Safe

Seventeen

        Legal processes were boring. Even more so than Nike had initially thought. It had been weeks since the case went to court and Nike was asked to testify, for such a high profile case the police had insisted on assigning an escort to her.
Nike had refused, she didn't need anyone shadowing her and complicating her business any more than it already was. She also doubted she would be the first candidate if whatever was left of the concerned crime syndicate decided to assassinate witnesses. For all their past crimes, there were definitely other people more worthy of such a dramatic death than she was and she told the police that in fewer words.
"We understand your concerns but we can't be too careful." Was all the police supritendent in charge had said and assigned someone to her anyway.
By the end of the first day, her annoyance at being followed around had gotten the best of her. The officer in plain clothes stayed in viewing distance at all times and when she taught, sat at the back of the class. It wasn't the easiest thing to explain to her students or the rest of the faculty who'd taken to staring at her and her shadow by noon. First thing she did after work was ask her father's secretary to get her a private escort and sent her punishment back to his bosses.
Of course he'd refused to leave without someone else watching her and Nike had descended into a tantrum so unlike her usual self that she'd been embarrassed after. The officer hadn't cared and followed her home anyway.
The first court date had come and gone with almost nothing done. The case had been adjourned to a date almost three months away. Lola assured her there was nothing unusual about that sort of behaviour when it came to big cases and asked if she'd like a rundown of the court processes. Nike had answered with a grim smile that had made her sister laugh for a whole minute but Nike hadn't seen the joke. Her life had been taken over by the same thing she'd worked so hard to get away from and it grated her to no end.
            July came and Nike had the most amazing time watching her class of excited sixteen year olds in their blue and white graduation gowns, gathered to finally make the leap into adolescence.
She laughed wryly as she remembered that in a few months when they started university, they'd wish they hadn't left secondary school but for that day, they'd been overjoyed and had brought their favourite teacher so many small gifts to celebrate not just their going away but hers too.
After a whole year of teaching and enjoying teaching, she'd finally decided she didn't want to do it anymore. Her life had become too complicated to simply leave everything at home and be efficient at school, besides her nemesis had gotten her way and most of the teachers had begun treating her like she was the reason their lives were the way they were.
Either way, the move made her happy which was great because she hadn't been happy in a while.
A week after the graduation ceremony, she was sitting at the edge of the pool in her backyard, feet dangling in the cool water when the door opened and someone came through at  similar speed to a torpedo.
Startled, Nike turned and laughed when she saw her sister sliding the screen door shut.
"What's up baby girl!" Sade laughed pushing her sunglasses into her hair as she came to flop onto the grass next to her sister.
She leaned back on her hands and turned her sunny smile on Nike. "Missed me?"
"Hell yeah! What are you doing here?" Nike asked.
"School was kicking my ass. I finished chapter two and my supervisor changed her mind and asked me to start again. That bitch!"
Nike couldn't help but laugh at her sister's misfortune which made Sade glower at her.
"So you decided to come home in the middle of the week?"
"Yep. Another second in that school and I'd have lost my mind." She answered then cocked her head to the side.
"Where's everyone?" She asked.
"Ah, daddy is in Abuja, mummy has gone for owanbe and madam barrister has followed man."
It only took a second for Sade to lean forward conspiratorily and ask, "so we're home alone?"
"No we aren't. Common sense is here too so whatever you're thinking, perish it."
"Ah! You're so boring!" Sade complained and nudged her sister with her foot.
"Shouldn't you be rewriting your chapter two? Or you don't want to graduate this year?"
Sade scowled and stood then she put her sunglasses over her eyes and pushed her sister into the pool.
"I take that back. You're the bitch." She said and stalked inside.
Nike laughed as she came up and decided to play in the water for a while since she was already wet.
When she dripped her way inside, she found her sister perched on the freezer in the kitchen scrolling through her phone with her hand in a container of spring rolls Nike had stashed in the freezer.
"Are you a thief! Did you put it there?" She complained as she snatched the bowl away.
"All these seats and the freezer is the best place right?"
"Should I order dinner or will you cook?" Sade asked sounding like she hadn't heard a word her sister had said.
"Cook? As the chef that I am?" Nike retorted before climbing the stairs, bowl of spring rolls in hand.
"Wait! Wait!" Nike heard her sister call, she stopped on the stairs and rolled her eyes as she waited to her to catch up.
