A Table of Two

Chapter 5

In rage I smashed my cell phone on the black marble floor, it broke in two halves. The sound frightened everyone in the room, I could see myself and rage on face frightened me too. Mama A'ee came closer, looking at me with weird expression of rage and pity.

Walid kalleni, kai namiji ne and you must act accordingly in this situation. There is no other man in this house than you, if you lose it we all lose it. She said

Why smash your phone, now we don't have their contact or do you?

I felt weak around my knees and knelt on the floor. Looking straight I could see my face again on the floor and I looked exactly the way I did when baba died. I quickly stood up and wiped my face. I have promised baba never to be that sad like he did when mama left.

I had fixed my sim card in the phone Nazeera brought for me from Mama A'ee's room, Hamza had returned then.

Kai, inakaje, abokinka na cikin matsala sai waya kake? Mama A'ee shouted

Bro what's up, mey sukace.... he asked me cleverly refusing to give Mama A'ee answer

They need two million, Hamza can you get it by Monday? I asked him

Even now ai, Hamza said

Kai it's dollars fa, I replied

What? As if to ask me where the money will come, I replied him with a pitiful look, butan giya... he expressed. But the contract had pulled through ai, this coming week they will credit us. General helped fastened the payment.

But will the bank loan us that amount when this my current dilemma is over? Gayamin gaskiya Hamza.... I asked again

Right now let's focus on getting your family back alright. Today is Saturday, nothing much can be done, and on Monday first thing I will be at the bank manager's office. Mr. Adedeji is a true friend we shall get it in no time. Karka damu, alright?

That Saturday things went a bit calm, I was longing for my family all the seconds. Nazeera and Mama A'ee will tell jokes to help me relax and I will pretend to laugh and Mama A'ee will pinch my belly till I laugh really hard. They were my family even though I never had one.

Aside my dad and mum I didn't know any relative of mine. Mama's elder brother stays in the US, since he left he never came back even when mama went to see him for her long vacation. I have never met him, though we spoke many times on phone. Dad was orphaned during the civil war, Mrs. Smith; a white lady from Wales adopted baba till her death when he was 20. She came to Nigeria with her then husband Aaron Smith, who was an engineer during Nigeria's oil boom period, though the husband died two years later she never went back. She was his mother, he will show me pictures of her and the memorable places they went, the school and birthdays. She was the reason he could go to elite schools as Minister did as she was stinking rich, she died late 80s.

On Sunday as usual Minister will call me to come home and have pepper soup at the garden with the family. Today, Mama A'ee replicated that gesture while at it we had quite a nice time but I missed my ladies and I wish I could speed the clock. Most times I get so scared something might go wrong but sometimes I just wish I could at least hear their voice.

Monday came, since 3pm I woke up to pray I didn't sleep. I sat on the praying mat afterwards around 4:20am thinking of how the day will turn out; my family back to me safe, where I will take them after their release, changing Sameera's school since she hated the boarding, taking a vacation to Paris with A'ee, even how I will leave my daughter with her grandmother. By 7am I was already at Hamza's, right in front of his side; the massive white house. Surprisingly he was already by the door waiting, reading a daily, waiting for me to park. He wore a navy blue suit and red tie, Hamza hates suits, he loves kaftan. Actually suit fits him more, Hamza is this averagely huge guy a bit taller than me, dark with boxed head and mature muscles, and in suits he looks like this badass in Hollywood action movies.