ORNAMENTS✅

Chapter Thirty Two.

Dasuki State, Nigeria
2022.

Umaimah sat there, unsure of what to feel. Of course, she understood what he meant loud and clear. His words kept replaying in her head; they were harsh. “Am I really the cause of everything? ”

Her eyes drifted back to the gifts Nabeel had left on her bed: the flowers, the jewelry box, and the chocolates—exactly what they had chosen that night for Surrayah. She picked up the handwritten letter with her name on it, opening it, only for another set of tears to fall.

She could read a word or two but couldn’t make out the whole letter. She was so angry at herself for not being able to read Sauban’s final message to her. She was upset, furious, for everything that had happened.

While she had been in Marari, she kept hoping to see her father, but now this same man was Sauban's murderer. She’d rather stay with Baba Alhaji until the day she died than ever acknowledge that murderer as her father. Just the thought alone made her feel nauseous.

The door clicked open. It was Yazid. This room and the one they had sat in earlier were the only two void of people. Thank God.

He sat on a chair near her. "Hey," he managed to say. She knew the whole ‘our supposed-to-be father’ thing was affecting him deeply, especially since he had been very close to Sauban.
The silence in the room was thick. After a few more moments of silence, Umaimah finally asked, "Do you know him?"

Yazid sighed. Clearly, he didn’t want to talk about the man she was referring to, but he answered anyway.
"He got separated from Nini when I was ten. Of course, I know him. I still remember blurry and some partial memories."

"Was he always this vicious?" How had Nini stayed with him long enough to have two kids with him? Why did he hate her so much.

"He wasn’t vicious, to the best of my knowledge. But he also wasn’t the best." He concluded.

Umaimah brushed the thought of the man aside and handed the letter to Yazid. "Please, help me read this. I can’t read it."

Yazid took the paper from her and read aloud. "Dear Sis, I just wanted to say thank you for being my sister. I’ll make sure to be the best brother because I’ve always wanted a sister, and quit fighting with Ya Nabeel. He’s tough but nice too. S.s." Yazid concluded.

"S.s?" Umaimah asked, not understanding the two letters.

"Sauban Shamaki," Yazid answered almost instantly. Then he paused before adding, "You know, Nabeel and I found you on your wedding day."

Umaimah became interested. "Why didn’t you stop the wedding then?" she asked. If they had been searching for her, shouldn’t they have?

"To avoid this whole thing," Yazid paused. "Nabeel said, 'When Alh. Yabo and Alh. Shamaki cross each other, there’s no peace.' I didn’t understand then, but I’m starting to understand now. We couldn’t avoid what we wanted. Sauban still had to suffer for it."

"Why don’t they like each other?" Umaimah asked. Abba seemed like a nice person, so it had to be Alh. Yabo’s fault, she was sure of it.

"It’s not my place to tell you that, but just know this is the beginning. After all, Bello is now involved. More ruin will definitely occur." Yazid concluded. "Just be strong. We’ll stand by your side, no matter what."

With that, he stood up and left the room. Umaimah held the letter tightly against her chest. "More ruins?" she muttered.

It’s been ten days since Sauban’s passing. Life had returned to its usual routine, only with a noticeable decrease in the people around the house since the seventh day. Hajiya Kaka and her daughter, Aunty Nana, had also left. Thank God. Umaimah dressed in a long jilbaab and they drove to court. The drive was silent. She chose to sit in the car with Abba and Nini, in the passenger seat close to the driver. Leaving the men to themselves as Nabeel drove. She didn’t want to be in the same space as him.