Aaliyah to the World

22 | Café Meltdown

•Aaliyah

It was a month later. And with the help of Bilal and Hamza, I was a free woman who now had her rights given back to her again.

After following the processes the bank had laid out for us, I was able to claim the money in the savings account my father left for me.

Ok, I'm guessing that wasn't elaborate enough so I'll explain what was fast forwarded there.

Let's rewind back to when I took the documents back at Aunty Raliya's house. The next day I went to the bank. The manager of that branch gave me a few steps to follow which were to go to the hospital first to get a death certificate for my father then follow the legal procedure of taking it to the court and getting a letter of administration which a copy was sent to the bank so I could finally get a hold of what was rightfully mine.

Fast forward to now, I'm back to see the branch manager since all the procedures I've had to go through before getting everything I needed was done.

I knocked before entering his office. He was on a call so I sat on the recliner that was opposite his table to wait.

"Aaliyah! How are you?" He smiled extending his hands for me to shake but I politely refused explaining that it was wrong in Islam for a man to touch a woman who wasn't his wife.

He smiled and apologised before handing me a bundle of papers to which he said I should sign.

"I'm good actually. How is work?"

"Good, I mean now that the prices in the stock markets are getting higher, more money is being put into several accounts. I see you're back! I'm glad to see you here."

"Thank you Mr Lucky. It was a long wait but was definitely worth it."

I conclude my signings on the papers and hand it back to him then he directs me to an office where a passport photograph of me was taken.

When that's done, I download the Zenith Bank app so that they can set it up for me there.

I call an Uber to come and get me once I'm done so that I can make it to the house a friend got for me to rent for a few months before I get accepted to a school and plan my next move.

My Uber arrives in less than ten minutes and I get into the car without wasting a second. The driver, whose name I think was Solomon, was nice enough to buy me a bottle of cold water on the road.

After about twenty minutes, I finally reach Wuse 2 and the agent isn't here yet and so was Yusra and her older brother. After a while, I leave the apartment complex and walk to a mini café that was situated directly beside it.

I start to wonder why I invited her then remembered that I was always indecisive when it came to buying things so I called her. She was also one of my friends in school just that we weren't close enough for me to share my ordeals with her.

I order for a lemon cake and a cup of coffee as I waited for my unreliable agent and African timer friend.

A phone call comes in and luckily it's Yusra.

"Ina kike? (Where are you?)" She asked.

"I'm inside café au lait. It's now you want to come ko?"

She laughs then hangs up and immediately the doors are being opened for Yusra and behind her was Hamza.

Wait o, is he the older brother? If yes then I'm about to back out of this deal.

I use the menu to cover my face and stuff my face with the lemon cake so I don't have to look at them.