Unbreakable

Part 1

picture credit: PicsArt

Bilal checked his wrist watch for what seemed like the thousandth time. He was in a hurry to get home to get some work done, but he was also excited about his visitor. He couldn’t believe his visitor was really coming. It had been a long time he last saw her. As he checked his watch again, he sighed. She had refused to tell him the exact time her plane would be landing and he had estimated that since it was a Friday, she would have left work early, gotten through Lagos traffic and caught her flight, all that meant she should have booked a 5:00pm flight. It was 6:45pm and he had not seen her come out of arrivals. He had been here for two hours now. His phone rang.

“Babes, when is your plane landing now? I have just been at the airport for two hours now.”

“Come home Bilal. I’ve been waiting.”

“Home? Which home babes?”

Hian. Bilal, your house. Hurry up jare, I’ve been inside this bath since, my skin is already changing colours sef. Come home.”

“You are a pain in my neck Yemisi.”

“You’re too emotional my love.”

Yemisi turned the key in the lock as she entered the house. She ended the call she was making and greeted her mother who sat watching TV in the sitting room.

“Mummy, good evening,”

“Evening how was work?”

“Fine ma. How was your day?”

“We thank God.”

Yemisi made to go to her room when her mother called her back. Her mother signaled for her to sit. Yemisi immediately knew something was wrong. She steeled herself for the assault.

“Oluyemisi.” Her mother began.

“Oluyemisi, Oluyemisi, how many times did I call you?”

“Mummy please just say what you want to say ah.” She had had a long day at work and she wasn’t in the mood for this.

“Oluyemisi, you told me you were going on a business trip to Abuja for the weekend, abi?”

“Yes ma.”

“You see, when God wants to expose secrets, he does it easily. Joe was at Abuja last weekend too and he told me that he saw you and that Hausa boy acting like lovers at one mall like that. Is that true?”

Yemisi kept quiet.

“Ehn, Oluyemisi, you want to disgrace me in your father’s house and God will not let you. You are lucky your father was not there when Joe was saying it.”

“Thank God.” Yemisi sighed.

“Will you shut up there, my friend! Thank God? Ah Yemisi can’t you just do what I want for once? I am your mother and I know what is best for you. Even if I am saying that you should get married, should it now be one Hausa boy you should be seeing up and down? Ehn Yemisi? Have Yoruba men become scarce? You want the other wife of your father to laugh at me abi? Or don’t you know the things your father will do to me if you insist on marrying that boy? Mola Yemisi? Mola?! I won’t let you do this. I will not.”

“Mummy, I have heard you. I am very tired. Can I go to bed now?”

Yemisi’s mother stared at her for some minutes wondering what to say. She decided against saying anything.

“Good night my dear. Sleep well.”

“Good night ma.”

Yemisi angrily threw her bag on her bed. She sat down and sobbed into her hands. She could never understand why her parents were against her marrying Bilal just because of his tribe. He was a northerner but not Hausa, but of course that would not make any difference to them. A northerner is a Hausa as long as they were concerned. She slept off sobbing an hour later after she called and he had not picked his calls.

“Sleepy head” she mumbled through her sobs.