ENSHROUDED

37

"This is unbelievable. Nasir, bring me my phone, he should come home this instant." Baba roared, he had his eyes clouded with rage and anger, he had never imagined Abba to be like this.

Mama immediately shook her head, "We shouldn't let him know that she was back home, because he warned her not to come back to his family. But I'll have to go to Taraba tomorrow, that way I'll see whether the Aisha he had been claiming was sick, always sleeping or at school was really living in his house or she had left there for three months and he didn't mind to tell us."

They all seemed to agree with what Mama had said, and the journey was planned with only Nasir then Mama. That night, Firdausi and Nasir drove to the house and they met Aisha seated silently in the living room with a book on her laps and the pen he gave her but she wasn't writing anything, she had her eyes fixed on the wall as she was engrossed in her thoughts.

Firdausi rushed to her side and hugged her from behind, which startled Aisha. She turned around and saw them in the living room and her eyes fell on the cute baby that Nasir was holding. She hugged Firdausi back and smiled to herself, "Good evening Ya Firdausi. I'm glad you came." She held her hand as Firdausi sat down beside Aisha and began touching her face and her collar bones.

"You've lost so much weight, Aisha. Your complexion has darkened, your eyes have bags under them. Your lips seem to have seen a lip balm for what seems like forever. Your skin isn't in good condition as well. How have you been?" Firdausi knew the question was pointless, but she couldn't help pointing out her observation at a first glance.

Nasir found a seat beside them and sat down before he fixed his eyes on Aisha. She looked uncomfortable under his gaze but he didn't care about the barrier between them anymore. He wished he can ug her and ask her to cry everything she had held inside him for the past few years.

"I've been fine, Ya Firdausi, I didn't know you were pregnant." She smiled weakly and glanced up at Nasir, her eyes falling on the baby he was holding.

"You didn't bother to tell us the tremor you've been going through, how can I tell you I was pregnant?" Aisha smiled because she knew it was her way of saying she heard all that happened to her.

Aisha stood up and walked over to Nasir, even though the rate at which her heart was beating was alarming, she didn't mind. She stood in front of him and smiled. "Can I have the baby please?" She asked politely and he handed her Fraha, their fingers brushed during the exchange process and Aisha felt as though she was going to let the girl down.

She walked back to her chair and sat down before she nuzzled her nose on Farha's. "What's her name, Ya Firdausi?" She asked with a warm smile on her face. Nasir looked at her and wished she was holding her child, not with Abba being the father but himself. That was only a fantasy and something that would forever not happen, he pushed the thought aside.

"Her name is Farha Khalid Aliyu. She's beautiful like her mother, right Aisha?" Firdausi flipped her invisible hair away from her shoulders, she knew that would annoy Nasir and it did.

He groaned and rolled his eyes at her, "Aisha, the girl looks like me right? Because Nana tapped her beauty from me."

"You wish. How can a man be beautiful? Had it been you said Sudais took his ugliness from you, then I'll have no choice but to relent. But this angel looks so much like Aisha, she's so beautiful to be my daughter. Aisha, you're officially her godmother."

Aisha laughed and brought Farha to her chest, she found a new love at first glance. "She's so cute Masha Allah. Thank you for making me her godmother." Nasir groaned and Firdausi laughed.

They chatted for a while before Firdausi looked at her and smiled, "Aisha, Mama asked us to come and take you back home. It''s getting late, I think we should leave."