She had placed the lunch on the dining table and looked at how he was so engrossed in reading his book. Through her peripheral view, she caught the name of the book. 'The Gate Crasher' by Sophie Kinsella. By Allah, she got annoyed every day by this annoying reading habit of his. How can a person sit there all day reading words? How did he feel? Happy afterwards?
She heaved a sigh and walked over to where he sat with tentative steps, "Your food is ready," she uttered, her head dung down as she fiddled with her fingers. She was always nervous when she was around Maheer, she felt uncomfortable and not at ease. She felt as though the blue colour of his eyes stared deeply into her soul and saw all of her secrets and fear. She wanted nothing more than him to stop making eye contacts with her because whenever he made such, she felt her knees going weak.
"I said your food is ready," she repeated, seeing how he didn't spare her a glance, fully engrossed in his book.
Maheer looked up and stared directly into her eyes. Fadwa closed her eyes and hung her face down, not wishing to find his eye on her when next she looked up. "Do you have to tell me that, twice?" She shook her head at the annoyed voice he used on her.
Before she answered him, a call came through his phone and he hissed softly before he walked over to the dining table, leaving his book on the sofa with a bookmark attached. She groaned at the book and walked back to the kitchen, the only place she was safe in. Lily had walked outside on her own and the moment Fadwa saw that, she locked the main entrance and wished he wouldn't open it unless he was going outside.
"Mamitah, I've been calling you for two days now but it wasn't going through," Maheer said before he clacked the spoon he held onto the dining table and Fadwa rushed out. She always forgot about serving him, and if care wasn't taking, Maheer would give her the most harassing moment of her life.
"I'll call you right back, Mamitah." He excused himself and looked up at Fadwa with a pierce expression on his face. "How many times do I have to tell you this? Just how many times? Tell me, at your wrenched and dirty home, does your mother not serve your father? Don't you know the simple etiquette of life? Weren't you taught this at home? How in the whole word will you bring someone food and just go back to your works?" His voice was high and his words were like a knife to Fadwa's heart. Today, she stared directly into his eyes without shivering, she wanted him to get the answer of his questions without her voicing them out to him.
I have a father that never stays with us. My mother doesn't have the priviledges all other wives have, she doesn't serve him because he doens't eat at home and doens't even provide for us. She hustles to bring food to our table and he doesn't give a damn about our upkeep. I don't know of the life etiquette because all I was brought up to was a wrecked home, an abusive father and a mother in pain. She wished she could tell all this to him, but she couldn't. How their eyes met felt like the morning sun in the bright blue sky, it hurt them to stare that deeply into each other's eyes, but she couldn't take her gaze away from him. Having him mention her parents eveyrday hurt Fadwa more than the humiliation she got from him. Just because he had the best family, devoid of hardship and pain, didn't mean everyone had. She wished he would consider her feelings for once before he spoke about her family.
"Are you going to keep staring at me until the gold in your eyes turns into fire and you burn me, Fadwa?" Even to him, the way his voice sounde so soft and low surprised him, not to talk of Fadwa.
She flicked back her tears and shook her head. She walked over to the dining table and opened the warmers, just when he picked up his phone and dialed Mamitah's number again. Maheer could see how she was pouting her lips at the same time trying swith so much aplomb to stop her tears from cascading but she was failing. He took his eyes away from her, because seeing that pout and how her golden orbs were turning into with her tears, stirred something into his heart. And for once, he felt guilty of accusing her parents of what she did. He knew he hit a nerve with that.
"Maheer, I went to Paris for two days, Grand-mère isn't feeling fine two days, I went to see how she was doing. How are you? Badra told me you were doing just fine as if you aren't in Nigeria, right?" She was easing her legs on the ottoman as she spoke, the maids serving her some snacks and a mocktail, which she began sipping from.
"Mamitah, I missed talking to you. Next time if you're going, please take me along, I need to see that old french woman." Mamitah laughed and he smiled at himself. He watched the retreating back of Fadwa as she entered the kitchen and if he wasn't mistaking, he heard a faint escape of sob as the door behind her closed.
"You can't even come to Abuja unless Daddy agrees, Maheer."
"Can I come before Ramadan, please? It feels so lonely staying here without anyone to talk to, I haven't even make friends, yet."
"If you're going to make some, they shouldn't be bad friends please, Maheer. Where's your maid? I hope she's doing fine now? Does she annoys you? Do I need to send someone from Abuja?" She asked, she knew how easily annoyed Maheer got and if she disgusted him, there was now way he could eat the food she made.
His eyes instantly flew to the closed kitchen door, and he wished he could see her before he replied Mamitah's questions. Did she really annoy him? Did he feel disgusted of her? Did he need a new maid apart from Fadwa? She shook his head and answered Mamitah. "She's doing just fine, Mamitah. No need to send a new maid over, she has to live in my house, you know? And that will be quite disturbing. If it's a man, people will think I'm gay. In all cases, she's just fine living here."
