WHATEVER, POLICE OFFICER

Thirty One.

ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA.

"No. I won't divorce you."

Fatima clutched the revolver hard in her hand watching him stand as gracefully as he's always been. She gnashes her teeth, knowing the revolver in her hand will shoot any moment as she's not in her right state of mind. It's cylindrical chamber is supposed to hold the bullets and the minute one goes, it circles itself and bring forth the next. This man knew damn well she knows how to handle a gun but there is something about his smugness that irked her, she hates when he has the upper hand which is almost all the time now. She doesn't play games like this, she needs to be at the top.

Raising the gun up, she pulled the trigger but didn't direct the gun at him, it's on the rock wall and when nothing happened, she looked at the gun in confusion then open the gun to search for bullets but found none. She let out an angry outcry and threw the gun on his chest then rushed out of the room wrathfully. Ahmad stared after her in amusement. He wasn't stupid to allow a gun loaded with bullets in the house when he knew about the psycho in his house. There is no way in hell he would commit such suicide even with his life going in such an unpleasant manner.

Fatima went to her closet and pack so many clothes inside a huge suitcase then rush down stairs with her mind set on leaving the goddamn beautiful house. Once she reached outside the threshold and found police officers guarding the gate, her fury knew no bound. She rushed back inside, went to the kitchen and get kerosene then gas match. The next thing she saw was the clothes she's packed ready to leave burning down to ashes faster than she's lit the fire. She breathed heavily, watching in sheer myriad anger before she felt something prickling behind her neck and instantly she is aware of Ahmad watching from the stairs.

She raised her head to stare right through him with the smoke going upwards between them. She's forgotten that the floor is wooden and the fire might caught the whole house. Just when she thought she would leave the house for it to burn down with it's owner, two police officers rushed in with fire extinguisher. Glaring at the duo, she stomped back up the stairs while bumping Ahmad on her way who did little to acknowledge her little tantrum. He shook his head in annoyance and left for his room to change into his uniform and go meet his mother. He'd rather face his mother's drama than Fatima's, it is draining his energy.

He left the house few minutes after the commotion -which was cleared before he finished dressing by the officers. The drive to Babagana mansion is filled with so many things that none could stay rooted in his head. All he could think is what his mother wants to talk about that is so urgent and serious. Whenever she wants to talk to him, she would just ask him to come but never mind telling him whether it's serious or not. This time around, she was austere about the seriousness in the matter they are to discuss.

He arrived at the mansion and greeted the familiar guards outside then parked his car just few feet away from the main house. He doesn't want to encounter more people than necessary and parking his car in the parking lot will mean greeting all the guards around the house and he is not up for that exercise. He knew that whatever it is he is going to discuss with his mother is catastrophic so there won't be time for pleasantries. Silently, he didn't know when he started supplicating as he made his way inside the main house while dialing her number. She didn't answer like he's expected but she knew why he's called anyway.

The main parlor is empty except for the maids polishing the consoles and mirrors. He continued down the hallway where the receiving room is and found his mother there all alone. More perplexed since he expected to see her with his aunt Adeelah, he stopped at the door for a little while then entered. She knew about his presence in the room the minute he arrived because her spine straightened in defense but she didn't turn around to acknowledge his presence. It's going to be a big ass lie if he said it didn't annoy him that she is giving him a cold shoulder. She's never done this before.