ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA.
Wrathfully taking off a cuffed jeans from one of the many iron hangers she's bought from a hands down market, she wrestled her skinny long legs inside then went in search of a shirt to close her upper body because there is no time to look good now when her job just got yanked away from her without any warning or notice. She is fired? She will take care of a few businesses before she goes back to her stupid boss that loves money more than himself, she is sure of that.
But how dare he? How dare he do that to her? Is Zayd out of his mind? She's stopped crossing his way when she found out his mother was a sweetheart. The browbeat came to a complete halt, she even stopped looking at him for the rest of their high school days and after that, he left and she never saw him again. And suddenly he is back, he wants to start an old fight? He is not going to back down because he thinks he is now a soldier? She will show him just how it works.
She is no soldier, never permitted herself to go to university because there is no money and even though her friends' parents all offered her, she wouldn't accept. There is nothing more for her to do. Go to university only to end up not working? She's vowed not to exhaust herself for these worldly stuff, she is immune to everything related to the earth so that include her going to university and working to get money. As long as she can wear nice clothes and eat food, she is alright.
She wouldn't have completed the high school had it not been for her Aunt's last wish. She gave her enough money to leave the country, to continue running all alone since the only person that wanted to hide her also died. It was hard surfing through life alone but she is doing a nice ass job that her Aunt would've taken her to a new restaurant for a toast with not so expensive alcohol or beer and that will do. She'd do anything to get back her Aunt or parents alive.
With a deplorable smile, she browsed her wardrobe. A berry sweatshirt covered her upper half. Not bothering to close her recently dyed hair, she used the hoodie of the sweatshirt to close her head more like shield it away from the arctic bite of winter. Her feet are closed with her favorite frost sneakers that yawed alabaster due to being worn all the time, she plucked in earpiece blasting a new Nigerian song she's been obsessing over. She loves the musicians there over everything. Their songs makes you want to keep rocking on your heels wherever you are, especially the ones from Davido and Runtown, her absolute favorite.
Jamming to 'Activate by Stonebwoy and Davido' she continued down the street, hearing the growls of tumultuous insatiate dogs. It's just nine in the morning but she cannot wait to go to the Babagana x Al-Hakims estate to pour out her brininess on Zayd, bounteous of it. He just messed with the wrong person and she won't rest until he pays for what he's done. Dragging her down the mud the minute he decided to grace back home? Now a Captain, huh? He will regret this, she's done that before and won't hesitate to do it now.
Even though he has changed, it is a must! She hasn't seen him in years, it's better that way for she cannot help the urge to browbeat him if she sees him again now. Maybe not with strength but with something else, she will do it. She is Layla Abd Al-Tunaij, her father's daughter.
Deciding to trek the whole twenty minutes walk to the palatial side of Adamawa State, she slowed her pace to enjoy the cool morning breeze and busy streets filled with students, workers and whatnot. She bowed her head as usual and continued walking, a sign of someone hiding away from other people. She got used to it, she could never trust anyone. That is how her parents enemies decided to make her live through life, with presentiment of being immersed by them.
Arriving at the estate, Layla pressed on the small button outside and stated her name, the large door by the side of the gates opened by itself and she entered unceremoniously since she is used to it by now.
If she were any lesser person, she would've been more than intimidated by those sable gates but she got used to it along the way. She's been there more times than she could count. To collect assignments, work in group with Fatima and just hang out or sleepovers. So many amazing memories there.
She entered inside, looked around the long acres of land she is going to walk through and sighed. Not getting to the estate, the journey to the main parts of the estate is the real plague. Changing the song she's been listening to, she braced herself for another long journey of more than ten minutes. She loves walking, running and any form of exercise so this won't be a problem just that she cannot wait to see Zayd and yell out her pent up petulance. She's been meaning to do that since the day before, had a restless night.
She continued traipsing the long sidewalk, avoiding the coal tarred curb. She heard the sound of a car passing but then it yawed back around and honked at her. Rolling her eyes at whoever it is, she raised her head to descry Aslam's face seasoned with a large smile that is always there for her. Confused, Layla bent down a bit to look at him more clearly before letting out a shriek. It really is Aslam Rashid Babagana in all his handsome well-proportioned sublimity.
"When did you come back?" She questioned in an piqued tone, her smile not dimming even a little bit.
