44: This Woman

She locked the door while trying so hard to pin the phone on her left ear while she held the basket with her other free hand. “What did you say, Wafiyya? I can’t hear you please.” She struggled until she got to the car and she sat down on the driver’s seat, putting away everything at the back seat while she sighed, it was a good feeling. She stared at the house and wondered how she had lived in this house before she lost her memories. Did she love it? Did she miss home? Did they play in the rain while she lived before she forgot everything?

Wafiyya’s voice brought her out of her reverie and she recalled that she was on phone. “I told you, I've left home for lunch, but I'm quite sure Yazeed is at the office. He hates the cafeteria food and also hates to go home for lunch. When...” She almost slipped it off that when Jalilah worked there they had their lunch together before she got a hold of herself and smiled nervously, wishing that would go unnoticed by Jalilah.

“But why is that? And I can’t ride the elevator, Wafiyya. Or is it on the down floor?” She questioned, igniting the car on as she honked at the driver to open the gate for her.

Wafiyya sighed softly, she had truly forgotten about that. “I forgot about your phobia. But you can take the stairs, right? It’s the 9th floor, or should I come to take you up? I’m still as nice as I used to be.” Jalilah threw her head back and laughed while she drove out of the house.

“No, you shouldn’t stress yourself that much, Wafiyya. I can take the stairs, thank you for your help. When will you stop by? I've missed you for days.” She spoke softly while she drove through the streets of Abuja and wondered how many times she had driven around alone. Maybe together with Yazeed or just being in the company of great people.

“Let’s see when I can squeeze some time and come, you know? I'm always busy and whenever I'm free I spend some time with Yazeed jr, that boy feels as if I'm his mom.” She chuckled softly but one could tell from the way she sounded that she loved the boy so much.

“You love him so much, maybe I'll ask Yazeed so they’ll come, you can come with them too, right? I miss interacting with people. I want to talk until my lips beg me to shut up for a while.” She laughed at herself while she swerved the steering wheel and fixed her eyes on the road. Talking to Wafiyya always felt so good. Because at some point she grew up together with Yazeed and she knew more than Jalilah had known of him.

Wafiyya chuckled and shook her head, “You surely need deliverance, Jalilah. You’re driving, I'll let you be. But please don’t forget, whenever you need my help, just call me, okay? And if we have the time, we can come over for dinner someday.” They spoke for a few minutes after that and ended the call.

After Jalilah parked in the building, she looked up and wondered how it had been. Yazeed told her she did her NYSC here and it was where they met. How did it happen? Was it love at first sight? Did she like being in this building every day from morning till evening? Or she got bored like she always did? She wondered how life was in this building, did she enjoy it? How was she able to make friends with Wafiyya? And for Yazeed, he didn’t tell her how their relationship started, but she knew it would be hard. Either way was hard for him. Maybe he fell in love with her first, and while he confessed it to her, she was still holding onto her mantra of not loving again. Or maybe it’s the other way round, she fell in love first and confessed to him. She needn’t be told that chasing Yazeed might be hard before he comes over because he looked like those guys that if you weren’t so much in love with them, letting go of them would be much easier than holding onto them.

She wished to remember everything because if he made her suffer, she smiled mischievously and got down from the car. She would have to look for ways to make his heart stir the hard way then. She took her basket and ignored the few knowing looks she was getting from the few workers that were either going out of the building because it was lunchtime or those coming back early. They might have probably known her, or maybe she was friends with some of them? No, Wafiyya would have mentioned that to her.

She took the stairs, but before she got to the ninth floor Jalilah had never been as tired as she was. She asked the receptionist who looked like her as if she knew her and Jalilah just flashed her a great smile. Because she knew she might have seen her before, maybe countless times or just a few times. She walked to the direction she pointed, where Yazeed was and behold, he was in his office, neck-deep into work. She didn’t work, and he seemed oblivious to her presence. She dropped the basket meticulously, afraid she would make a sound that will make him look up to her before she stealthily walked to his desk.

She hugged him from behind, wrapping her hands around his chest as she smiled, this felt good. Like coming back home after years of being away. It always wondered to her how she missed him even if it was only a few hours they were away from each other. “Yazeed,” she called out softly and rested her head on his shoulder, “I’ve missed you.”

Yazeed smiled, at first, he was frightened. But when he felt her warm and delicate hands on his chest and the way she softly called out his name, nothing felt as good as it did. He turned to face her, and she gave giving him that megawatt smile that instantly eased off his muscles and he didn’t feel as tired as he was. He pulled her in for her while she sat down on his laps. She wrapped her hands around his neck after they broke their hug and just looked into his eyes.

