****

Mimi's heart cuffed with it's boundary when she saw Maleekah and Sadiqu's wedding pictures. She blinked her eyes twice, trying to sum up everything. It was their wedding but neither Sadiqu nor Leek invited her to the wedding. That was uncalled for.

What has she done to deserve such? Was she a bad friend...or what? She couldn't seem to find an answer to her questions. Part of her heart, wanted to coax her to call Leek and the other was persuading her to let things go.

But why? She sighed in confusion.

"What's bothering you?" Mimi tilted her head back. He nearly scared her because she didn't know he was back.

She smiled, masking off the arrays of emotions slideshowing on her face. But her husband could see through and beyond that.

"Uhh, welcome home." She shifted from her incline position and patted the spot next to her. General Aliyu, her husband smiled and sat.

Mimi shove the phone to his face. He knew about Leek since when they began dating so he understood the matter at hand.

"Why do you think...ugh what did I do? Am I a bad person, Ya Aliyy?" Mimi was loosing her stability as she let her heart absorb the feeling that she was a terrible person.

"You're not a bad person. Give people benefit of doubt, okay? Think of the good possibilities and excuse her. Now instead of dwelling on the fact that you're a bad person why can't you just put it this way? Maybe she couldn't reach you on phone, maybe she thinks she doesn't have to tell you because you're too dear to be invited; the wedding is equally yours." Mimi sighed. He was trying to make her understand but it seemed futile.

To Mimi, there was no excuse on earth that will cover up Maleekah. As unshakeable as they are, she never expected that. No, she can't let it go just like that. She was going to call her.

Mimi picked her phone from the centre table where she dropped it earlier. Mimi dialed Leek's number but it wasn't going through. It doesn't seem like the line was off, the tone was sounding like Leek blocked her.

As her husband told her to be positive, she thought maybe it was network problem. She tried again, the result still the same.

"Can I use your phone? Sorry for my manners I didn't even serve you food." She slapped her forehead and stood up.

"Don't worry about that if you haven't cook, we can eat out. Nice idea?" Mimi heaved a sigh of relief. To this day, she could only cook rice and stew, jollof spaghetti and noodles. Cooking wasn't among her faves.

"There we go." She smiled and embraced him. "Thank you for understanding." She mumbled to his ears.

Aliyy smiled. "I'm waiting for you." He  released her. He was a very patient and understanding man. He was also religious too. Mimi often call him Sadiqu's substitute. Before they began dating she had told him she possess nothing that a typical wife would give. She added that she doesn't have manners all in bid to shoo him away but he said he's fine with it all.

Mimi had sighed and rolled her eyes at him. She had given him all it takes to make him leave her alone but he was adamant. After briefing Sadiqu about him, he asked her to give him a chance.

She then drew a conclusion that Sadiqu never liked her. He was just playing around with her. And so, she gave Aliyy a chance and here they were, six months into the marriage without big problems. They were not close though. Mimi has refused to be friendly enough with him.

He was watching news when she came out from her room in an abaya. With a single glance, one could see the calmness in him. Mimi pitied him and decided maybe it was time she let him enter her heart completely.

"Let's go, my love." Aliyy looked at her in surprise. There wasn't any sort of endearment between them.

"You're still looking at me. Let's go." She whined.

"I can cook. Should we just stay behind and cook something together?" His pleading eyes looked adorable to her. She couldn't reject his offer.

"Sure." She removed her abaya and they entered the kitchen hand in hand. General Aliyu concluded that what Leek did was a blessing in disguise to him.

*****

Maleekah was cooking in the kitchen when she heard Sadiqu calling her from the parlour. The house was spacious with three bedrooms, two big plane parlours. A dining area linked to the kitchen. There was also a guest room which was opposite to the store. A Nigerian middle-class home.

It was a rented house where they would stay before Sadiqu finishes his own house.

"I will be going." He put his cap and carried his suitcase.

"You have wait and eat. I'm almost done." He looked at his watch and sighed. Now, if he leave without eating she won't be happy. In fact she might decide not to cook lunch. It was just two weeks into the marriage but he knew what she was capable of doing.

"I will wait but be back in a jiffy. I'm virtually late." Leek returned to the kitchen.

"Here." Sadiqu raised his brow on sighting the plate.  "Woah who will eat all this? Just package it for me." He rose to his feet.

