The Second Path

Chapter 2

Song: My life is in your hands by Kirk Franklin (Christian song)

Chapter 2

My mind still couldn't get over today's earlier incident of Sanusi. The same boy that chased Mama and I few years ago.

His death was something that has never happened in Mansur. It was such a pity that we still didn't know who did it. Now everyone had to watch out for their loved ones, especially their sons. Situations like this made me thankful that I didn't have a brother. But it wasn't like being the only child alive was any better.

I was sitting on my bed in the dark room while thinking of today's incident and I looked outside the window like I always did. There was no light and to make things worse, it was raining heavily. It was such an usual condition for rain to fall in November, let alone a heavy rain. Harmattan never took time to show up, so why now?

Suddenly my attention caught the front of Mallam Audu's gate. The homeless woman and her little daughter were still sitting outside in this heavy rain. It was such a pity to watch this happen to them.

The woman wrapped the black pashmina she used to cover the little girl's face to cover both of their bodies. They were shivering in the cold as they held each other tight.

The weather wasn't safe for these people and there was no one to help them. Something inside me told me to help them, but I had to battle with my mind before I came to a conclusion that I should actually help them. But I was not going to keep them in my house for the whole night. Once the rain stopped, they were going to leave.

I stood up and walked to the sitting room and took the umbrella that kaka always kept behind the long couch. I knocked on her door before entering the room.

She was sitting on the edge of her bed, close to the lighted candle on her left bedside. She sat there with eyes glued to the newspaper in her hand.

"Kaka?" I called her.

She turned to look at me, silently waiting for what I have to say.

"Did you hear about mama Sanusi's son?" I asked randomly.

She nodded her head slowly.

"It was sad." I shook my head in disdain and looked away.

There was a little silence before I spoke up, saying what I actually came here for.

"There is a woman and her daughter sitting outside mallam Audu's house. The ones we see everyday." I said, "Can I bring them in? Rain is beating them anyhow."

She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at me. I knew if she could talk, she would tell me to mind my own business.

After a short staring contest, she just nodded her head and gestured for me to leave, like I was disturbing her. I smiled at her before closing her door and walking to the front door.

The moment I opened the door, a huge volume of water splashed over my body from the rain. I opened the umbrella and walked outside to the house gate. I unlocked the gate door and came to stand in front of the gate door.

The woman and her daughter looked up at me immediately I stood outside. I looked at them and gestured for them to come in.

The mother pointed to herself, questioning if I was talking to her. I nodded and she stood up with her daughter immediately and ran towards me without watching out for any car passing in between them.