The three universities he attended, all which happened for him to be expelled at the first year, he could remember the first university he attended in Paris, which was Sorbonne university, he started studying medicine before he got expelled. The other two were in Amsterdam and Scotland.
That thought aside, he needed to bring this girl back to life before she lose it completely. From the knowledge he acquired, he might seem unserious, but he had a sharp and what people call photographic brain. He knew she wasn't dead yet, her pulse were beating but she might be lost if care wasn't taken. He needed his first aid box, it wasn't just a normal first aid box that only had bandages and violent, this was a medical student's first aid box.
The best way is to take her back inside, and he did. When he lifted her up into his arms, he felt as though he held a feather, like a flash of dust on his arms. She looked normal, but she weighed lesser than she looked. He took her to the room opposite his, that way he could easily assess his first aid box, and when he back into the room, she still wasn't breathing. The last thing he wanted was to touch her chest, but it seemed to be the only way he could save her. He scratched his left eyebrow.
He did it, and after the first, second and third attempt; Fadwa weakly began coughing and her eyes squinted slowly. Her eyes fell directly into his, and the pale blue orbs of his reflected the colour of the pool she got drowned in, she freaked.
"Hey, be calm, you're weak to move." He managed to say, the last thing he wanted was to show he cared about someone in life. He had a weakness he wasn't ready to unveil to the world, that's why he was a well known heart breaker and that didn't stop ladies from falling for him. Knowing so well he couldn't love them back, he was afraid of love after all.
"You have water in your eyes! Where's is Ammi?!" She was still not back into her senses, and her lips began curving into a pout before she broke into tears, softly as he injected her and sleep took over her soul.
He watched as she slept, that's the best he could help her with. But he knew she would be infected if she stayed in those wet clothes, she might get flu; and he couldn't eat when she cooked. This only had two ways out; either to find her something to wear, who would change her into that? Not him for sure. Or call Badra and ask for him. He settled for the latter.
He sat on the sofa and dialed Badra's number, she picked and before she could speak, he heard her crying voice. That freaked him out, and he guessed of two things that could make his strong sister cried, he wished it wasn't one of them.
"Oh my Baby, what happened? Who dare make Badra Aliyu Shagari cry?" He was angry that she cried, but he needed not to show it to her. He had never loved anyone more than he loved her. They were twins with Badya, but completely two sides of a coin. He loved them both, but Badra was his Mumu Button, she knew of all his secrets and his fears, she knew of his everything. And whenever something happened to him, she reported to her first before Mamitah. She's a keeper.
"Ya Maheer, it's him." Those were the only words she uttered and broke into tears again, she couldn't believe what she saw with her own eyes today. She was trying so hard to move on, to forget about him, but it was getting worse.
Maheer closed his eyes and internally groaned, he scratched his left eye brow and opened his eyes, "What of him Badra? What have I told you about this guy for god sake? vous êtes trop difficile à gérer (You're too hard to deal with)." And he scoffed. Had it been she would know how making herself hurt over that Yaasir of a guy hurt him, she wouldn't have been clinging onto him for long. But she had no one to talk to, Mamitah never had their time for such kind of conversations, and Badya is completely out of reach.
"That's not it, Ya Maheer. Something happened, I think he's dating Badya now." Her last words came as silently as he ever heard her sounded, she sounded so heartbroken she wanted to be by her side in the blink of an eye. He had even forgotten about what he called to ask her or that she didn't have his breakfast and it was almost noon.
"What?! Tell me you're joking please. Badya is very stupid! What of kind of you love him and have been hurting over him hasn't she understand?! I'll call her right away! What kind of stupidity is this?!" He had been scratching his left eyebrow to even notice how angry he was. Badya had always been selfish.
"You're scratching your left eyebrow for long, it will lose its shape. Let's talk maturely, I'm not crying anymore." She chuckled softly and before he could speak, he heard the sound of water as she splashed it on her face.
"Now we're good, good morning, Ya Maheer." She smiled, even though he couldn't see her, he knew she did. And her dimples had perfectly etched.
"Good morning, Badra, tell me it's all a joke please. How could she do this to you?! She knows you love him, then why? How sure are you?" He asked and glanced at Fadwa's sleeping body, her clothes had even started drying themselves. The room heater was on, even though Maheer found it punishing to sit in the room, he had no other choice.
