Hello night owls!
Hajiya Sadiya's eyes had dried up. She'd cried since she set her eyes on Abba and since she learnt that Adeelah had been missing. She'd shed alot of weight. Nafeesah couldn't recall the last time she had seen her mother sleeping at night. She was always on the prayer mat praying for her husband and Adeelah.
It gladdened her heart because the moment Abba opened his eyes for the first time, she was sitting right there beside him, weeping. It came like a dream to her, hearing her name crack out of his lips. He'd recognized her, Alhamdulillah.
Hafsatu on the other hand had left for her family house last month. She'd said she was tired of waiting for nothing.
"Na'am Alhaji. Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah. Let me call the nurse."
"Where's Adeelah?" He asked, dismissing her suggestion. Hajiya Sadiya's blood thinned in her vein because she had no answer for him. But just to make him calm down, she decided to lie.
"She's coming back soon. Siddiqah took her with her." She said with a smile and walked out, her body shaking of happiness.
Abba closed his only eye, sighing in relief. It's relieving that he didn't feel any pain in his body. The doctors must have taken care of that.
Nearly five minutes after Hajiya Sadiya had left, a nurse came in.
"How're you feeling sir? You may experience some pains as you have been in coma for some days." She had this friendly smile that Abba didn't get right but he smiled weakly.
"I feel better Alhamdulillah. No pains." Despite saying that, she unpacked a syringe and began to draw an injection.
"I will give you this injection to make you feel better. More better." She added, rubbing a spirited cotton wool on his arm. As soon as she finished infusing the fluid into his system, he drifted to a state of unconsciousness.
The nurse smiled. She's sorry that he would never wake up as a sane man just like the way Rano had to. Else her life would be on a cliff. A sad smile graced her beautiful face again, she was the commissioner's girlfriend and since he ordered her to inject these two men and make sure they didn't survive, she hadn't been feeling alright so she decided to bring up a plan that would rather be less suspicious. She suggested that since Rano had woken up as a mentally unstable man, with zero hope of recovery, Danbatta should be made to be like him. They would keep sedating him until he lost his mind. They would keep delaying his discharging time.
As soon as she left, a mask man shook his head to make sure she did the work. She was being monitored, that too, she knew. The commissioner if anything, was more wicked than Rano. He had a high rank in the secret group as well while he appeared like a good man to the outside world.
The first time she knew him before she became his girlfriend willy nilly, was ten years ago. He had walked into the hospital in a ln outfit that made him look extremely humble. He befriended her as he brought a patient who looked so old. Hearing that the old man he brought was just someone from the street, she made a good image of him in her mind. It went from their to building a love in the air, a baseless love which she would forever be regretting, as it destroyed her cause as a human, as a woman and as a nurse whom was supposed to care for humanity within and outside the field of her work.
People truly value their doctors and nurses. They had this undeniable and uncontrollable trust on them the moment they walk into the hospital. Some patients would look at their doctors and all eye blink show complete trust; like, you're my caretaker as of now and I believe i will get better through you by Allah's will.
On a Thursday night, as she could never forget that day. The day she broke that trust. The day he came to her and she gave in. He asked her to steal a newborn child for him.
She could remember rejecting his offer despite the fact that he promised her a handsome amount of nairas. Few days later, she accepted him and put her eyes on a woman who would normally come for antenatal checkup. She could remember the gleam in the woman's eyes the day she gave birth. She could remember the way the woman suffered in labour, she could remember overlooking all the pain the woman would go through. She gave out that one day old beautiful Fulani baby. She could remember how hysteric the woman went before she was discharged.
The nurse could remember the second time she did it too. Later, she heard that her second victim had been battling with infertility for ten years before she was gifted the fruit of the womb. And mercilessly, she took away that fruit while it's still raw, in need of it's mother's love and care.
Then she decided that she couldn't do it again even if he would kill her. But he brought another plan which then she thought was easier. Now looking back, she couldn't help but feel evil.
Tears spilled from her eyes as she remembered how her life, due to all the evil she did, was collapsing...
With that, she exited the room and walked back to her ward.
When Hajiya Sadiya came back with a doctor and they saw that Abba was back asleep, he checked his pulse and assured her that all was well. Seemingly, she agreed and left to pray, to thank Allah for such a progress.
****
Walking into Maami's house had never been so different to me likes it was now. Because i knew i would walk out of it as a different person of Maami is cooperative. I waved at the gateman as we drove into the house together with the chauffeur. I had called and informed her, hence she sent a driver to pick me at the airport.
As soon as she sighted me, a smile graced her lips. Only God knows how much this woman had endured during her days with the Kabos.
