56: Unveiled

They were now seated in the living room, with Jalilah smiling at Yazeed that still couldn’t take his eyes off her. She knew he wanted to tell her things, tons and lots of things. How much he appreciated her, how thankful he was. And mostly, she could still see it from his eyes that he couldn’t believe it. Jalilah turned to Hajia, she had a stoic expression on her face that she was sure would send a shiver down her spine. She was the one that started this, she knew she had to end it in the best way possible.

She cleared her throat and they all turned to look at her, “Hajia, I’m not sure whether you’ve realized this woman or not. She’s Ummi, Yazeed’s mother.” She informed, and just the terrified look on Hajia’s face was enough to make her know that the woman had realized Ummi, she just chose to play mum and act like she didn’t realize her, just like Alhaji was staring at them with unknown stares.

“I don’t think she looks like his mother,” Hajia began as she turned to look at Alhaji, “Do you know her, Alhaji? If she was your wife, you’d know her, right?” She asked, and it felt as if she had switched him on, he began to speak.

He had still not made eye contact with this woman, but he had never felt this restless ever in his life. She didn’t know why his heart suddenly ached, it felt as if he had lost something so important in his life which he sadly didn’t realize and now that it came back to him, it felt so far away. He shook his head, realizing that Hajia was still waiting for an answer from him.

“I don’t know her. What are they here for, Jalilah? Do they need help or some...” Yazeed didn’t let him finish what he was saying when he stood up, anger brewing from his eyes and he began to speak.

“I’ve always known that you’re heartless, Alhaji, but I’ve never imagined you could be this heartless. For real? Do you think they’re some sort of beggars of what?! She’s my mother! The woman that has been lost for over two decades now and you’ve never looked for her. Hell, you seem to forget about her whole existence. And do you know what? I guess if you know that you have another child apart from me, she’s right over there!” Be pointed at Ameena, his voice echoing through the confines of the room and none of them dared speak up against what Yazeed was saying. Even Alhaji was just listening as though he was taking a lesson from him. “She’s your daughter but you’ve never held her in your arms! Today, she’s grown into a lady, having one of the richest men as a father but she has never had the chance to live as your daughter!”

He cleared his tears; he didn’t want to speak about Ummi. Because he was afraid for Alhaji to say that he had forgotten about her. Maybe talking about Ameena would help. He was sure no sane man could forget about his child. He wanted him to remember, to acknowledge them in his life and apologize for all that he had done, even though it wouldn’t have made a difference even if he did.

He was about to speak when Jalilah shook her head at him, she didn’t want him to. She knew if he continued to speak, he might say something wrong to his father and he palmed his face out of frustration. Alhaji looked at how angry and emotional Yazeed looked and felt like he wanted to tear up and cry together with him. For the first time since the woman came into the house, he turned to where she was, where she had her eyes fixed on him as she cried bitterly. The moment their eyes met, he felt as if he was inebriated. Something swayed in him, somehow a blockage got leaked and everything rushed through his mind like a movie.

He held his head so tight and softly screamed, panting for breath. Despite being angry and hating him so much, Yazeed rushed to where he was, and he held him by his shoulders. “What’s wrong? Alhaji, should we take you to the hospital?” He asked, and when it seemed like the old man was having a cardiac attack, he had never felt this afraid his whole life. He knew he grew up hating his father as much as he hated his mother, but just the thought of losing him now felt like a blockbuster.

“Water...Yazeed...” he stuttered and Jalilah ran to get the water for him. She came back and handed it to Yazeed. He helped him took a gulp and he rested fully on the sofa. For a split second, he didn’t look like himself, it was as if he had been replaced in those seconds, he nearly lost his life. To Yazeed’s uttermost surprise, he saw tears in rolling down her cheeks.

Alhaji held his hands firmly and shook them, “Yazeed, is that Rahma? Your Ummi?” He slurred, and Yazeed stared at the way he was holding his hands full of hopelessness and brokenness. Was still dreaming at this point?

He took in a huge breath and nodded his head, “She is, Alhaji, my mother. And that...” all their eyes wandered to where Ameena was seated as she cried her eyes out. Such a young and beautiful lady in her 18th year of life, she looked so innocent and pure that Yazeed felt his heart ached at the thought of how she lived all this life without him nor her father. “That’s Ameena, she called you Yayid, right?” Alhaji slurred again, and when Yazeed nodded his head at him, he broke into tears.

Yazeed helped him sat upright on the sofa and sat beside him, holding his hand so firm that Yazeed couldn’t help but cry at the way he was holding his father today. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been close to his father, not to talk about holding his hand in such away. But before Alhaji was able to sleep nor break his eye contact with Ummi, Hajia began to clap her hands while she began to laugh enigmatically at them.

