Soiled #ProjectNigeria ✔️

Chapter 46: Automated Teller Machine.

In this life, there are two types of sympathizers, the sensitive ones and the absolutely thoughtless ones.

In the past five days, I've seen variations of sympathizers. I've not been able to go to work so I sort of had a lot of time on my hands.

Some just say their condolences, offer to help, some are nicer than others; they offer to help with chores. Some bring freezed food and books to sort of take Maama's attention of the fact that she lost the love of her life.

While the 'thoughtless' group are those who come in wailing and all they ask is how Baaba died. They ask maddening questions like 'how come he died and you were next to him?', others ask 'How can you say you didn't know, I don't think I'd have slept that deep.'

The most stupid of all are those who ask 'Was he sick? I didn't even see any traces', like, do people show traces that they are about to die? Do they show signs?

The ring leader of that gang is Inna Saude, who's first question when she landed in Abuja was 'what did he eat  before he slept.' Maama had fled to her spare kitchenette upstairs and didn't come down the entire time.

I watch her as she squirms in her seat, she has the main living room sofa all to herself. We are all in front of the television waiting for Adeel's interview.

A few minutes later, Zeenah has her head on my tucked legs. I lean back on the sofa head to think. Adeel has been running on a sort of low this past few days, no rest, nothing.

When the Anchor introduces him, he is introduced as the new Chairman of the Hassan Conglomerate. He smiles grimly in reply.

"As big as this one is, imagine, no children. Iyeeh, Wayyo Allah." I look up to see Maama purse her lips.

"Allah gives children. He will give them theirs when He wills. Not when you will." Inna Saude hisses and adjusts to face Maama. Ya Allah, not another attack on Maama.

"Like He gave you yours after Adeel was born Koh? Idiot." Maama laughs, long and hard. The first one in days.

"At least mine knows he is a test tube baby. The one you are claiming Queen over isn't yours and you know it. At least I had the decency to tell mine." She pats her head and turns yo the television. Inna Saude is too surprised to say a single thing. She justs wags her finger in Maama's direction.

The anchor's next question quells all discussion.

"Mr Hassan, we know of the successes of your father. We know of how he grew, you've been babied all the while, not allowed to take over, what assurance do you have for the shareholders of your father's company that they can trust you steering the ship?" What?!!

Adeel's face automatically widens into a smile. He inhales and gives a billion dollar answer that makes Maama smile brightly.

*****

"Good evening everyone, I'm Barrister Daniel Ekong (S.A.N)." We all echo greetings, Inna Saude harrumphs.

I look at Adeel who is sitting next to me and how tired he looks, he says a dua quietly and gently rubs his hands on his fair face. Moh looks on from his space beside Maama, tired too.

Zeenah and Zarah next to one another on the floor near the sofa, Inna Saude is at the head sofa in the study.

He reads out the entire preliminaries and the last date the will was altered, which was a week after Ajike and I got kidnapped.

"To my wife, I give the main house, the other houses in Abuja, all of the six houses in Lagos,  the contents of the Central Bank Safe, the contents of my Zenith Bank account, the domiciliary account in our name. The Cars in the garage-" Inna Saude bangs her hand on the glass table making it shake. She hisses again. The lawyer only looks at her weirdly and goes back to reading.

"To my Son Adeel Baba Hassan. Forty percent of the Conglomerate's shares, all the companies combined. The private island off the coast of Seychelles, one of the apartments facing the Kabbah, half of the farms in Bwari." Inna Saude shouts this time, the Lawyer leans back on his chair and pulls his glasses yo look at her.

"Ma'am. Are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?" She eyes him and he eyes her back. I snort. Met your match? Hehe

"Please let me finish my work, it's imperative that you keep quiet till I finish all of my dealings. If you disturb, I might be forced to send you out." She eyes him again but leans back on her seat.

He reads out the rest of Adeel's inheritance and Mohammed's part, leaving the girls.

"To my Daughter Zeenah Baba Hassan. Ten percent of the shares of the hospital you work in, ten percent of......" Zeenah bursts into loud tears. I slowly shut my eyes. She was probably the closest to him, joined to him at the hip. She told me once that Baaba never hesitated to let her do anything she wanted.

He reads out Zarah's inheritance that pulls her into more tears than the silent ones.

"Now, To my daughter-in-law, Nabeela Abdullah Hassan. I give two percent of the entire Hassan Conglomerate's shares, the building her shop is in, the money in trust with the Fagge's Pride bank United States, to start the Makeup busniess she's always wanted." I gasp, and sink further into the chair I'm sitting on. Moh smiles at me and I smile back. Adeel puts his arm around me and grabs my arm in support.

"To my mother and relatives, the entirety of my farms in Chiroma, the textile company in Kaduna. But because they refused me peace in this last weeks, that is all they will have."

Inna Saude shouts and flings the vase sitting on the glass table in the direction of the lawyer, only Maama's quick thinking saves the poor man's life.

"Inna, what were you thinking?" She gets up and begins to scream at the lawyer to get out. He calmly reads out the rest of the formalities to Inna Saude's chargin.

Immediately Moh walks the lawyer out, Maama bursts out in anger at Inna Saude.

"Inna, what was that for?" Inna Saude wags her finger in Maama's direction before loosing the battle against gravity, she goes down like a sack of rice on the sofa and suddenly everyone is rushing to get her to the hospital.

*****

"Doctor, how is she?"

Adeel asks once the doctor comes out.
I spy his name, Dr Olatunde.

"She's going to be fine. She hasn't been sleeping, she's an old woman and that was her body's way of telling her she's close to the grave if she doesn't start sleeping well." We all sigh in relief in unison.

He waves his hands to indicate that he isn't done.

"I've put her on a six hour sedative, it would wear off by night time and she'll be ready to go home." Adeel nods and asks if we can go see her.

"Yes you can, she's fine though. She just needs to rest her brain and body." Adeel nods and turns to the rest if us as the doctor leaves.

"Let's be civil with her, she just lost her son." Maama eyes him.

"More like her Automated Teller Machine." Maama snorts out and Mohammed bursts into surprising laughter.

"Inna Saude is and will always be a drama queen." He makes a quick sketch of how she fell. Even Zarah and Zeenah dissolve into louder laughter.

Their laughter dies when they see how serious Adeel looks.

"What?" I sit back and watch like a spectator, of Adeel's impatience with their laughter, and the fact that the thread that held this family broke. And it can't be seen or knotted, ever again.

****

Hi everyone,

Good evening. I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry, I promised and failed. But it's better later than never.

The above took me many weeks to write (I just didn't think of anything to write after Baba's death) I'm sorry that he died, but we had a conversation and he said better him than Adeel.

I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter, please Leave a comment. Vote please. God bless you.

TheOmoope.