𝓜𝔂 𝓫𝓪𝓫𝔂, 𝓶𝔂 𝔀𝓲𝓯𝓮

13# GUILT.

THE KHALIL RESIDENCE,
ASOKORO.
DECEMBER 2020.

Jamil heard his father before he saw him, the sound of his feet hitting the floorboards softly echoing in the quiet night.

"Jamil" His voice was as it always was, hard to the ears and warm to the heart.

Jamil hummed in response, sparing a look at his father before saving the document he'd been typing up.

"I'm thinking of hiring one of the therapists from Empire hospital for Jamilah", Yahya said, taking a seat opposite his son.

"I know", Jamil said, as miserly as ever with his quantity of speech.

"You know?", Yahya asked, egging him on.

"Yes", Jamil replied, his hands clasped in front of him on the table. "I've made arrangements already".

"You didn't speak to me about this" Yahya said, his voice holding an edge to it.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'd made the plans long ago, since you'd first told us she'd be coming here.

It's taken a while to screen out the best of the bunch, and I only recently made my decision".

Yahya listened quietly. He felt a bit miffed that Jamil hadn't told him at least but otherwise, he was undisturbed.

He had full trust in Jamil's decision making. The man was thorough in his affairs, and always got the job done efficiently.

"Who did you hire?" Yahya asked again, watching his son's expression carefully.

Jamil glanced at his father briefly, brows furrowed.

"A psychotherapist".

Yahya laughed at that, the sides of his eyes crinkling. "Of course, I know it's a psychotherapist. My question is, who?".

"Doctor Intisaam Ali".

Yahya's expression was one of surprise.

"Didn't she announce in a press meeting that she'd be leaving the country, and wouldn't be taking any patients until next year?.

That lady has a long waiting list of patients, how'd you get her to agree?".

Jamil, ever the speech miser answered simply, "I called in a favour".

Yahya stared at his son for a good second, a seriousness that he rarely showed with his family  surfacing.

"Why?".

Jamil glanced at his father.

At the man of whom he was a spitting image, the man who understood him in ways no other person did.

And as much as his father understood him, Jamil understood the man. He might be more taciturn than his father was, and severely uninterested in many matters his age group were, but if there was one thing he knew thoroughly, it was his father.

"Because I can't guage what she feels", he replied, in response to his father.

Yahya sighed heavily, a line setting in his forehead.

"You know what I think", the older man mused, staring pointedly at Jamil.

Jamil's response was a matching stare.

"I think you're making a decision right now that you think you can stomach. You think you can live with doing what you think is right by Jamilah, just because that's who you are.

You shoulder way too many things......work, family, duty.

You've never once, since you were a baby, let loose and have fun. You've never really experienced what it means to be carefree.