“You look tired,” she pointed out, still staring into his eyes with the coolest and most caring look he had ever seen on her face.

He smiled and pinched her nose, “That’s because I'm so tired, Jalilah. How have you been? Not afraid anymore or bored?” He questioned. It was times like this when she looked at him with all the softness and love no woman could muster, that he forgot the main reason he existed in this world. It felt as if he existed solely because of her. For her to love him and him to feel an extraordinary love that you could never find somewhere else but in her.

“I cooked for you and I brought it here. Wafiyya told me that you don’t usually take your lunch, that’s why you’re always losing some weight, Yazeed. Why would you not take care of yourself? As the only heir of the Bunza empire, I hope you know you matter a lot?” That made his heart halt, did she remember something? Maybe coming into the company made her recalled a few things?

“You remember? Maybe not all but a few things?” She chuckled and shook her head, and it would be selfish of him to say that he was relieved, but he was. Because if she recalled something, he was sure there was nothing more left. It will only be a matter of weeks or months before she could get her memories wrapped on the tips of her fingers and she would hate him for the rest of their lives.

“Wafiyya told me, you thought I wouldn’t find out?” She glared at him accusatively but there was still this cool and sensitive look on her face, which he found alluring. And had he ever mentioned that this woman was beautiful? This woman made him felt things he wasn't supposed to feel. This woman made him appreciate life and all that was on earth?

“It just didn’t occur to me as important to tell you, I'm sorry.”

“You’re forgiven. I mean, you should know that a handsome man like you should always be forgiven, I can’t even stay angry at you for long even if I want to. You have this charisma that always pulls me to you, I don’t know how you do it, but you make me feel things I've never felt before. Which is amazing if I were to tell you.” For all the times she was speaking, Yazeed didn’t know how he wasn’t staring at anywhere but her lips. It felt as if he had never seen something as beautiful and captivating as her lips were. Or was it the fact that she had her hands wrapped up around his neck and she was smiling at him? Seductively if he could add?

She was about to speak again; her lips were parted a bit and he could swear the gleam of her lipstick got to him that he didn’t know when he softly merged their lips. It was soft, calm, and just a normal kiss to tease his senses, but when he felt it getting so intense, he knew he couldn’t do this, and he slowly broke apart from her lips. She stared at him then pouted her lips, with a whining expression on her face.

“What is it?” He asked after he had gotten ahold of his breath and she smiled while shaking her head.

“That wasn’t enough. I've always known you were a good kisser, but I think I need more of that...” She didn’t wait for her words to soak up in his mind when she pulled him closer to her and kissed him hard. It felt good, like heaven if she was asked to describe it perfectly. Kissing someone like Yazeed would be a blessing from the universe to her. Maybe Farha didn’t know what it felt like. Like, she wouldn't know except that which Jalilah had told her, but she was mistaken since. He was all the good, sugary, eccentric, and whatever good feeling left in this world.

She felt as he slowly pulled her closer to him, and her hands involuntarily bushed through his hair, his hair that she loved the most and wondered how it looked like those ‘buzaye’ hair when he had told her he was an indigene of Kebbi state. Which she didn’t mind about now, because it was godly kissing his lips, having forced that softly moan when she made a move with her fingers in his hair and well...she was just on cloud nine.

She guessed being out of breath while kissing as hard as they did was all a good feeling and bad. Because if they didn’t break up, she wouldn’t have gotten the chance to see that blush on his face, which felt so good to see. But if she had kept on kissing him, she would have been suffocated by now. She smiled and rested her head on his chest, right above his heart that she felt the way it beat erratically as if she had enshrouded a feeling only he could understand tell about.

“Should we go and eat now? Or it’s still not enough?” He chuckled when she palmed her face, and she could feel the way his chest reverberated with his laugh. Without remembering her memories, she was skeptical at admitting that she loved this man, but she did that now. She loved him. She loved him so much.

It wasn't until they were done eating food that he realized she shouldn’t be in the company in the first place. What if someone had seen her? What if all those surveillance Hajia had hired were still working? And she was told he was seen with a new woman? And he knew Jalilah’s face wasn’t new to Hajia? What would happen? She was sipping her drink when he stared at her and felt all that he had never felt before. This woman, she was turning him into a man he had never imagined he could be.

“You shouldn’t have come, Jalilah.”