"No I want you to eat here. Wait for me to get ready please. Just ten minutes." She finished dashing into her room. In a few, she was out.

"You made me late Leek." He whined.

"You better stop or I make you more late." She muffled her veil and they went out together in smiles.

"Ah I remember, I didn't see your friend in any of our wedding pictures." Sadiqu brought up the topic as he drives them. It had been eating him up but he didn't know how to put it without looking like he was concerned.

"Which one Beeby or Mimi?" Sadiqu kept quiet for a second.

"Both." He answered wisely.

"I couldn't reach them on phone." Sadiqu sensed the transparency in her lie. But for the sake of peace, he kept quiet and continued driving.

"Ramadan begins in ten days. What are you planning?"

"Isn't this a topic to be discussed at home not at some traffic jam. Huh." She slapped his shoulder. Leek doesn't like talking whenever she was using her phone. And now, Sadiqu kept distracting her.

"I will pick you at noon. We're going to greet Inna." He pulled the car at her place of work. Sadiqu didn't like the way she used her phone all the time. It was her habit before they got married but he thought it was not something serious or she will eventually stop.

"See you." She held the handle of the door.

"The usuals." He winked.

"May lord have mercy on you." She laughed and waited for him. Sadiqu pecked her forehead before she went out with a cozy smile smeared on her face.

Once he was sure she entered the building, he geared his way to his own work place with a lot of thoughts in his head.

****

Inna and the kids were sitting with their legs crossed talking randomly about life when Leek and Sadiqu made their salam. Inna rose to her feet so fast and welcomed them.

A new mat was spread for them.

"Inna hope you're all fine." Leek shyly asked.

"We're fine alhamdulillah. How are you?" Leek said she was fine. They exchanged greetings with the other children before Sadiqu chirped in, whining. Everyone jested him, they laughed and he said he was going to meet his friends. He would be back in few minutes.

Immediately he went out, Sadiqu knew where to find his friends; the suya junction. It was a place where they normally gather and chat, gossip, and advice one another until very late at the night.

He missed the place terribly.

"Hello guys." He waved.

"Kaji wawa yaje birni wai halo. Meye kuma halo malam in zakayi sallama kayi sallama kowa yasan tushen ka.( See this fool because he lives in the city that's why he will greet us with 'hello'. What is 'hello?' You better say the salam, everyone knows your root." Idi teased in a serious tone. The place erupted in laughter before Sadiqu began to exchange handshakes with each of them.

Sadiqu bought the suya for all of them. They chat as they ate. It was obvious that they missed his company too.

"Have you heard that your cousin Zuwaira gave birth yesterday? You didn't even tell us how you made her change her mind about you." Yahya inquired.

"Yeah she called me yesterday. Man I used some tactics. I..."

"You know he's such a brainy and the women roller." Another one interjected. They all laughed at the way the guy said it. Sadiqu smiled at a thought that crossed his mind.

"See, I don't even know who the bride is. Is she a hottie? Or just someone like wrapped pestle?" Sadiqu glared at him.

"You have no business with my wife Nuhu." It was always Nuhu's job to talk about people's wife. To him, he can't marry just ordinary girl. She has to be extra beautiful so that he could showcase her proudly.

"Easy there. Everyone knows your wife is no match to me. Tafi qarfi na." He surrendered. The friends laughed again before Sadiqu said he was going back home.

Just as he was few feet's away from them, Jafaru ran towards him.

"Jafaru, is everything okay?" Sadiqu asked him, startled. He sighted a bench and lead them there. Jafaru looked like he was in trouble.

"I come to ask for your help." Sadiqu briefly closed his eyes. Each day he comes to greet Inna, all the money he had on him has to finish because of his friends and neighbors. It was either 'my mother is sick please help. Or my father had an accident.' And so on, he knew some were lying but the fact was he couldn't say no to them lest they will abuse and curse him behind his eyes.

"Ragon suna zaka siya mun. Hidaya na nan haihuwa yau ko gobe. I want you to buy a ram for me. My wife Hidaya, will give birth today or tomorrow." Sadiqu almost rolled his eyes at the man. What was wrong with his people? Why do they like putting too much burden on themselves? Jafaru was a tea seller, with meager amount of money that hardly sustain his family. It was clear he wasn't rich enough to buy a ram, why won't he just accept that? Sadiqu shook his head.

