Scarred For Life

Chapter 29

*

"You're back," Yusuf said as he stepped into the living room. It was exactly five minutes to midnight, and everyone in the house had gone to bed. Or at least they pretended to. Adnan was sitting in the living room, his eyes staring unfocused at the TV, where a boring sitcom was showing. He looked up slowly at his father, waiting to see something which wasn't there anymore.

Yusuf sat across from him, swinging his right leg over the arm of the couch. He threw his cap aside, scratching the bald patch which marked the beginning of his hairline.

"You didn't call," he said, letting his eyes roam over his son as though looking for a fault.

"I was on a plane," Adnan replied in a level tone. "I couldn't call even if I wanted to."

"You weren't on the plane the entire day," Yusuf replied with an irritated look. "You should have called before or after your flight."

"It must have slipped my mind," Adnan shrugged. "And besides, I didn't know you were back."

"Don't give me that crap," he snapped his fingers at him. "You speak to that woman everyday. I'm sure she told you of my return."

"That woman you speak of is my mother," Adnan replied coldly. "At least put some respect into her name."

"You children are all the same," he groaned, pulling out his phone. "That woman has brainwashed you all. There's no doubt about that. Oh, but mark my words, the day of reckoning will soon come. And when that happens, I'll be the one to laugh at last."

Adnan shook his head as he stared blankly at the TV once again. Faintly, the pungent smell of alcohol hung in the air. That explained a lot.

"When are you going back?" Yusuf asked after scrolling aimlessly through his phone.

"In a few weeks," Adnan replied. "I have to find a house first."

"You're wasting money where you shouldn't," he said. "That house you bought up in Kano must have cost a fortune, did it not? And now you want to buy another one here. Why?"

"Because I want to," Adnan replied. "Do you remember when you once told me that when I grow up and earn my own money, then I can do whatever I  want to do with it?"

"Hm," he chuckled. "You're finally talking like an adult. But don't forget that money is a fickle thing. One day you might have all the money in the world, and the next you'll have nothing left. Don't go spending money where you don't need to."

They heard footsteps coming down the stairs then. Adnan knew it wasn't his mother, or one of his siblings. Surely it had to be the other woman.

Zainab stepped into the living room quietly, humming to herself. She fell silent the moment she saw Yusuf however.

Adnan refused to turn back and look at her. He saw his father look up at her slowly, and his frown deepened even more.

She walked towards them slowly, her footsteps barely audible as she did. Adnan looked up when she came into view. She had changed into a pair of baggy pants and a large T-shirt. Her hair was undone, and it fell to just below her shoulders. He averted his gaze immediately.

"I didn't know you were back," she said as she knelt in front of Yusuf. "Welcome back."

"There are a lot of things you don't know," he said with a sour look in his eyes. "No one holds it against you."

"I..."

"Don't," he said, raising his hand sharply. "This should be the last time you come and disturb my son and I when we're talking. Do I make myself clear?"