“Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un! Inna...lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji...’un!!”
The elderly woman in her fifties cried out. The domestic staff had all abandoned their duties when they heard the cry. What could have gone wrong? They murmured as they rush toward the source of the noise. Her husband, a man in his mid seventies had also heard the cry and was hurrying towards her. His agility and even his physical appearance did not match his age. One would think he was in his early fifties and very close in age with his wife.
“Alhaji, ta tafi. She’s gone!” She said tears threatening to spill.
“What are you talking about? Who’s gone?” He asked impatiently.
“Who else? ‘yar ka mana. I did warn that we shouldn’t push her. Now she’s gone. She fired at him. “Where do we even know to look? Na shiga uku” She continued to wail.
She was not an impulsive child. How could this have happened? Or could she have had all planned out? Alhaji Tijjani Maikudi had worries etched on his forehead. A pensive mood fell on everyone and everything in and around the house.
“When was the last time you saw her?” He asked his wife, Zaliha.
“Last night. I went in this morning to get the mayafi I asked her to get from maman Shafa.” She recalled how she realised something was wrong the moment she entered the room. She had gone in to get her veil, having forgotten to take it with her the previous night. The very spacious room had been intact except for a few things. It had its own walk in closet and a toilet just like the other rooms in the main building. Zaliha thought to check both places but there was no sign of her daughter. She breathed in deeply to calm her self. She had her phone with her and decided to dial both phone numbers of her daughter. Maybe she went out to get something. But when both lines said switched off she began to worry.
Three hours later and still no sign of her. That was when the panic had set in and she made the cry that had alerted everyone in the house.
“Kira man Awalu, tell him to come along with Babawo. Be quick! Alhaji barked orders to one of the maids.
Awalu was his personal driver and the most senior of the other drivers. Babawo was his head of security. He handle affairs both in Maikudi group of companies and in the Maikudi's home.
A few minutes later they had been briefed of the situation in the house.
“Za mu dawo da ita. She couldn’t have gone far.” Babawo assured his boss. He was to go along with Awalu in finding her. The senior driver knew his way in and around the town.
Even though Zaliha knew her husband would stop at nothing to bring their daughter back. She had a feeling he was going to fail at this one. Their princess was long gone and all thanks to him. It was his doing but she also had the blame to share. Ya Allah, ka dawo man da ita lafiya. She prayed.
▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️
Yasmin took another look at the black maxi pencil gown she was wearing. It was a real beauty with exaggerated puff sleeves that came as an off shoulder on her right side. The dress had black stones around the neckline and around the waistline arranged to form flower petals. All stones blended well into the dress and would have been difficult to notice if not that they were glittery.
“Are you sure this does not look too glamorous for work?” Yasmin asked unsure about the dress.
Left to her she would go in one of her abayas or her several atampa. Those were super comfy for her. She had few corporate and casual outfits that she wore when necessary. And this was definitely not one of those times.
“Definitely dear. It’s a black dress and appropriate for any occasion. And this one is super simple but very beautiful.” Lisa said, stepping back from her, to admire her handwork. She should really become a stylist. She thought. Though she lacked the tailoring skills but she had a good eye for fashion. She could just open a boutique or better still a small fashion house that has a boutique and offers styling service. She could hire tailors that would make adjustments or even make dresses from the scratch when needed.
“You should wear the blue pumps, so that it goes with your turban and further tones down the serious look.” She said pointing to the shoes she picked out from the shoe rack to go along with the dress.
She had bought these shoes a year ago but had never worn them. She could have saved them for later but they were packing dust and could eventually wear out from misuse. Luckily for them, she and her wore the same size of shoes, meaning the could share, except that Yasmin didn’t really do heels like her. The dress had been a gift from a cousin of hers in the United States but she could barely fit into them. She had asked Yasmin to try them out and when she did and they fitted well. She suggested she wore the shoes to work that afternoon. Her friend was reluctant at first but later agreed. She must admit, she wasn’t expecting Yasmin to agree but when she did , she set to work immediately. Let her friend resume work this week with a bang!
“I still think this looks too much. I don’t want to give anybody a wrong impression.”