She turned to him and placed her can drink down on the table between them, “What? I was missing you and I had nothing to do. Is something wrong with me coming here?” She questioned while staring around the office, she hadn’t seen anyone around the office unless when they were kissing. She smiled as the thought crossed through her mind.

To get her off the suspicious, he smiled brightly. “I remember! I heard of a painting school, Art Meemee Maigida, should we go and get you registered?” He suggested and she looked up at him with a wide grin while she nodded her and stood up before he got up himself.

“Let’s go! I'm tired of doing nothing at home, how does it work?” She asked while she slung her back on her shoulder and he stood up. She entwined their hands together and they walked out of the office while he told her how he wasn’t sure about the way it worked because he didn’t make any inquiries yet.

They were about to take the elevator when he turned to look at her, “How did you come up here?” He questioned, and she smiled softly.

“You know of my phobia too, right? I took the stairs, but Wafiyya told me I could either ride it with you or her, so at least I'm safe now.” She smiled warmly at him and he wrapped his hands around her shoulders. They got in together.

At first, Jalilah thought it was okay, she could do this. After all, she had been fine for the past years, wasn’t she? But as time went on, she realized she couldn't, it felt as if Khaleefah would emerge from any corner of the elevator and he would violate her again. It didn’t feel right, and he didn’t know when she began to shake while tears began spilling out of her eyes.

When Yazeed noticed that about her, he was thankful they were the only ones in the elevator. He placed his hands on her shoulders and called out her name softly, “What is it, Jalilah? Are you okay?” He questioned, and she shook her head, her tears intensifying as well as her body shakes. She looked traumatized, the way she looked when they went to Lagos, and he pulled her to his body, hugging her firmly. “It’s fine, okay? Yazeed is here with you.” He didn’t know what was wrong with her or whether her cause of phobia was natural or not, but at least he knew that he wanted to protect this woman until her last breath.

It wasn’t until they drove for more than ten minutes before she looked up at him from amidst her knees and she warily smiled, “I was scared, right? I'm sorry.”

He shook his head while trying so hard to fix his eyes on the road and her face, “It’s fine, you had a phobia. Should I take you home or to the art studio?” He questioned, and Jalilah nodded softly.

“To the art studio. The more I ignore it and deny it controlling my life the more it will be easier for me to overcome.” She was talking softly, as if whatever her reason was, it took a toll on her and even after years, it still did. He roamed for her hand and just held it tightly, to let her know that he was there and would always be there for her.

They went there and registered for her before they came out, Yazeed could say she was much better and almost her old self. Maybe it was the art that excited her, or simply because she had accepted whatever it was that happened to her and wanted to move on. He had to stop at a shop to buy her favorite bounty cake and they walked inside together. They were coming out with leathers in their hands when he heard her name being called, they all turned to the same direction at the same time.

He had never felt his heart lost a beat like it did when Jibril rushed to where she was while he smiled breathlessly. “Oh my god, Sanaya!” It was as if he didn’t notice Yazeed when he moved forward and wanted to hug her. She moved closer to Yazeed and looked at him with a disgusting expression.

“Who are you? And who’s Sanaya?” She questioned and looked up at Yazeed as if she was waiting for him to answer her question.

“Sanaya? Don’t you recognize me? It’s Jibril, where have you been? I've tried all possible ways to reach you, but it proved futile. I've been calling your line for the past months, but it was switched off, you don’t know how miserable I've been, Sanaya.” Yazeed knew this would happen because maybe that was what Mama saw when she asked for Jalilah’s old phone to be brought to her. Because she had everything in there, old contacts, but mostly pictures that if she didn't understand, she would rake her brain for memories, which would only make it worse.

“Yazeed, who's this? And what is he talking about? Did I know him?” She questioned and Yazeed nodded his head at her.

“Why don’t you get into the car, Jalilah? I'll speak with Jibril myself.” She collected the key from him and the other nylons before she walked to the car, not sparing Jibril a second glance. She watched through her window and saw the way Jibril looked pathetic, what did Yazeed say to him? And for someone to look this sad and heartbroken, what was he to her before she forgot everything?

After Yazeed got into the car, she turned to him with a question on her lips, “What did he say? And who was he to me?” She wanted to know. Maybe she didn’t care about what he said, but at least she wanted to know who he was to her.

“He understood. He was your ex-boyfriend, or rather, I can say he loved you because I'm not certain about your feelings for him.” Their drive back home was silent and the only sound coming was from the music she had put on when she got tired of the silence. Yazeed was forlorn because he was certain after Jalilah got her memories back, she would go back to Jibril because the guy still loved her.