Omg you guys, it's the fortieth chapter and I cannot even be prouder of how far we've come or even what I've been doing. Thank you all so much for supporting me, for sending me kind words, for doing things I didn't think possible. I'm grateful, God bless you all.

This is a live letter❣️ from me  to you all, saying, Thank you. Thank you and God bless you all abundantly. 🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️

PLEASE, 🗨️COMMENT! AND VOTE🌟, I'll love that even more.

"He's here!"

Huda hissed at me as two cars pulled into the wide courtyard of the house I've occupied for the past few months. My heart beat erratically as I watched a man step out of the back seat, saluted by a mobile police officer, in a blue brocade textile peculiar to northern men. I watched him sigh and adjust his Hula hat with shaky hands, his hands shook as they bid as he ordered them, to adjust his hat.

I blinked. He's probably on the edge too just like me but I didn't take another step, I stood rooted where I was standing under the eaves of the decorative thatch roof that covered me from the sun.

"You should go to him." I faced Huda with a glare and she made a motion of zipping her lips. I'm very scared, so I'd rather he came here than me going there. I am simply put, being a coward.

Ma and Kaka are over at the family house in Ikoyi, waiting for my father to come over after seeing me, so I shut my eyes and wait. I hear footsteps and then it stops a few meters from me and I quickly opened my eyes, only to see Bashir B. Bakura stop right in front of me, his Hula hat now collapsed him his hands and arms akimbo.

He is shaking his head and tries to laugh but nothing came out. I know because he swipes his hand down his face twice.

"You know I've always wondered how and what a child from Bushratou and I would likely be like. I didn't know that a day would come where I'd really see a live version of that person." I scoffed, but Huda heard me so she pinched me and greeted him with a smile and a slight genuflect.

"Good afternoon, your Excellency." He waved his hand and handed her a bag his secretary was carrying with a smile. Huda smiled wider at him and turned to go inside, I stood there, taking in his features.

You know one thing? You never put two and two together until it's right in front of your face and for the first time, I saw the nose and forehead that properly proclaimed me a Bakura. I never saw a resemblance and he never really saw a resemblance too until he was pushed and I was told too.

"Hello Labeebah." He finally greeted. Tears rolled down my eyes and I shut my eyes. I was born out of love, I was made with love, I was made by love. This love has made me whole, and alongside with Allah's love and strength, I've become stronger. This gave me strength.

My hem flapped from a sudden breeze that flowed in from the ocean at the back, it dried up the sweat in my palms and I took in a deep breath.

"Hello Father, please come in." I opened the exquisite wooden door and let him come in, and just him came, as I led him deeper into the house, i refused to base my thoughts on the fact that I'd just called him father to his face. His heart must be flipping cartwheels by now, like mine is.  His Aide-de-camp stood there outside and we went deeper into the house.

"Please sit." I pointed out the three seater sofa to him and he put down his Hat and sat down. I exhaled and found a seat for myself in front of him, in a single seater sofa.

"How are you doing?" He asked me and my mouth suddenly went dry and all I wanted to know was how and my mom had met, I know how many other children he has. They're Bilal, Munir and Falmata, aged twenty one, nineteen and seventeen respectively.

"I'm fine, thank you your Excellency." I watched him shake his closely shaven head that pulled the most attention to his very straight and tipped up nose.

"I'd like you to call my anything else other than 'your excellency'. I would never mind 'Abba', 'Baba' which ever catches your fancy." I chuckled slowly at the earnest way he talked to me about calling him Father.

"Yes-" I coughed and added "Baaba." And I watched a smile blossom on his face, in his eyes, in the rise of his cheeks and the way he finally relaxed.

"Is there something you'd like to know?" He asks after about a minute of comfortable silence. I remember my will to ask him questions about my mom, so I asked.

"I met her when she was around Bilal's age. I was older than you are by two years and finally finished from the University of Maiduguri, after all the trouble that came with studying and graduating. I heard she was supposed to serve in Lagos like other normal people but she decided to come serve in Maiduguri, while I stayed back due to my mother's ill health. She used to sell food to take me and my sister through school.

I met your mom first when she was laughing. Which is why, most of her pictures that we took together, I made sure to crack jokes, make her laugh because her laughter was beautiful, her face when she widened her pert lips was a wonder.

I looked forward to seeing it again, so when I saw her groaning from pain some days later, I rushed off to get her another anagelsic to wear off the pain,I just wanted to take that frown off her face.

Afterwards after she got better, we'd take walks, go round markets, she bought gold and once it was stolen by a girl in her room and the next time she bought some, she left them with the shopkeeper." I know of this because my mom's investment was in gold. The only one I was able to have was the one Amal stole and I took back, the one that nearly took my life.

"She liked to wear long hijabs, maybe because of how she was formed, she hated stares. She'd rather hide in her long scarfs, long hijabs and khimaar. Then, her father sent notice for her to prepare to return to Lagos." He chuckled, shaking his head. That was true too, mom was very shapely, formed in the curviest I've ever seen.

"She fought. Bushratou fought hard, we got married and she mailed her wedding certificate to her father. We'd only been married four months when her father came in a car and took her back to Lagos.

Then, when I went to Lagos to find her after saving and borrowing for transport, her father offered me about three million naira. I wavered, I truly wavered, but I knew she needed to obey her parents. I didn't want to stop her, so I took the money and cowardly ran to the United kingdom where I did my master's degree in Architecture

I came back, found out she was married, then I met Yaana's father at a party and soon I was marrying Yaana. But I never forgot her, I never forgot anything about her.

Rememberer, she never let you take photos until after her death?" I nodded. I only had one picture of myself from age zero till thirteen.

"She was hiding you from me. Then I lost interest, since I was married too and she was the same. I didn't want to keep up with pining after her, but the heart wants whom it wants. There was nothing I could do about loving her. Nothing.

Then I found you about a year ago. I don't know what made me watch this show on Dadin Kowa that day and found out you were married, found out you were an actress. I immediately looked for all the movies you've ever acted in and began binge watching them, continuously affirming my suspicion about who you are.

I ordered a DNA test and when the results came, I had no idea what to do. I couldn't sleep for almost a month." I watched as he explained how Yaana found out and decided to end me there and then although she had sent Abdul to me, she still did not back off.

"I just want to say," He started and I blinked my eyes, tears flowed down. "I'm here for you. I'm proud of all that you have achieved all by your own hard work. Even prouder of your recent work in Amina of Zazzau, I was stunned. You're an epitome of what I've always wanted and Alhamdulillah robil al-ameen for you and your testimonius existence." I could not hold back the deep sobs that racked my frame and hugged my arms to myself as I cried hard.

I felt him reach me, sit on the arm of my sofa and pat my knee slowly as I sobbed. "Daddy is here now. I promise." I cried louder. Oh Ya Allah!

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So, my people, what did you think of the chapter? She's finally met him, was it to your expectations? Hit or miss, tell me, tell me. 😌😌

See y'all soon, I don't know but I'm a happy woman knowing that I'm not letting any of my books down and I'm updating  steadily. So please if you like Misfortunate, tell your friends about it. Na beg I beg 🙇🏽‍♀️

TheOmoope 💙💛🙃