ACTS TWENTY
Khalid: (stares at m.k for few second then speak) Abdulmalik yeah?
m.k: (shocked but didn’t show it on his face) yeahh?
Khalid: (smile) do you like Azeezah? I mean like do you have something for her?
m.k: what do you mean?
Khalid: we are bro remember and I’m a man just like you…
m.k: well.. you guess wrong.. she is way to low for me. and look at her.. she is this religious type of girl. Trust me bro.. she is not my type.
Hazeemah: (heading towards them) i am back sir.
m.k: (clear his throat) okay then lets return to the office.
Khalid: uhm… A.Z.. do you mind joining us for lunch?
Hazeemah: no sir.. I brought my lunch to office. Thank you sir.
m.k: (leave their presence heading towards his car)
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TWO MONTHS AFTER
SUNDAY MORNING (in the compound)
Alhaji nurudeen: (ranting) if you failed to accept this proposal then I promise you, you must marry him by fire by force. You thought I was joking when I gave you three months uh? Not even your brothers can settle this case unless you do as I said.
Hazeemah: (crying bitterly) I don’t want to marry him, I don’t even know anything about him, Dad. Why will you marry me off to a total stranger. I am your daughter oh.. if you are tired of me being under your roof then tell me and I will leave.
Alhaji nurudeen: the only right you have to leave this house is parking your belongings to your husband’s house. And you must marry that hustaz. Or else!.
Hazeemah: (stepping backward) no!!! I’m not marry that man..
Alhaji nurudeen: then! You will have to quit your job.
Hazeemah: (jaw drop) subhanallaa! Ummi! Are you just going to stand there and say nothing about this? lose my job keh?
Alhaji nurudeen: and you failed to do I instruceted then, I will disown you.. you will have no choice but to buy another man in the market.
Hazeemah: (wipe her tears and resume to her cries) ummi help me to beg Abu! Please.
Hajia shukroh: I cant interfere this time around. If only you have any idea of how my marriage was put in the line because of your delay.
Hazeemah: (falls on her toes crying) please Abu! Please.. I will hate myself for life if I marry this type of man.. and you know islamically this isn’t right o.
Alhaji Nurudeen: then brings a man! Bring a man home to us.
Abdulsalam: (drag the gate open) what is going on abu? Why is she crying like a child? (notice the cane he is holding and hurriedly run to collect it from him) subhanallah! Abu! This isn’t right.. she is way older to be beaten like this. what if her partner finds you in this spot, how on earth do you want him to treat her after marriage. Of course he will say he learnt it from you.
Alhaji Nurudeen: ¿¿that should have been better. But uptill now, no one yet. Look at her. she looks exactly like my mother before she died.
Hazeemah: this is not funny anymore dad, if this is a joke please stop it!
Alhaji nurudeen: try me and see (return inside and slam the door)
Hazeemah: (breaks down in tears again) what am I going to do now? Ehn? I cant do this anymore am tired and see how my mother did absolutely watching the whole drama. It this fair? You just made me realise I can never please my parents even if I lay down my life for them.
Abddulsalam: (squat next to her and pat her back) stop crying okay? it will do nothing but make you more hungly and I’m sure you woudnt want that to happened.
Hazeemah: ogbemi leave me jor! See it is better you return to your wife and kids rather than making things more difficult for me.
Abdulsalam: I’m only trying to console you, but I have a very deep question I want to ask you today and I want you to be very honest with me okay?
Hazeemah: abdulsalam please leave me alone, let me sob in peace, wallohi I am not feeling too well please just go.
Abdulsalam: okay then, the questions is are you possessed or something? Or is there someone you offended that cursed you not to have any man to propose to you because how can I very charming and beautiful woman like you still be single.
Hajia shukroh: beauty isn’t everything a man want but a good characters makes it faster.
Hazeemah: so what are you trying to say? That I don’t have a good character? (break down in tears and cry back inside the house and slam the door)
Abdulsalam: madam I was only joking and trying to cheer up.
Hajia shukroh: I want her to vex this time and prove us wrong.
Abdulsalam: (move closer to her) look ummu. We all need to be more prayerful and Abu should give her this year as a last chance and if she failed to bring a man home again then she deserve any further punishment. But I hate to see her in this mood, I wish to console her but my brotherly instinct wont let me do that, it will just keep making me to disturb her even more.
Hajia shukroh: I feel sorry for her to and you know her father doesn’t joke with her at all. Lets hope for the best. C’mon. I prepared your favorites so you came at the right time. So tell me.. how is your wife and daughter.
Abdulsalam: alhamdulilah ma. Let’s go in first and serve me that food then we talk better. It been long I taste your amazing dishes.
Hajia shukroh: (chuckles) abi oh.
Abdulsalam: please don’t tell me this is what I have to face as a father raising a female child. I’m sure that raising us wasn’t that bad.
Hajia shukroh: shut up and lets go inside.. don’t remind me of my sorrowful paste.
Abdulsalam: auuch! That’s statement hurts! It hit me right here
Later in the evening
Hajia shukroh: ( opens the door) as salam alaykum.