Looking into the mirror, she admitted, she looked so good in the outfit. Only that she felt a bit exposed. The off shoulder style showed off a sizeable amount of skin that she wasn’t comfortable with. And the way the dress clung to her almost made it a bit difficult to breath. Thank God for the pleated slit behind the dress or it would have been impossible to walk. And since it was a closed slit rather than an open one, she didn’t have to worry about her legs being exposed.
“Who is the anybody you don’t want to give a wrong impression? It’s not like you are half cladded. This is very modest and stylish". Lisa said, obviously getting bored by Yasmin’s complaints.
“Please, start leaving before you get late for work or you might have to start gearing up for interviews to secure a new job."
She knew her friend was right. Though Madam Freda was an understanding woman, she hated lateness. She applauded punctuality and created a bonus for the most punctual staff every month. Yasmin quickly picked up the small black veil she had dropped on the bed earlier, before dressing and a backpack that contained her change of clothes. She stuffed in her black purse into it. She bent down to push her feet one after the other into the blue pumps and rushed out. Arrgh! This was a bad idea she thought again.
She almost tripped when Lisa called out to her “Don’t tell me you are using a veil on that dress. Chai, you are going to ruin my hard work.” Yasmin scoffed, her friend must be crazy to the think, she would go out like that, especially in this dress she was wearing. Yasmin took another look at the black maxi pencil gown she was wearing. It was a real beauty with exaggerated puff sleeves that came as an off shoulder on her right side. The dress had black stones around the neckline and around the waistline arranged to form flower petals. All stones blended well into the dress and would have been difficult to notice if not that they were glittery.
“Are you sure this does not look too glamorous for work?” Yasmin asked unsure about the dress.
Left to her she would go in one of her abayas or her several atampa. Those were super comfy for her. She had few corporate and casual outfits that she wore when necessary. And this was definitely not one of those times.
“Definitely dear. It’s a black dress and appropriate for any occasion. And this one is super simple but very beautiful.” Lisa said, stepping back from her, to admire her handwork. She should really become a stylist. She thought. Though she lacked the tailoring skills but she had a good eye for fashion. She could just open a boutique or better a small fashion house that has a boutique and styling service. She could hire tailors that would make adjustments or even make dresses from the scratch when needed.
“You should wear the blue pumps, so that it goes with your turban and further tones down the serious look.” She said pointing to the shoes she picked out from the shoe rack to go along with the dress.
She had bought these shoes a year ago but had never got to wear them. She could have saved them for later but they were packing dust and could eventually wear out from misuse. Luckily for them, she and her wore the same size of shoes, meaning the could share except that Yasmin didn’t really do heels like her. The dress had been a gift from a cousin of hers in the United States but she could barely fit into them. She had asked Yasmin to try it out and when she did and it fit well. She suggested she wore it to work that afternoon. Her friend was reluctant at first but later agreed. She must admit, she wasn’t expecting Yasmin to agree but when she did , she set to work immediately. Let her friend resume work this week with a bang!
“I still think this looks too much. I don’t want to give anybody a wrong impression.” Looking into the mirror, she admitted, she looked so good in the outfit. Only that she felt a bit exposed. The off shoulder style exposed a sizeable amount of skin that she wasn’t comfortable with. And the way the dress clung to her almost made it a bit difficult to breath. Thank God for the gathers slit behind the dress or it would have been impossible to walk. And since it was a closed slit rather than an open one, she didn’t have to worry about her legs being exposed.
“Who is the anybody you don’t want to give a wrong impression? It’s not like you are half cladded. This is very modest and stylish." Lisa said, obviously getting bored by Yasmin’s complaints. “Please, start leaving before you get late for work or you might have to start gearing up for interviews to secure a new job”
She knew her friend was right. Though Madam Freda was an understanding woman, she hated lateness. She applauded punctuality and created a bonus for the most punctual staff every month. Yasmin quickly picked up the small black veil she had dropped on the bed earlier, before dressing and a backpack that contained her change of clothes. She stuffed in her black purse into it. She bent down to push her feet one after the other into the blue pumps and rushes out. Arrgh! This was a bad idea she thought again.
She almost tripped when Lisa called out to her “Don’t tell me you are using a veil on that dress. Chai, you are going to ruin my hard work.” Yasmin scoffed, her friend must be crazy to think, she would go out like that, especially in this dress she was wearing.
Kash! It was very sunny day. She quickly waved down an okada, told the rider her destination and hopped on.
Comments
Post a Comment