OCTOBER 10TH

FOURTEEN

BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA.

Mahnoor stared at what she's painted with vindication and hauteur. Her eyes void of emotions, she blew on the now colorful canvas then place it down in a long row that she's piled waiting for the next day so she can hang them on the wall and exhibit her talent to the world. And in the next few days, she is going to shake the entire world with a stunt that will bring not only one person down but an entire family or even the whole nation, you never know what a small stunt could do.

She used to be so happy while painting back in her home but it was never a passion, after a few tries here and there, she will leave the paintings and colors. She then heard from Asad that painting really helps in earning money there in Nigeria and if she is going to do a good job at impressing the old rich folks, then her work will take her to more places than she's ever thought. And that is what she wants, connections that will get her to places so she can also swerve through them and do as she wants in Nigeria.

She's gotten a few words placed in the right ears -like Zubairu Ajuji had said- and remaining just little for her to achieve her goal which is why she is setting her plan into motion. She cannot wait longer than she had, a whole year felt like century itself so this is the end of it. Her son, may his soul continue to Rest In Peace will get the justice he deserves even though it's by sending his biological father to jail. That man is no important to humanity, he doesn't even deserve to be a dustbin.

She's seen how great he is becoming in the football world. Everyone is just singing his praises for the past year and she cannot wait to bring him down along with his obdurate and callous father. She vowed to do so and nothing can stop her.

Now that everyone thinks both the family and the footballer himself are perfect example to set out for their children, that is the time she is supposed to pummel. She will make sure everyone is flabbergasted, confounded and galvanized with the entire situation then hurl Aman into jail for life imprisonments and ruin Zubairu Ajuji's dream of becoming the future governor of Bauchi State. He thinks he can move on with her son's soul restless? He can get what he wants when he is camouflaging a murderer underneath his wings? He will see what it means to hurt a mother.

Before leaving the Ajuji manor, Mahnoor made sure to cut off all communication with the sisters right there and then. She packed up each and every single thing she's brought with her from home and left the ones she was given there in the house, she won't need not even a rag of theirs. The sisters were heartbroken when she packed up the minute her son's body was lowered into the soil. There is nothing left for her to do and the memories she's built up with him will haunt her in the house. She realized much later that her son died on 10th October, her birthday, her wedding and the first day she saw Aman.

How could a beautiful day yaw into a horrendous one filled with anguish and wretchedness? She's thought that was the best day to ever exist in three hundred and sixty five days, how naive she was. Encumbered in that day are so many daunting memories that she desperately wants to overwrite. That same day continue to haunt her for months, serving her so many sleepless nights and never ending nightmares. That is why she is going to rise now, unswayable and pertinacious than she'd been.

The Ajuji sisters cried so hard when they saw her with one old suitcase she's brought from home. She didn't see Zubairu or Hajiya Hadiza when she left and didn't request their presence since that won't do anything to her. She's also heard that Aman left the country the same night her son was killed, Zubairu Ajuji sobered him up and sent him away. The man planned everything, forced Aman to take liquor so they can prove in court that he was intoxicated when it all happened. She found that out from Asad.

He told her all that's happened after they got that phone call from the hospital. Aman told his father in fit of consternation about the murder and the man was quick to use his ingenious cranium to set things out and straighten his path.