Aslam Rashid Babagana has been her best friend since the first time she met him. He graduated from the same high school she went to a year before she was admitted. She met him through Fatima, his immediate younger sister, when they were working on a physics project then. He was this aggravating handsome tall guy that is way taller than she is. It's hard finding people that are taller than her but he was an inch or two taller so she was amazed and ecstatic at the same time. They click it right off, talking endlessly whilst forgetting about the reason she was there in their house. Fatima had to drag her to her room and lock the door.
Good ole days, it was fun.
Aslam let out an stupefied chuckle, as if he couldn't believe what he is seeing. "Why on earth are you looking more beautiful? Tell me the secret but first, do come in. I know you are going inside?"
Layla rounded the car and sat down on the passenger seat, placed her old model Tecno back inside her sweatshirt's pocket along with the earpiece. "Now, start telling me why you didn't bother calling or texting me to tell me you are back."
He made a u-turn, smiled at her then continue to drive. A gentle move that never seize to make her flip within, he makes everything look effortless and cursive. For example, the way he lifts his cup from saucer. Or maybe she is the weird one that loves everything mundane and keep eyes on things that are really trifling and frivolous. She cannot help it, lack of other things to do.
"I came back just yesterday. I wanted to come surprise you later but well...you've just ruined it like always. I don't know how you manage to sabotage all my surprises." He yawed his thoughtful eyes on her before looking back at the buildings in front of him. "Are you sure you are human?"
Layla laughed, shook her head at his tactics but that's true. Whenever he tried surprising her, she always manage to annihilate it. "Who knows? I won't be an Angel though. Maybe Lucifer in disguise?"
He let out a full blown laugh, shook his head from side to side then murmured, "I missed you."
Layla could only smile back at him, not able to utter a word. They've been friends for quite long but that doesn't mean she is comfortable saying sensitive stuff to him just like she isn't with her other girl friends. Whatever it is Layla feels about you, she will show it to you no matter who you are, she can never fake her expression. If she dislikes you, it will be written all over her face. That is what she believes in after all. There is no one in the entire world that she will ever use facade for, that person is yet to be born, she says.
A lot of people think Aslam and her have a thing going on but they couldn't be more wrong. She is the only one that knows about the girl he likes but the girl's family happen to despise the Babaganas for reasons they both don't know. Their relationship is kept a secret and she's heard him once talking about eloping. And of course, she supports the notion because why the hell not? They are in love and there is nothing she values more than true love between two people.
She's grown up seeing her mother and father all enamored and ardent, always all over each other. She's never dreamt to fall in love though, it is dangerous at the same time beautiful. But then again, all the goodness life has to offer is lost to her, she doesn't want it. Seeing people in love though, makes her feel happy and more connected to her dead family. Each and single one of them married for love. She's seen the same thing in this estate too. Love is in the air and you can feel it the minute you set your feet inside but her nose is blocked, no aperture for love to enter.
"How was it in United Kingdom? Living the dream, huh?" She changed the topic, staring far ahead at the log cabin coming into their view.
The house or should she rephrase that to mansion, is facing the long curb while beside it are other mansions. There are so many of them without people inside. They bought the entire estate for privacy, they love that more than anything both the Babaganas and Al-Hakims. One of the mansions is occupied by geriatrics of the family —Musa Babagana and his wife Zaitun Muhammad Shema— and another by the eldest Babagana child —Rashid Musa Babagana and his family of three with his beautiful wife Nayla— and the log cabin is for the famous couple of Adamawa State —Fatima Musa Babagana and Ahmad Hakim Al-Hafiz. Another one has Raheeb Dhul-kifl, Ahmad's half brother and his wife, Aalia, Fatima's half sister or whatever. Their family is kinda wide albeit small at the same time.
"Living the dream indeed. I love being a diplomat, it's amazing. They are going to post me in another embassy because I'm not a newbie anymore. Apparently, newbies are required to do consular work and can move up to other more desirable postings and assignments once they've gained some experience. So I'm just starting. Maybe they'll send me to Italy for four years or three, I cannot wait." He beamed, parking the car in the middle of a water fountain.
"Whoa, it's moving fast. When was it you left? Two years ago? I hope it works out for you but what about Minal? Aren't you going to work things out before you leave?"
His expression yawed austere, she raised a single brow at that. "I think it is better if we both move on. We've talked about it. It is not working. We both want something else now so I think it's for the best."
Layla's mouth made an o before she cleared her throat. She didn't see that coming but whatever. "Well...I do hope it's for the best. I should really go before your Aunt leaves for work. I have urgent matters to handle."
Questions enveloped his eyes but he only nodded. "We can catch up later over pizza and your souvenir then?"
