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Alhaji stepped off the vehicle, Elijah shut the other passenger door and jogged to meet his boss. 

"Tell me why this man dragged me here again? Old people." He mused as they reached the flight of stairs of the building. 

Elijah chuckled silently and opened the door, ushering Alhaji into the museum. An older friend of his had retired and opened up a museum of his life. Although Alhaji thought it laughable, he didn't show any indication when he sent in a large donation. 

Several pictures of the man's early life lined the hallway into the small museum, pictures of him as a young child in England, attending Cambridge, where he and Alhaji met when Alhaji was a postgraduate student. It had been a relief to meet a fellow Nigerian who spoke the same language as he in such a cold dreary place. 

"Eh, Abdullah, you're here." His friend, Mallam Bello Geidam, walked briskly in a pace that bellied his old age to his younger friend. Alhaji greeted the man very respectfully, then they began looking at pictures upon pictures. Alhaji featured in about two of them, one where he had just turned thirty and another when he had just turned thirty two. 

About half an hour later, Mallam Geidam ushered him into a plush indoor office fitted with rugs that made you take off your shoes at the door. 

Mallam Geidam offered Alhaji a meal, but he refused gently, citing an earlier heavy lunch, a nonexistent one but Mallam Geidam didn't have to know that. 

"How are you?" Alhaji exhaled, he nodded firmly to say he was good. 

"Don't give me that bullshit. I know your ex- father in-law is gunning to have one of his daughters marry you again. Your mother and I talk all the time." Alhaji laughed silently, watching the older man squirm. Alhaji wanted to pick up the phone and call his mother so he could link the two gossips with one another. 

"Well, now that all I do is relax, gossip isn't such a bad thing anymore." The silent laughter Alhaji held in became full blown out. 

"I like that you agree that it is gossip. Yes, the Emir wants that, but between my mother, Maymunatu and Na'im, it won't happen." Mallam Geidam held his spry white beard thoughtfully. 

"And you?" He asked Alhaji, Alhaji sighed and adjusted himself on the chair, he had taken off his suit earlier in the car, so he played with his cufflinks. 

"I feel pity for Surayyah. At some time in my life I loved her very much, but the hate she had for me overcame whatever work I could have put into loving her." Mallam nodded, understanding Alhaji's point. 

"I guess my question wasn't as direct. Would you marry her again knowing she did all she did because her father told her to?" He asked, making Alhaji quiet for a few seconds to think of his response. 

"No. Because if she truly cared, even just a bit, she would not add methylated spirit to my tea. She was doing it every morning during breakfast until my body began to collapse, how am I supposed to think she cared a bit? She could have told me and we could have told her father off together." Mallam Geidam nodded because it was the truth.

The relationship between Alhaji and Gimbiya Surayyah was a complicated mess, it had been doomed to fail from the very start. With Gimbiya Surayyah coming into the marriage with nefarious intentions. 

"Did you hear anything about the kingmakers wanting to make you Emir?" He asked Alhaji. Laying it out without any preamble. But that matter was the cause of Alhaji's life's troubles. His father died just as he was about to be named Emir of Chiroma, leaving the throne at the time to the Aminu Abbas family. The Emir however had suspected the Kingmakers would like to make Alhaji the Emir at some point, so he made the good effort of marrying his daughter to him. 

"I don't want it. I've never wanted it." Mallam Geidam stroked his spry beard in wonder. There were few men he knew that would say they didn't want something and stand by their words. 

"He is on the verge of being deposed, especially since the news of his diverting funds came out." Alhaji sat more comfortably, showing disconnection from the event. He didn't care to take take any leadership position, which was why he did all he could to help others. 

"I don't want it, I never ever did. Right now, I just want to live again." Alhaji watched with amusement as his older friend promptly sat up in excitement. 

"You've found someone?" Alhaji rolled his eyes slightly at the man's unmeasured happiness before nodding his head slightly. 

"Answer with you mouth you damned boy." To call a fifty year old man 'boy', only Mallam Bello Geidam was capable of doing so. 

"Yes, I met someone, Gwaggo has met her as well and she likes her. Since you and Gwaggo gossip about me all the time, why don't you know?" Alhaji hid his laughter in the palm of his hand. 

"Why am I always the last to know of such important gossip?" Mallam Geidam cried out in exasperated unhappiness. 
Alhaji no longer kept his laughter secret, he doubled over and laughed as much as his body let him. 

"Because I haven't even asked her to lunch yet." Alhaji answered his question when he finally stopped laughing. He watched as his older friend began to tap the table. 

"Why? Scared that she would be another Surayyah?" Alhaji shook his head and then he stopped, "Maybe I am worried that she- the thing is, she's younger. Just around Na'im's age." 

