Risen from the dark

Just another mummy

Herge Adam was a chubby sixty-four year old man with grizzled hair and greying beards. He had held important positions in the country before retiring to face his business and he had reasons to say he made a success out of his life.

" What are you insinuating?" He said, taking his eyes off the daily news paper he held to look at Hajiya Fatima, his wife.

She was a graceful woman who was a paragon of beauty. At fifty-five, she still had the beauty of a forty year old.

" I am worried about Naairah."

" What is it this time?"

" Her attitudes. I don't know what she does outside but Naairah is not spoilt when it came to boys but she is wayward.   She is obstinate, and presumptuous. She is rude. I am worried."

He smiled.

" Princess is just a child. She will grow."

"! She will be eighteen in the next three days. It is all your fault. Are you the first person to have just one daughter?"

" I am not. I had seven boys before her and she happens to be the last. After all hope was lost."

" So what? Princess this,Princess that. You spoil this girl. I am a woman. I fear for her future. You and your sons. Their baby sister, the only sister. She sees me as the one who does not like her. I am the one disturbing her peace.

I tried my best as a mother and I still do. She is so recalcitrant she does only what  she wants and you are always there to support her."

" What is it this time around?"

" It is about this birthday celebration. Must she organize such huge party?"

" Come on. It is just a gathering here, under our auspices. They eat, drink and feel the grace. It is worth it. Eighteen years ago I was blessed with a daughter. I ought to celebrate got-a-daughter day. We are eleven in my family, all boys, you know it. Let her celebrate it.

I gave her the support. Very soon, she would leave me. A man would take her away. Who knows where he would take her to? She would be out of my authority then. Let me enjoy the last few years with her."

" I hope you train her in such a way that the man would not send her back."

" Oh my God!"

" Fact! She does not know how to talk to a man. She does not edit her words. She gives it out the way it comes to her crazy mind."

" By God that would not happen. Trust me." He gave her a smile. " Come on my dear. The only sugar in my tea, the only mosquito in my net, if loving you is a crime, I will remain a criminal."

"Awnnnn, dad, those vibes are so old school." Naairah said as she came in. That was the part she heard.

Hajiya Fatima grimaced.

" Don't you ever interfere in such a matter. What is wrong with you?"

"She is only trying to upgrade us to a digital world."

Hajiya got up and left the room angrily.

" Dad."

" Gimbiya."

" Is she really my mum?"

"Why do you ask? Who else gave birth to you?"

" But she does not like me. She never sees anything good in me."

" She loves you. She is only trying to make you a better person."

" Hmmm? But....okay. Dad, it is about the money I demanded for."

" Oh...your shopping?"

"Yes, dad."

" I thought you have everything ready."

" Yes but I saw some clothes. They are so beautiful."

"How much?"

" Fifty."

" Gimbiya. You call fifty thousand like fifty Neirah. Okay, I will give you a hundred so you don't need to come back for more."

He stood up, went to a drawer and brought a bundle of cash and gave it to her.

" Awwwnnn. I love you dad."

" I love you too, gimbiya. I pray your Yarima( Prince) comes to pick you soon."

She pouted like a child.

" Ah'ahn.. I am not leaving this house." She said as she put the money in her bag.

He laughed.

"Okay, dear. Time shall tell. Emmm....have a nice trip."

" Thank you,dad,"

She left the room excitedly.

Nadia was waiting for her by the car.

" See who we have here." Nadia said ,standing with a young man. He was twenty one years old, and very good looking. His brocade spelt money, his feet was neatly placed in an expensive Calzaturificio Bertozzi sandals.

This was Zayyad Ibrahim, the son of Herge Abubakar Ibrahim Tofa, a former governor of Kano State.

He widened his handsome face into a broad smile as he saw her.

" Zayyad." Naairah said ."You did not tell me you were coming."

" I goofed." He said apologetically. " I am sorry but I had to come and see the princess."

" Hmmm...how are you today?"

" Alhamdulillah. You look gorgeous."

" Thank you. You came when we were about to go out."

" Nadia told me that."

She opened the car door.

" Then find another time to come but make sure you call before you come. You just barged in and I so hate it."

He smiled. Oh no! What would he do to get this girl all to himself? She was life! Those eyes!

" When would you expect me?"

She shrugged, opened the car door and slid in.

" Ohhh...I have a birthday party on Saturday. You are invited." She opened the glove compartment and handed to him three invitation cards. You can bring two friends along. Thank you, Zayyad."

He collected the cards and forced a smile. He wanted to be with her, talk to her but she was just so hard to get. His friends warned him. Naairah was a girl of protean character, so hard to please and control.

" I hope the princess will have time for me that day."

She flashed him a smile.

Oh my God!

He wished he could capture that smile on a camera. The kind of shots that won photographic awards. She had done it so easily but it looked like a move that took a model months to practice.

This girl was tantalising him. Dabo tried but gave up, but he would not. He would persevere. Let her use her vintage, but he was not letting go until she was his.

" Don't worry Zayyad. We will find time to talk but remember I am the celebrant and would have to belong to everyone...."

"You would attend to everyone but belong to me."

