Binta

Chapter Seventeen

"Fear your Lord for one day you shall return unto him" her words kept echoing in my head I wished I could stop it because it like a ropetied round my neck threatening to choke me to death. Damn it! Who the hell isshe? This is not the first time I had been preached to by people of relevantqualities and power in the society so why would a commoner's word be so momentousto make me this restless. Maybe it's her voice so sweet or her appearance so formal and modest or perhaps those sexy white eyes so innocent. Indeed my brothers' got a great taste.

Sitting onmy bed with hands on my cheeks I settled into investigating my so called awful life that would warrant a pretty young lady preach to me. The only woman who had the audacity of preaching to me was my mother and I didn't have to listen. What is so bad about my life that everybody is frustrated about?  I am just having my fun!. Perhaps sometimes I do break a law or two well maybe three but that's the fun of it, I find pleasure in breaking rules, it's my way of life. We live only once for heaven sake. I just don't know why people can't get that especially my dad and brotherthey are always too serious with everything about life.

My brother most especially doesn't cease to amaze me, I wonder if that boy knows what having fun meant. He is too boring for my liking. Always busy with work, isn't it said that "all work and no play makes jack a dull boy".

 Dad has all the money and resources we need inlife, we lack nothing, I wonder why then my brother keeps trying so hard, dad had done all the work for us, can't we just enjoy it.

My brotheris the reason why my parents see no good in me. The thought of that makes me envy him, since when we were kids he was daddy's boy, and very intelligent, he always came first and was the best behaved in school. So he got everything he wanted from my parent on a platter of gold, but in my case I was always punished by my parents because I was not as good as my younger brother, I was known as the prodigal son, or a mistake as my dad would say.

I got no good to use, talent or skill but I am more handsome than my brilliant brother. Doesn'tthat count?

I must admitI am a cold hearted man and thanks to my parents. I wonder what they were thinking when they beat me, lock me up without food, and treat me like shit in the name of discipline. It only made me who I am today and I guess they are proud.

My mother thoughafter treating me bad would pick me up and pamper me and occasionally protect me from my dad when I err and he wants to punish me , sometimes he ends uptransferring the aggression to my mother, but my dad he never looks my way Iwas rather a curse than a blessing.

I miss my mom, I wish she didn't have to die, if only death sought my opinion I would have asked him to take my dad rather, she didn't deserve to die, not the way she did, not with people pointing fingers at me for being the cause of her death, I love her more than anyone on this earth why would I be the reason for her death. I know sometimes I make her sick but it's not intentional most timesI just wanted to get back at my dad not her. She was the only one who understood me and forgives me, the only one who loves me unconditionally and the only reason that I could change from bad to good now I see no reason to change or listen to preaching's not even from the beautiful girl I recently met. 

My brother on the other hand we never got along since when we were kids I told you why,didn't I? maybe I should repeat myself "I envy him" but he was a sweet littleboy and always got my back, when dad beat and lock me up without food he snuck in and shared his food with me, he was always there for me, sometimes I even dosend him to steal our parents money for me and he would do it and even takesome beating from my parents for me but has we grew up he changed. He won't do any of those things he would rather preach to me and I would get angry and beat the shit out of him and gradually we started falling apart. I was dangerous he would say and keep his distance as far as possible from me. Then one day he became a lawyer and I a criminal. Things skyrocketed from bad to worst between us but for me I am proud to be a son and brother of the toughest and best lawyer in town.

I am covered, and they shall bail and defend me out of it despite their numerous threats.

"Abubakar!"that must be my dad calling and honestly I'm so not in the mood to answer him.

"Abubakar....!"He called repeatedly and I ignored him he knows the way down to my room if it's important, I won't take myself to him to scold me.

"So you are now dumb" he stomped into my room in rage but who cares, gone are those days when I shiver.

"I want you to pack up all your things and leave my house" he ordered and that got my attention.

"DadI'm going nowhere...this is my father's house, you should be the one packing to your own father's house" I snap at him in rage. How dare he order me out of my inheritance? I felt hatred for him and wish him death immediately. I have plans for this house and for his wealth he dare not take that away from me.

"Don't ever call me dad again, you have lost that right" my dad snapped back and I had never seen him this serious and angry.

"...and if you don't leave my house in the next 1 hour I would be forced to ask security to throw you out, and listen carefully, neither I nor your brother would ever come to bail you out of your mess anymore, I would gladly sign your executionif it ever comes to my table, stay away from me and my property and even when I die stay away from my corpse. You are nothing but a curse I wish we never had you" he spat bitterly as tears rolled down his cheek which he hurried to clean and walked out of my room.

I collapsed to the floor, for the very first time in my life my cold hardened heart was broken .the first time I saw my dad's  tears was at the death of my mom until today,I must be a very bad person.