I See Fire

18 | Embassy Thrills

The dinner was most excruciating 30 minutes of Aamanee's life. Yusuf kept glaring at her and Uncle Adeel while Farouk kept trying to calm him down. Usama and his parents were the most ignorant. They just kept asking Uncle Adeel to tell them the story of how they went to get Usama from school.

Aamanee was scared her brothers would kick her under the bus but nothing happened. Yusuf would throw jabs here and there for him to catch on but he was occupied by his brother and sister-in-law who kept thanking him for getting there before them.

On his way out he gave Aamanee a bag with assorted candy and asked that she give Usama for him. Yusuf sat by the couch closest to the door complaining:

"Why couldn't he give Amira or even Usama himself?"

Farouk tapped his shoulder, too tired to say anything else as he climbed up the stairs.

Yusuf watched silently as they talked in their own little bubble without noticing him watching them. Uncle Adeel's hands lingered on hers as she uncomfortably tried to drag her hands out of his. One would think he usually forced himself on her.

"Tell mama and Daddy goodnight for me."

Aamanee nodded, pushing the door. Yusuf stayed angry, hissing every second till he went upstairs to find Farouk sleeping so he goes to his room.

Amna calls immediately but he's in a sour mood after seeing Uncle Adeel and not being able to confront him because Farouk begged him to let Aamanee end things with him. Left to him, Aamanee would've been sent to boarding school as soon as possible but he'd trust Farouk and the aggravating process.

Yusuf sends Amna a text and forces himself to sleep to avoid the spirit of loneliness that's pushing him to be vulnerable in his moment of weakness and anger with Amna. Most of his friends already have their issues mostly because they're married or struggling with their business and he's become an unpaid therapist to the lot.

It's morning and everyone is a walking ghost. After the kids greeted their father, they continued moping around because the air was far duller than the grey of their carpet. Aamanee was forced to make breakfast with Amira and they almost burnt the pancakes but it was fine because their father had asked Yusuf to order them some edible food that wasn't the color of coal or ready to turn to dust by touch.

All the kids assembled in their mothers room as she refused to come downstairs, hurt husband included. He sat beside her while Amira and Aamanee and Usama day in their fathers side of the bed. Yusuf and Farouk remained standing by the edge of the bed.

"Your mummy is just tired." Alhaji Abdullah dismisses "Go before you get late for school."

Nobody is moved by his words but they all pity their mother because they all knew something was bothering her. It wouldn't be more than her two lost daughters and son with a broken arm.

She looked at them one by one, unable to really speak. Her husband—for all the twenty eight years they've been together—knows her and if she was like this, she either needed to get away from the place or she was close to downing depression in ten tea mugs.

This prompted him to plan a vacation for her all alone in one of the countries they'd talked about dreaming of visiting—he wasn't bothered; he could always go another time with her—as he opened his phone to buy her an available ticket that would take her out of Nigeria's border by night fall.

"Mummy if we mad you angry, we're sorry." Usama touched his mothers face with his left—unbroken—arm. He was the only one still in his pyjamas because he was exempted from attending school until because of his injury.

She holds his hand and closes her eyes, trying to fight back the tears before she spoke. Amira touched her feet and Farouk did the same to the other. Aamanee just stared at Yusuf throughout, scared the smolder his face held was about to push him to speak on Uncle Adeel and her.