Faisal glowered at the man before him, cowering in fear.
"Read" He pushed the papers before him to them and reclined against his chair.
The first man took hold of the papers with shaky hands.
"I... I didn't notice Sir. I checked everything Yes...yesterday and it was fine." He stammered.
"Read." Faisal repeated, seething in anger, and asking Allah for patience.
The man swallowed hard, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, and began to read, stammering.
"Sequel to your negligence towards the protection of lives and property of Faisal Natural and Liquidated Gas, we are hereby..."
He looked at his boss
"Term....."
He dropped the paper and went on his knee, the other men, his subordinates followed suit.
Immediately, Faisal came to his feet.
"Sir please... Please don't terminate my appointment. I have six children to feed." Their leader pleaded.
"Sadly, the deceased has lost all opportunity to say the same thing." Faisal said.
"Sir... Please... Please. I really checked everything before shutting down yesterday... I..."
But Faisal was done talking. He walked around his table, picked his phone which had been ringing and just before ire he answered it, he said to the man on his knee before him.
"Your knees are for only Allah. And you are fired. Such gross incompetence has cost a good man's life and also this company a great deal. You, Mr. Hamza should be grateful I am not making you pay the compensation to the bereaved family."
With that, he stomped out of the office.
Faisal answered the call, then. It was his lawyer.
"Talk to me."
"They don't want to take the money."
What money? The guy had obviously acted beyond his powers.
"Mus'aaaaaab?" He called in warning.
"What did you do?"
There was silence from the other end for a while and then the man sighed.
"I.... Tried to keep them quiet."
"Mus'ab!" Faisal raised an alarm
"Don't you understand what this would do to your companies? It's best if they just take the money and keep quiet, sir." He defended.
"You are fired Mus'ab." Faisal said as he stepped on his accelerator.
"Sir..."
Faisal ended the call.
If there were two people Faisal Abdurrahman hated, they were people who did not take their responsibilities with due diligence and those who shied away from the consequences of their actions.
Faisal Abdurrahman was neither. Even Umar RA had lifted the food of the neglected woman on his own shoulders in fear of Allah's questioning. Faisal Abdurrahman would face the consequences of his negligent leadership, and anyone who tried to hide their mistake under any shade was not of him.
He drove straight to the berieved's home.
Mr. Farhan, the deceased had been a dedicated staff of the factory for 15years. He was the one in charge of the keys to the factory and locked it up after everyone left.
As practice, he left the factory later than all the others, especially on days when they had more oil to produce.
Last night, he had been having desert with Umamah when he received a call. One of the pipes at the lower power house had exploded. Thankfully, there was the automatic extinguisher which sprout water over the place in time to save it from spreading across the factory. So the higher accident was prevented.
But sadly, 46 years old Mr. Farhan who had been making his final rounds had been locked in that section once the alarm had gone off, thereby suffering the consequences.
The media had not made it any easier as they tried to push all dirt and dust on FLNG and FIH. But Faisal couldn't care less at the moment about the companies' reputation. A loyal and elderly staff had died, due to the companies' negligence and he was certainly going to take full responsibilities for that.
His phone began to ring. It hadn't stopped ringing since last night. The investors and shareholders wouldn't stop.
Of course, when things of this nature happened, they wanted to pull out before it got worse.
He turned his phone over on the seat, so that he doesn't see the screen anymore.
Soon, he arrived at the late man's house.
Faisal made it compulsory to know his staffs to their residences.
He gave the tasleem and the sight that greeted him when the door opened was heartbreaking.
A ten years old boy holding an infant, probably less than 6months stood there, staring up at him.
The boy's gazes became uncomfortable when he didn't give Faisal any tasleem. He probably knew who he was.
Faisal bent towards the boy. "Assalamaam'alykum young champ. Are Mom and Uncle Ridwaan home?"
Ridwaan was the deceased's only brother and the one who had been interviewed by Channels Tv on site.
The boy hesitated for a while and then answered.
"Yes. Mom said you will come. Uncle Ridwaan said you wouldn't."
