HE IS MY CHAUFFEUR ✅

TWENTY

Adeelah confirmed something was wrong with Abba. When she salamed at the door of his parlour, he didn't answer her. He seemed to have travel far away from the whole house even. He had a straight look on his face. Saying her greeting for the third time which was also unanswered, she slowly stepped into the parlour.

"Abba!" She touched his hand, jerking him out of his daydream. Abba let out a sigh, as if he had been rescued from a battle field. It made Adeelah cold at feet and heavy at shoulder.

She twisted her toe against her another finger which were covered in a soft socks. She liked to wear socks whether it was cold or otherwise. If she didn't wear it, she felt like something wasn't complete.

"Abba what's wrong with you?" She asked, her heart beat accelerating.

"Adeelah just make sure you live a good life okay? Live a good life now not later. Start it now."

Adeelah widened her eyes. "Abba are you fine?" She touched his forehead to feel if he's having fever or something. Anything that made her Abba this way was no small thing.

He removed her hand from his forehead and clasped it with his. "I am fine Adeelah baby. Some days I miss Aayat." He said, his eyes looking straight. His eyes had become like a glass with tears filled.

"She's the definition of perfect and she endured every attitude of mine. I married Sadiya without telling her, she just saw her on the wedding day and till the day she passed away, she had never raised an alarm. But Baby Adeelah, I could see how broken she was still, I made no amend. It makes me sick to think I didn't ask for her forgiveness. It's so sickening." He forced back his tears. Sometimes people say men do not have emotions, but they do, they just had the talent of buckling it inside them for the rest of their lives. Adeelah was a witness, as right there, she saw tears in her father's eyes. She felt so bad for him, especially that she couldn't do anything about it.

Alhaji Rabi'u didn't have anyone to tell his problems. He had jealous wives whom wouldn't listen to him blab about his dead wife.

His parent both died when he was a youth. First it was his mother then his father. He didn't even want to remember anything, it broke him to remember anything from the past. Lord... How wished he could undo everything that happened.

His uncles that reside at Danbatta didn't like to see him too. He had just been... So reckless. But at least the gravest one went unnoticed. No, make them two.

"Abba, I know Oum is so forgiving. She's forgiven you in sha Allah. Just pray for her to be granted into Jannah." Adeelah interrupted his thought.

"In sha Allah she's in Jannah Adeelah, they say the Jannah of a woman is beneath her husband's feet and if that's so, Aayat is guaranteed Jannah in sha Allah." He let the tears flow, before Adeelah could look up, he cleared them.

"What do you want?" He asked Adeelah.

"Abba I went to submit my application letter for our industrial training."

"Umhum?"

"And they said the slot is filled. If I really want their company, I have to go to Abuja." Abba remained quiet.

"Abuja?"

"Yes Abba and I want no where if jot their firm. It's so beautiful and I heard they have the best facilities and modern technology, that's why I want to get a full experience and then maybe get job there."

Abba removed his cap and placed it beside him. He didn't want Adeelah to be away from home. In fact none of his children. The reason why he sent Nafeesah out was because she kept failing Jamb and her mother insisted. He imposed a lot of rules on both the mother and the child before he allowed her to go. And he entrusted her to his friend Alhaji Nasiru to take care of her.