Warmest Birthday wishes to my girl TeemahGujbawu, God bless your new age. Please go to her profile to read her new story, it's called His Surrogate Wife.
Just as Labeebah 'died', Abdul walked out of the room, into the elevator and while the elevator slid down the levels, he transferred the video from his watch to his phone and sent it to Yaana.
All within about two minutes. When the elevator doors swished open at the ground floor, he shut his eyes and summoned tears, chuckling to himself when immediately, two tears trickled down his eyes.
"Labeebah isn't the only one who knows how to act." He took off his cap and walked out of the elevator, looking very listless and quite grief stricken. The nurses at the reception looked at him as he walked away and shook their heads.
When the doors of Diezemane slid shut behind him, he put his cap back on his head and picked his already ringing phone.
"Check your account. I've sent your money. One hundred and fifty million naira paid in full. Disappear immediately Abdullahi Babagana. I don't want to find you in Abuja or even Nigeria anymore in this lifetime.
Is that clear?" Abdul chuckled and turned off his phone. Yaana reminding him of his full name made it all so funny that in Labeebah's whole life, she didn't learn his true name.
He summoned Siri to call Amal as he waited to cross the road and immediately Amal picked, he asked "Are your bags packed?" Just as Amal answered, the jet black Ferrari that had been idling on the other lane began riding at smooth speed.
"I've been paid. Get Mama and yourself to the Aminu Kano airport, we'll go to Niger from there." Just as Amal said Okay, the Ferrari took on speed and hit Abdul smack.
The car ran him over and crushed both his left hand that he used to hold his phone and the phone itself.
******
In all the madness that was Diezemane after Abdul's hit and run accident, Labeebah was transferred into a medical ambulance helicopter and no one else except a nurse was in the ambulance with her.
"Maama. They're on the way." Labeebah's aunt heard her mother hum and asked them to immediately return to Kano for a while, that she would brief them on what to do next.
"What did she say, Hannatu?" The recipient of his question only chuckled and said, "Abdul has already been hit, Labeebah moved to Lagos. What else remains?" She spread out her hands and said with some more laughter.
"Oh yeah, we must go and behave as though we're in mourning." They hugged each other and for the first time since the accident, they both laughed out loud, knowing that their baby was safe and away from trouble.
"Let's go home and rest, refuse to see people and just eat enough food." Ibrahim rubbed his wife's head slowly, letting his smile blossom slowly. Then a thought occured to him and his smile died.
"Do you blame me?" Hannatu shook her head. Then she laid her head on her husband's very broad chest, he had been a construction worker early in his life and developed muscles enough to let her sleep comfortably on. It was one of the things she loved the most about him.
"I don't blame you. If there's anyone I blame, it's Maama. For letting Beebah live life without knowing who her true father is, she's going to give us hell for it when she wakes. I can only hope she understands that Bakura himself didn't know himself." Ibrahim nodded. Going through the specifics in his mind.
" Labeebah's life is never going to be the same again, Hanna." He called his wife's nickname as the declarative statement fell from his lips. Hannatu nodded very understandingly. Life would never be the same for Labeebah again.
******
Bamako, Mali.
"Gentlemen. See you in the morning." Sa'ad leaned back in his chair in relief and slunk down till he felt completely comfortable.
The commandant of this peace mission he was involved in was a General from Britain and he was intensely strict. The rest of them were Africans or African Americans who rolled their eyes at the very annoying General who lorded his size and position over all the soldiers. But they knew they just had to endure, the rule of army was clear; never defy orders.
"Major Lamido" Sa'ad looked at person calling and further rolled his eyes mentally. It was a major from the United States army. He tiredly asked him whay he wanted.
"The guys are going later for a meal in a restaurant in the capital, do you want to come? Take it as a job, we gathering information." Sa'ad shook his head even before he finished speaking making the whole room shake with laughter. They knew Sa'ad liked his sleep so much, especially in the few days they'd arrived, they also knew Sa'ad could sleep anywhere and be as alert as when he was awake. They didn't even know the type of regimented training the Nigerian army gave their soldiers to make Sa'ad that way.
"Alright then, see you in the morning." As Sa'ad got up with a deep groan, he remembered something and turned to them with a turn of his left index finger.
"No drinking. The mission we have tomorrow evening needs our attention and the sooner we're done, the faster we can go home." The men laughed again, loud, hard.
"You have a wife?" Someone shouted in question at Sa'ad. He shook his head, only his family.
"You got someone waiting at home for you then?" He shook his head again, but as he shook his head, Labeebah's face came into his mind's eye, and he stopped mid shake.
"Then what are you rushing home for?" Sa'ad didn't bother replying, he walked out of the dark green tent that camouflaged into the dark of the night. Sa'ad walked through many tents to get to his own tent that he shared with another Major from South Africa. They had first done a sort of drill to do a show of force before starting the peace mission proper.
Sa'ad reminded himself as he fell asleep that he was responsible for about one thousand, six hundred soldiers and he was not about lose anyone of them. The responsibility was greater than he had ever received and he was not about to let himself or his commanders down.
Just as he slept, a phone rang, forcing him awake again. He picked up the untraceable small phone that could not get internet or pictures and pressed receive.
"Hey." Sa'ad sighed when he heard Ma'mun's voice. He tiredly said the Salam and hummed when Ma'mun replied slowly.
"How's she?" Sa'ad heard him sigh and jumped up from his position on the bed, sleep left him immediately.
"What happened?" Sa'ad shook as he listened to Ma'mun explain everything that had gone on since he left Nigeria.
"So now, that man is dead?" Ma'mun said no, making Sa'ad cuss out. "Why didn't anyone kill him? Because in my opinion, he deserves to be six feet below the ground by now. There's no reason for him to be alive." Ma'mun laughed and sighed when he remembered what the private investigator found out, so he told Sa'ad m
"She's Bakura's daughter? Innalilah! No wonder, I just knew I knew that nose from somewhere. He's the only one I knoe with that narrow nose that looks like an Arab. Does she know?" He asked his brother.
"Not yet. Her uncle and Aunt just found out sef, turns out her mother died in that two thousand and five plane crash." Sa'ad flicked through his mind for anything he knew about that plane crash and he screamed internally when he remembered the report he read about that plane crash.
"Wow. Ya Ma'mun, this is a lot fa. How's Layla abeg, I hope she's no longer blaming herself for the accident?" Ma'mun laughed, his laughter carried in over the million of lines that connected Bamako to Abuja.
"No. Especially since I told her, 'She's alive, just recuperating, so please go and pass your exams' I really couldn't continue seeing her moping everywhere around the house and asking me for information everytime I walk in." Sa'ad laughed lowly. He knew Layla could be very persuasive.
"Did you know that someone authorised the publishing of a video where her parents where crying?It was so sad, but it's gone around social media now." Sa'ad didn't speak, Labeebah's life would forever be something that other people used to have fun.
"Just take care. Be safe please." Sa'ad came out his reverie to say half-heartedly that he would be safe.
*****
Hi guys.
Long time no see😌, don't worry I'll still update.
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TheOmoope 💙💛