Trackside Romance

ELEVEN: APOLOGIES.

Speaking of her, I'm leaving for Kaduna today to go see her and hopefully sort things out between us.

"Alright," I responded with a nod before striding toward the front door. My finger pressed the doorbell, and within moments, a maid swung the door open, greeting me.

"Welcome, Sir," she greeted.

"Thank you. I'll be dining here today, so please set my food at the dining table before I freshen up," I instructed. She nodded and walked away.

I sighed and made my way to the stairs. The laughter of my Dad echoed throughout the living room, a clear indication that he was enjoying the company of his politician friends. This house was consistently filled with visitors, mostly Dad's political acquaintances. I attempted to stride up quietly, avoiding any attention from them. Unfortunately, as I reached the midpoint of the stairs, Ammi's younger brother, Uncle Ahmad spotted me.

"Hey Rayhan! Where are you going, young man? We haven't seen you for the past few days, and now you just decide to escape past us?"

I inwardly groaned before snapping back to face him, forcing a smile as I made my way down the stairs. "Uncle A! Sorry for that. I just wanted to go get something upstairs before coming back to greet you all."

"Oh oh! So how are you, young man? And how's your career going? I heard you got invited to France by the MotorGp racing Olympics, right? Congratulations." He smiled, his palm resting on my shoulder.

I fidgeted, scratching the nape of my neck in nervous anticipation. "Yeah, that's right, Uncle A. Thanks a bunch."

"Let's head to the living room. You've got some unexpected visitors waiting for you."

Brows furrowed, I questioned, "Visitors? I'm not anticipating anyone."

"You'll see for yourself, my boy," he enveloped me in a shoulder hug, coercing me toward the living room where my father and the visitors were.

"Assalamu'alykum," we both chorused in unison, entering the living room. My eyes locked onto the first person I saw – Meenah's mother. I paused for a moment, composing myself pretending everything was fine. Although I'd only seen her in pictures, I could easily recognize her. She came along with her husband, Lieutenant General Omar Bagudu, seated beside her on the sofa. After greeting them respectfully, I settled onto the sofa near my Dad, opposite them.

"My son Fareed, how are you? Hope you recognize me," she asked, letting out a light chuckle, which reminded me of Ameena. The resemblance between them struck me – the fair skin, facial features – she just seemed like an older version of Meenah.

"Alhamdulillah, Mamaa. Of course, I do. You're Ameena's mother," I replied, a polite smile on my face.

"You're right! I thought you wouldn't recognize me since we've never met before, but it seems I was wrong. You're a good son-in-law indeed," she stated, prompting laughter from everyone in the room. I on the other hand, simply smiled.

"I never knew Ameena's mother is married to my old pal General Omar Bagudu. You might not be aware, Rayhan, but we go way back to high school. He was my seatmate and sparring partner; we'd argue about everything. Ah, the old times," Dad explained, weaving through memories.

"Then suddenly, you disappeared, and I never heard from you again," General Omar joked, and they continued teasing each other. Surprisingly, I never knew soldiers could crack up like this; they always seemed so serious. The perks of reuniting with an old friend.

"You both are something else, honestly. Well, enough of joking around. Let's get serious," Meenah's mother intervened with a smile.

"Yeah, that's right! Well, Rayhan, why am I just finding out that Ameena was hospitalized for three days? Why didn't you tell me about such an important issue? We could have gone to Kaduna to visit her and check on her condition," Dad reprimanded.

"It all happened while I was in France, and I found out recently too, Dad," I explained. Turning to Meenah's mother with concern, I asked, "How is she now, Maama?"

"She's alright now; she was discharged yesterday and is currently at home. This topic is the main reason my husband and I came all the way to Abuja for, Fareed. I've discussed everything with your Dad, and he understands. Now, it's up to you, Fareed," she explained. "Please, Fareed, we're here on behalf of Ameena to plead with you to forgive her for the mistake she committed. None of us wanted that to happen. I'm not justifying her behavior, but I wish you would allow her to explain everything so you both can resolve any issues. She hasn't been herself since you left. I know she's trying to swallow her pain, but as her mother, I see her distress. It's painful seeing my daughter suffer. You're precious to her, Fareed. Please give her a second chance. Sit and think about both of you. Don't discard what you once had because of a mistake. Please, Fareed." I felt a pang of guilt as she pleaded. She doesn't need to; I'm already planning to see Ameena. My only worry is whether she'll be mad and forgive me.

"Fareed, your decision to call off the wedding seems impulsive," General Omar said, and I nodded in agreement, knowing we both made mistakes.

"Yes, and honestly, I never supported his choice. But what can I say? Kids these days don't seem to appreciate anything. They treat everything as a joke, never taking things seriously," Dad expressed, shaking his head in disappointment.

Sighing with remorse, I admitted, "I'm truly sorry for putting you all in this situation. It was never my intention. Rest assured, I was already planning to mend things between us."

"Alhamdulillah! That's what we want to hear. Thanks for being understanding and forgiving. May Allah bless you both," Mama prayed, her face beaming with a huge smile, and we all muttered an Ameen.

Dad swiftly grabbed his phone, dialed his PA's number, and ordered him to come to the living room. Moments later, Idrees, Dad's PA, entered the room holding a MacBook. "Idrees, please contact the pilot and instruct him to prepare the plane in an hour."

"Alright, Sir," he excused himself and left.

"Dad, where are we flying off to?" I inquired, with furrowed brows.

"Kaduna," he declared,

Seems like everything will change between our Meenah and Rjay🤭❤️! I hope they sort out things between them😩❤️

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