation before saying “it’s good if you let the girl you really love know about you or seek help from the one wasn’t in love with, ask her for advice.”
Wow! “I just don’t wanna admit it but you are actually the best,” Ayatullah said happily.
“Oya, who is she, to tell me? ” Fatahu said after clenching Ayatu’s hand.
Ayatullah laugh in high pitched voice and move Fatahu’s hand out of his hand, “please stop wasting your time pleading, you know better than any one That I always mean my words.”
He added ” I will introduce the two of you when her answer is yes”, he said, trudging to the dining area saying, “Do you have food? Am hungry“
