ENSHROUDED

20

Life had never gone as fast as it did, for Aisha. This was the second holiday she had spent. She was already in the second year, and it felt so good seeing how time was passing by. She knew some things would forever remain unchanged, but she was more than thankful for what she had. The only problem she had was Abba. Up till today, he had been a pain in the neck for her.

Abba made sure he made her feel unwanted and he made her felt low and unworthy of herself. He wasn't always at home, merely a few weeks when she was at home. But it was still the worst weekends she had whenever he was home. And what she hated was the kind of looks he flashed at her, there was an amalgamation of hatred and what she would love not to be as lust.

She had gone out with Nasir, and he dropped her off at the gate and drove to the hospital. She walked into the living room, but the ambience she felt wasn't good at all. Mama was crying while sitting on a sofa while Baba was standing, facing to and fro in the room.

She didn't know he was back until she saw him seated at the far end of the living room. They were all angry, lost and sad. Mama was nowhere to stop her tears, and Aisha had never seen Baba as angry as he was today.

Silently, while trying so hard not to make a sound, she slipped into her room and locked it off. Even though she couldn't put a finger at what Baba was saying, but his voice was raised to the highest degree. She felt restless, hearing the cries of Mama rising from every word Baba had uttered.

She wished she had a phone, she would've called Nasir and urged him to come back home. She hated Mama's tears as much as she hated to think about Madina. Thankfully, Mama seldom cried, but about her thoughts; they were a constant.

Angrily, she heard as Baba left the living room and Aisha heard the sound of his car pulling out of the house. She had been waiting for him to be out of the scene. She rushed out and nearly bumped into Abba as she made her way towards Mama. The look he flashed her was what made her ducked her head down as she greeted him, "Good evening, Ya Abba."

Abba hissed as he walked out of the living room. He went to their chamber and locked himself in his room. He would love to know who came to Baba and told him the kind of lived-in Taraba. And he couldn't come to the terms that Baba gave him only a month to bring a girl he wanted to marry. And his punishment for not doing so would be harsh. He would cut him off from his family, and that would be the end of him. He knew Baba so well to know he wasn't joking about it, he meant every word he had said. And no matter how Mama would try, she can't make him change his mind.

He was drained thinking about it, as he picked the bottle of his syrup, he thought about Aisha. This had been a constant though for him. He tended to forget about Aisha whenever he was inebriated, but never Aisha. And that's what he hated the most, and why he hated her the most.

Before he slipped off to his unconscious fantasy, he thought about the decision he had come up with, and he wouldn't hesitate telling Baba about it as he apologized to him during dinner. Mama would love it too, he knew. Nasir, well...Nasir would always be Nasir.

He was the only one that knew of his life in Taraba, he was the one that helped him found a doctor when one of his thousand girlfriends mistakenly got pregnant. Nasir had never supported Abba to abort the pregnancy, but just like Nasir was Nasir, Abba too was Abba.

Aisha consoled Mama and asked her to rest, that she would make dinner today. She was in the kitchen, making the dinner, but at the same time, she had this sinking feeling gnawing at her with every breath she took. She felt that something was about to happen, and it wa surely never going to be something good.

"To the beautiful you, Good evening." She heard his voice behind her, and Aisha didn't know when she smiled. He affected her.

"Good evening, Dr This emergency took you long." She said and smack his hand away when he tried tasting what she was cooking.