"She told me to escort her to a restaurant for breakfast, I thought she was taking me out on a sister's date. Then he came, and she told me to drive back home she'll be back after Asr. That's it, and you know I know her so much to know who he is to her. End of the story. Why did you call me? You surely have something to say or ask. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, trust me." She sounded like someone else, today wasn't the first time he heard her saying 'Trust me' but it felt as if she lived as somebody else too, but he couldn't decipher it now, so he pushed the thought aside.
"When I'm back, we'll talk properly then. There's the poor lady Mamitah got me as a maid, she got herself drowned in the pool and now her wet clothes are getting dried by the room heater, what should I do to stop her from getting flu? I can't eat even if she cooks, then I'll be starving to death with only junks to eat, then I'll get fat..."
"And no lady will look at the mighty Maheer Aliyu Shagari again." She ended his well known sentence and burst into a series of laughter, he chuckled too.
"Be serious, Badra. I really need your help here."
"Ya Maheer I'm not in Adamawa to help you, I can only advice. Why not take a nap and dream of your Najwa for a bit? Then ask her for what to do. You said you dream of her right? That day, was it yesterday?" She laughed out loud, because she knew she had gotten him in the middle of a tight situation.
"Badra, Najwa can't help here. Even at home, I sleep while watching the brightest star, but I've never dreamt of her until the second day I came here, and from then I don't. She feels more closer but yet, farther away. So, Najwa exonerated, what is there to do?"
"Do you know how to make a black tea? With a pinch of ginger and cinnamon if possible? Grand mère (Grand mother) use to make it whenever we went to Paris during winter, remember?" By the time she started guiding him on how to make it, he was rushing out of the room and into the kitchen, abruptly.
He was on phone with her until the tea got boiled successfully and she guided him to make something edible for himself. He wondered how she knew so much about cooking, Mamitah was a great french chef, but she had never let them into the kitchen while she cooked. Something about them being the children of a rich mogul and there is nothing money can't buy in the world, an expensive dish included. Badra surely sneaked her way into the kitchen and cooked with the maids.
"Now, go and serve it to our lovely maid, Ya Maheer. Did you realized you made mention of her eyes looking like one of Mamitah's expensive gold ring right? Hmmmmmm....oya go and give it to her, she might catch flu." She laughed so hard, knowing she would annoy his guts.
"I don't have time to get annoyed, Badra this place is suffocating me wallahi. When are you going to beg Daddy for me so he could let me come back home even if for weekends. Please." He pleaded and made a puppy face, even though she couldn't see him. They were the best of friends, she would surely imagine how his face looked like.
"You're just there for two days, Ya Maheer. We have to talk with Badya to decide when we want you back home, and leave and take care of your maid, she needs her hot boss beside her. And lest I forget, Raban had called and asked me to beg you to unblock her number please, please. Not for her sake, but mine."
He scratched his left eye brow as he took the flask and cup towards the room, together with the tray of his food. "Badra let me be clear with you, I've told you before but it seems you're not getting it. This lady wants me to bring her to Yola with me, and you clearly know what that means. I'm not ready to be a father out of wedlock please, because I'm sure she won't let us live in peace. And you know I don't do women in that way, not yet at least."
"Yes I know the rules; No drinking, No women. In this case, I'm with you. But you have to promise me that you won't break the promise you made to me, Ya Maheer. You're going to study and our rules will still be unaffected. Please."
"That's a long time promise, Baby girl. Smack your head for me a little please. Pinky promise, if I break one even if it's to dream of Najwa; then next year's vacation I'll be left in Paris. Deal?"
She squealed and stretched her pinky finger as if he was beside her, she knew how he loved sky diving and staring at the stars in Mumbai. Which ever country they went to, him, Badra and sometimes with Badya went to Mumbai last so he could watch the stars on top of the hill. He loved it. "Accepted. Please extend my regards to her. It's time for Daddy's tea, I'll take it to him. I haven't seen him for long. Bye, Ya Maheer."
"Bye Baby Badra, tell him I love him, and you too. And that girl, a tera bora is what she deserves." They laughed at the same time, knowing so well what tera bora meant in their own sibling language. Most of the time it's Badya that got the beating, they beat her up together or anyone that messed up bad within them.
As he ended the call, he placed down the tray on the bed side drawer and moved back on the sofa and sat down. He watched as she peacefully slept while he ate his food, he still couldn't figure out while he hadn't left the room. Or what intrigued him more about her, her hair? Or worst; when she opened her eyes?
Yo yo! Who wrote two chapters?!
Badra and Badya are one hell of a story themselves. I love their bond though.