Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Do not reveal what you have thought upon doing, but by wise council keep it secret being determined to carry it into execution.

-Chanakya

Mother returned to her house. Some months later Ibrahim became a year old and we planned an elaborate celebration for him. Abdulrauf said it was to make up for his less eventful naming ceremony. We invited family and friends to participate in our joyful moment. Abdulrauf told me during the day that he had a surprise for me. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew from experience his surprise was outrageous and the suspense was killing me. I tried to take my mind of it and await nightfall when we would be alone in our bedroom.

The crowd finally cleared out and we retired to our bedroom for the night. “So what’s the surprise,” I asked. “Guess!” he said. “Why do you keep playing this guessing game with me? You know I’m not any good at it,” I said and he smiled. “That’s where the fun is right. Just try quitters never win and winners never quit,” he encouraged. I thought about it for some minutes. “Jewelries?” “shoes?” “new car?” He kept shaking his head implying that I was wrong. “A new house?” I said and he laughed. “What do you want to do with this one, turn it to a day care centre?” he asked. “Well I’m out of options. So tell me,” I said. “Close your eyes,” he commanded and I obliged him. “Now open,” he said and handed me a file. “What is this,” I asked”. “That’s the documents to all my properties. I’ve made Ibrahim my next of kin, and the sole inheritor of everything I possessed. There is a provision in the will that he should cater for my wives while they are still alive, and a certain amount should also go to my family members every year. Apart from that he owns everything”. I didn’t know my mouth was open until he reached out and nudged my jaw. “He is only a year old,” I said in a whisper. “An egg will become a cock someday,” he said unperturbed, “If I didn’t witness him grow to maturity. You are to take over the company in my absence and manage it until he is ready for the job” he said. I was very scared, did he realize he was dragging me to a war. “This is too much!” I exclaimed. “What about the children you had with Alhaja. Share it among them please,” I pleaded. He shook his head gently. “Ibrahim is my only hope of transferring my legacy. I know you are scared. Don’t worry my lawyer can be trusted, he will handle Alhaja if any opposition arise.” I sighed. “This is too much to take in,” I told him and he smiled. “My Company will be in capable hands if anything happens to me and you take over.” “Stop saying something will happen to you,” I almost screamed at him. He sat beside me on the bed holding me to his side. “You are forgetting that I’m not a young man my queen. It is a matter of when death will come for me not if it will come. You need to be ready. Use the next six month to prepare yourself. Ibrahim will start school very soon, and you will join me to run the company” he said with a tone of finality. I didn’t get much sleep that night, although he played down the complications of the situation, but I knew his proposition would get me into trouble. Real trouble if the information somehow leaked to Alhaja.

I kept on living my life in the comfort of my home, dreading the day my six month will be up, and Alhaja would eventually find out about Abdulrauf’s plan for me. Little did I know a more serious issue awaits, one that concerned the survival of my only sibling, a secret I needed to keep. I was in the living room watching a Nollywood movie on the cable and keeping an eye on Ibrahim when my phone rang. It was Yusuf calling and I picked up. He said he had a very important matter to discuss with me. I told him to carry on but he said he needed to see me in person, and I told him to come to the house. “Expect me tomorrow morning,” he said quickly like he was afraid someone would catch him on the phone. I stared at the phone for some time wanting to call him back to ask if everything was okay with him. I shrugged. Perhaps he was just in a hurry to attend to someone I thought.

Yusuf came to my house around noon the following day in a different car from the ones I knew. “Does this also belong to you,” I asked. “That’s the smallest car in my collection now,” he said without any hint of pride in his voice and I could see his heart was heavy. I invited him inside and took him to the living room, but he said he needed somewhere private so I took him to my room closing the door behind us. We sat down on the sofa, and he instantly buried his head in his arms. I waited impatiently for him to start talking. I was about to tap him when he sat up and said, “Ibrahim was right about everything you know.” “Right about what exactly,” I asked. “This life is bullshit. You think money is the answer to all your problems until you have it and your problems doubled.” “What’s going on?” I asked. “Do you remember the night I left father’s house in anger?” I nodded, “I was unable to find a cab and it was very late. Some young guys in a flashy car offered to help me. My first instinct was to decline but the street was deserted, and I was scared something bad might happen to me, so I joined them in the car. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a fetish house with a haggard looking man bending over me performing some incantations.” I remembered the dream I had that night, I had been right he was in danger. Although it was in the past but my fear returned and my heart started pounding against my chest. “How did you escape,” I asked. He shook his head. “I didn’t escape they let me go. The old man told the boys I was not fit for the ritual because I was chaste at the time, and ordered them to look for another sacrificial lamb. One of them advised the group to kill me because I already knew too much. They were about to kill me when another stopped them, offering me an alternative to join them. I didn’t have a choice; it was a matter of life and death. I chose life”. I sighed, grateful for the decision he made. But I realized he was yet to tell me why he looked disturbed. Yussuf dropped his head staring at the floor. “Although we call ourselves Yahoo boys, we are not better than money ritualists.” He looked up to search my face to see how I was taking the information and he continued. “I didn’t agree to killing innocent people, so I was given an option to use them while they are alive.” He saw the question on my disturbed face. “Yes the ladies I used didn’t die but they are living dead. They can’t have a family, give birth, do anything normal humans would do, and any man that come in contact with them would also fall victim. They are like traps.” My eyes welled up and a tear escaped and dropped down my face. “I’m not finished.” He said sadly, his eyes red. “It is time for me to renew the charm, and they asked me to bring mother for the ritual.” I automatically found myself sitting on the floor staring at him wide eyed. He shook his head. “I can’t do that,” he said and tears started falling from his eyes. “But there is consequence if I refused. Aisha! I don’t know what will happen to me, but it means my days are numbered, and I have to be ready”. He brought out the brown envelope I saw him holding earlier. “Everything you needed to know about my properties and account details is in here. Take it!” He stretched it forward but I didn’t make a move to accept it from him. I sat on the ground sobbing with my hands clamped on my mouth. “Please take it from me Aisha, this is the only way you can help me. Don’t let my struggle be in vain, please Aisha,” he cried. When I didn’t collect it from him he dropped it and stood up to leave. He was at the door when he turned back to face me, “not a word to mother or anyone. It is our secret,” he said and went out of the door. I slumped on the floor and cried my eyes out.

I tried to put myself together before Abdulrauf returned from work. He had uncanny eyes and parallel senses that seem to detect easily when something was amiss. I guess it didn’t help that I was such a terrible liar. “Hello! My queen,” he greeted upon entering the house. “Welcome,” I collected his bag and took off his jacket. “Where is my son,” he asked. “He is with Lydia; he spent most of his time with her lately and remembered me only when he is hungry. Perhaps you should customize a shirt for me with the inscription “baby’s food store” so that he can recognize me easily,” I joked. “You are a clown,” he said laughing. He tipped his head backward because I was some few inches taller than him and kissed me on the forehead. “What happen to your eyes, it looks puffy,” he asked. “Hmmm something entered it,” I managed to say. “The two eyes?” he asked incredulously and I said yes. He knew I was lying but he didn’t query further, he headed upstairs to take his bath and get ready for dinner.