Mallam Geidam allowed himself to make an 'ah' sound both in surprise and realization. He sat there in deep thought, then he sprung up to say;

"And so what? You are in a different position, you're a different man than you were at Na'im's age, you have the experience and the age to treat her better." Alhaji allowed the words of his friend to sit, swirling around him until it became one with him. 

"Well, that experience is Surayyah. And you know how that ended." Alhaji spread out his hands. 

"This one doesn't have to end badly In Sha Allah, what you have to do is with you. The bulk of the work is with you. You have to be understanding, hardworking, yes marriage is hardwork, much less a relationship and I know you too well, your mind is made." Alhaji chuckled, not affirming or denying anything. 

"I know those things but what if she's-" His friend shook his head firmly, with his left index finger raised in the air for more emphasis. 

"Don't do that. You haven't even as much as looked at one person asides your work for years, so don't do that. People are not the same. Your greatest mistake, would be to go into this relationship thinking every woman is like Surayyah. My wife isn't, your mother is not, your daughter, whom you're raising, who lives with Surayyah herself is not the same woman so what is your point?" 

Alhaji sighed, feeling so much better even though he didn't set out to tell anyone of his plans. 

"Would you like some oranges from my orangery? Now that I'm no longer busy, I found out they grew clementines and I think you should taste some." Alhaji agreed and got up with his older friend. 

Later, he gifted the bag of oranges to Elijah to give to his now pregnant wife. "Thank you sir." Alhaji stepped into the car and they were off to another destination. 

After Maghrib, after letting Elijah go, Alhaji began the lonesome drive home. About five minutes away from the house, he unknotted his tie and unbuttoned that one insufferable button that threatened to choke him to death. 

"Sir, should we divert? There's a car at the gate, it's crossing the gate horizontally and we do not know if they're hostile." Alhaji looked out of the window to see a Mercedes Benz AMG at his gate, with the doors shut and the windows tinted. 

Alhaji watched as one of his security escort stepped off the Hilux and gun totting, walked to the car and demanded the Windows open. A few seconds later, the windows wound down and the man lifted his hand to his ear, informed the driver who turned to Alhaji. 

"It's Gimbiya Surayyah Aminu Abbas, sir." Alhaji sighed and nearly strangled himself. He thought she would not return after the events of their last meeting.

He got out of the car and watched as his driver and security team parked their car blocking Gimbiya Surayyah's. They massaged their guns as though it could misfire at any point in time. 

"Tell your dogs to down. Why are they pointing guns at me?" She stepped off her car, the scent of her signature perfume permeating the air. 

"If you behave like a criminal, they'll treat you like one. Why did you park in front of my house like this?" He asked her. Not bothering to hide his irritation. 

"You're a hard man to find, when did you move go this back end? Who sold this place to you as prime real estate?" Alhaji sighed, not giving off any emotions. He wanted to be over and done with this unfortunate meeting. 

"I like my peace and quiet." She looked around the gates of the sprawling mansion with unconcealed disgust. 

"Thankfully, when we're married, we'll move back to the main business district. I don't like this place." Alhaji scoffed, letting laughter go through his teeth and lips. 

"Bold of you to assume that I'll want to touch you with a ten foot pole, much less give you the protection of my name again." She rolled her eyes like he didn't just insult her. She waved her hands, the hand made lace of her abaya waved lazily in the air and the diamond tennis bracelet she wore twinkled in the night light of the gates. 

"Abdullah, it's me. It's your 'Rayyah. I haven't changed, I just took on my dad's instructions. I've always always loved you, I loved you when you had nothing and you struggled to feed us, and even when you had more than we could ever need, I loved you then. My father just got into my head and fed into my insecurities. 

You were saying you're about to marry someone else. Who could you ever marry that could be your 'Rayyah? Who could ever know how you like your dry okra soup? Who could ever know how you like it when I use a wooden whisk to make your Fura Da Nono?" Alhaji stood there watching her as she stated her point. If it was any other man, he would be swayed, but Alhaji remembered the day he watched her pour methylated spirit from a bottle she kept in the kitchen drawer and all of the anger he felt that day came swirling back. 

"No one could be like you," He watched as her face changed, a smile forming. "Especially since you tried to kill me to prove a point with your father. Surayyah, I'll never marry you again. In this life, anywhere else, you'll never be my wife again. And tell your father to await the invite to my wedding, it's any day from now." 

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*××

"Good Morning, Alhaji." 

He lifted the weighted bars and completed his set before turning to the smiling Elijah. 

"Good Morning Elijah. How are you today?" He got up, wiping his sweat with a brown towel, he walked to the small refrigerator and took the smoothie cup Mama Tas placed there a few minutes earlier. 

Talking a deep sip before putting down the cup, he watched Elijah hand him a newspaper clipping. "Someone from the ministry of health leaked the order letter for the vaccines they placed with us. Everyone now knows they lied about the one million doses." 

