JANNAH

6: MUDDLE

Sheikh lightly pressed his horn as he slowed his car in front of their gate, rested his head on the the headrest, waiting for the gateman. Mondays were always too hectic, with the meetings after meetings, trying to attend to his clients in between, and carrying our researches, it was almost impossible to take a breather and he wouldn't even realize it was time for his lunch break until it was almost over, which was why he usually fasted on the day Monday and on every Thursday, killing two birds with one stone.

Now feeling his stomach grumble, he prayed the cook made something he liked or at least something sugar-free and eatable to him, else he had to go out again and look for something to break his fast with before Maghreb.

The uniformed gateman waved at him as he maneuvered the car into the humongous two storey house, Sheikh found a spot right beside Khaleel's white jaguar, he smiled looking at the car. If felt like yesterday when Abba gave it to Khaleel as a gift, he could still remember the sheer excitement on his face

Even though Khaleel wasn't the perfect son to Abba, and he always did nothing but induce so much headache to him, that didn't restrain him from giving him all the luxuries a son could ever wish for. Khaleel had just written his final paper in Nile university of Nigeria, he came back home only to see the surprise, it was the latest jaguar then, the only model in the whole state, and it was sports, pure white, just the way he liked his cars. It was an unuttered custom for the men of the house, white sports cars for Khaleel and black mannish comfortable cars for sheikh, somehow the thing matched their behaviors and it had always been like that.

Sheikh got out of his car and adjusted the strap of his messenger bag on his shoulder, he pressed the lock button on his key fob and the car made a quick beep beep sound.

He started to walk towards his and Khaleel's part of the house when he heard some raised voices from the main house. He listened for a bit, when he realized it was Khaleel's and probably their father's wife's voice, he made a beeline for the front door.

"This is my father's house which means i can do whatever the hell i want." Khaleel said, his voice tight in fury, his hands placed on his waist as he glared at Aunty Sara, who was sitting on the longest couch, a deep scowl on her face.

"Be careful how you speak to me, khaleel." She hissed, "Listen, I'm really not giving you the store keys but you can snatch them away and prove to me how completely unmannerly you are."

Khaleel pointed a finger at her, his face a hard mask, "If you think I'm going to let you have your way like the other day, then you have to think again. Who do you even think you are to deny me access to my father's property? I just don't know what gets into your head as soon as he travels, you start to feel so.. so full of yourself, like the world revolves around you. You're just a gold digger, my father is too good for someone like you, and whatever witchery thing you used to get him wrapped around your finger will soon be divulged, and I'm going to sit right here and watch him kick you out of this house."

"Khaleel!" Sheikh shouted, walking further into the living room, "What is this nonsense?! What has gotten into your head?"

Khaleel clenched his jaw in irritation, "This woman.. she doesn't fear God at all, i have truly had enough of her.. i hate her."

Sheikh looked at his brother unbelievably and before he could stop himself, he'd closed the distance between them and slapped him hard, "Didn't i warn you to stop talking about her like that? Why are you maddeningly stubborn?"

Khaleel wasn't fazed by the slap, he brushed the tip of his nose, "You don't expect me to watch her while she treats us like we're a piece of garbage in our father's house. Unless she stops acting so lordly and steps out of our lives, she deserves no respect from me."