Her Little Secret(Prior)

Chapter 25 *imminence*

Mujahid

"Alhussain Yaro" I beamed into my phone and I could here the excitement in his voice mirroring mine.

"Mujahid" he practically screeched.

"How have you been, ya kanon?"

"Alhamdulillah" I beamed again wishing to be in his joyous company at the same time.

"So, to what do I owe this special call because it's obvious you forgot us the moment your plane landed in kano" he accused.

I laughed hard at that. If only he knew. But I replied him nonetheless, inviting him over for my sister's wedding which holds in two weeks time. I had just remembered him and I just knew I want his presence so I called him.

When I dropped the call and looked up, my siblings were staring at me like hawks and my skin wanted to creep out.

"Lafiyanku?" I asked.

"Alhussain Yaro?" They all asked in unison and I was tempted to smack their heads.

Haseena who was also sitting with us on the same dining table pretended she isn't listening as she struggled with her cutlery trying to get a mouthful of the stubborn meal khairat had served us as lunch.

It's safe to say that we are pretending to be family to these mother-daughter duo who are simply trespassing. The mother even followed our parents to bichi today for Allah knows what.

Muhammad pretended to be thinking hard but Abdul basid stared hard at me, waiting for an explanation? I don't know. This guy needs a constant reminder that I am the elder brother here.

"I haven't heard that name before" Khairat stated and Abdul basid noded before actually asking "who is he?"

The audacity!

Was I suppose to be answerable to every name they hadn't heard from me before.

"A colleague of Haleemah 'Aliyy Kamal. I met him at ATV yola" I stated feeling a dose of weirdness as I mentioned the said name.

"ATV yola" that seemed to have caught Muhammad's attention and I instantly regret saying it.

"Yaya, ba wata ka tsaya toast..." I was by his side in a flash covering his mouth with my hands.

God no go shame us!

Do not ruin the remaining chance I had at redeeming myself with Mudathir. No one, absolutely no one can know about Haleemah 'Aliyy as of now.

So, when I dragged him into my room away from Abdul basid and Khairat, I made sure to secure the key before I faced him sternly. Playing with them doesn't mean I don't know how to assume the role of the eldest one among them.

"Ba wata me ba?" I asked him dangerously because it suddenly felt like someone accused me of infidelity. What! This boy saw something really?

"Yaya Mujahid, I only thought I saw you walk towards a girl then"

"And that gave you the impression that I was going to toast her?" I asked, like it wasn't the obvious. It was exactly what I wanted to do, but he doesn't need to know that.

I just need him to shut up before it came to anyone's knowledge that there was actually someone I wanted to toast back in Yola. It's a festive season soon and one wrong move, Mudathir would be looking at me like a betrayer.

"What did I say about costly jokes that you are certain I'm not interested in?" I asked and I saw that my message got to him pretty well. I don't want him to mention anything about the incident.

"What have you told them about this before?" I asked referring to khairat and Abdul basid.

"Just a scenario that you may have sent me away to talk to a lady" I saw the moment he gulped hard when he saw the livid change in my expression.

I just need to tread carefully else if a word about this should get to Mrs Yagana Bichi as she attends the rows of events planned, I am a dead meat.

Because there would be Khairat's eldest brother being teased by everybody to stop being a gwauro at every opportunity given.

And that Khairat's eldest brother is her second son's best friend.

It's personal to Mrs Yagana. So, she'd definitely extend a helping hand if it came to her knowledge that there was actually someone in Yola. The same Yola her son had a gem in.

And the girl being Haleemah is personal to Mudi!

And what's more? The said girl has someone!

***

"Wallah, I've heard the name before" khairat was telling Haseenah who was also sitting with us on the same dining table.

I took my seat and continue my meal as Khairat kept repeating that she knows the name. Everyone seem pretty interested. Until Abdul basid reminded khairat that it has to be in Yola.

"WMCY" Khairat exclaimed and we all looked at her like she has grown horns.

"Women's movement council, Yola. Hajja's foundation! She's the broadcast manager" she explained further.

I smiled. So this was about Haleemah, and they've met before. Great!

Abdul basid smiled too.
"That epitome of beauty? Wallah her beauty hypnotizes." My head shoot up at instance.

"... But I have a fiancee" he declared and there was a weirdness that rose in my chest then. Someone else sees her beauty too? But I didn't say a word, just to be safe.

Khairat shakes her head at her brother and said "tana da kyau gaskiya"

I hid my expression as I listen intently at their discussion. Apparently they have known her since they've been visiting Hajja and Hajja might have created WMCY because of her. That's news to me!

Because she was closer than I thought.

Now I look forward to this wedding than I did before.

I was suddenly worried if the tailor had really done justice to the outfits I was supposed to wear and if the zanna bukar I bought fits perfectly.

The shoes though, I was sure because I bought them yesterday and I had taken my time to chose the ones I chosed.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to check.
Oh, the perfumes too.

And my hair!

I didn't know I could worry so much about petty things until now.

Ni dai naga ta kaina!