Ever since I started working, things had not been easy for me. I would go to work as early as possible and return back around four or five in the evening. I didn’t even have much time for myself, and the stress in the NECO headquarters was something on its own…
Yesterday, Ya Qasim’s parents came to our house and talked about my marriage with their son. Well, things had literally been going on in our house that I also didn’t really like. They were trying to force me into marrying my cousin brother just because the person I was in love with wasn’t from our tribe, Hausa. It was painful, I didn’t know why most of our parents were still far behind civilisation. This wasn’t the Nigeria of the past, the Nigeria of different empires and kingdoms! This was a united Nigeria and we ought to end tribalism.
Today been Tuesday, I had a lot on my table to do. We were given only a week ultimatum by the management to finish uploading all the NECO students’ results and we had only done half of the work already. I was even pitying myself, could we be able to finish in time?
Knock!
Knock!!
Knock!!!
“Come in!” I said going through my system.
“Are you done uploading the results with you?” Mrs Ayodeji asked as soon as she bounced into my office. “If you are not done please try and do that because we only have a week deadline”
“Okey, how about you?” I said busy with what I was doing with my system. I was ordering a cloth for Amani, I wanted to send it to her as her birthday gift. I didn’t forget her birthday month, it was actually the same with my sister.
“I am almost done” Mrs Ayodeji said leaving.
“Okey then” I gulped.
“Later” She said as she gently shut the door.
Just then, my phone began ringing. I thought it was Ya Qasim so I didn’t pick it in time but when I did, I found out it was Idris. I was so dumbfounded for I thought he had forgotten about me already. “Hel… hello, Idris?” I said.
“I need your help” He muttered after almost a minute silence. “But first of all, how are you?”
That moment, when he asked me that question I didn’t know when my eyes gathered an army of tears. I wanted to spill out every little pain in me to him, I wanted to tell him how my parents were trying to marry me off to my cousin but something told me not to, and so I didn’t.
“I am fine, how about you?” I said in what seemed like a whisper. “And also Amani?”
“We are fine, what’s up with the voice?” He said making the tears in my eyes to drop.
“Nothing, nothing…” I said trying hard not to break down. “Sorry I couldn’t call or text you, my father forbids me from doing all that…”
“He what? Does that mean we should not be speaking on phone?” He said kindof puzzled.
“No, if you call it’s not a problem” I muttered.
“I love you, Manal” He said.
Just then, I broke down. “I love you more, I love you… every passing second” I uttered.
“Manal, I am sorry I had to go that day…”
“I understand,” I said and just then I decided to tell him everything. “My parents are going to marry me off to Ya Qasim soon, I don’t love him but they said I must marry him wallahi!”
“What?!” He screamed very hard. “What did you just say? Marrying you off to that Qasim?”
“Ye… yes” I stuttered and thus silence crept upon us until the noise I had been hearing of a crying girl via the phone increased. “Is it not Amani’s voice I am hearing?” I queried him.
“Yes” He said with a sniff. Thus, I realised that he had tears in his eyes as well. “Rumaisah is going to be engaged next week and so she left today, that’s why Amani is crying” He uttered.
“Engaged?” I blurted. “Wow!”
“Yes, and I’ve been trying to calm Amani down but to no avail. That’s why I called” He uttered.
“Why didn’t she take Amani with her?” I asked.
“Because of school” He said.
“Okey, give Amani the phone” I said.
“Okey” He said, and I could hear him trying to convince the girl to be on the phone. “Come on Amani, It’s Manal fa – your second Mummy…”
“Mummy?” I heard her said and that touched my heart. I didn’t know when I silently broke down again. I had missed her, I had literally failed my promise to take good care of her.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Today, just like I had been doing ever since Rumaisah left, I dropped Amani in Salim’s house and drove to work. She was already used to them and I was so happy. The only thing that bothered me now was Manal’s wedding with Qasim. I wasn’t given much details about it but I heard it was fast approaching. If only I could stop it from happening but what could I do? There was absolutely nothing I could do about it the fact that I wasn’t willing to elope with her, and the fact that she was already beginning to accept what Allah has ordained for her – She had stopped asking us to elope.
Immediately I was at work and was just about signing in, my attention was summoned by the management. I was practically shocked, have I done something wrong? I wondered as I walked out of the Pharmacy. Today was kinda odd, first I did not see Aisha as usual and now the management was asking for me. I walked to the Managing Director’s secretary, hence she called him via the telephone. “…Alright, sir” She uttered, ended the call and turned to me smiling. “The MD says you can come in”
“Okey, thank you” I uttered feigning smiling, thus walked into the big man’s office. As soon as I greeted him he handed over an envelop to me. Actually, I was confused. “What’s this, sir?”
“Your transfer letter” He said.
“What?!” I squealed. “Transfer? To where?”
“Maiduguri” He said staring at me.
“Maidugu – what?” I shook my head. “No, I cant go there. I have a child, for God’s sake!”
“And so does Doctor Raymond and Pedologist Zainab, they have children as well yet they’ve been transferred to Yola and Jos respectively. I also don’t like this but what can I do? Your letters came directly from the ministry, even Pharmacists Ilyah, Aisha and my daughter, Susanna were also affected…” He elaborated.
That moment, the environment became bleak to me and all I could think of was resignation but how on this planet earth would I be able to cater for my personal needs and to take care of my daughter after that? And talking about Maiduguri, why would I go there after knowing all that had been happening there? If I wanted to die for my nation I would have joined the Army a very long time ago instead.
