章 115: Family Reunion
“Haba Ya Jubril. Mercy said. “Do not disgrace men, why are you so scared? Are you not a man?”
“Mallam Mercy, do not instigate me.” He said. “I am not man enough for that. What would happen if she takes that smile away, or refuses to soothe my heart with that voice? I repeat, I was only joking. You take care of me.” They laughed at him.
“I have heard men complain about their wives going taciturn and they ask, honey what is wrong? And she is like’ nothing’. That is the worse type of ‘nothing’. When it is nothing and you know there is something and you don’t know what it is. You start acting like a fool, cracking dry jokes.”
“I prefer her telling me what my crime is.” Sule said. “And one of such nothings could be that she called you and you missed the call.” Sule said.
“You get the point….”
It was at that point a Hummer jeep drove in. The car came to a halt and Addy alighted. He was elegantly dressed in white caftan, and his wristwatch glittered with his air of vain-gloriousness . Lori alighted, dressed in a skinny dress, and a look at her showed that she was a model. Petra wondered. Addy rarely attended family functions. He felt so big, and looked condescendingly at people.
Now as she looked at him, she exchanged a quick glance with Justin. She now knew better. Addy was rolling on top of the world with her husband’s money, All those while Justin was hustling for food, working in heat just to survive, someone else was living his life, spending his money and making him feel homeless, and lonely.
“Dr Jubril.” Addy came and shook Justin, with a smile and ignored Sule, Mercy and gave his cousin just a slight nod. They were not on the same level with him. Jubril was a doctor, and a big boy and he knew that from the States.
He felt Petra and her siblings were his father’s parasites and he did not really like to relate with them on equal terms. Addy only related with people he felt were of his class or close.
“Addy boy, hope you are good.” Justin said.
“We are good.” He said, placing his hand on Lori’s waist. Lori said hello to everyone there and Petra had to put an effort to tell Addy that he is nothing but a jerk, the son of a cleaner who stole somebody’s life. She did not care if her father was part of it. It was just not fair and the fact that he felt more important than everyone in the world made it more gut-wrenching. She felt more irritated that they tried to kill Justin, take him away from her and leave her in melancholy. Mercy was not surprised at Addy’s rudeness but Sule was.
They went inside the building. Sule simply recoiled, held his wife’s hand and slowed his steps. Let them move ahead, while Justin and Addy talked. Addy had Lori’s hand in his.
The dinner was to be held at the open yard behind the mansion where a very long table was arranged. Fathers loved such things, and the varieties of food they saw was alarming. Gaddafi and Mustapha-Rahman were with their spouses and children. Mustapha-Rasheed, Sadiq, and Habeeb were now married and they all came with their wives. Sadiq and Muhammad were not married yet.
They were about to settle down when Aazim entered with his wife; knowing Petra was present, he raised his shoulders. They sat down at the table, and it appeared to be a self-serve dinner. Hajiya Biliki had been keeping a close eye on Petra and her husband. She appeared to have finally given up and moved on. " Thank you, Allah. s
But she would never forget Justin. She pretended not to, but she occasionally cried for him. She was a mother with children, so she understood what he was going through. She desperately wanted Justin to marry her daughter, but fate had other plans. She knew Petra only agreed to marry Jubril to please her, and she felt guilty when she realized Petra was unhappy with him, but seeing them tonight lifted her spirits.
Father appeared to be overjoyed. He could see his family expanding, and that gave him a warm feeling. After they must have finished praying, the ladies began serving their husbands and themselves.
"What are you doing, ladies?" Father inquired. "Who is going to serve Sa'eed and Muhammad?" They both laughed. "I don't even want to be served." said Muhammad "I'll do my best to help myself."
"Get married, boy." Aazim said proudly, then cast a sharp glance at Petra. He was attempting to demonstrate to her that he, too, had a wife and that she was irrelevant, but he was unsuccessful in his act. He was told she didn't like Jubril, but what he saw tonight contradicted that.
He noticed how she looked at him, spoke to him, and even dared to whisper into his ears in front of everyone. She was powerless and could not control her love and feelings for her husband. That was a letdown! He still wanted her and assumed she would file for divorce and he would come after her. For her, he could divorce his wife. He was madly in love with her, and she was becoming more beautiful by the day.
“You don’t know how happy I am to be here with you kids…oops! How dare I call married men and women kids?” Father said and they laughed.
“I thought you were referring to Sa’eed and Muhammad.” Mustapha- Rasheed said and they laughed again.
“Before next dinner insha Allah.” Muhammad said. “She would be serving me food.”
“Who?” Sadiq asked. “Which among your wives? Pilo’atu, Bargo’atu or katifatu (pillow-atu, blanket-atu or mattress-atu)?”
“Savage!” Aazim exclaimed and they laughed.
“Alhamdulillah.” Father went on. “We used to have this dinner inside but now, the dining-table can no longer contain us and this is just the beginning of the expansion. You are all my children and part of the family. When your child gets married to someone, you have an additional child. That is why I was careful to know who was coming in. I have rejected some people in the past, I was misconceived, but today, they understand better.”
Petra and her mother exchanged glances.
“This is our first dinner after a long time and we have new members here. “we would introduce ourselves, get to know each other better and get united. We must have a strong bond. I value family. I love family and family is important.”
Justin remembered that night when he was humiliated for not having a family. The introduction started, and it was obvious that they all belonged to the high class or middle class. Sule was from a rich family and he was doing okay.
He studied in the same school with Petra and Mercy and that was not a school for the poor.
Addy swaggered as he talked about his alma mater.
“I am Jubril Salat, married to the most precious lady on the Earth. I think that is my greatest achievement. It encapsulates all of my successes.”
“Awwnnnn.” Gaddafi’s wife said with a smile. “But I will also like to add to that by saying, I am the son of Professor Salat, and Professor Hafsat. I had my first degree in computer science from Harvard, where I also bagged my Masters and PhD.”
Father gave Petra a proud smile and glance. The smile read, ‘now you see what I did for you? You would have been married to a primary school dropout, one with no trace of paternity and maternity. A boy who was a security man and bread seller.’
Aazim felt intimidated. He was going for his masters soon and he would not rest until he got that so-called PhD.
They ate and talked leisurely and laughed. It was amid this laughter they heard Sallama and an elderly man came in: Aminu. With Gajere behind him and another big looking man behind him: Alhaji Jangfa, Aazim’s father.
When Alhaji Usman saw his brother's expression, he knew something was wrong. He paid him only unexpected visits.
Justin felt a jolt in his chest. If only they knew who he was! What exactly was going on here?
Alhaji Usman rose to his feet immediately, a smile on his face to hide his surprise. Everyone rose to their feet to welcome them. A former governor was following Aminu at his back, and their expressions were not good.
"Where do we talk?" Aminu asked Alhaji Usman after responding to their greetings.
"I think we should go inside." He said this as he led them inside. Justin didn't miss a single thing they did. Addy was also intrigued. What was this situation all about? Gajere followed the men as they walked inside.
Hajiya Biliki excused herself and left after they left. She had a feeling something was wrong. She had never liked his elder brother, who had passed on his haughty nature to his children. He may have been financially beneficial, but there was something about him that she did not like. The couples continued to have a good time. They talked in groups after the meal.
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