A GLITTER THAT TAKES THE HOPE

Chapter two

The atmosphere in Aqeeb's house was serene. The solemn breeze that was soothingly seeping through the body, the birds' gentle sound and the lovely blissful weather which was characterized by harmless cold had made the environment cheerful.
Aqeeb, who just celebrated his seventeenth birthday, was the second in a family of three. His father, Malam Abdulkareem, was a state government staff, working in the ministry of Agriculture. Agriculturist by profession, Abdulkareem had never missed planting season without clearing five or six of his farms after his retirement. He wasn't receiving huge pay when he was on the payroll, and so he made it a point to venture into farming. He had more than ten farms, the size of each more than three hectares.
"Now that you're on pension, I suggest you cultivate only five of the farms and give Aqeeb a hectare in one of the other farms", Fatima, Abdulkareem's wife, suggested.
Fatima, a slim of a woman with a pointed nose, curly hair that lazily rested on her back as she walked, was in her late thirties. Her cute cheeks and adorable eyelashes were plus to her beauty.
What Fatima had of formal education was only an NCE. Before her marriage with Abdulkareem, Fatima had already completed her NCE program in Chemistry Education. She had never dreamt of becoming a classroom teacher, but as destiny would have it, she, out of the blue, found herself in a classroom, laughing and cracking jokes to students. Only two years into their marriage, the couple had a bouncing baby boy who was named Nazeer. Nazeer, Aqeeb's brother, was already in the university studying Civil Engineering, not at the behest of anyone, not even his parents. Nazeer was  three years older tham Aqeeb, so that when Aqeeb was in SS2, Nazeer was already a full-time registered student of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.
Aqeeb's romance for science was unconditional. But he was equally into English literature as he was into science. If there was one thing they had shared in common with Khaleel, it was their strong passion for literature. Aqeeb had met Khaleel at the state's library. They were regular attendants to the library.
Aqeeb, aware that he was from a mediocre family, didn't make any attempt to engratiate himself with Khaleel, whose family background was no Aqeeb's match.
Khaleel's father, a medical doctor who had spent years in the profession, was a successful wealthy person, so that all Khaleel had to do was to ask and would have his request granted. But Khaleel, contrary to people's perception of kids from wealthy background, had kept a simple, low profile.
"Hi, bookworm! Seems you're determined to lay your hands on all the books here", Khaleel teased as he took to where Aqeeb was seated in the spacious library. Since then, the friendship had grown to a point where the two couldn't spend days without visiting each other.