Soon after that encounter, Amani avoided Sadiq. Ranging from small plans to scheming lies that stumbled over any plan hatched by Sabrin and Hafiz to get her and Sadiq alone. He was hellbent on doing things right and Amani couldn't wait to see when he'd show his true colors as a man and admit something like, 'I only wanted you so I could catch cruise' like typical spoilt Abuja boys or add her to the list of girls he dated.

Two months gone and Nothing. When was he going to show his true colors? No one could treat women that right. And if they did, they became monsters in the end like her father.

In light of another Mommy and Daddy scene, which Amani, Nadeen, and Walid hadn't witnessed but witnessed the after-effect; the cut and bruised flesh on their mother's neck and shoulders. Nadeen busted, promising to barge into the nearest police station and press charges on their cruel father. Amani had supported the raging girl, backing her. At the door, the sound of their mother's cry seized their stroll, coercing them to turn back, running and enveloping her in their warmth as she walked them down a list of why they could not report their father.

Who would believe them?

And if they did, he'd get any judge on his side to dismiss the case and return home; exacerbating the situation for the poor woman. Mommy fed her kids fruitless hope that the hold their stepmother had on their father, making him a monstrous spouse to her was soon going to fade if they kept praying. 

A while in, Amani lightened the mood by suggesting pictures. She stationed her Canon camera by the stand after selecting the multiple photo option and rushed to her mother's side, shouting, "Cheese!" That everyone followed with, momentarily drowning their dolefulness in a bouquet of their small family.

Amani disagreed with her mother staying under the same roof as that of the swine she carried his name, insisting on a day out.

"Don't touch my food!" Nadeen yelled at Walid who dipped a spoon into her bowl. 

Amani who was trying to take an Instagram video dropped her phone, yelling at Nadeen and Walid to shut up. They momentarily stilled but continued again.

"Mommy," Walid called out, fuming.

"You're sometimes very annoying, Walid," Mommy said, engaging in her cup of mojito.

"All the time," Nadeen corrected as she glanced to her side. She missed something- looking back with squinted eyes before she smirked and stared at Amani immersed in her phone with a milkshake straw between her lips.

"Look," Nadeen nudged Amani's shoulder, gesturing with her lips at a group across them in the outdoors of Cilantro. "Look at the guy you're refusing to give your number."

While everyone's first instinct was to turn and gape at the said man, Amani's wide eyes landed on Nadeen. She clutched her phone as she curved towards her sister, "Who told you that?"

"The one in blue or black?" Mommy asked, head in the direction of the said group. 

"Keh, answer my question." Amani drummed her fingers.

Nadeen rose an index to their oblivious mother who had been staring and analyzing the men. "The one in sky blue. And Amani," she turned to her sister who rose her brow higher. "i-" Nadeen paused, tilting her head as she hesitated her next words in fear of a disastrous reaction. "Might or might not have read your chat with Sabrin that day that you left your phone open and she kept texting and your phone was vibrating too much to ignore."

If some of Amani's chat leaked, there might be a red notice stamp next to her face and if caught, she was either going to jail or an asylum.

"You read all?"

Nadeen shook her head, "Just the part where she was begging you to pull walls down and let someone love you blah blah blah."

Amani squinted her eyes in search of any detectable lie in Nadeen's words or body language and found none. She hissed. Privacy; a necessary course her family needed to study.

And...add shame to it because Mommy seized the opportunity to wave at 'the guy in blue' the moment his roaming eyes landed on her.

"Mommy!" Amani shot towards her mother, grabbing her shoulder and dragging her back. "Me haka? Zaki tona min asiri!" She turned to Walid that had joined their mother in waving and smacked his shoulder. "What is your problem? You guys are going to embarrass me wallahi!"

Amani's hand was sent flying to the side as Mommy turned to her, dropping the smile directed at the 'blue' guy, "You're mad. Do you want to stay in my house forever?"

Defeatedly, following the man's rise from his seat towards Amani's family, she slouched back but not before turning to an amused Nadeen and circling her finger across her neck.

"Ahh ahh, see as you compose. You like this guy jhor." Nadeen declared a second to blue guy making a stop beside Mommy and slouching to his knees.

Mommy kicked Amani's legs from under the table after she had ignored the man that introduced himself as Abubakar Sadiq Ali to Mommy that gleefully asked him his name. Sadiq witnessed and held back his laughter by sandwiching his lips.

With the heel of her sneakers, Amani began to drag it across the floor, digging a hole that would hopefully be large enough to swallow and wipe her off this planet.

Her family continued being nice to a still crouched-down Sadiq who had refused to stand up even after Mommy's numerous pleas. It was as if she wasn't there. Nadeen had even promised to beat Sadiq on the iMessage pool game and Amani still had not said a word and he hadn't said anything to her either.

"I heard my daughter is refusing to give you her number." Mommy's smile traveled from Sadiq to a frowning Amani.

Sadiq burnt the side of Amani's face with his eyes, igniting an unperceivable ring of fire around her accompanied by the rise and split of her sweat glands.

"Yes."

"What are your intentions for my daughter?"

Sadiq's answer was prepared, rehearsed, and from the depths of his truthful heart; he knew what he wanted, how he wanted it and he'd make sure it came to life. Yet nothing came out of his dried throat.

"Come," Mommy leaned down to his level, "She doesn't have to hear."

Amani's frail attempt at being oblivious to the conversation failed. She couldn't look away; all she could hear were light grumbles and hoped Nadeen heard whatever they were saying because she leaned in as well.

In minutes, Mommy clapped her hands, "Oya, where's your phone? Zero nine one—"

"Mommy!" Amani managed a weak warning.