Faisal's heart almost sank at that. Mrs. Faakiha had been expecting him. She still had faith in him.
"Let's... Let's go in, then?"
The boy held out his hand.
"Just wait a minute. I have to inform her, first."
"Of course Champ."
***
Faisal sat opposite Uncle Ridwaan and Umm Roudah,
"My son said you had something to say to me." The woman asked
Yes, but suddenly, he couldn't find his voice. How does one explain their deficiencies to a woman who was so broken, it was evident in her face and words?"
"I am here to apologize." He began, but the woman cut him off.
"For what? What's gone is gone." Her voice was strained, worn-out from a night of crying.
She was a strong woman for she didn't bat an eyelid as the lines dropped from her lips.
"I am sorry we tried to bribe you, as well."
He had to apologize as well.
"Ehem!" The Uncle said, clapping his hands together.
"What do you think you want from us, Mr. Boss?"
The sacarstic way he said "Mr. Boss," did not go unnoticed."
Faisal took a deep breath and began,
"I am not here to apologize for what happened to Mr. Farhan, although it was holistically our fault, because I understand that no amount of apologies would bring back your husband and brother.
I am also sorry we tried to keep you shut by offering you some money. I came to tell you that I understand that the damage is done and there is nothing we all do that will bring back Mr. Farhan. He was a loyal employee. Loyal to his family the most. If..."
Faisal looked at the uncle as he said the next lines.
"If you would allow me, FNLG would take full responsibility for this family.... To the best our abilities..."
"So, that's it?" The uncle stood up, clearly aggravated.
"You, pretentious criminal!" His voice was on a high pitch.
"You tried to hush us with your money through your lawyer, when we refuse, you come here under pretend-sympathy... To... To... Tell us you want to take responsibility for this family? You don't care about the life that was lost, after all, who is Farhan compared to your lofty company? You are only interested in keeping us quiet! Ah! Mr. Faisal. Why are you so wicked? Why?"
Faisal understood the pain at loosing a loved one. And even worse, when Mus'ab had acted ultravires his instructions and attempted to bribe them.
But he needed them to understand that he wasn't pretending.
"I know that there is nothing I say that can bring Mr. Farhan back to life and I am not here to stop you from meeting the press or telling them exactly what happened. It was our neglegence and we will take full responsibility. Our only dua' is that Allah forgives him and admits his soul into jannah."
The woman sighed, said Aameen and said,
"Mr. Faisal"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"My late husband said so many good things about you. He said you didn't look down on people, no matter what their station in life was. He said you are not as people perceive and that you are a very kind and generous man. I am witness to your generosity. My children are witnesses to your kindness. We are grateful to you.
"That was why I refused to see any press until now. That was why I admonished my brother-in-law when he spoke with them. I never blamed you and still doesn't blame you for the accident, but..."
Faisal did not know he had held his breath until that moment.
"But I was highly disappointed when you sent someone to bribe us. Mr. Faisal. We want nothing from you or your companies.
Allah took care of us with my husband alive. He will take care of us after his death. Know this. Allah is the One Who took my husband from me. Not your company. You are free to go. I will not be of those demanding their rights from you on the day of judgement."
Faisal watched the woman walk into the room and his heartfelt even more burdened.
The brother-in-law rose to his feet as well. "You can use the door sir, when you are done."
He stormed out of the house.
Faisal found his way to his car and he was about to go in when he saw Umamah come out of a car he didn't recognize and walk to him.
Without caution, she took the car keys from him and locked it again.
"I called an Uber Driver."
"Umamah? He called, as though to be certain it wasn't his imagination that she was there.
She nodded. "Yes." Then she glanced back at the house. "They said some hurtful words, didn't they?"
Faisal shook his head. He wished they had said some hurtful words to him, instead of the woman's kind words. He wished she has been angry, lashed out, screamed and called the press on him.
How? How was he to get rid of the guilt when the one he wronged wouldn't even seek recompense?
"How did you find me?" He asked instead.
"They said you went out and Raheed doesn't know where to. When even your secretary isn't aware of your whereabouts, I figured you'd be here, so I got the address of Mr. Farhan's house from the office."
