Chapter 6: Chapter 6

“What is the problem, Aliena? You looked worried?” Sherry asked with concern after the former had settled in the latter’s bedroom. Aliena sat on the edge of the king-sized bed for some minutes, staring out of the window; Sherry went over to her, her hands slid over the curves of her shoulders, drawing her closer. “Confide in me, please, tell me what the problem?”

“I…I…am…am….” She spluttered as she let the stream of tears ran down her cheeks.

“I can’t comprehend what you are saying, you are what?” Sherry asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow. “Please, stop crying and relax.”

“Sherry, I’m pregnant!” She blurted out and broke down again with a tearing sob. Sherry sat down beside her, dejected as she absorbed the revelation. “I never know you with any guy, Aliena,” she asked quietly.

“That is why I can’t keep it, Sherry; I’m pregnant for General Nasir.”

“What!” Sherry’s mouth huge opened with surprise as she looked at Aliena with frightened eyes. “He is supposed to be your guardian, Aliena, how could you allow that to happen?” Her eyes still widened in alarm. “I won’t advise you to get rid of it because it will be a sin before God to do that; the child is innocent and deserves to live; what I think you should do is to let your father into the picture.”

It was Aliena’s turn to widen her tears-filled eyes with alarm. “No! No!! I promised Dad to be a good girl and take my studies with all levels of seriousness.” She explained tentatively. “He called me specially and used some of his aids whose children just graduated with honours as examples. He said I’m more opportune than them and should be the one setting the good examples for them and not the other way round. He didn’t bargain for this. Did he?”

“Nobody bargain for this, Aliena, but I believe there is always a solution. Please, just calm down, okay?”

“Yes, I know there is a solution to every problem.” She yawned and stretched contentedly and lay on the bed.

Sherry studied her worriedly. “Please inform your father about this. Will you?”

“I have heard you,” she muttered sleepily.

Sherry went to the window and drew the curtains. When she turned round to face the bed, Aliena had fallen asleep, even in her sleep, tears still course down her eyes. She sat on a stool beside her dressing mirror and began to ponder over the situation. “She thought about informing the President over his daughter’s condition but decided against it, she can’t do that without Aliena’s consent. “What if she is contemplating aborting it?” She asked rhetorically. “General Nasir didn’t do well at all; he took advantage of her. God will punish him for this.” She cursed bitterly as she reflected on how it all started; when they resumed back to school from the holidays, she noticed Aliena had changed considerably; she was no longer the boisterous girl she used to know. She had become withdrawn and moody, always in deep thought, at times smiling to herself sheepishly. Whenever she asked her what the matter was, Aliena would reply. “I’m cool, Sherry, I’m just cool.”

The matter got to a head one afternoon when Sherry stumbled upon her when she returned unannounced from an outing, as she was about to open the door, she heard Aliena babbling, “Please, come and give me my fix, please, I beg you in the name of God, come and fix me up!”

“I want you to suck me to climax before I give you what you want. Is it okay by you?” She heard Teena’s voice replied. She was transfixed to the spot debating whether to go back or bang into the room. She banged into the room and what she saw made her want to throw up. Aliena the daughter of a Presidential candidate was on her knees shaking and twitching, her eyes watering, her nose running. Teena stood before her, stark naked, she held a hypodermic syringe in her hand. There was a sneering grin on her face as she watched Aliena moaned and snuffled. Teena turned as Sherry banged into the room. “I thought you said this bitch will not be back until after six hours?”

“Don’t mind her, Teena, she won’t do anything to jeopardize our relationship. Please give me my fix right now!” Aliena pleaded.

Sherry didn’t wait for any sort of confrontation but ran out to the corridor where she hastily pressed the button Detective Leighton gave her. As if that was the call signal, armed soldiers stormed the hostel and arrested Teena and Aliena.

Teena was allowed to wear her clothes before she was handcuffed. The hypodermal syringe was seized and other exhibits. She was surprisingly calm and cooperative as she took them to her house off-campus; it was thoroughly ransacked and all incriminating documents which included a digital camera, negative prints, complimentary card of highly placed personalities, dangerous drugs with a hypodermic syringe, and what have you were all picked to be used as evidence against her. “Don’t rough handle me at all!” She warned as she was being dragged to the car with her accomplices. “I have cooperated with you. Haven’t I?”

“You cannot escape the long arm of the law! You whore!!” Detective Leighton retorted.

“Your mother is a whore!” She spurts out the words. Detective Leighton wanted to strike her in the face but quickly decided against it, he knew how connected she was from the investigations conducted on her, so he just glared at her.

Aliena was taken to a German psychiatrist hospital for medical care and rehabilitation two days after. Owing to his busy schedule, Muriel Rehema couldn’t stay with his daughter throughout her stay in the hospital. Most times when he visited, he would stay for some hours because he was then at the heat of his political campaign. After her discharge from the hospital, she enrolled at Oxford University to continue her education. Nasir who was a Colonel at that time visited her often to see how she was settling in her new school. “It must have been a difficult period for her with no father and mother to unburden her heart to.” Sherry pondered thoughtfully and swallowed hard as a lump rose to her throat. “I would have stayed with her during that turbulence period but because of the fast-approaching examinations, I couldn’t skip school. Maybe I could have prevented this ugly incidence but who could have thought General Nasir could descend so low as to take advantage of the feeble-minded President’s daughter?”

The sound of a mobile phone woke up Aliena and brought Sherry back from her mental flight. It was Aliena’s father, President Muriel who wanted to know how she was faring. After discussing with her dad for some minutes, she informed Sherry of her desire to leave. “I have instructed our cook to prepare something for us,” Sherry announced worriedly, showing her displeasure that her friend wanted to leave.