"My boy!" She ruffled my hair and closed the distance between us.
"Good evening Maami. Let's get in. I'm tired." I said, for the first time admitting to someone that i was really tired. I really was tired.
I sat down the moment my eyes landed on a chair. My eyes wandered about her parlor, which was looking so poshy like how she'd always been. The Italian furniture gave the parlor a unique look that I couldn't help but admire. My eyes darted from where Maami had her quran and a rosary casually kept at a hanger, with her hijab on top of a drawer there. I liked that. It looked like her prayer joint.
A smile graced my lips as she approached me with a tray of tea. This time tea, not coffee. I could tell from the smell of varieties of spices which i became familiar with because Uthman liked tea.
"Tea?" I asked, taking the tray from her. She stopped to look at me, probably wondering when i had became that way. Not even that, i knew she was surprised of how i was visiting her like everything was normal between us.
"Yes i drank tea at Saudi last month and I couldn't help but remember your intense love for coffee. I thought you could change." The sincerity of her voice made me even more interested in taking the tea.
I took a sip, closing my eyes as i let my buds relax on the effect of the tea. It was really as nice as it smelled. The aroma was so strong like that of cinnamon but the taste was cool and minty. I wasn't sure of the ingredients though. Perfect, the tea was perfect. But could not replace my coffee. Just like no matter how beautiful and well behaved a lady was, she could never replace my Adeelah.
"You know Maami..." i heard a voice from behind her just where the staircase was. I knew that voice. Forever in my mind. That man, her husband. Instead of letting the past incidence shine over my heart, i composed myself and got ready to meet him. I could sense Maami looking at me but i refused to meet her gaze. Alternatively, i took a sip of the tea again, my ears being alert on whether he was coming closer or not. I could literally feel him behind me now, so i quickly dropped the cup and stood up.
I faced him and in place of an old man, all i could see was his young face as of then.
"El-Musta..." Maami begun but I interrupted her by extending my hands at him. He shook my hand with such a force that made me almost laugh. He was trying to be casual but i could tell his heart was finding it hard.
"Good evening." Then i bowed down, greeting him. This time i heard his loud smile of satisfaction.
I could hear Maami's breath going up.
"Be at home." He concluded, walking out. Maami didn't follow him though but she released her heightened breath out. I wonder what she must be enduring under this man. Was his home better than the Kabo's?
She smiled as though nothing happened. "I wonder who this ElMustapha is." She added pertaining to me.
"This ElMustapha to be honest is here to know more about himself."
"I have been looking forward to this." She stood up. I wondered what took her long because she spent almost twenty minutes away. I started to look around but something in my mind whispered to me. You can't find any diary to steal bro!
I chuckled at the thought the same time Maami came back with a pack.
"Kauthar, your mother..." she began with tears in her eyes.
*****
Danbatta had been unconscious for days. Hajiya Sadiya didn't give up and was so absorbed in his health crisis that she didn't notice that something was off with Nafeesah until today when the doctors told her to go home and have some rest because she wouldn't be allowed to be in the ICU. Unwillingly, she went back and she decided for the first time to face her home. She noticed in her mourn for Abba's kidnap and health, she had been oblivious to the outside world.
Now as they sat, eating on the dining table, taking dinner, she extended her hand and pulled Nafeesah's cheeks. "You're getting fatter as if your father isn't sick. You should spare me some fat."
Nafeesah would normally smile at that or even laugh but the way she coldly reacted was something Hajiya Sadiya wouldn't miss. She thought she made her feel bad.
"Our bodies operate differently. Maybe you're the type that may never lose weight no matter how difficult a situation is, for you." She added but Nafeesah's face was still hard. Under five minutes, she dropped the spoon and left for her room ignoring the calls falling on her ears.
"Leave her." One of the brothers commented.
Nafeesah though, the moment she entered into her room burst into tears. She picked her phone to call someone but it didn't go through so she ran to the bathroom, turned the taps and shower and started crying.
It's becoming obvious.
She's pregnant.
And she needed a way out!
Simultaneously, Hajiya Sadiya received a call from the hospital. A call that made her knees weak. A call that made her sit on reflex. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. So she rushed to Nafeesah's room because at that time all the boys were in their quarters.
"Nafeesah your father has been abducted again..." she cried, banging the door.
****
Double update it is😁
Okay, i knew i said an update was coming last week but my charger decided against it. For safety reasons, i have two chargers now😂😂
And oh back to the chapter, i think we are almost done with all these gloomy parts. I can't wait for all the lovey dovey parts😁🥳💃🏼