Tales of the Heart.

Chapter 8|a place called home.

Imaan (16 years old)
2013.

Kano.

Feeling Amaani's hand squeezing mine made a huge portion of my worries subside. I knew her claim from last night was nothing but honest as well as her rare display of affection, she would always be there for me and I her. That was an unspoken fact about the bond we share.

A sense of deja vu washed over me after we got into the vast compound that housed my father's two apartments. Almost everything has changed about the buildings, Abba as we refer to my father as calls Daddy over the phone from time to time. Sometimes we talk but it was always brief, he listens to whatever I share with rapt attention and tells me whatever there is to know about my family.

All of Umma's children were now married, Inna has 7 married children and 5 were unmarried, 2 girls Zainab and Ikilima who were the youngest at 21 and 19 respectively, three boys, Salim, Zubair and Ibrahim. So, the house wasn't filled with robust noise as it used to when I was younger.

I was the last child.

My Father's two wives welcomed all four of us alongside Abba himself. We were ushered into Umma's section while Inna took Aunt Habiba to her side.

Abba hasn't changed much, save for the slight limp in his gait that was probably brought on by old age.

"A'ishatu! Is it truly you? Oh Allah you're all grown up now." Umma kept repeating as we were helped into a room I have faint memories of. The room was shared by her daughters when I lived with her. Now it was empty save for the furniture in it.

The once gigantic woman has turned into a shell of what she used to be, there were wrinkles all over her face and her hair was gray.

After freshening up, Umma escorted us to the third building in the house which apparently was now Abba's lair, it wasn't there 8 years ago. We had our lunch there, presented my family with the gifts we got for them from Gombe and a very few from ourselves, we heard stories about my father's grandkids,  he has 31 and counting. 19 from Umma's 8 kids and 12 from Inna's 7.

It was overwhelming.

I was in awe by the fact that I had so many close relatives I had no knowledge of. It made me feel a bit sad and the next day after we bade Uncle Tijjani, his wife Aunt Habiba and the twins that got us wrapped around their chubby little fingers Amaani and I made a request to Abba to have us taken to my sisters' homes. At least those that lived within Kano, he obliged and had a driver take us there alongside Zainab and Ikilima who were fascinated by us and didn't bother to hide it. Amaani and I decided to go bearing a gifts for the kids because we both realized our love for little ones in Gombe.

We were taken to the eldest daughter's home, Ya Rakiya who welcomed us with open arms and genuine smiles. Abba's second daughter lives in Sokoto, his third child, Ya Sani lives in Jigawa so we headed to Ya Karima and Ya Kamila's houses, they were twins and Inna's first children. They too welcomed us with open arms but at the next house, Umma's 4th daughter and Abba's 6th child, I felt like I was suffocating because Ya Intisar couldn't be bothered with all four of us.

Zainab and Ikilima assured us that she treated everyone that way. It didn't lessen my hurt because I was on a high from how everyone else was welcoming us while she didn't bother to hide her contempt.

That was the end of our visits because it strained our energy completely.

On our fourth day, Abba made all of his children that were based in Kano to come visit. Ya Labiba, Ya Hannatu, Ya Bello and Ya Shehu all came over alongside those we visited in their homes.

Ya Labiba was genuinely happy to see Amaani and I, Abba assured us that she keeps tabs of us from him. Amaani and I were both awed. At 25 she has 2 charming boys.