If there's any error in this chapter, it's all on me, I rush-typed almost 1.5k words in an hour. Thank you for waiting for so long.
A month later;
"Where's she now?"
I put my phone to my ear and asked Iyamé as the phone placed against my ear rang, calling the other end. The call was not picked and I sighed, Baaba must be busy. So I put my phone down and bent down to fasten the black boots I had worn earlier.
"Call her and ask her to come out now. If she doesn't, I'll leave her. I hate to be late." Iyamé nodded and motioned for the maid cleaning the dining table to tell Falmata to hasten up.
Today is the premiere of the superhero movie I acted in some months ago and it's about to come out in the cinemas all over the world in four days. For me, I'm still in shock. I used to think my greatest achievement would be maybe a Cameo in a Hollywood movie set in Los Angeles and that would be all. But, a Hollywood set had come right to my doorstep here in Abuja and I'd acted in the lead role.
If I had to choose, if i had to guess, I would plan to have this happen to me in about five years. Now that it's happening to me, I'm beyond grateful, so much so that every time I remember this blessing, one part of a verse comes to mind; 'And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them'. I really will not be able to count them all.
"Ah Yaya." I raised my head from my personal bubble and smiled when I comprehended what Falmata has on. She's coming as my date so she went all out. A pair of black jeans, tucked in turtle neck with a necklace hanging from her neck and a bright yellow overcoat. I looked over her and nodded very appreciatively.
"You look beautiful." She curtesied very deeply and I giggled. I got up, adjusted my own three quarter length suit and walked to the mirror to make sure no strand of my hair asides the ones I laid for my edges was showing. After confirming, we waved Iyamé bye and left the house.
Just as we reached the gate, my phone rang. I'd been waiting for call from Baaba for hours, continuously calling his number in my growing unease. But I seemed to feel better because I refreshed my Instagram after every call, nothing had come in from the news.
"Yaya, Baaba was injured. He's at the presidential villa hospital!" I would have screamed but my thoughts were jumbled. I shut my eyes, found in myself strength and courage to tell the driver to take a route to the presidential villa.
"Yaya. What is it?" Falmata who had been watching me asked. I put out my hands and she placed hers in them. I pulled her closer and into my arms and told her what Munir had just informed me. She began to cry, deep racking sobs that brought tears to my own eyes.
"He is going to be fine. I promise he is." She suddenly stopped crying and looked at me with her tear filled eyes. "Are you sure?" I nodded with a certainty I knew was backed up by a level of trust in Allah.
" I am very sure. Right now, let's say duas, let's not panic. Panicking will only give room for mistakes, for extra worry. Let's pray instead." She nodded and leaned back into my bosom. About forty minutes later, the car wound to a stop at a nondescript building in the presidential villa. The door slid open and we get down carefully, I'd taken off the boots I'd put on earlier since there's nothing like premiere for me tonight.
I looked around as I walked in. The hospital was nothing like I knew, or was everything like I knew, I just didn't know it could be done in such a manner. The outside was just a mass of red bricks but indoors was fitted with a state of the art technology that I hoped would be reciprocated all over the country.
"How's he?" We reached the emergency ward and was directed to the private section by a smiling nurse. Falmata asked her brother.
"He's still in surgery. They were in when we arrived and no one has come to tell us anything." I nodded and Falmata exhaled loudly before finding herself a seat.
"Fally," Bashir called to his sister. She got up and walked to him so he got up himself and pulled her into his arms. He whispered something to her and she began to shout, tears poured down her eyes like a tap was sprung open. I turned to Munir in surprise; he shook his head and told me.
"Mum stabbed Dad." My eyes widened as far as they could. Nothing could have prepared me or even any of us for that piece of news. I then noticed a lady sitting in the corner, just leaning on the wall in silence.
"Because dad decided to go out again." I didn't get the meaning of 'go out' until i saw Munir's gaze flicker to the lady sitting in the corner. Chocolate skinned, chubby beauty in a smart casual attire and a strechy hijab wrapped around her face and body.
"Who's she?" I asked Munir in a whisper, he spread his lips in confused question like me and said that he just found out too that Baaba had been going out with her, this was just their third date.
"You know her name?" He shook his head and motioned towards Bashir who was holding a now snifflingFalmata in his arms. "He knows. He just didn't tell us." I smiled sadly and turned my face away.
My very curious self couldn't help it so I turned around and greeted the lady in question. Seeing as I extended pleasantries, she got up and came closer. I found out her name, Hamieydat Al Hassan. The name rang some familiar bells so I sat back after greeting and tried to remember where. Afterwards, the dress I wore for my first date with Baaba came up and I remember the designer being Nigerian.
I looked her over again and found myself respecting her more.
*****
"Would you like to leave? If you leave us your number, we'll call you when he wakes." She first shook her head then nodded. She'd been waiting with us for the past four hours and we have still not heard a thing.
"Alright. Here's my card, please call me on the number I printed on the back." I nodded and collected the silver embossed card, sliding it straight into my suit pocket.
"Bye." She waved and left. Munir and I looked at each other and smiled, she was obviously uncomfortable with leaving but it was far too late for her to be out and about driving all by herself so I asked her to go home.
Just as she left, the doors to the emergency room opened and Baaba was wheeled out and taken away in another direction. I saw Bashir visibly sigh and his lips said Alhamdulillah, I exhaled myself and waited for the doctor to reach us.
"You're the oldest right?" The older male doctor reached us and pointed at Bashir after giving us a glance over.
"No, my sister is the oldest, you can say what you want to say to her." The man hesitated. I saw his eyes and face hesitate to do as Bashir said.
"Females don't understand technicalities. That's why I want to speak to a man, man to man." Bashir gently put Falmata aside, after ensuring she was sitting okay. He asked the doctor to repeat himself with an angry smile I've come to associate with him and Baaba. You better not let them smile at you like that.
"You mean, my sister a honor's graduate in her discipline doesn't understand technicalities? Is that what you're trying to say?" Seeing that Bashir didn't budge, I got up and told them to end it. My brother stared at me and motioned for us to follow the doctor.
We reached his office and sat waiting as he poured himself a glass of water and gulped it down. "Your dad did well during surgery, although the knife pierced through his upper abdomen, it did a clean sweep to the near his spleen. You would expect it to have slashed through several organs on the way but he was very lucky. He's safe and sound." Bashir nodded and asked a few questions about post operative care.
"These are the technicalities that my sister would not understand?" The man coughed lightly and I put out my hand on Bashir's arm. He visibly calmed, got up and left.
*****
Omg guys, Hi.
I was looking through my drafts and found out that the last time I wrote a word, before tonight was December 2nd. I meannnnn. I've missed writing this book and although I spent the last week plotting, it still didn't come easy.
So please take note of my efforts and go leave a comment up there if you haven't. Also press the orange star 🌟 as you leave too. I'll be very grateful ❤️
See y'all soon. Bask in this chapter, in God's love and in my prayers for blessings for you all.
TheOmoope 💙💛🙃