It was really get, Umamah. The pillar he needed at the moment.
"Let's go. Your ride awaits."
He let her accompany him to the public vehicle, shut the door and went back to his car. She probably wanted to drive it behind them.
Once, inside the car, he slipped backwards, resting his head.
Grief was fast taking over his heart.
"Allahumma la sahla illa ma ja'altahu sahla wa anta taj'alu hazan, iza shi'ita sahla"
He chanted the adkaaar of grief and many others.
Umamah drove right behind them till they arrived home.
Once she parked his car, she paid the Uber driver and helped Faisal out of the car.
Few minutes later, they were in their room. Umamah had brought chilled orange drink for Faisal, and he now sipped quietly.
She hasn't been able to look elsewhere. He has been sipping for almost twenty minutes in silence. She wanted to ask what happened at Mrs. Farhan's that had him so shaken, but Faisal had not spoken a word since they arrived and she was willing to be patient.
Suddenly, he dropped the glass and came to his feet in front of the dressing mirror, fixing his loosened tie.
She was beside him.
"Where are you off to?"
"Work." He sounded surprisingly energetic. "Those files will not sort themselves out."
Umamah wasn't surprised. Faisal would rather be at work than stay remain mopping around at home.
"You have Raheed to do that for you, and if there is anything urgent, he can bring it home. You need to stay here. I...need you here."
At the last stammered words, he stopped in his tracks.
"We leave together, Umamah. You have jobs too. There isn't a way..."
"First of all, there is no way I am letting you take a step out of this house in this state. Secondly, I need you to understand that I don't have any thing left to be done today at the office. I tidied my table and left. Finally, you are the one in dire need of attention , not work Ya Salam, Faisal, Abdul Rahman. You can't even see properly."
"I see fine!"
"No you don't."
Faisal wanted to argue, but his young wife now stood in front of him with her hands folded across her chest and her chin, thrown stubbornly into the air. Her poise said one thing only. She wasn't having any of his stubbornness.
She came closer to him and began loosening his tie again.
"You will gain absolute nothing like this. Mr. Farhan's death is not on you. You have tried your best, and just before you say another word, know that I will not stand here and watch you sink yourself in sorrow."
And in a subtler tone, she added.
"I am sure Allah will not punish you for what you had no control over..."
"That's it!" His voice came out frustrated.
"I had control over it. This is my company and I am responsible for everyone and everything that goes on here." He moved away from her.
"Do you think It's easy for me? Do you think I can just sit and watch Mrs. Faakiha and her children, knowing she no longer has a husband thanks to my company's negligence? I saw his son. Goodness, Umamah, Abdullah should just be two or three years older than him How... How could such a kid be left without a father at this age, and worse..." He paused, trying to catch his breath.
"Worse, is, they do not want anything from me or my company. Mrs. Faakiha just looked at me... And said he forgave me and would not be amongst those demanding their rights from me on the day of judgement."
Umamah gasped. She had expected anything. Their anger, their tantrums, tears and threats... But not a passive remark of forgiveness till qiyyama. Then she understood her husband.
She went to him again and embraced him from the back. He stopped pacing and remained still.
"I... I don't know how to do this, Umamah. I am a business man. I know how to settle people's grievances and make them happy with our services and products. I know how to convert a dying Company to a multi-million naira worth one. I know how to take responsibility and face the consequences of my failures, but this... This... I don't know what to do. They are in so much need, but will not take anything from me..."
"Shhhh..." Umamah hushed. She came to stand before him again.
"We will get through this, together, In Shaa Allah. You can help without their knowledge, It's the best form of Sadaqah, right? Scholarships... Yes. Grant them an anonymous scholarship and widow sponsorship through another organization. Maybe it would relieve your guilt."
Faisal looked down at his wife and creased a brow, assimilating her words.
***
💐💐💐Afwan guys. I know I promised 12pm, and I am over 2hours late.
But please enjoy it and anticipate the next chapter, In Shaa Allah.💐💐💐