She chuckled.

" Really?" She nodded. " I will see you, Zayyad. Take care of yourself."

She reversed the car and drove out leaving him standing there.

Hajiya Fatima was watching them through the window. Ya God! Save this daughter if mine. The house maids and workers feared her. She was vituperative and bossy. She prayed for her change. Humility was a virtue.

They arrived Le'Collectibles, a big boutique in Wuse. Leaving the car in the parking space, they walked in after a security man opened the door for them.

" You are welcome to Le' Collectibles." A lady smartly dressed said with an official smile. " You are onto the right place. We got exclusive trending wears with highest qualities and affordable prices. Talking about quality, talk about Le' Collectibles. Please come along........We have Fabiana Filippi collections there ,Galvan, Gucci, Prada ,Dolce and Gabbana......"

"Thank you very much." Naairah cut in. " I think we know what we want."

The lady paused, still wearing her professional smile but under her breath said ' b***h!'.

" I am glad to hear that." She said. " Please do go round.I am sure you will have lots to choose from"

Naairah was already selecting from a collection, ignoring her.

They spent a while selecting. She had extra money on her to buy more stuff.

" Whoa!" She exclaimed. " I love that Galvan."

Nadia saw it.

" It is an asymmetric halter neck dress." She said.

" It will look good on you." A male voice said. " A perfect birthday dress. Happy birthday to us."

Naairah recognised that voice.

Damn! The scallywag!

Adnan appeared with a wide grin on his handsome face, and his slap happy approach to life on display.

Naairah frowned.

" What are you doing here?"

" Shopping for my babe. That Mirco Gaspari is chic."

" Who told you of designers?" she asked condescendingly.

" Don't you recognise me?" He made an astonished face like ." I won the best window shopper for three consecutive years. I do come to sign autographs some times."

Nadia chuckled. She could not help loving his ways even though her friend was in a fit of pique.

" Now you are stalking me. Who told you about my birthday?"

" This question is like asking an average British who told him Prince William was getting married to Catherine Middleton when the whole world knew about it. You are like them or feel like them...."

"I am not oblivious to sarcasm." She retorted.

" Just kidding. How can I forget your birthday? Remember when we were kids, playing on the fields, riding......."

" Now you are a confirmed barmy! Who did you share childhood with? I never met you until the day you duped me..."

" Shhhhhhh....please lower your voice. I am running for Mayor of Center City. Do not embarrass me in public. I have a reputation to protect. My political enemies could be around."

" Mayor in Vaberia?" Nadia asked and laughed.

" Sorry, I meant Prime Minister." He said with a serious expression.

Naairah was speechless for a split second. She did not know what to do with him. There was no one who disrespected her like this guy. Zayyad was a real thing. He was real handsome, rich and powerful but he worshipped her just like most of them.

But this street urchin was so uncouth.

" Okay, I heard you talking about your birthday on phone." He confessed. " And I do come here some times."

" I now know why you are here." Naairah said. " You don't just go around restaurants but anywhere rich girls patrol to swindle them."

" Do you expect me to go to Madalla Junction or Zuba junction? The types of swindlers you find there are those who say they came to visit their uncle and he has travelled. They only need fifty Neirah. When they talk to fifty people a day, they will earn more than Obasanjo's Level fourteen worker. Obasanjo is the president ,right?"

" Can you imagine how backward you are? You are not even sure who your president is." She said with a pout.

" I was in Germany when the election took place." He said with a serious expression. " So you can't blame me."

She realized that he was just taking her for a ride. His reposte ability was befuddling. He had a sarcastic reply to every comment. She hated this guy!

She ignored him and picked the dresses.

" I will come for the party. Do you still have VIP invitation cards?"

" You? In my party?" She smirked. " I don't know how you will get there.He is even talking about VIP"

" What if they ask if we had broken up? If they don't see me there, they will talk."

" Broken up with who? Are you mad? How can I even think of going out with something like you."

" I understand. You are only thinking of marriage. I will think about it. I have to go. I will be there."

" Why don't you find a job in Nollywood?" Nadia asked.

" Ahhh! Which of the Nollywoods. The one in Kano where music comes from the sky and singing starts or the one in Enugu where pawpaw falls from a mango tree? "

Nadia laughed.

" But I got a script for sale. It is a short tale of Jibson. My friend."

" Who is Jibson?"

" He was a crony of mine who travelled to USA inside oil drum. You know all these ' I must make it abroad

guys'. He got there and saw a white girl who was obsessed with Kenyans."

" Why?" Nadia asked.

" She said they always won the longest distant races in Olympics which showed stamina. I don't know what she needs stamina for," he winked, " So Jibson claimed to be a Kenyan. And he started dating her. But trouble started when she also became obsessed with Kenyan language.

And unfortunately for Jibson, she had a friend who also had a Kenyan boyfriend called Gumyota. So she invited her friend and boyfriend to meet Jibson.  He ran away and then came back with bags of excuses. This happened twice again.

Then they went to a club and it happened: Gumyota and his girlfriend were there."

" Whoa!" Nadia exclaimed, interested in the story. Naairah was pretending not to be listening, checking clothes while she hearkened.