She gave him two thumbs up before leaving the car, tucking her hands inside her cuffed jeans pocket then moseyed down the lane to the alluring log cabin in front of her.
"Ah, what a surprise! Good morning, dear." Fatima Musa Babagana draw Layla into a quick hug then released her knowing how much the girl hates being touched. She's been there and knows how it feels.
But the woman doesn't look surprised at all, seems like she's seen it coming.
Layla bounced on her feet, looking behind the pretty older woman in search of her douchebag son but he is nowhere in sight. Her eyes meandered back to the woman in front of her standing just few inches shorter than she is. Her eyes brown and filled with compassion, years of experience, love and most of all, felicity. It's written all around her that she likes how life is moving about with her.
Fatima Musa Babagana is a great woman. Known as a badass rich brat years ago because she won't allow anyone to rest, exacerbated and harried every citizen around Adamawa State and even Nigeria. Her love story with her husband, Ahmad Hakim Al-Hafiz is both endearing, jovial, entertaining and dramatic at the same time. Forced into the marriage, they never expected it to yaw out the way it did with Fatima's headstrong nature and Ahmad's no-nonsense attitude but they turned out to be the greatest couple out there. The most talked about till date because it's been published by a lot of writers.
That is not why they are popular though. There are far more fascinating and prodigious love stories than theirs but when there is banknotes, love tend to be sweeter. Both families are strong on their ground, influential and extremely efficacious. Her Texan husband who happens to be the inspector general of police now became much more popular when he stepped out to work on making the force great again and it worked though not as flawlessly as they'd hoped but they are getting there.
Fatima Musa Babagana is the owner of a well known foundation, an NGO that has more than five hundred people ranging from infants, kids, young adults, adults and geriatrics. Twenty six years ago, she decided to unsheathe her secret and told the world she was the owner and had started working on it since she was nineteen. How great is that? But like it is said, where there is cheddar, everything seems perfect.
"Good morning. Is Zayd home?" She asked, straightforward with a grim expression that says everything.
Fatima smiles, gestured for her to come in which she did with hesitant steps. She's been there a handful times, whenever Teems decides to drag her. "He is not around. He just left few minutes ago."
"Is he coming back soon?"
"Nope. He left the country and won't be back until much later. Two weeks to be precise." Fatima explained, her eyes filled with humor that is slowly eating up Layla's patience. "Why are you looking for him?"
Slowly running out of patience, she started losing her temper. "I'm very sure you know what he's done. He got me fired from my job! Who gave him the right to do so?"
Fatima hit her forehead a bit, her face looking very much younger than her age. Her entire body to be precise but that is not what Layla wants to think about now.
"I remember! Sorry, I asked him to get you fired." Layla opened her mouth to argue but Fatima sternly continued. "You are too stubborn so I had to do something. We are going to help each other out. Why don't you see that?"
Layla rolled her eyes. This woman is slowly getting beneath her skin, whether she likes her or not, she will lose it. "Why ask him to get me fired? So he can rub it on my face that he is now a Captain and I can't do no shit? Well, he's messed with the wrong girl. I don't forgive, neither do I forget."
Placing a gentle hand on Layla's shoulder, Fatima grinned innocently. She's secretly missed their drama. Zayd stopped complaining about the browbeats after they've met, she never told Layla to stop bullying her son but she did on her own. Fatima had seen the solitude in Layla's eyes when they'd met years ago. The girl was looking for something to get her mind off things and her son was the best distraction only that he didn't know that. Fatima had been there, she knows exactly how that feels but even with that, it seems like Layla's instability rise higher than hers.
"It isn't his fault. I asked him to do that so that should be my fault huh? Do anything you want to me..." Fatima trailed off when she saw the emotions that Layla had displayed on her face. "...don't try ruining his career, Layla. You can do anything but don't get in between his career and him. I trust you know what I mean?" Her voice had thinned with fierceness, eyes flashed a lighter shade of brown. Oh wow!
Layla shrugged her shoulders. "You lots have more connection and it is your country not mine so don't worry about his career. But you cannot stop me from having my revenge."
She yawed around to leave the house when Fatima called out. "I missed those days. I intentionally asked him to get you fired knowing you'd react like this. And come back here for breakfast. I don't allow my guests to leave without food."
Layla pivoted to look at the mischievous woman behind her then shook her head. Okay, Fatima Musa Babagana is not a bad bitch anymore. She is a cuckoo mother and wacky wife.