The outside of the house was big and beautiful. There were polices at the entrances, some by the fences with their guns held in their hands. The grand entryway with a sweeping staircase draws you into a voluminous layout for entertaining. On the left, was beautiful water fountain decorated with rockery. Other side have tiny buildings; laundry and guest rooms. Passing the long hallways that were adorned with bohemian home accessories.
Two dramatic stairways lead to the bedroom suites, all boasting sleek en-suite baths, generous closets and wonderful views.
The top-of-the-line chef's kitchen was clad with premium finishes and fixtures including custom white lacquer cabinets, bluestone counters and professional-grade appliances.
Sliding glass doors in the dining area showcase views while opening up the home to even more light and air.
Maids, dressed in uniform roamed about the house in the name of arrangements for the return of his excellency, the governor of Kano state. This was his resting house where his family lived. Not the government house.
Several continental dishes were displayed on the large dining console.
"Are you sure everything has been arranged the way he want it?" An elegant woman descended from the stairs. Her movements; voice, walking and everything screamed royalty. She was from a royal family, so, she doesn't tolerate any sort of nonsense. She's always arranged and does things in an orderly manner.
"Yes ma'am!" The lady in brown uniform bowed while studying the first lady's dressing. She was dressed in an atampa and had so many golden rings on her fingers. The maid wondered if, her fingers don't ache.
"You can go." She dismissed her. The maid bowed again and left. Sabeera had been her maid since before she got married to her husband who was nothing but a rich farmer then. After years, he decided to join the politics which he luckily won at the third contest.
"Maama," Amina or rather Mimi pursed her lips forward and jumped on her mother's lap. Mimi was the only female child of the family so you don't need to be told about how she's been pampered.
"What is it?" Maama asked while adjusting her daughter's scarf. Mimi took a bite of an apple and replied,
"My best friend, Maleekah got a farm yesterday and I need one too." She pouted and looked at her mother.
"What do you want it for?" The first lady, Hajiya Maryam asked.
"I just want to have one and plant varieties of fruits under controlled condition. Baaba will hire some experts and someone to look after it." she shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal or something difficult.
"Well," the screeching of tires and sirens cut her off. His excellency was back from Jordan. She really missed him and hope he will spend a week with her but, that wasn't possible. He had two other wives. She sighed at the thought and lifted her daughter's head off her laps.
"Welcome Baaba!" Mimi ran and hugged him. He held her and twirled her around.
"I missed you so much Baaba!" she whined. Despite the fact that he was a governor, there was a cordial relationship with his wives and children. His excellency, Dr Bashir Sagir was always there for them.
Xxxxxx
Sadiqu came in with a cutlass on his shoulder and some sticks on his arm. He leapt to the side of their storage bin and approached his mother who was sitting on a mat. He checked if the pots were filled to the brim or not.
The water they used for drinking, bathing and cooking was a brownish dirty pond water. They had no other option. The governmental system was deteriorating everyday.
"Why is he vomiting again?" Sadiqu asked his mother who wasn't even paying attention to her sick child.
Bareerah was a single mother of six. Due to poverty, she sent two of the girls to work as maids in the city. Two of the boys were sent to almajiri
children in search of knowledge somewhere but end up as beggars to fend for themselves
school. The rest of, stayed with her. Sadiqu was a twenty one year old gentleman who had finished his secondary school but couldn't proceed. He stayed with his mother and looked after the only farm they inherited from their father. The farm was their only source of income and the only asset they depended on.
"I soaked rai dore leaves and gave him. Hopefully he will recover." She stood up and retied her faded wrapper then began to sweep the little compound. Sadiqu looked at his younger brother who was only six, as he vomit continuously.
"Oh my goodness!" He rose sharply from the wooden chair he was sitting earlier and approached the boy who was now panting heavily.
"Inna, look," he pointed at the floor and Inna noticed some traces of blood in the vomit. She burst into cries immediately.