" No way for Jibson to escape. And to make it worse, it was a club with lots of people. Jibson's girl went to talk to the DJ and to his amazement, there was a great excitement that they were going to be entertained with Kenyan language.

A stage was created, two chairs set for Gumyota and Jibson and microphones set. Jibson was in trouble. If they discovered that he was lying, she was going to deal with him and he may be exposed and deported.

They were made to sit down with microphones set for them. Music was stopped. Dancing stopped. Dead silence. Jibson's heart was skipping beats.

To make it worse, Gumyota was so taciturn, his face was so hard there was no sign of compromise. Ghen ghen......" He looked at his imaginary wristwatch. " Opps! I have to go. Some other time."

" Nooooo! You can't go." Nadia cried. " Please, I want to know what happened."

" How can I say it when my princess is not listening?" He said with a fake grimace. Naairah said nothing. Nadia tried to convince him but he refused, and turned to go.

" Okay." Naairah said finally. " I am listening.....for her sake."

Adnan smiled in triumph.

" Okay. Then after a lot of hesitation, Jibson made up his mind.”

" Jibson knew he was in a dilemma and there was no way out for him." Adnan continued. " So he summed up the courage, looked at the taciturn Gumyota, aware of the curious and expectant audience, then said, ' barka da yamma( good evening)'. He spoke Hausa language which was not the Kenyan language."

Gumyota frowned as if his face was going into total condensation.

" There was Silence." Adnan said. " He said again' cewa nayi barka da yamma ( I said good evening)"

Then Gumyota turned at him then spilt his face into a wolfish grin.

" Asha kaima qarya kayi masu? ( So you also lied to them?). Ya kake,kamar kai bakatsine neko? ( How are you? Are you a native of Katsina?"

Nadia burst into laughter.

" So the other guy was also a Vaberian! Savage."

" Okay, I think I need to run. I have had enough window shopping for the day." He said with a smile then looked at Naairah. " I will give you a call."

" How did you get my number?"

" I don't have your number. I am going to use mathematical logic, permutation and combination then some matrices to figure out your number." Then he made a serious face, " but if it does not work, I will use witchcraft."

" What?"

" I have two hearts and six eyes." He said as if whispering. " I also got wings. But keep the secret. Now only you and your friend can see me in this room. I am invisible."

" Excuse me, please." A woman said to Adnan who was standing in her way. He moved to give her chance to pass.

" I told you." He smiled. " Only you and your friend can see me. Happy birthday. I will be there. I owe you that...for old time sake. I am going back to my estate."

He gave Nadia a smile and nod then bounced out, with his carefree attitude. He walked out of the boutique, crossed over the road and walked down the street. He checked his pocket, counted his money: Four hundred and thirty Neirah.

This would last him two days. He still had a loaf of bread at home. He put the money back into his pocket and then kept walking.

He was unaware was of a Toyota Carina that following.

" Hey." The girl behind the wheel said as she slowed the car and drove along his side. " Can we talk for a minute?"Adnan turned, looked at her face without stopping. She had big protruding eyes with a hawk nose and thick lips.

" Sorry, I am late." He said.

" It won't take a minute." She said still driving slowly beside him.

" I don't have a minute." He replied firmly. " My wife is the labour room and she is expecting quintuplets."

He accelerated his pace and tried to turn to the next street when she threw a sachet of water which hit him on his back.

What?

Water splashed on his clothes and cascaded down his body. What did she just do?

He turned and moved back towards her but the manner at which she alighted from the car in readiness for him was the first thing that made him cringe.

Then her size. She was a quintessence of a pugnacious, buccaneering tomboy. She was almost seven feet tall, with a strongly built body that showed raw strength.

She wore a brown shirt over black split skirt. Her hair was hidden with a brown scarf and she looked like John Cena in a cross dressing mode.

" Now what you gonna do?" She said in a husky voice.

Adnan paused, shook his head then said, " you are lucky I am a gentleman. I don't fight women."

" Ohhhh, now I admire you." She said sarcastically. " I hope you recognize me ,right?"

" No."

" I am one of your mummies. The other day, I was sitting in my car and you....."

" Now listen, I am not in need of a body guard. I am a celebrity, yes, but I don't move around with a body guard. Can't you see how humble I am. I am not even driving in my Rolls Royce or Limo. Have not touched the Cadillac in months..."

"Listen to me you schnook ! I must talk to you."

" I told you my wife is in the labor room and if you are one of my mummies, then congratulations, you are going to be a grandma."

He turned to leave then gave a hard stare.

" Don't try to throw something at me or else.........." His face became a mask of horror, " I will run away."

She had to laugh.

" Okay, Mr Clown. You ain't got nowhere to hide." She said. " Don't be a bitch."

" I won't. You got that title already?"

"What?"

" I said you are  swell and don't try any bullshit. I am good at sprinting."

"Now let us talk about the micro-chip era!"

Adnan felt a bang in his head.

What did she just say?

" Who are you?" He asked.

" One of your unusual mummies." She said. " We have a lot to talk about. Your wife's labor can wait."

Damn!