"Mind your business." Mommy stroke an index at Amani's before sweetly smiling down at Sadiq holding his phone and listening attentively to the next set of digits. "...four. That's my number in case you want to report her."

Sadiq nodded, emerging from his numb knees as he softly announced, "Let me just have my sisters come over to greet you."

Amani's face stayed neutral until two young girls with similar features to Sadiq-one fair, the other the same shade as Sadiq, had her unconsciously forming a smile before the one who introduced herself as Fadila gave Amani a quick hug.

"You make the best wings, crepes, and pancakes i know." Amani praised with Fadila's hand sandwiched in hers and the girl dramatically sniffled and wiped her invincible tears.

"Thank you so much. We should hang out sometime."

Walid immediately fist-bumped the air. "I'll bring my PS4."

"I'll bring my chess table," Nadeen added to spike Amani.

"I'll bring wings and crepes." Fadila offered.

"I'll bring bottle rockets and sparklers." Was Basma's endeavor.

Sadiq's was simple, "I'll invite Hafiz's family and get a location."

Eyes zeroed in on Amani who shifted, weighing the options of weaving her siblings with other families as she rubbed her sweaty palms on her lap.

"And you? What are you bringing?"

"Me? Who even said you were invited?" Amani countered Nadeen, ready to stab her straw into the minx's neck before sighing. "I'll bring my camera."

***

"We need to talk," Mommy announced upon their arrival back to the house, tugging Amani's arm once they were off the car.

Amani knew what her mother would love to talk about and she was not ready, nor would she ever be ready. "If it's about Sadiq, Mommy please."

"It is. What are you doing to yourself? If what Nadeen said is true, why won't you take chances?" Mommy stressed, pain coating her words, recalling Amani was allergic to any form of genuine devotion because of her. She couldn't live with the thought and squeezed Amani's shoulder-which of course only lasted a second before Amani scoffed.

"You just gave me out cheap to a random boy, Mommy." Placing it on a slate that she was joyless of her mother's decision; her attempt at helping her find a significant other at that tender age. Her voice went down a notch, her heaving chest slowing, "I don't want to make the same mistake you made," truthfully and bitterly.

The urge to erase the pool of water in Mommy's eyes at her words was not half-rooted as the urge to vent her pent-up disgruntlement. She went on, shaking her head and flashing an arm to her left, "You married so young, and twenty years later, look where you are."

Nadeen and Walid's eyes on the scene didn't sit right. Amani looked away, hoping they didn't catch her convulsion; she needed to be strong for them. After mommy, she was all they had and they couldn't see her and their mother crumbling under the hot sun. She waved a hand, "You two get inside."

Nadeen who was the most irate one understood, dropping an arm around Walid's shoulder, and doing as told. Once out of sight, Amani dropped her eyes to her mothers hard, teary stare. Before she could talk, the hurt mother wobbled, fighting for her voice to come out stronger. "My young age was not the-"

"Ke Amani, na dawo baza kizo ki gaishen ba?" A disembodied voice interrupted the heated return. At the voice from afar, Mommy fleetingly wiped her tears while Amani's droopy facial lifted in happiness, her eyes going in search. She didn't want the conversation anyway, it always ended inconclusive coupled with tears and foundation-less hope Mommy tried to give.

Amani stepped to the side, a smile overtaking her features as she head to the man her height with her arms wide. The embrace was reciprocated, he sang ambiguous lyrics with his hands out to her. Only to step to the side a foot from her, bypassing her with a quick head-to-toe glare before reviving his beam, "Mommy..." he dragged and pulled a chortling mummy into his warm body.

Arms now hanging by her side, she turned to find them rocking side to side, their beam at her a mocking one. Mommy stuck a tongue out at Amani and Amani set her lips in a tight line and masking her deep amazement with a serious voice. "I, Amani have severed all ties with you, Akram."

The duo played along, waving at her as they pulled away but held each other. Her taken-aback visage nailed their smiles, bashing and widening them as Akram led Mommy.

Akram, Amani's elder stepbrother, a carbon copy of their dad except for his height, was Amani's favorite family after her mother and full siblings. The most warm person compared to the remaining members of her scattered family.

Sensing her planned attack as he neared her, Akram dropped a forceful arm around her and dragged her to him. They stood in merry glare before Amani replaced her glare with a smile, intertwining his fingers hanging over her left boob with hers.

"You didn't say you were coming back," Amani said as Akram led Mommy through the door first, Amani and finally himself.

"I didn't know too," Akram said. "But don't kill me, i didn't forget your watch."

"You better. I had planned a-"

"Akram." A stern voice called and almost immediately, Mommy gently stepped out of Akram's hold and headed to her side of the house.

"Mama," Amani and Akram answered the short light toned aging woman who for a mother of five, still stood in a heavy stone Ankara, jewelry on flick with a frown at the sight of her son and step daughter.

"Ina yini." Amani accosted, slightly bowing.

Mommy reminded Amani many times that whatever conflict going on in the household was between Daddy, Mama, and Mommy. Amani only promised to be neutral for the meantime before she and her family were out of the man's clutches, by hook or crook.

After a long look, Mama answered while gesturing at Amani's figure in a brown tunic top and wide-leg jeans, "Lafiya. Ina zaki kai wannan wawan qiba haka? Me kike ci? Look at how you're adding weight like a balloon."

Amani and Akram's eyes trailed from her top till her lofty white open-toe slides before the woman's commentary went on.

"You better diet and be exercising. Mazan yanzu basason wahala, do your self a favor and slim down. Akram come." Then turned around and disappeared into her front door.

"Don't listen to her," he nudged Amani's shoulder, advising. The silence burdened him. He tapped her hot cheeks. "See, you're -"

"AKRAM!"

Akram was quick to answer and squeezed Amani's shoulder before heeding his mother's call.