Mamitah laughed and shook her head, "I agree with you. I'll have to go to Daddy now, his car just pulled over. We'll talk someday."
Before she ended the call, Maheer spoke, "Mamitah please beg him for me to come to Abuja just for two days, I want to see you and those girl. Even him."
Mamitah threw her head back and laughed, "That won't work on him, you know. But you can ask Badra to beg him, the girl can do magic." Mamitah ended the call before Maheer got to ask her something again, and he dialed Badra's number as he clacked the spoon in his hand. He watched as the door knob turned before Badra picked the call.
"Good afternoon, Ya Maheer," she greeted with a warm smile, and Maheer didn't know when a smile graced his lips.
Fadwa stood in front of him and held her hands in front of her. "Badra, I need a favour from you, will you?"
"Yes, just say it and it shall be done, Ya Maheer. Do you want me to send over one of your girlfriends?" She asked with an amused laughter and Maheer chuckled before he shook his head as if she could see him.
"I want you to beg Daddy for me, I want to come back home and spend even if it's two days before Ramadan, will you?" He asked, awaiting her reply.
Before Badra could reply him, Fadwa took more steps toward the dining table, "Should I take away the dishes?" She asked with a low voice that emanated she had cried, a painful cry. For a split second, Maheer looked into her eyes that had turned bloodshot and nodded his head.
"Ya Maheer! Is that your maid? The girl with golden eyes? I need to talk to her!" Badra squealed and one could think she had seen the president of Nigeria right before her eyes.
"You can't say that again, Badra. I'm asking you of something," He said, flushed. He had never expected Badra to say those words out while he was only inches away from Fadwa.
"I'll ask him, Ya Maheer. Now, I want to talk with your maid, you didn't tell me she has a nice voice, a golden voice perhaps?" She chuckled evilly and he watched as Fadwa took some of the warmers and when she was back, he scratched his left eyebrow.
Seeing the look he was flashing her, Fadwa pouted her lips and he scratched his left eyebrow, again. "Do you want something?" She asked, and it was now that she realized she couldn't call him with his name. For a boss, she wasn't supposed to call him with his name. But to her, there was more to this restriction.
"I want to talk to you!!!" Badra giggled and Maheer groaned before he handed Fadwa the phone, his hand on his left eyebrow.
"My sister wants to talk to you," he said, and she collected the phone with tentative hands. She stared into his eyes and he nodded softly at her, it was as if she needed his confirmation that his sister wouldn't hurt her.
"Good Afternoon," Fadwa greeted, and she heard the soft smile that escaped Badra's lips.
"I know you're around my age or you're even older than me. Please stop greeting me. Ya Maheer told me little about you but I want to know you more, and now that I hear your voice, I couldn't wait any longer. My name is Badra Aliyu Shagari," she introduced herself and from then, Fadwa knew she had a reciprocate of Majida in the body of Badra Aliyu Shagari.
She ignored the eyes of Maheer that were on her and smiled beautifully. The first genuine smile she had carved on her face for the first time since she had came to his house. "My name is Fadwa Mamman Jalo, I'm glad you want to know more about me. Thank you, Badra."
Badra smiled to herself, Fadwa seemed calm and she had such a loving personality without even waiting to know her more. She knew she was a good girl. "How are you? Is Ya Maheer treating you well? I know of his bad temper, Fadwa."
Fadwa chuckled softly and shook her head, all this while under the scorching gaze of Maheer Aliyu Shagari. "No, he treats me well," even before she closed her lips, Badra chirped in.
"You can talk to me if he treats you bad, I make him change, trust me."
"He treats me well, and if he does something bad, I'll ask him to call you for me."
"You need to be free with me, I have no friend but Ya Maheer and my twin sister; Badya. Will you be my friend? I like you already."
Fadwa smiled and nodded her head softly, she looked up and met the nerving eyes of Maheer, she pouted her lips. "I'll be your friend, thank you for seeing me worthy of your time and friendship."
"Give him the phone,' Badra said with a happy tone. The moment Fadwa did as she was asked, Maheer put the phone on speaker and she began talking.
"Ya Maheer, from today onward, Fadwa is my friend and you aren't allowed to treat her any how. Keep your promise, and I'll ask Daddy to let you come back home. Just as her eyes are gold, I'm sure her heart is gold too. Take a very good care of her. I need to go!" She screamed at last and he heard as Badya collected the phone and ended the call, they were going out. Slowly, Fadwa and Maheer's eyes got locked in the web of eyelock. The morning ray of sunlight merged with the bright morning sky.
You guys aren't commenting, Do I have to forget about this book for Allah's sake? I can do that.