ENSHROUDED

7

It was weakened already. And on weeks he felt like, Abba drove back home to spend time with his parents and younger brother. This week was among those lucky weekends. Because when he started lecturing in the federal university, Jalingo, he spent two months straight without coming back home and hardly called Mama. She had to cry to him before he drove back home and spent four days before he went back. In his words, being a lecturer was nothing less hard and time-consuming than being a doctor. His words.

She was cleaning the electric set in the living room and was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice when he walked into the living room or how he stood there, staring at her. It was only when Nasir walked into the living room from the boyquaters that she heard him called his name.

"Abba!" he called out and hugged him. He was truly happy to see him home.

Abba smiled widely and hugged Nasir back, but his eyes were fixed intently on Aisha. Whom was awkwardly staring at them, with a known look in her eyes. Because she knew this was the son Mama always talked about. And he was that brother Dr Nasir always had something to say about. But the look he had in his eyes, she feared what would be the outcome of her life in this house as long as he lived here and her as well. It was a look full of hatred and disgust. Like a child that had seen a new baby cradled in his mother's arms.

They broke their hug before Nasir looked at her direction, he smiled and Aisha smiled fleetingly. "Aisha, this is Abba. My older brother I've been telling you about. That leaves only Nana on the list of my siblings you haven't seen." Nasir spoke to her, and she smiled again.

"Good Morning," she greeted and took off her eyes from him. His look was burning her soul. It made her feel like he had seen beyond her lines to what she truly was and whose daughter she originally was.

Abba looked at Nasir and smiled at him, "I'll go to Mama, I haven't told her I'll be back this week. I know she'd be surprised to see me this week when I just left last week." And he walked away, but he hated what that girl stirred in him. And that instant, he hated her.

Nasir walked over to where Aisha was dusting off stood there until she turned and looked at him. "Do you need anything, Dr?" she asked. No matter how Nasir would beg her to stop calling him that, she couldn't. She told him it was the first impression she had of him. But someday, she prayed she can change the name. And the first day she heard Mama called him 'Auta' which meant last born, she wanted that to be the name. When she spoke it out, he pouted his lips and said a big No, he wanted the Dr Now.

"I want to help you. Is there anything I can do?" he asked, looking around the living room. She had everything and everywhere cleaned.

She looked at him and shook her head, "You have nothing to do, Dr. I'm done with everything here. And you can't help in the kitchen, right?" She knew he had never, but she wanted to test him so she could laugh a bit.

She made it a mandatory on herself, to clean the house and cook on weekends. Mama did that during weekdays. Because Baba left for his office early, she had to wake up and prepare breakfast for him. But they all slept long when it was weekend, and Aisha asked Mama to rest fully that she'll take over. And she gladly accepted the offer.

"I'm sure Mama is done with breakfast, just let me finish what you started, Aisha." He was being nice, Aisha knew. She thought maybe he felt bad because he saw her working in their house if only he could understand Mama had never asked her to do anything. All she did was willingly and also to take off the thoughts from her head.

She smiled and shook her head, finishing off the work. "I'm done with here, Dr And no, Mama isn't going to come out of her room today unless I'm the one that called her. Because I'll be the one to cook and clean on weekends. We had a deal."