“You can… write a letter to the ministry if you are not okay with the transfer” The MD added.
“Okey sir but, would they change…”
“Idris, I… I don’t know” He heaved a sigh. “But your work is done here, you can go home and either prepare for Maiduguri or write a letter directly to the ministry, okey? Try your luck!”
“Okey sir” I muttered and left his office.
Verily, writing a letter to the ministry was the best idea so far – they should at least take me somewhere else but not Maiduguri. I mulled over as I went back to the Pharmacy to take my suitcase. It was apparent that only three Pharmacists were spared from the transfer saga. They were Musa, Timothy and Chioma.
“Idris, is everything okey?” Timothy asked.
“Mtsww (Hiss), can’t believe they transferred me to Maiduguri” I said putting on a sad face.
“Maiduguri?” Chioma wrinkled her brows.
“Yes” I muttered.
“Sorry o” Musa said giggling. “I guess Aisha is the only lucky one among you, her own is Minna but she still didn’t appreciate the place. She left here with sadness written in her face”
“What?” I puzzled.
“Yes, she looked unhappy” Musa added.
That moment, I didn’t know when I took my suitcase and walked away to my car. Thus, I dialed Aisha’s number as soon as I began driving away. “Hello…” I heard her said the moment she picked up the call. “Sorry I couldn’t wait for you, I was… I was just…”
“Sad about the transfer? Well, yours is better since it is in the peaceful part of Arewa but mine is Maiduguri” I uttered driving slowly.
“I know, and that’s why I am sad” She said.
“What?” I puzzled pulling over by the roadside few kilometers away from the hospital. “Huh?”
“Why would they separate us?!” She squealed.
“Hey, calm down okey?” I gulped starting the car again. “MD says we can write a letter to the Ministry, that…” I was saying when she cut in.
“He’s… He’s lying” She said amidst sob. “If at all we can do that he would have asked his daughter, Susanna to do that but instead he told her to accept what God has done to her”
“Well,” I heaved a sigh and continued. “If that’s the case I will resign because I really can’t go to Maiduguri, I have a daughter to take care of…”
“And I can’t afford to lose you” She sniffed.
“Hmm, thanks” I gulped thus we kept talking.
After the call, I went back home but being the scary guy I was I couldn’t sleep in the inner room. I slept in the living room and partially, with the thought of my late wife – Safinah lingering in my mind. You know, that was why I chose night shift after her death to avoid circumstances like this. I was a scary person.
******
In the early morning, I drove to Salim’s house to take Amani to school. Today I was surprised she had already prepared before I arrived thus I didn’t have to wait for her like other days.
“Bye, Hajiya Simamah” She said. That was how she used to pronounced her own Siyyamah.
“Oh, so is only Hajiya you see ba?” Hauwa said.
“Bye, Anty Auwa…” She said, thus we left.
As soon as I dropped her in school I went back home, ate and rested till my phone began ringing around 12pm. It was the MD’s call, and when I picked up he asked me to meet him in his office. I didn’t hesitate to do that, I went to his office thinking the transfer has been cancelled but then he told me Aisha had swapped transfer with me – meaning, she would go to Maiduguri and I would go to Minna; where she was transferred to. By hearing that, I was totally astounded. The MD told me she – by herself – went to the ministry and implored them to do that, thus they called him and apprised him about what happened and that the swap had been granted. I ought to be happy but I wasn’t, why on earth would Aisha do that? Was she insane? Love or obsession?
I left the MD’s office and quickly dialed Aisha’s number. “Where are you please? We need to talk!” I uttered as soon as she picked the call.
“I am at home, you can come” She said.
“Okey!” I said.
I had in the past been to her house like four to five times, hence I knew the place. She lived in a four bedroom flat with her parents and two siblings, Khausarat and Surajudeen. They were of the middle class and they were so generous.
When I arrived at the house, it was only Aisha I met there. “They all went to our cousin’s walimatu nikka, I am about going there soon as well – It’s not far from here” She said serving me lunch despite telling her not to. She was wearing a very appealing Ankara, it appeared very new. Her husband would surely be lucky to have her, she had everything a man would… “Am I that beautiful that you can’t get your eyes off me?” She said pulling me out of my trance. Actually, I was somewhat carried away.
“Everyone is beautiful” I said turning away. “So, why did you swap transfer with me?”
“Hmmm” She sighed as she sat on the dining table. “I didn’t swap anything, I quit the job”
“You what? But that’s not what MD told me, he said you swap…” I was saying when she cut in.
“Yes, actually that’s true but you know I can’t go to Maiduguri, right?” She said staring at me. “That’s why I am going to resign, in fact I was writing a resignation letter when you called”
“But why, Aisha… why” I queried.
“Because I don’t want you to resign. I love you more than you can ever imagine, Idris” She said drawing her hands close to mine on the table. This time around, I didn’t draw them back because I was overwhelmed by what she did. It proved to me that she loved me for real.
But do I even love her?
I wasn’t really feeling anything!
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Rough chapter, don’t blame me… Hmm.
Thank you for reading #InsideArewa
Yes I know, the chapter is short but dont worry okey? Another one is on it’s way, In Shaa Allah.
Written by Mohammed Abubakar KingMoha, Inside Arewa
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