“Such a good show, Rahma! I thought we agreed with you?” She asked, staring directly into Ummi’s eyes and it was the time Jalilah figured out that there was more than they could ever imagine about this woman.

“I’m too tired of living alone, in pain while I’m not certain about the safety of my son, Hajia Hauwa. And without asking, I know you’ve ruined his life enough, not what you promised too.” Ummi spoke right back at her, her eyes fixed on hers while she fought back with the only thing she knew of, which was her tears.

“Agreement? What’s that? About what?” Alhaji asked because he didn’t realize what they were talking about. It was so heavy on him, having to remember everything all at once and now he didn’t know how he managed to live all those years without recalling that this woman had been out of his life for so long. Where had his heart left? How did he manage to live?

Hajia knew the moment Ummi spoke back at her, whatever spell she had cast had been broken, and she didn’t have any other choice but to do like her sorcerer advised her to, which was in case of a day like this come, the moment Alhaji set his eyes on Ummi everything will be broken and to save herself from any other distress, she should admit to her crimes and run back to him, he would know what to do about that at the time.

She clasped her eyes shot and when she opened them, her eyes had turned into bloodshot. “I’ll confess everything I did; you all just have to listen.” She began, feeling the way her heart was twitching with so much pain and fear but whenever she remembered that her sorcerer promised to help her out whenever she was in need, she calmed down a bit. “Rahma, I caused all the rifts between you and Alhaji. I made him hated you and your children, my sorcerer did that work. And the day you caught me trying to poison Yazeed, I wanted him dead that day. Because I’m barren, I couldn’t give birth and I can’t bear you having a son which will be the heir of the Bunza Empire.”

They were all staring at her when she turned to Yazeed with a sly smile on her lips, she was still not regretful. Even though she was telling them things they had never imagined she would, she looked smug, as if she had a better plan than this. “Yazeed, I’m aware of the fact that you hated your mother for leaving you here and she took Ameena with her. But she left for you because I told her I’ll kill you as long as she lives in this house, she might get pregnant and give birth to a boy again, which was threatening to my life. She did what I asked of her, and despite the urge of wanting to kill you every day, my sorcerer warned me not to, because I’ve promised your mother I wouldn’t. But I opted for ways to make your life a living hell until you either run away from home yourself or kill yourself.”

He knew it, this was her motive, the reason why she did all the things she did to him. She wanted him to end his life himself, or simply run away from home and lose all his identity as the only heir of the Bunza empire. Hajia continued, “But everything didn’t work out as I planned, you acted strong even though I’m sure you’re breaking within. So, I opted for the only thing I’m sure would break you for eternity, I made Alhaji hated you, he hated to acknowledge you as his son, he didn’t appoint you as a CEO, just a normal manager, he has never believed in you...” these weren’t the things he wanted to know, she didn’t have to remind him of how dirtily his father had treated him in the past years. Even though she was just confessing that she made him do that, Yazeed wasn’t sure of the right way to make himself forgive Alhaji, to love and cherish him again.

“That’s not what I want to hear, I’ve known everything. Jalilah, were you the one that hurt her?” He asked, curling his fingers into a fist and she threw her head back and laughed.

She nodded her head afterwards, “Yes, I was. I did a background check on her and when I saw that her family were so powerful, there’s no way I could do whatever I want to do to her. She wasn’t like every other poor girl that I can detest and make life so hard for her, and I found out that she had a husband before. I was the one that set it up for and he came to you. And I set up those men, knowing how stupid you were, how short-tempered and so much of an idiot, because you’d surely chase her out of the house that night and they’ll get her for me, but somehow, they only managed to get her knocked down which they foolishly thought she was dead. So, yes, I did that too.”

Yazeed was trying so hard, resisting the urge to punch her so hard until she would be taken to the hospital this instant. He was wondering how he wasn’t afraid of her anymore, he felt that he could take his wife along with him this week, to hell with Hajia and all that she ever was.

“What more did you do? What was the worse you’ve ever been as a human?” He questioned, and she smiled while she rocked her crossed legs.

“Nothing much, I think. Maybe if you could count this in, I’m sure you won’t forget the time you bought a piano and your father will always come to listen to you play it. I’m sure you have never noticed, but every day after he was sure that you’re asleep, he’d sneak back into your chamber and drop a note on the piano. Of how soothing you play and all those encouraging words. So, I ordered the piano to be taken away, and I always make sure you don’t see those notes. Because I hated and still hate to see you two together.” Who was this woman? And what did she want from them? No matter how Yazeed was acting so hard not to cry, he had to.