“I’m sorry, Sherry, I won’t be able to stay and eat because my stepmom needs my assistance on something important; I promise to make it up to you over the weekend.” She said as she hugged Sherry.

“Aliena, please promise me you wouldn’t terminate that pregnancy?”

“I will do what is needful, Sherry,” Aliena said with determination.

“Don…don’t…try…it.” Sherry spluttered, staring tearfully at her friend with alarm on her face but Aliena appeared not to have a care in the world. “It is too risky!”

Aliena who pretended not to hear entered her vehicle and the chauffeur carefully drove out of the compound.

ΩΩ

It was a Sunday morning; the air was fresh and crispy as Dr. Badmus Shaphat with concentrated attention gently edged his way into the fast-moving traffic. His son, Nabeel sat beside him in the black official Toyota Prado Jeep. He loved going out on a stroll with his father which was rare because of the nature of his father’s job. Dr. Shaphat deftly turned the jeep into the driveway of the City Recreational Center. He had been feeling uneasy since the unpleasant encounter with the President’s daughter a few days ago. He wasn’t afraid of losing his job; after all, he had put in more than twenty-five years of active service. He had his private hospital; one of the best in the city. He never lobbied to be appointed the President’s Personal Physician. They had been friends from childhood with Nasir Akeebilahi. The three of them attended the same secondary school as fate would have it, Dr. Shaphat and Muriel passed through the same University while Nasir went to the military school.

Dr. Shaphat felt he had been distanced from his children for so long especially his first child, Nabeel who looked so much like him. He felt guilty that the expected intimacy that was supposed to bind the family was lacking. “What will you like to take, Nabeel?” His father asked with a smile as a waiter appeared to take their orders.

“I want ice cream,” he answered eagerly,

“Give him what he wants and get me a bottle of malt and chicken pepper soup.” They sat on bamboo chairs and waited for their order. The recreational park was scanty this morning, but the magical effect of the environment was not lost on Nabeel who was visiting the place for the first time. The Park’s Garden had a wide expanse of beautiful, green lawn with beautiful palm trees dotted here and there. A gentle breeze rustled the foliage of the nearby palm trees near the lagoon which was a bit distant from them.

“What will you like to be in the future?” Dr. Badmus asked after taking a sip from his drink, the pepper soup was yet to arrive.

“I would like to be a medical doctor like you, Dad,” Nabeel answered as he licked off the ice cream that was trickling down his hands.

“Why would you like to be a medical doctor?” His father asked after observing him for some seconds. Nabeel pondered over the question for some seconds.

“I want to be successful like you; to have wealth, to dine and wine with the people that matters in the society.” He enthused.

“You got it wrong, Nabeel,” his father said sadly, “You don’t go into a profession for material gains only but because of job satisfaction which comes through service to humanity.”

Nabeel frowns his face with displeasure, “By the way, your presence academic performance cannot take you to the medical profession; you are not performing well in your science subjects.” His father complained bitterly and paused briefly before he continued. “The other day, your principal reported that you fought with some triplets in your school; is that part of the virtues I taught you?”

“Dad, those guys looked for my trouble!” He said defensively.

“You should have reported to your teacher or the principal?”

Nabeel didn’t answer but stared at nothing on the table to avoid looking into his father’s eyes. Dr. Badmus knew his son had a wild streak in him which was one of the reasons he employed a private Islamic tutor to teach them the ways of Allah, which was to follow peace with all men. He hoped and prayed Nabeel would learn before it was too late. As a child, he was very close to his parents, especially his father whom he followed to the farm all the time, even when he got admission to the University, anytime he was on vacations. His father was his closest confidant; they would sit under a big tree on the farm to take their lunch and rest after hard labour. Those moments also were for serious discussions which were to linger in Dr. Badmus’s mind for many years thereafter. He wished to impact the same legacy for his children to follow. A lump rose to his throat as he probed his mind for the right thing to say. “Nabeel, you can be whatever you want to be,” he began, staring into his son’s eyes, “Set your mind and work towards it, you can make it,”

“I will do my best to make you proud,” Nabeel answered quietly.

“I want you to be a good example to your younger ones, all that I have laboured for belongs to you but don’t let it get into your head; desires to surpass me, and Allah will bless the work of your hands. Tomorrow, if anything should happen to me, the survival of the family lies in your hands, Nabeel.”

“Dad, why are you talking like this?” Nabeel asked, his eyeballs tilted forward with alarm.

“It is just a mere precaution, my son, my father used to talk like this to me since I became conscious of myself, it is just to prepare your mind, life is all about risk, anything could happen at any time.”

“Nothing bad will happen to us,” Nabeel said with relaxed indulgence, “I’m sorry about the incident at school, I promise it wouldn’t happen again.”

“That is alright.”

“I promise to sit up in my science subjects and I will make you proud,” he blurted seriously.

“I will surprise you if you keep to your words, Nabeel,” his father said with a smile as the waiter arrived with the pepper soup.

Dad, why didn’t Mum, Majeed, and Barira come with us?” Nabeel asked as the waiter served them.

“I wanted to have a quiet time with only you.” He answered, “I will bring them here when next I’m free.”

“When next you are free?” Nabeel parroted, raising a quizzical eyebrow, “When will that be? We all know you are hardly free; that means you don’t want to take them out…”

“Come on, Nabeel, don’t talk like that, I will work out something.” His father said with a hurt look in his eyes. He placed his hand on his son’s own and squeezed gently, “I promise to do that.”

“Dad, I would appreciate it if we all can hang out like this once in a while.”

“I will work on it, and it will be very soon.” He reaffirmed,

Nabeel stared at his father as if he doubted his promise but after a second thought, he decided to give his father a benefit of doubt, so he smiled and murmured a word of thanks after which they continued their meal in silence. They later went sightseeing before they left for home.