Pestilence at nineteen

Three

December 2 , 2019. Nigeria.

Someone Said...

A family of five are gathered to dine. There is silence as everyone eats , the clock ticks in favour of the menage , everything seemed perfect until Raman broke the serenity.
" Stop eating with your left hand Hamzat! " he barked
"What's your problem with how I eat you fool?!" she hollered
"Mother !" he screamed "she called me a fool!" he conveyed to his mother.
"Can't you children eat without having much hate for yourselves?" inquired Dr Hassan Hussein , their father .The silence was restored but little did they all know that it was pro tem . Raman struck again , only this time , it was with full force.
"Just wait till I tell Mother about Suleiman , your boyfriend" he jeered with a smirk on his face , this made Baby Usman their Six year old baby brother laugh hard. Amidst a blush and uncontrolled anger , Hamzat storms off the table.
"I am done here !" she shrieks , heading for her room.
"Sheri ? " beckons Dr Hassan.
"I will talk to her " Mrs Sherifat their mother gets up and heads slowly to her daughter's room. The door was left ajar and the room felt cold the trice she went in , the scent of eau de Cologne welcomed her in and she gave herself a good spectacle to the feminine room , the poster of Angelina Jolie beside her bed , the fading chore rota she pasted on her wardrobe , the meticulously arranged undies she kept on her box , her diary which she was instructed by her daughter never to touch was placed on the mahogany desk gotten for her by her Dad , Hamzat just took after her in many ways and hygiene was one of it. The approach was somewhat extemporaneous , she decided to come from the deductive process of talking about the particulars before hitting the generals - she knew Hamzat was a clever , and besides , a boarding student that she was must have exposed her to series of cultures - SEXUAL CULTURES.
"So , who's the handsome guy?" she asked , grabbing a pillow from the bed , she tried wearing the motherly smile as long as she could.
"Moooomm even you too?!" she asked trying to feign anger , this time she had dropped her earphone , and grabbed a pillow too.
"Come off it darling , I know...boy's can be tempting , especially if they have this Mr cool smile and exceptionally smart..." she stopped to let the words sink in , Hamzat was reddened with shyness now , her mother had her just where she wanted.
"Actually Mom , I and Suleiman just started talking last week...and I guess stupid Abdulraman must have seen or read my chats..." she said regaining her profound anger.
"Stupid Abdulraman there is your little brother girl , you have to put up with him as the elder that you are , and besides you know he taunts alot , so why take it to heart?"
"I don't know , I just don't like him very much " (* the love came back) she was peevish in through out the rest of the discussion and she complained about almost everything.
"Do you think Allah would be happy with you?" asked Mrs Sherifat
" No. I am sorry Mom" she noticed she was about to cry at the hearing
of the name Allah , their Imam , Danladi , had taught them about Allah and how he detested hate. It was a haram before him. "I am sorry Mom." She said amidst tears.
"I won't tell you what to do and what not to do , just read your Qur'an and Tira , I think it will help you " She motioned herself closer to her and held her close to her bossom. "It's going to be okay" she whispered softly. After some minutes , Mrs Sherifat got to her feet
" I have to go attend to your little brother , you can come down later for the evening show and please wear some makeup , your face is ruined" they both laugh , Mrs Sherifat heads out -well not completely
"...And I have a new pamphlet for you to read , it's called "The Sexual Horoscope" and it's strictly for teens..."
"Great! I would love that Mom"
"Darling?"
"Yes Mom?"
"When do I get to go through your diary?" she asked precariously
"Moooomm!" she screamed "jeez!"
"Sorry! yeeesshhh , not like I was expecting a YES you know?" she laughed closing the door behind her as she left.

* * *
The light in the room was dim and the outlook of things seemed normal , except , Hassan was busy as usual.
"How did it go?" he asked , not moving his gaze from the files he arranged.
"She will come around" she spoke with acerbity as she changed her to her nighties.
"Sheri are you angry at something ?" He asked
" What would you care?" she asked back , this time rhetorically.
Hassan felt a brawl coming on and dropped the files. He had been through this phase almost all his life and it was always his work versus his family.
"Sheri" he started "I know you are not happy about all of this , but you must know I didn't plan things this way , it was unheralded that I had to be the Head at the hospital , I am trying to balance things here and I need you to understand that..."he paused , then continued "please".
She stared at him from the bed , he looked lean these few days and lately she noticed some grey strands on his hair , she hoped it wasn't what she thought it to be , maybe she was being too hard on him.
"It's okay Hassan , I just ... I miss us..." she moved closer to him."How was work today?"
"Work? hectic as usual , we had a meeting today , all general heads of the Nigerian medical association , something big is coming... I don't know what... they weren't quite sure about the information they were getting from WHO...I think personally the Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is being equivocal about something , something..."
"shhhhssshhh...you bore me with these your office talks" she interrupted , closing his lips with her index finger , she motions herself closer and sits on his lap , taking off his glasses , she kisses him passionately as he retaliates the gesture , they both felt the raw passion down their hearts and were tempted to take off their clothes , but they were cut short by Baby Usman's call.
"Mommy , wee wee"