53

Even Daddy was surprised when he saw them walking towards the dining table with smiles on their faces and hands entwined. He knew he had a way of differentiating Humaira among the duo, but even her now had the same innocent Aisha always wore. The three men stared at them with lips tongued tied until they sat down on their chairs, Aisha opposite Abba and Humaira opposite Nasir.

“Don’t pull up any game, Twins.” Daddy warned, and they laughed. Even their laughter was the same with equal timbre and the kind of expression they had on their faces was the same as well.

“Daddy! We thought you’d differentiate us?” They whined at the same time and the two borthers got even more confused.

“Humaira, show yourself out becuase if you don’t, I’ll have to say what’s in my mind about your…”

“Daddy! You can’t do this to me.” She shreaked and the whole three men chorused in laughter. She hopeless looked at Aisha with a look that said she had no other choice but to reveal herself out, and Aisha shrugged off her shoulders before she pouted.

“Good morning,” they greeted them both and their answers came one after the other. Even though they sat down in a crossed manner, Aisha facing Abba and Humaira facing Nasir; both the two men fixed their eyes on the one they loved.

Food was served and they were halfway through their meal when Daddy cleared his throat and they all turned their attention on him. He looked at Abba and said, “You’re Abba right? And that’s the Dr Aisha kept talking about.”

“Daddy!” Aisha whined, she knew Daddy was hell bent in venting out there secrets to these two men. He looked at her and chuckled, “What? Don’t worry, your secret about him being the most handsome man you’ve ever seen will be safe. I won’t a word out of that.”

She wanted the groud she was sitted on to open up and swallow her at the look Nasir flashed her. “Daddy, what did you just did?” The hours they spent with Daddy yesterday were so smooth that Aisha naturally clicked with Daddy. Even though she couldn’t remember the time she said that, she knew she must’ve said it when she was telling them about her life. She realized Daddy enjoyed teasing them and making them blush effortlessly.

“Okay, we’re not talking about you yet. I’m talking about Humaira for now. Abba, I’ll have to visit your parents and thank them properly to taking care of Aisha, that will be when I’m back from a business trip I’ll go in two days. I’ll come back with Aisha then, and properly ask them to please give her to me before she gets married to Nasir and sh’ll be back to them. But you’re free to take Humaira with you whenever you want.”

“Daddy please stop this!” The girls whined at the same time and he looked at them with a wide grin on their lips. Even though Nasir felt a pang in his chest when Daddy said he was going to bring Aisha back to his house, he was releaved to see how Aisha wa living her life among her own family as well. He knew Baba would never say no to Aisha relocating back to Taraba, he didn’t even have the right to do that.

They conversed freely with the men until Daddy was done with his breakfast and stood up, looking at both Aisha and Humaira. “I’ll be gone only for a some hours, Aisha take a very good care of Humaira before I’m back please, I don’t trust her even for a bit. Let’s not have a dead body with her name on it. Humaira, tell Ilham that I’ll be back later in the night.”

“Daddy for Allah’s sake, I’m not a murderer. And you I’ll take Aisha to A & H, incase your informant cook up another story to tell you. Something like I bought a clone of myself and walk around with it. It’s just Aisha.”

Daddy laughed and patted both their heads before he looked at Nasir and Abba, “Since you’re leaving tomorrow, I guess we have no more chance of meeting until I come to Bauchi myself. Thank you for taking care of Aisha, and Abba for making my rebellious Humaira fall in love. She stopped being a bad girl ever since then.”

He was out of the living room’s door and didn’t even hear the growl Humaira made and how they all laughed at her. She flashed Abba a hot glare and spoke, “Don’t even let what Daddy said get into your head, he’s just overwhelmed since he saw Aisha.”

Abba raised his hands up in surrender and winked at her, “You can’t control the way I think, Humaira. I’m sorry but I have to believe what he just said. He’s your father after all. And I’d like Aisha to make a testimoney of what he just said.”

