Atonement

2.Cheers to a peaceful family

The cool breeze passed through the tall windows of the Galadima Mansion in Kaduna,high walls painted with cream and golden,beautiful flower vases sitting across the perfect carved surroundings. The sight of 12 black range rovers seen from the entrance of the second gate where lies the water fountain designed with white paint and a touch of golden.
Qalb-Saleem parked his new white Mercedes Benz E350 beside the dozen different cars. He is a fan of staying in the car and recollecting his disorganized pieces after parking and at the moment,he feels the most disorganized. He went to Abuja on a trip that is supposed to be three weeks but he found a way to convince his co-workers to make everything virtual,he hates staying at a house that's not his,that's one and unfortunately for him,an annoying girl who disrespects her parents lives in the same house. He concluded on convincing his co-workers to make everything online after the unfortunate encounters he had with the girl,firstly,he mistook her for a thief and secondly,she almost bumped him with her car when he was jogging back into the compound and instead of apologizing,she told him if he is not comfortable with her being around then he should leave before she comes back. Not that he is threatened or intimidated by her but he hates it when someone speaks like that,it makes him feel so low of the person and that feeling alone will eventually generalize itself and her father is a very kind person, both her parents even. They have been so good to him,served him the correct meals and even tried holding a conversation with him which he cleverly stopped before it proceeded.

He took three deep breathes and exited the car,a part of him appreciating the fact that it's raining heavily so that means his mother is in the study he can run to his room before she notices. Being the only male child from a family of two children,the attention and everything is almost all on him. It got worse after his elder sister got married and now the first thing that comes out of his parents mouth is marriage. "Qalb when are you getting married?" Yen yen yen. And he hates it with passion.

He raced inside the house,the balcony was quiet so a part of him thought it is due to the rain,but the kaskon tularen is carefully placed in the console there so definitely someone must be close by.The door leading to the kitchen is just beside the staircase leading upstairs where his side and his Dad's side,his mother's room and the other room which was his sister's, then the other door,facing the kitchen's is his mother's parlor and the dining. His father's parlor is on the other part of the house because of the number of people visiting him and the number of events he organize in the house. You can gladly say his father is for the people.
Their family owns a business,they import,export and also make cosmetics,food products mainly pasta and rice and are also into real estate. Currently,their house is in the estate his father owns,all his father's workers,from managers down to cleaners live there and also the other part of the estate contain the industries and offices.
In a nutshell,his father is a business tycoon which not ever in his life has he ever thought of being a part of the business hence his work as an NDLEA officer.

"Welcome back sir." A maid and also the cook,Katrina said.
He squeezed his eyes in regret that she saw him and forced a smile on his face.

"Oh heyyyy Katrina."
He pretended to not know that he is on the stair case and turned back,slowly opening the glass sliding door leading to his mother's parlor,hoping and expecting her to not be there.
Once the door was opened he saw the exact opposite of his expectations,his mother is sitting in the parlor with a bowl of nuts which he concluded it to be cashew nuts and his elder sister,who's at home since before she gave birth claiming she's doing 'wankan gida' and the newly born baby in a baby saddle sleeping peaceful.
A smile formed on his lips as he inhaled deeply the scent of the tularen wuta and apple freshener that signifies his mother wherever she is.
He walked to the middle of the parlor and sat beside his mother hugging her tightly like he wasn't the one who made rough plans of avoiding her minutes back.
"Mamima."