Alhaji cracked a knowing smile and toed of his exercise shoes for another pair of indoor shoes, Maymunatu had mandated they all wear indoor shoes to reduce the number of times the marble floors had to be swept. 

"I feel extra elated. We didn't have to even lift a finger, now they'll fight amongst themselves while we focus on our work here." Elijah nodded excitedly, walking behind his boss till they reached his study. Elijah turned on the computer while Alhaji went into his quarters to shower and change. 

"How's my week going to be?" Alhaji adjusted the white cotton thobe he'd worn and sat in his desk, in front of his computer, the same schedule Elijah was holding spread out in front of him. 

"You have Monday filled with an impromptu visit to the Kano plant, and by God's grace a visit to the governor. His side haven't confirmed the appointment. On Tuesday, you have lunch with Maymunatu and her team to talk about her internship project," Alhaji clicked on an empty box sitting on Thursday lunch and debated asking Nadia to lunch that day, he sucked air, minty air from his earlier mouth wash filling his mouth. 

"Leave Thursday lunch and an hour later free, then the whole of Friday after Jumaah prayers free as well."  Elijah nodded and did as said, itching to ask what he needed it for. 

"Go ahead, ask." Elijah chuckled nervously at his boss, holding his iPad flat against his left leg. He cleared his throat falsely before speaking. 

"Are you going out with Miss Nadia, sir?" Alhaji looked at Elijah with scorn in his eyes. Then he made a complete mimicry of Elijah's words. 

"I don't have any secrets in this house. I'm sure you're all hedging bets even though you know it's prohibited." Elijah laughed, nervous still but he said, "No sir, it's still just me-" But just as he finished speaking, the door burst open and a flustered Maymunatu came in. 

"You're! Going! On! A! Date?" Alhaji rolled his eyes in exasperation. He waved off Elijah and when the young man left. He beckoned his daughter closer. 

"Your temperature is normal, why are you misbehaving?" His daughter laughed, bending over from the force of her laughter. Her father had touched her forehead to see if she was growing hot. 

"Daddy, I'm fine. I'm just surprised, flabbergasted even." Alhaji logged into his work email and clicked on the first one. 

"Why?" He asked her as he read through the first one, it was sent by a professor at a Rwandan university. 

"Because, you said just the other day here that you did not know what an aunty meant. Now you're planning on going on a date behind my back? Impossible." She shook her head, the excess fabric of her jilbab shook along with her. 

"Where did you get this tendency to be dramatic from? Not from me surely?" She gasped dramatically before falling into the chair in front of her father. 

"Have you asked her?" Alhaji looked up from his email to see his daughter watching him intently. 

"Yes." He answered simply. She gasped again and held her chest, she raised her hands to the heavens before dropping them. 

"You asked Ya Nadia? And she said yes?" Alhaji nodded, she had said yes for either Thursday or Friday because only her work roaster for the week would tell when her off days would be. 

"Oh my God. Ya Nadia, that I adore so much is going to be my aunty, In Sha Allah of course but it's as good as settled." She jerked up to her feet and began to pace. 

"You must send her a car to pick her up from her house, one of the Bentleys or one of the classier Mercedes, on the seat, I'll leave a bouquet of white roses, and chocolate, and I think that's enough for the first date. Oh Ya Allah. This is phenomenal news, I need to tell Sarah, I know she doesn't know that's why I didn't know." Alhaji shut the door from under his table and when she couldn't open the door, she came back to his table. 

"Don't do that. If after our lunch, she decides to tell the rest of her family then so be it. That's her business." Maymunatu nodded and sat down back, now calm. 

"Daddy, I like her a lot. She's kind, she's so beautiful Ma Sha Allah and have you seen her poise? She is never a word out of place, you'll never hear her say a bad word about anyone. I truly hope you can make this work with her, it would truly be the highlight of my year." Alhaji smiled and put out his hand for his youngest child. She placed her hands in his, and he squeezed them. 

"Pray. That's all we can do. You pray, I pray, from our lips to Allah's ears." Maymunatu swallowed and a tear rolled down her cheek, she got up and walked round the table to her father, and hugged him sideways. Since he was sitting he was much lower than she. 

"I pray to the owner of the heavens that you'll never regret this decision. I'll never watch you breathe in an ICU because of it, You'll be here." Alhaji rubbed Maymunatu's hands that had circled him to comfort her. 

"I won't. In Sha Allah, I won't." He brought her hands to his face and rubbed them like he used to when she was much younger. She considered something for a moment before saying,

"Daddy? Can I dye my hair pink?" Her father threw her hands away.

******

Hi my lovelies.

How are you all today?

Uhm, I really have nothing to say except anticipate the next chapter. There's so much more ready waiting for you to devour.

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Thank you all for 6k reads. 🥺🥺God bless you all so much.

TheOmoope 💙