Hazeemah: (murmuring in tears) walaykum salam
Hajia shukroh: you are still crying? (shut the door behind her ) don’t injure yourself oh. tor!
Hazeemah: please I want to be alone for awhile (tears gushing down her face)
Hajia shukroh: well I’m not leaving you like this until you stop crying. (sit close to her and use her khimar to wipe her tears) don’t hurt yourself oh.. tor!
Hazeemah: I thought that’s what you and your husband wanted.. he drain the happiness in my life.. Abu hates me!!!
Hajia shukroh: (yell at her) will you stop saying that! He is still your father, your biological father. All he is doing is for you own sake. Don’t you feel the need to be with a man? Don’t you feel horny? Don’t you feel you need to be touched by a man? Or are you firewood? You need a man in your life! To cut the story short, you need to have a man to have intimacy with. Your body is craving for it if your head is busy fulfilling dreams and you cant satisfy your body unless you do as it demands. I know you don’t feel it much because you are still a virgin but imagine the cramps you go through every months even if your body is use to it. do you know scienitifcally, delaying to get pregnant will result late chance of getting pregnant when you both tries to. So all is drama is for you sake.
Hazeemah: but why does he have to put my job in line? Why? I will get married, please.. for once listen to me (crying bitterly)
Hajia shukroh: we’ve always listen you but at time, you need to listen to us. death comes without notice. And it will come for any of us. sit and think! I cant pet you today oh… the truth must be told and if failed to bring a man home sooner. You will marry your father’s choice. And there is no one stop that.
Hazeemah: but I’m inlove with Khalid!
Hajia shukroh: oh really? Then bring him home.. let him come ask for your hand in marriage.. but do you know why? because you failed to reveal yourself to him till he left Nigeria and there is no assurance that he is coming back. (get on her feet) if it tears that can reset your brain then cry as much as you want. (leave her room, slam the door and rest her back on it) hmmm (sigh heavily)
Hazeemah: (her cries increases as tears gush down her face)
Hajia shukroh: (thinking as she rest her head on the door) abi is this happening to her because she is the only daughter we had? Or because of how we trained her elder brothers? But she is suppose to know that her gender is different. Because I could see her following the footsteps of her brothers. I need to do something about this quickly.
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The next morning (monday) 7: 53am.
Hazeemah: (present his coffee without saying a word)
m.k: (focus on his ipad) there is a sudden clashes going on at the site and none of us were expecting such. And if we don’t take action right now. We might lose millions of naira. so do the necessary things to organize a meeting.
Hazeemah: (in a low tone) okay sir.
m.k: (notice her tone and raise his head up) A.Z.
Hazeemah: yes sir.
m.k: (scan her facial expression ) you may leave.
Hazeemah: okay sir.
m.k: (adjust his neck to the left and right,thinking)
10 minutes later
At the conference room, all the team leaders are having a serious meeting with so much dedications finding a solution to the site problem. M.k patiently listen to the teasms suggestions one after the other and combines it in his head trying to give his final solution.
m.K: Fashola, that idea is great but risky. If we try to implement that? It will cost us extra millions, not just that. Do you know we have just less than two months to round up everything?
Mrs. Fashola: yes I’m aware of that sir.
M.K: then think of something else. Any other opinion or suggestion?
Abdullahi: (raise his hand)
m.k: (gives him a deadly stare) what is it?
abdullahi: my suggestions sir.
m.k: then speak up!
Abdullahi: (moves to the front) we all know the how sloppy the area is right? that’s another thing causing millions being spent on the foundation but one thing isn’t done yet. How about the architecture team and the engineering team to design a new technology to help regulate the buildings structure to prevent from collapsing.. and apart from that what if an earthquake occurs?
m.k: this is Africa not China!
Abdullahi: yes I know but the work of Allah Is unpredictable.. we call can see soil is more like the sahara desert and all. I think the solution is in the two team’s hand. That’s all I have to say sir (return to his seat)
Reem: let’s assume you are right. I don’t think is anything else for we architecture team should do.. the solution should be in your hands.
Abdullahi: but you designed the structure of the building.. so there should be an amendment somewhere from your side.
Reem: have you forgotten your team found the site? The you chose the land? You perfectly guaranteed us if we follow the precautions then we have no problem and we did follow it.
Abdullahi:ai.. we found the place and it was good yeah? The other land we found was worse that’s why we chose this land.
Mrs. Fashola: this really gett: this really getting super confusing. And the mistake is from either of this teams but we are yet to finds the solutions.
m.k: (clear his throat) we have just tomorrow to find a solution to this problem. Or we lose another chance of getting the same project ever again and not just that but millions will be lost. So you better sit and think of where the problem came from and find a solution before our next meeting tomorrow. Have a good day (get up and exit the conference room)
Hazeemah: (follow him out)
m.k: A.Z.
Hazeemah: yes sir.
m.k: collect all their designs and plans from each team. I want to go through it once again.
Hazeemah: (respond in a low tone ) okay sir. (turn around immediately)
m.k: (turn but realize she had left) what is wrong with her today? She barely talks today. Whatever.. (enters his office)
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