Sade's head popped up at the base of the stairs and Nike leaned over the banister so she could see her.
"What?" She sighed.
"Have you seen Instagist's post this afternoon?" Sade asked, her eyes dancing excitedly.
"What's my own with a gossip blog? I have better things to do with my time." She replied and started up the stairs again.
"It's about Hannah."
Like a flash, Nike appeared at her former position.
"About who?"
"Apparently, she's in Kano to meet her fiance's parents." Sade supplied waving the phone at her. Nike flew downstairs and grabbed the phone to see the snap that showed Hannah sitting in a beautifully furnished sitting room with several women. She assumed the video had been taken by one of the women.
"That sly! How can she go and not tell me?" She asked Sade who shrugged and pointed to the video.
"You didn't tell me she's getting married."
"She isn't. You can't believe everything you see online. I'm surprised she's gone to meet his family though, they must be very serious." She said passing the phone back to her sister.
She debated calling Hannah immediately but decided against it. She could be busy at the moment so instead she shot her a quick text.
"Hannah is dating Hameed Yahaya and you didn't tell me." Sade said accusingly. Nike laughed and put a hand on her hip.
"See this amebo. How's it your business?"
"Ah, it's my business. I have to know so you people won't leave me out of the wedding. My asoebi must be super!"
Nike laughed and slapped her lightly on the shoulder, "for goodness sake Sade! Let the man propose first."
Sade rolled her eyes and held in the phone.
"This is as good a proposal as any ring. Have you ever heard of these people bringing home women they won't marry?"
Nike hummed and chewed her cheek thoughtfully. Sade was right, Hameed's family was sort of private and none of his brothers had messed around before they got married. If they were seen with women, they were definitely one step away from man and wife. Their family was decent like that.
"Whatever the case, she'll come and meet me here. To go all the way to Kano and not tell me, she doesn't know the wahala she's in."
"Let her husband hear you threatening her, you hear." Sade said as she walked away and Nike threw a slipper lying on the ground at her. She yelped and dodged into a corner only peeking out when she heard Nike hiss and walk away.
"Oversabi."
•
•
Hannah came home bearing gifts and a megawatt smile, so bright Tamatoa the crab was jealous.
She appeared on Nike's doorstep one morning the day of which was irrelevant since Nike had nothing to keep up with and breeezed inside with all the confidence of a queen.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Nike grabbed a pillow from the sofa and asked very seriously, "would you like your beating now or after you've told me everything?"
Hannah laughed, the tinkling sound bouncing off the walls of the quiet house and stoking Nike's excitement.
"If that pillow touches me I won't tell you anything." She said.
"Do you think you're in a position to negotiate?" Hannah nodded and Nike huffed.
"Well think again. I don't negotiate with terrorists."
"What if I give you this fresh pan pizza from Tinker's?"
"Bribe? You want to bribe me!" She exclaimed sounding so shocked that Hannah half expected to see Meryl Streep in the corner taking notes.
"What if I add this tub of ice cream?" She offered with an eye roll. Nike tucked the pillow under her arm and pretended to think about it.
"Cookie dough?" She asked looking down her nose at Hannah who'd chosen a seat.
"Yes."
"Fine! Bring it. Don't think this will save you though, if your reasons aren't good enough I'll still hit you with this." Nike said waving the pillow like a weapon before sinking into the seat next to Hannah's.
"Forgot we need plates." She said when she'd opened the heavenly smelling pizza up.
"Hold on, I'll get the plates." She said and jumped up. Hannah was tapping her foot and muttering to herself as she typed away on her phone when she returned and placed the plates in the table.
They each took a slice of the pizza and cozied into their seats facing each other.
"So, how did you end up in Kano?" Nike asked. Hannah snickered and pulled her spoon out of her mouth with a pop before smiling broadly, apparently excited to tell the tale.
"Hameed had been talking a lot about his mum's birthday and asked if I'd help him pick out a present for her. Of course I did because what would he do without my superb gift giving skills?"
Nike scowled at her and waved her spoon in the air in an 'I'll smack you' way. Hannah's smile took on a sheepish quality and she carried on, ignoring her friends threat.