Aisha chuckled at the warning look Humaira flashed her before she motioned for Nasir to get up. They both stood up and she looked at Abba. “I can’t testify to that, but she said you were cool and something about you being more handsome than Dr, and I think I heard her say something that you’ll make a good husband and great father. I’m not sure, something along that line though.” She lifted up the ends of her gown and ran out of the living room, because she knew the moment Humaira laid her hands on her, she would be dead.

Nasir laughed at how she was fuming even though there was a stain of red on her cheeks, “Aisha is sorry, please don’t make her be the dead body Daddy just warned you about.” He walked out and followed the corridor he saw Aisha walked into. He met her waiting for him and she smiled and led their way to one of the relaxing huts she spotted downstairs through Humaira’s window.

As soon as they were left alone, Abba smiled at her and asked, “So tell me, will you rather confess your feelings or have your family making you blush this hard?”

She glared at him and rubbed her hands on her cheeks, “I’m not blushing, you should stop getting your hopes high.”

“Seriously, Humaira. I love you, and I’ll have to warn you beforehand, the moment Daddy stepped his feet into our house, I’ll have my father ask for your hands in marriage. Just so you won’t say I haven’t informed you.”

“My what in what? Psycho don’t…”

He cut her off with a charming smile and she couldn’t help but blush even more harder at the look he was flashing her, “Yes, I know, I love you too and even more. You’ll make the most beautiful bride too.”

She threw her head back and laughed, crossing her hands on her chest. “You’re forcing me to marry you, Psycho.”

“No, you’re the one making it so hard for me to live without you.”

“Then I hate you.”

“Awwn, I love you too.” She tried throwing her spoon at him when he dodged and dramatically wailed, “Domestic abuse, Humaira? Perks of having a bad girl as a wife.”

❃

Aisha looked at Nasir and smiled before she took in her sorroundings. “I just spent a day here, Dr, but I truly love being around here. It gives me a sense of love and companionship.”

“Mama has to hear about this. I see, you’re so eager to live without her, right? Without me?’ She looked at him and laughed at the dramatic expression he made on his face.

“Stop sulking. You know I loved you, even though I don’t anymore, It’s a fact I admitted to long ago and I can’t in the whole of this world change that. I’ll just have to live with it. And for Mama, you know I can’t live a better life without her in it. Stop trying to put words into my mouth.”

Nasir clutched his chest and stared at her with the most painful yet mischievous expression. “What was that Daddy said? I can’t even recall it.” She laughed and threatened to smack his shoulder when he backed away.

“Stop trying to make me feel like a teenager in love. But, Dr, I have something I need to tell you.” From light and happy, her expression turned to sour and heavy.

He sobered up and looked at her, “What is it you want to tell me, Aisha? Is it too bad that your expression has to change?”

She nodded her head, gulped down a lump in her throat and rubbed her palms to brace herself. “My mother, I lied to you that she died. I’ve never had a father figure in my life until I started living with you. It wasn’t my uncles that raped me, I was raped to pay for the crime my mother commited.” He was taken aback by her word, and she began telling him the story of her past until she reached the moment where she woke up in the hospital he worked and found herself as his patient.

She was crying when she was done with the story, and Nasir straed at her with so much pain in his heart. He thought about the reason Jaafar could do that to her, just because she said he’s sensesless one? Did that even called for an apology judging he was the one that started it. He looked at how she was crying and shook his head at her. “It’s fine, Aisha. You should stop crying please. I get it that it hurts but it’s been long, you were just fine with it. We can only control the life we live, not others, even if they’re our parents. I don’t know the reason why Mommy got into that after their seperation with Daddy, but she might have her owns reasons as lame as they can be.”

“Will you please do me a favour, Dr?” She took the handkerchief he handed her and cleared her tears away before she fixed her eyes on him.

“Yes, what is it?” He asked, staring into her face.

“Will you please not tell anyone about this? I know they need an explanation but can find something related to tell them. I don’t want this to be the reason why Abba can’t marry Humaira,” she pleaded, smiling reufully.