"It's high time we sell off some part of our farm in order to take Wali to the hospital in the city. We can't watch him die, Inna." He cleaned the beads of sweat that formed on his forehead and head out to find someone who's willing to buy the half of their asset.
Once out, he became heedless. He doesn't even know who to approach. Then he remembered his uncle, Malam Habu. So he took the route to his uncle's house.
"Are you sure that's the right thing to do?" Malam Habu asked his nephew, Sadiqu who came to seek for advice concerning the farm. Malam Habu threw a meat in his mouth and licked his fingers before he spoke.
"You don't need to find someone, I will buy it." The last part of the sentence left Sadiqu dumbstruck. What was that supposed to mean? If his uncle could afford to buy the farm then why can't he give him the money even if it was in form of loan? His uncle was so merciless.
"Stop looking at me like that, I'm going to take a loan and buy it. Let's go!" He stood up and rolled the mat he was sitting on, into a cylinder and called a boy to take it inside his house for him. Sadiqu was quiet all through. He wondered if the man had an iota of pity in his so called heart. They walked in silence to the farm.
"Oh God! What is this?" Sadiqu sighted a bulldozer by his farm. He ran fast to the acre of land and noticed that, all the grains he intended to harvest the next month were gone. What the hell was that?
"Excuse me," he stopped in front of the moving, destroying vehicle waving his hand in the air. The driver, brought the bulldozer to a halt and jumped out.
"What is wrong with you young man?" A man that was almost the age with his uncle asked him while wiping his face with his shirt. He lit a cigarette and puffed a smoke.
"Oh no wonder. You're drunk I see. This is my farm! Who gave you the audacity to come and invade it? What is your alcohol telling you?" Sadiqu roared. He fanned his face with his palm as the reeking smell of cigar was disturbing him. Annoyed to the core, he pulled the cigar out of the man's lip and threw it away. The man raised his hand to slap him.
"Don't you dare!" Sadiqu held the man's arm and released it downward with great force. The man didn't do anything afterward because he knew he will be beaten up mercilessly by this well-built young man. Sadiqu turned to talk to his uncle but saw no one. The uncle had ran away.
"Salahu! What are you waiting for?" Mimi wind her window down and yelled. Sadiqu didn't even bother to look her way.
"Hajiya, I'm sorry! The owner of the farm is here and,"
"And what?" She opened the door of the car and stormed out fuming like a tigress.
"I want this farm and I must have it!" she yelled atop her voice. Sadiqu swerved and studied her as she typed some digits in her phone.
"Okay Baaba, but you should have come," she frowned.
"Clear this farm into a fine land or you loose your job!" she fired at Salahu. He got under the wheel and began to clear off the debris.
"You should have apologize, perhaps I will change my mind," she rolled her eyes but Sadiqu didn't say anything. He was just trying to figure out if he's in his right sense.
"Ops ops. Sorry okay? Those living in penury hate to apologize but, I think its high time they give up and accept the fact that, the opulent ones are a hundred steps higher than them." She put on her goggles on completion of her words.
Sadiqu's heart boiled in anger.
"You're proud with power and opulence. It's not your fault though. Your parent's negligence!"
Mimi smiled. "Oh wow, he's a cripple. No i mean a leper...what a pity!" Mimi busted. Sadiqu stood in track. He was in pain, so deep but he chose to leave without a word.
It wasn't his choice to be physically challenged. His left ankle was kind of slim and his foot was twisted. This was because of the situation they lived in, in their state. He was infected by polio at the age of four due to lack of immunization and vaccination.
Just as he left, all she could see when she close her eyes was his face as he called her father a thief. What was that for? Whatever was it, she wouldn't change her mind. She wanted that farm and nothing would make her to change her mind about it.
In fact, she will make sure she snatch away their house.
She hissed and stormed back into the car.
"Take me to the park, I need some fresh air!" she instructed the driver.
Xxxxx