Sadiqu's hand were now on his face, brushing his forehead. He was thinking of how to convince Jafaru. The problem was if he decided to buy ram for Jafaru, then he would automatically become a ram donor in his village. People will fail to see that he was also a hustler and has a family to attend to. It wasn't Inna or Leek alone, there was Inna's family whom were extremely poor. He also had his cousins to sponsor. The burden on him all alone was too much. Had it been Jameel was there with him, things would have been easier.

"I'm sorry Jafaru I didn't came out with money on me." He decided to put it this way. In a rush, Jafaru was indirectly demanding for fifty thousand naira. Half of what Sadiqu gets in a month. He also had to save up for rent, and his building. Plus additional savings for unexpected occurrences.

"But I have something here. You can utilise it." He counted ten thousand naira from his pocket which he intended to give Inna to buy something and give Zuwaira as a token.

"Thank you, may Allah reward you." Jafaru collected it, going on his knees.

"Ameen. Goodnight. I wish Hidaya safe delivery." He walked away. When the man made sure Sadiqu was out of sight, he began to hiss.

"Aikin banza aikin wofi. Allah wadan naka ya lalace. Ace yana da danqareririyar motar nan amma dubu goma kacal zai bani tsabar ya dauke ni matsiyaci. Mtsw. God forbids this habit. As rich as he is, this is what he could give me. Mtsw..." He kept shaking the money in the air while he rants. That's how he kept abusing Sadiqu till when he reached his house.

Some people are ungrateful.

****

Sadiqu met them eating tuwo with Kuka soup. Despite the fact that he grew up in a village, he hated Kuka soup. He preferred Taushe soup.

Maleekah was telling them a story when he joined them.

"Don't mind talking with him. Just continue gisting us." Fatimah said, with her hand covering Sadiqu's side. They laughed before Leek continued.

"I, Ya Khalid and Ya Armaan..." Sadiqu cringed.

"You better be fast, it's getting late." He interrupted. If there was any way he could use to erase Armaan from the Leek's memory he would have done so since. Now that he doesn't have any choice, he excused himself from them. It's better he brought something that will divert that topic.

So he went into his father's room and brought some pictures. It was their pictures since childhood days.

"Picture time." He announced. The little one pounced on him and collected the nylon from Sadiqu's hand. He loved staring at the image of his brothers when they were young like him.

"Spot Ya Sadiqu from this picture." Wali gave Maleekah the picture, challenging her. It was a picture of ten boys about the age of five.

Maleekah's eyes lingered on each face but she couldn't get him. She resorted to looking at their legs. Sadiqu noticed where her eyes were.

"No clue my love. No clue." He stuck his tongue at her. He could still remember the day he fell ill, it was the next day when the picture was taken. They were so happy and excited that their father has gotten a camera.

He could remember the day vividly because it marked as the day that changed his life for life.

"This is him." She pointed at a boy with a white shirt. Wali collected and shouted no.

"Oh baby. You failed woefully." Sadiqu winked. Leek pinched him reminding him Inna was there.

"Don't mind them my daughter. This is him. You see him, he hated heat and was always sitting with no shirt on him." Inna pointed at a shirtless boy.

"See his big stomach." Leek teased and the place erupted with laughter.

"You will repeat that when we get home." He whispered to her when no one was looking. Leek rolled her eyes, taking up the challenge.

The rest of the night was nostalgically spent before Sadiqu and Leek retired to their home.

***

"Payback time." Sadiqu said immediately they entered their house.

"Kai! You're impossible. We just entered fa." She beat his hand. Leek was a beater. She beats when she's shy, when she laughs, when she's embarrassed and all the time.

"Come here." He stretched his hands in tiredness.

"You're tired just go to sleep." She dismissed him.

"You're my comfort zone, my home." He drew her to his side and leaned his head to her shoulder whilst his hand wander about. Leek melted at the contact. If there was a word that could describe Sadiqu, then it must be 'cat' he loved snuggling onto her. He was also clingy whenever they were at home.

"You're reeking of Kuka soup. Go and change. No let's go and get you changed." He offered his hand to her. Leek took it in hers and place a smooch on it.

*****

This is kinda uneventful but it's one of the most important chapters of this book.

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