“May be the father you thought was yours was only your step father and those uncles you said were his brothers. They killed him and abducted your mother but she escaped along the way. How does that sound? I can be a script writer, right?”

Aisha didn’t know when she started laughing and he joined her. “This is perfect. Yes, you can be a very bad one.”

“Come on, I think I’ll start writing a story. But Aisha, I’m not hiding this from Mama and my family because I believe your notion about Humaira not being able to marry Abba if this gets out. I’m hiding it because of you, because you wat it to be hidden from them. But you also know that even if it was Humaira that was into that act, Mama would never object as long as Abba loved her.”

Aisha nodded her head at him and smiled, “You’re going back tomorrow. What do you think we should do, Dr?”

He looked thoughtful for a minute before he answered her. “Get married. We should get married.”

Aisha threw her head back and laughed, even though what he said had taken her unawares, “Be serious, Dr. May be you two can join us to A & H. I’ve never been there, let’s see the place together.”

“What’s the meaning of this A & H I’ve been hearing and seeing all around this house?” She was about to answer him when he jerked upright and said it himself, “Aisha and Humaira, right?”

She laughed and nodded her head, “Yes, smart Dr.” He bumptiously shrugged off invisible traces of dust on his shoulder and Aisha laughed before an exquisite smile graced her lips.

“Come on, Man! The Billion Dollar Smile!”

“It’s been long I did that, I’ve even forgotten how to do it.” Shw chuckled and they continued talking as if she haven’t told him about her dirtiest secret and she haven’t unveiled the tainted image of who she was to him.

❃

They had been in A & H for almost an hour now, Humaira took them to a place no one went to but the only their VIP customers of highest ranks. She showed them everywhere around the hotel and was so glad at the confused looks she saw on the staff’s faces. She introduced Aisha where ever they walked into, and Aisha got bowed down upon. She was the daughter of a tycoon, the heiress of A & H group of companies. Her, Aisha Umar Faruk. She had everything she needed now, the only thing left was Mommy. She had to find Mommy wherever she was. She had to ask for her forgiveness and also tell her all that happened in her life.

They were finally seated at the pool, as a tradition to them; Aisha and Nasir had their legs dipped into the water as they conversed freely while Abba and Humaira were seated on the ottoman’s arguing as well. Abba was so persistent that she loved him and Humaira couldn’t accept that jusr easily as Abba wanted her to.

Jaafar had been following them ever since they got out of the main hotel and walked to the pool. He got to Taraba today, and he was fortunate enough to see them driving out of the house he got address of as the house Aisha lived. The day they left Bauchi he was at the VC’s house and when he asked the guards about her, they told him she had left to Taraba. He had to pay them until they told him whose daughter she was. It was hard to believe, but he did.

He had someone from Taraba sent him the address of the house and when he went there, he met them driving out of the house. And now that he saw the two of them with Nasir and his brother, he got confused. It only meant one thing, Aisha had a twin sister. The hardest thing now was how to differentiate who was Aisha among them. He had to disguise himself and come out as the friend of Nasir he was. He walked uo to them and Nasir was the first one to notice him, his fell broke down and Aisha followed his gaze.

She nearly fell into the pool but Nasir was so fast in holding her back. She looked frightened and in so much pain, all that Jaafar did to her were roaming around her head as if they were happening just now or she was even watching a movie. Jaafar walked towards them with a mischievious smile and they shook hands with Nasir. “Hello, Nasir. It’s good seeing you here after such a very long time.”

Nasir smiled awkwardly at him and Jaafar’s eyes knew she was Aisha from the fear and pain he saw in her eyes, “Hi, Aisha. It’s been long w…” his words stood mid track as the punch Humaira sent landed right on the crown on his head. He yelped and lost his balance, making him fall into the pool.

They all stood up, including Abba that didn’t know when Humaira stood up from where she was. “How dare you come back into her life? I thought you were a fool when you kept chasing me in Bauchi, but you were only a monster. Stay away from my sister before I change the way your face looks like!” She spat angrily and they all stood there looking at her stupefyingly.