WHISPERS OF ENCHANTÉ

15: perfect match

Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Anas watched his friend closely, his heart sinking as he took in Abdullah's exhausted expression. He had tried countless times to pull Abdullah away from his relentless work, but it was always in vain. No matter what he said or did, Abdullah wouldn't relent.

It was as if the mere thought of resting for a day was a luxury he couldn't afford, as if pausing even for a moment would drag him back into the harsh, unforgiving life he had fought so hard to escape years ago.

No amount of reassurance could convince Abdullah that he had made it, that he had built a life secure enough to keep poverty at bay —only ifAllah willed it. No man can take that away from him.

Of all their tight-knit circle, Abdullah had it the hardest. Anas had never known the same depths of poverty his friend had endured.

He hadn't been weighed down by the heavy responsibilities that seemed to anchor Abdullah's every move. Anas's mother had worked a stable government job, while Abdullah's had no such opportunities. 

They had both grown up in Badarawa, a place where idle youths seemed to outnumber the opportunities. But neither of them had ever been lazy.

Abdullah was always bursting with a new business idea, and Anas, ever the loyal friend, never hesitated to go along, regardless of how far-fetched it seemed. He didn't need to hustle as hard as Abdullah did; his mother could have provided well enough for them.

But he had promised his father that he wouldn't be just another indifferent young man in a country that seemed to care so little for its own. So he resolved to work hard, every single day. And of course his best friend.

Anas could still remember the mockery they faced for the odd jobs they took on. Once, they even invested in a small bean cake business in their neighborhood, only to be swindled by the woman running it when she refused to give them their share.

When he thought back on those times, Anas couldn't help but laugh. Life, with all its twists and turns, had such a cruel sense of humor. No one had ever believed in them.

Hell, at times, they hadn't even believed in themselves. But they kept pushing through, not because they were certain of success, but because they were terrified of what failure would mean. 

They never imagined they'd end up where they were now –successful beyond their wildest dreams. All they had ever wanted was to take care of their families, to provide just enough to make life a little easier.

Yet when the opportunity for more came, they didn't hesitate, they dive in headfirst, and against all odds, it had paid off. If only Abdullah would see that it would really be better if he relaxes now.

Well, that brought Anas back to his thoughts of course. He has been thinking about ways to get his friend to loosen up a bit when his sister-in-law came grunting about how their village people were after her.

"Sauda, you'd better tell them to keep my name out of their mouths. I can't even leave my room anymore." Faiza was telling her older sister when she came.

Anas was in the dining room while they were in the kitchen and it was obvious they didn't mind him listening or they would have lowered their voices and he wouldn't hear them so he listened partly on his phone.

"You know damn well I can't control what they do. They've been on my case for how many years now? You just have to learn to brush them off." Sauda answered and he could hear the shrug in her voice.

"But I can't do that, and you know it. Everything they say gets under my skin, and I can't just tell them to shove it like you did." Faiza all but whined.