Nilefa: The Union

CHAPTER 26

Time went slower as the night grew older. Yasmeen tossed and turned in her bed hoping she'd be stolen by an unusual heavy slumber. She couldn't stop thinking of her mother. She had left only a few days ago and they had just finished talking on the phone and just as Yasmeen expected, Aishe had rained her routine warnings and instructions on her, exactly what made her look forward to the day she left. But that didn't stop Yasmeen's heart from missing her mother. She thought she could finally get her freedom for a while, but it was nothing like she imagined.

The fact that her room was smaller than the one at the main house made things worse. There was a significant difference in the interior design. Nothing could beat her mother's breathtaking designs. Nothing could beat her mother at anything actually. Aishe was an all rounder. Yasmeen wondered if she could ever be like her mother.

Given what her cooking tasted like earlier, she doubted if she was ever going to learn. Nobody in the house happened to be enjoying her cooking, not even herself. Today's however was worse. The shourba (pepper-soup) was too salty. Sister Ummi, Aunt Hauwa's nurse said it wasn't healthy for them to consume that much salt during the fasting period. She didn't have to however, because everyone had set the soup aside, except for Sadiq , whom overdid himself and spat the meat into a tissue paper and went running from the room. Yasmeen glared at him while Amir looked sadly at her.

" I like it Jazz. It's good." Amir smiled sweetly and fetched another spoon of soup to his mouth. Yasmeen stopped him from taking it then.

" I will prepare a better one tomorrow baby. You can't take this one, it's too salty."

After they had finished their Iftar, Sadiq left to his room, and reappeared all dressed up.

" I am going to the mosque." Sadiq said heading towards the front door.

" Clement will go with you." Aunt Hauwa nodded at the huge man in suits standing next to the door.

" I do not need an escort to the mosque." Sadiq looked like a furious toddler.

" Clement will make sure that you are safe." Hauwa stated, her voice straight. " Otherwise no one's leaving."

" I am coming with you." Amir jumped up from where he was sitting. " I'll just get my cap."

" Sit right there! I am going alone. No one has the right to stop me from going to the mosque."

Kolo appeared from the hallway, hands folded, trudged towards Hauwa, and whispered in her ear.

Hauwa turned to Sadiq whom was now giving Kolo a death stare. " Clement, make sure he doesn't leave your sight, and that he doesn't go a step beyond the nearest mosque." She ignored Sadiq's protests and turned to Amir. " You can get your cap and join them."

Yasmeen was surprised by the questionable  behavior Sadiq had developed lately. From the day mother left, he had grown more problematic by the day. His attitude towards Aunt Hauwa was becoming intolerable. He slept late and woke up late in the morning. Despite Kolo's efforts, to wake him up for suhoor before everyone else, Sadiq always rushed his meal because the mosques were about to call to prayer, which marked the ending of suhoor time. Yasmeen realized that mother was the only one Sadiq was afraid of , because when it was after she reported him to her through the phone that he adjusted his doings.

Father on the other hand didn't know Sadiq was being rude to his wife and condescending towards the workers in the house. Aunt Hauwa never reported him. She had always treated them nicely and tried to handle Sadiq the best way she thought possible, but Sadiq was rather a tough nut to crack.

After they were back from the prayers, clement reported that some boys came to fight Sadiq, and they had almost gotten to him but he had managed to get to him first. Father had returned then. It was the first time he was hearing of Sadiq's willfulness since he set foot in the house. Father yelled at him for the first time in about....ever, after finding out the truth about the matter.

Sadiq happened to have joined a gang at school, of bad boys feuding with a gang of older boys outside the school. Sadiq was said to have threatened to lock them all up as soon as his father was governor, since then, the boys had taken on harming him to see what would he could do. Father was so furious, he ordered Sadiq to his room without food.

Before Yasmeen retired to bed that night, she heard Kolo's voice coming from Sadiq's room. They seemed to be talking, but this time, it lacked the shouting. Yasmeen's feet hurt from standing in the kitchen all evening, so she went to her room, not minding what the conversation the two were having was about.

Yasmeen exhaled and adjusted the blanket to cover herself up. She knew it was late, and soon Kolo would come knocking on her door, to prepare for suhoor. Abdulsalam had texted her Iftar Mubarak earlier. It was about five hours ago. It had become a routine to text between them. Many times, Abdulsalam sent her memes on WhatsApp, made her laugh. And everyday, he sent her Supplications to perform, during the day and at night.

She had not seen him since the day he dropped her home after their date. It was not on good terms, but she'd rather it to have than allowed him to take another girl's number with him. Of course he let her have the receipt, watched her tear it in tiny pieces before she reached into her blouse to get the keys out. She was definitely embarrassed when she saw the stare Abdulsalam was giving her chest. It was an 'Abdulsalam' thing to stare, she knew. But the fact that she drew his attention made her feel terrible. She had learned her lesson.

However, after that dinner date, he had called her. She had made peace with the fact that he would not call her by her name. She wasn't sure what was going on between them, but she knew the two of them were good friends now.
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Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, goodness, kindness and all godly acts. Muslims busied themselves in acts that would earn them the most reward. The rich would invest their wealth in it, make sure the poor didn't want for food satisfy their hunger and to quench the day's thirst. In Nilefa for example, the rich distributed food items to the poor, rice and sugar mostly. People were usually called to a spot to receive those items, the bags to be shared among two or three people. Abdulkarim's philanthropy went beyond gathering people in a place, leading to them push and fight each other over who was next on the line. His distributors delivered the food items to every single house's doorstep in the city, without telling them from whom the items were.

However, as soon as everyone had received their piece, a rumour followed that it was Dr Abdulkarim Mai Kura's generous gesture towards the people.

" It's out there. People are cheering clapping outside under this harsh weather, this fasting period to praise me for what I did for them. These men could not for once be discreet? Just this one time?" It couldn't be anyone but them, he thought. The men he employed to distribute the items.

" It could be just the people that found out on their own. They have been here a long time, and no one before you has ever done this. " Hauwa answered massaging her fingers to increase the circulation there after writing for long.

" They didn't have to come out-"

" They love you. I know it's hard for you to look at it that way because you cherish them. But you are a politician now. People will come out to cheer for you if you never did one good thing for them. Get used to it."

" That's nonsense.It should not be this way. Not at all."

Hauwa knew Abdulkarim would not be happy if he found out that she was responsible for the spread of the rumor. It was politics, and in this period of campaign tension, anyone could come out and shamelessly try to take the credit for it. She knew that if that was to happen, Abdulkarim would not move a finger about it. It was a fine trick afterall, she thought smiling to herself. Since Nilefans appreciated godly acts, they would spread word like wildfire about how Abdulkarim didn't want his name to be revealed after the good he had done.

She smiled to herself watching her husband's tired form relax on the recliner. He'd had a long day. That was how it was going to be. She would do what she did best, fight his battle of which he wasn't aware, defeat the demons trying to harm him and set a show for the people to see what she wanted them to and most of all, give them a glimpse of what a great leader he would become.

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