•Hamza

Today I woke feeling elated.

Firstly because my mother is happy.

Two, Aaliyah is opening up to me though she's still holding back.

Today was the day I was supposed to start my internship that would last for atleast 8 months at T&K housing Limited, a company my father and Bilal's late father set up a few years ago. My father suggested for us to start with an internship so that we'd have working experience by the time we would be given positions to hold in the company. Bilal too was placed under the internship as my brother and colleague so that we would help eachother grow.

At first we wanted to work at another company that had offered us jobs already some months back after graduating but our parents both disagreed with our choices so we came back to work in our country. One that was lacking job opportunities with only a few available for those with high connections.

I and Bilal got to go in an hour after our fellow colleagues since we were both known as exceptional truants but he said the grace of it all would end in a month so that we'd learn to work at the expected hour. I loved my father for doing this, I guess this was his little token of compensation for us since both Blial's mother, step-father, and my parents disagreed with our choice to work there. This is kinda like riding a bike with safety wheels until it's taken off and we'd finally have to grow up and take hold of the steering wheels of our lives.

08:10am

Since I still had an hour go to work, I decided to go to my parents room to greet them. Normally, they'd all be asleep by this time since there were no kids to take to school anymore but now abnormal has become the new normal in this house so much that both of them would be up at the crack of dawn.

My early bird of a father would go to the office even if his workers were yet to show up while my mother transformed her online store into a chain of stores that were spread around Abuja so she had to go out constantly to watch over all of the stores until she was able to find worthy managers to oversee the different locations. She seemed too happy and it scared the daylights out of me. After her midnight kitchen breakdown she seemed too happy and she talked more often to my father. It seemed the fire of their love was ignited again.

#Sparks in the air...Lol.

It's not that I wasn't happy for them. But I wonder what all the sudden change was for. But Alhamdulillah it was for the better and I hope it stays that way.

I walk out of my room to find a blizzard of clothes, shoes, bags and boxes littering the hallway that led to my parent's room. Their room wasn't left out too. The room was scattered upside down to the point you'd think and angry mob raided this room. There was a tower of more clothes and other broken items that were sprawled on the floor of the room. I could hear the chaos coming from a particular part of the room and I guessed it was my mother who'd go to extreme lengths to remedy her anger that didn't have the prospects of going away soon. And I guessed correctly, once I made a beeline towards the door after skipping all the way to avoid breaking her things with my weight.

Upon reaching the door, she throws a stiletto towards my direction and right on cue I dodged to avoid a bloody collision with my head. She probably assumed it was my father.

I wonder when all these fights would end. Coincidentally, my sisters were all in Sokoto for a wedding that'd last for atleast five days so I was very happy they'd never witness the clash of the titans.

"Umma!" I yelled, shocked.

Upon realising it was me she took slow strides towards me, shaking her head in disappointment.

"My prince kayi hakuri (I'm sorry). I didn't see you there." She said sounding like she had been crying.

"Mummy what happened?"

She looked down to avoid my eyes and I noticed her hands fidgeting as if she was convulsing then she put her hands on her laps to steady them but they just made her body shake uncontrollablely and she settled on folding her arms across her chest which did her better.

"It's nothing my child, I'm looking for something."

"Mummy have you forgotten I'm the child who's with you the most so I know when you're not ok even when you act as if you are. Please tell me what is happening."

"Just forget it. I just woke on the wrong side of the bed today. Please go to work and don't make your father angry."

"Please tell me what's wrong and I'll leave. I'll try my best to find a solution to whatever it is."

"You can't have a solution for this. I'm the only one with the solution so just forget it. I'm fine."

"I can see you're not ok. Please don't shut me out."

"Hamza go before you make me angry." She said in a low voice then added "You have work. Go and get ready then come back and have breakfast with me."

I reluctantly got up, walked back to my room, took a quick shower and got dressed. I wore a white kaftan that I matched with a multi-coloured cap then sprayed my favourite perfume.

Immediately I came out of my room, I saw Bilal's call signifying he was already here to pick me up. I didn't want to waste much time so I rushed to my mother to say goodbye and to my surprise everywhere was clean, from the hallway leading to and into the room was void of any evidence that said a storm had hit this place.

I walked in as I said my sallama (salam) and sat beside her. She looked all dressed up too and more stable than she had been thirty minutes ago. She smiled and offered me a cup of coffee. I sipped a little, dropped it back on tray and grabbed some waffles for the road then I gave her a tight hug before saying goodbye and darting out the door.

I met Bilal outside waiting for me in his car and as usual with his eyes glued to his phone so he didn't notice when I made my way in and sat in the passenger sit. We shook hands and greeted eachother before he drove us to our workplace.

The place wasn't as far as I thought and it looked as good as I left it before going to school with it's perfect interior and exterior that represented class without as little as a dent on the wall was really the perfect work place that you could work in comfort and still get paid.

We waltzed in like we owned the place with our heads held high and I noticed eyes following our every movement till we got in and the gossip erupted from behind us. I knew my father didn't tell anyone I'd be an intern here so they didn't know who I was but seemed to be curios about who we were with our curtain call entrance.

Our stalls were shown to us by the secretary and within a short period of time, we were all settled. I was extremely happy to know that Bilal's stall would be opposite mine so if we wanted to have our little chats we wouldn't have to keep moving back and forth from each others tables.

An hour into my work, I received a message from Aaliyah and I was more than happy to reply her but I saw Bilal's step-father approaching my table so I discarded the phone and focused on my work.

Aaliyah: Thank you for the gifts. That was thoughtful of you. How did you know my favourite type of chocolate? Did you go back to snooping around😂 btw your note is super cheesy but it's cute and I guess I'd like to know you better too."
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~Aisha Safiyanu🥀