He couldn’t believe what she had just said, he stared at their entwined hands with Alhaji and more tears gushed down his cheeks, he couldn’t believe that there was a time when this amazing man had tried for them when it would have made a difference, but she was always there as a barrier he couldn’t breakthrough.

“I didn’t burn them, you know? I wanted to at first, but they were so loving that I couldn’t. In case you need them, they’re in your mother’s basement, together with the piano and the notes. You’re welcome.” After she said this, she stood up to her feet, smiling while she pulled her dress down. “I think I’m done here; I’ll better leave you for now.” For now, that didn’t go unnoticed.

She was about to walk away when Alhaji called her name, and when she turned, he stood up, walked to where she was and slapped her right across both cheeks. “I’ve always known that you weren’t a good woman, but I chose to be with you. Therefore, I divorce you with three decrees, don’t ever dream of being anywhere close to my family, ever again.”

She placed both hands on her cheeks and looked at him directly in the eyes, “You dare slap me, Alhaji? I’ll make sure that both you and your so-called family will regret this forever.” She furiously went up to her room and when she came back, she was holding her bag with a car key.

She was at the door when she turned to look at Yazeed with a wide and mischievous grin on her lips. “And Yazeed? I killed her too.”

They watched her leave, and to all their surprise, from where he stood, Alhaji went down to his knees and he broke into tears. Bringing his hands up into a begging gesture while no word came out of his lips. He had remembered all the way he treated them, and they didn’t deserve that. He wanted to apologize to them, but he didn’t know how to, it felt as if he had never been any good to them in his life. All the years they had spent in this life was filled with bitterness and so much hurt because of him; he couldn’t even look at Ummi again.

“I beg you, in the name of Allah. I know I wasn’t a good father, hell, I didn’t even deserve to be called a father. How could I do all that I did to you, especially you, Yazeed? How could I be that heartless towards you? That cold? Ameena, Ya Rabb!” He was crying so hard when Ameena rushed to him and she knelt before she hugged him tightly, breaking into tears. This was the first body contact she had ever had with her father after 18 years of her life.

Alhaji hugged her back, the melancholy of his cries filling every nook and cranny of the house. Yazeed stared at them for long, he was just standing there, staring at them while his tears were coming down unchecked. Ameena looked up from Alhaji’s chest and stared into his eyes. She knew he was skeptical at forgiving their father, and she slurred, “Yayid, please...”

He couldn’t take it anymore, he rushed to where they were knelt on the ground and took them all into an embrace. He had always thought that he hated his father, but never had he imagined that he loved him so much. He always wanted his closure and his love. He cried while being hugged by them and felt as their love-filled his heart. But mostly, there was no soul he could ever love in his life like he could love Jalilah, he would forever be indebted to her.

They broke their hug for some time and watched that Jalilah had hugged Ummi while she consoled her softly. Yazeed smiled, it was a sight he would cherish forever in his life. All the best women he had in his life cradled together as they cried, tears of joy.

Alhaji stared at Ummi for some minutes before he cleared his throat, “You’ve still not changed, Rahma, still as beautiful as you have always been.” She looked up at him with tears and a mixture of laughter before she shook her head, he had always been this way. Never lost a chance to tell her that she was beautiful, and she had a good heart. She palmed her face and hid her body on Jalilah’s shoulder, they all burst into a peal of laughter.

“Yazeed, ask your mother to marry me again? I’m not sure of the stand of our marriage, we haven’t been together for nearly two decades, she knows everything, but I forget, we have to ask the mu’allims. But ask her first, can she be my Mrs.?”

Yazeed chuckled and when he turned to look at Ummi, his eyes fell directly into Jalilah’s. She had this cool smile that he didn’t have to ask what she was talking about. Because right now, their life story felt as though they were reading a book. She wanted to be his Mrs., while right here his father asked his mother to be his Mrs. He couldn’t help but smile warmly at her, and through his eyes, Jalilah saw his utmost appreciation.

He didn’t have to tell her that he was thankful, she knew he was. This was the least she could do for him, she knew how much this meant to him and that was why before she called that number behind the photograph, she dreaded. After the number not to go through or if it did, she might find out that either of them had died. But when she found out about none, she had never been so happy to have completed this portion of his happiness.

Before he voiced it out to her, the first time she saw him she knew that he was hiding something in his eyes, and today she couldn’t see anything left, just pure and unadulterated happiness.

The frantic voice of one of the security men as he told them that “Hajia had an accident a few miles away from the mansion and died at the instant” was what brought Jalilah out of her reverie and she didn’t know when she heaved a sigh. Not knowing whether it was out of relief or shock. Whatever it was, nothing could outweigh seeing a genuinely happy and excited Yazeed in her life.