"So we decided to get her something sentimental and went to this guy I know that does portraits and had him do one for his mum, it was more beautiful than I even thought it'd be. Hameed was going to take it with him when he went home for her party so I wasn't bothered about seeing her. You can imagine my surprise when he shows up at my door and asks me to come with him as a guest. I thought he'd lost his marbles."
"So you agreed?" Nike asked through a mouthful of pizza.
"Of course not! I said no."
"Then how'd you end up there?"
"Persuasion my dear. I have no idea how but he convinced me and next thing I know, we're on a plane to Abuja."
"So how was it?" Nike asked noting the far away look her friend was wearing as she told her tale.
"I was so nervous gosh!" She answered reaching over to squeeze Nike's arm. "I thought I was going to throw up honest and we had to sit in the car a few streets away for me to gather my wits."
"No!" Nike laughed.
"I just felt like it would be the start of something you know, it felt important."
Nike nodded as she munched and motioned for her to continue with a "I totally understand that."
"The house was full when we arrived. I think we were the last ones to get there and let me tell you, that family is big! Hameed has three brothers and four sisters."
"They're eight!" Nike exclaimed, her mouth falling open.
"Count all the wives, husbands, grandchildren and cousins and it's a circus. Apparently his mum's birthday this year is a big occasion."
"So the whole family was there basically?" Nike asked wiping her hands on a napkin before tossing it to Hannah who was setting her plate down.
"Yep and they were super nice. I was introduced as a friend and we kind of chilled together with everyone till night. I had to share a room with his youngest sister though." Hannah said wrinkling her nose.
"What happened?" Nike laughed.
"She was on the phone literally all night! That girl didn't close her mouth one minute."
"No!"
"Yes!"
"I guess I can forgive you since you enjoyed yourself. Did you see the Instagist post though?"
"A joke." Hannah laughed. "Imagine me as a wife."
Nike pretended to think about it then shook her head and said, "that would be a nightmare."
Hannah wacked her with the pillow she'd been using as a weapon earlier and huffed, "I'll have you know I'm wife material especially now that I'm considering converting."
Nike gaped at her friend in response, not even bothering to hide her surprise.
"Really? That's great!" She said when she realized Hannah was serious.
"Oh God Hannah this is amazing." Nike said as she leaned over to hug her friend.
"Yeah, I've been talking to my mum and I'm sure I'm going to do it. It'll be good for me, I mean it's already good for me. I haven't been drinking or indulging these past few months and it agrees with me. I could totally do this."
Nike's grin was so wide she thought her face would split in two. After considering it, she realized Hannah was different, she'd never been the type to expose herself or dress outrageously but lately she'd been covering up more. That day she was wearing a long red sun dress with a long sleeved shirt under and a scarf wound around her head, Nike had thought she was just cold since it had rained that morning but hearing her talk about converting made her so happy. She herself wasn't particularly religious and went to church when she felt like. Hannah was always the more religious of the pair, born to a Yoruba Christian father and a Moroccan Muslim mother, she'd grown up attending both church and mosque with her parents although when she was old enough to decide, had simply stopped attending either.
Nike was happy to see her make a decision and hoped it would help motivate even herself to go back to church seriously.
"I'm sure your mum was happy."
"Overjoyed!" Hannah laughed. "She already suggested I take my middle name unofficially when I'm ready."
"I've always liked Anam." Nike said. "What does it mean?"
"The mercy of Allah." Hannah responded with a smile. "I think it also means blessed but either way, it's fitting. What else can I say but that Allah's mercy has found me?"
Nike clapped her hands in glee at her friends response and jumped up. "We're celebrating this. I have a berry blast I was hiding for binge nights but this is a totally deserving occasion. Wait here!"
Hannah laughed while she bounded away and laughed even harder when she returned with two wine glasses and a pack of 5 alive berry blast.
"Wine glasses really?"
"How are we supposed to toast?" Nike asked seriously as she poured them drinks then handed one to Hannah and raised hers.
"To finding God's beauty in your life!"
"Cheers!" Hannah sang, they clinked glasses and sipped their drinks.
"Hmm tastes even better when I'm celebrating something meaningful." Nike said making Hannah laugh.
"You know I'm really glad you didn't make this weird. You're the first person I'm telling and you've surprised me." She said.
"Baby girl, you know I'm for anything that makes you happy. Anything legal of course."
"You're a gem." Hannah said and kissed her cheek.