A Promise From My Heart

Chapter Twenty-Four

I sat in the gazebo my fingers moving fast on the keyboards of my laptop. My eyebrows knitted together in concentration. After a mistake, my fingers seized on the keyboards. I grabbed the calculator beside me and punched numbers into it. It was the sixth time I tried solving the calculations and I had kept making mistakes. The account needed to be accurate and perfect. Any little mistake would affect the calculations which would cause a lot of trouble.

It was a very cool evening. By the pond, Noor sat, her easel in front of her, paints of different colours scattered around her. As she painted her imagination on the white surface, she spoke with her psychiatrist who listened to her attentively writing into her pad. I smiled picking up the glass of orange juice resting on the coffee table. Amatullah had gone to visit her mother and she was yet to return. Raihan and Raihana were at school. They had said they would spend the rest of the month in school until their exams were over. I had left my grandmother and father talking when I was coming outside.

"Brother Yusuf" a very familiar voice I had not expected to hear shouted.

I gazed up from the laptop screen to see Raihana running up to me. The hem of her hijab flapped in the gentle breeze. What is she doing here? Noor had glanced at her before returning to her work.

"What are you doing here, Tee? You are supposed to be in school" I said to Raihana clearly displeased as she sat opposite me.

"I came home to pick something. I will go back today"

"Okay" I grumbled looking back at my work.

"Brother Yusuf, I want to tell you something. It is about Sister Noor"

"Are you here to snitch on your sister?" I looked up from my work.

"No! Never!! But what I want to say is very serious. Please can you spare me few minutes?" she begged.

"What is it again Raihana?" I exhaled placing my laptop beside me.

"Do you know about any guy called Amir? She visits him in the psychiatric hospital Sister Amy had been"

"I know"

"What? How? When?" She asked her eyes wide, her face slacked, her lips gapped a bit as the colour on her face drained away.

"Almost three months now"

"And you said nothing" she screamed eyes wide like saucers.

"Because I trust Noor. He is her friend. That was what she said"

"But I think she feels something for him. Like something really big which she is yet to discover"

"Why did you say so?" My eyes rested on her. I gave her my whole attention.

"The last time I went out with her, she visited him taking me along. She had asked me to wait outside. I had not eavesdropped their conversation" she shrugged nonchalantly "But I could see everything through the slightly opened door. Did you see the spark in her eyes when she spoke to him? She was happy. Her smile was booming with light. She was kind of shy because she had tried not to look at him" she narrated, clapping, jumping in her seat, her eyes wide due to excitement. Noor was shy? Impossible.

"Raihana" I called.

"She cares for him"

"Taiwo" I called Raihana by her Yoruba name.

"I think she likes him she is just denying her infatuation"

"Taiwo" my voice louder.

"But she does not know"

"Tee" I called louder almost shouting.

"What?" She asked looking so stupid.

"You were talking too fast"

"Oh sorry" she giggled.

"You are right. Noor cares for him and feels something for him. I know that"

"How?"

"There was a time I bumped into her on my way to visit Amy. I asked her what she was doing there. She had said she came to see a friend. You know Noor. She won't tell you anything until she thinks it is the right time. As a big brother, I wanted to know what kind of friend she had come to see in a psychiatric hospital so I followed her. That day she had seen the guy traumatized. She cried and tried calming him down. She tried to assure him he was saved and nothing is wrong with him. Noor will never cry for someone except she cares for you and likes you. That day I saw a part of her I have never seen. She was scared and I meant really cared" I smiled.

"Why is she not telling us?"

"Taiwo, stop talking like a stranger" I pulled my words rolling my eyes "Noor is not ready to talk about him. She would tell us whenever she thinks is the right time. She must still be trying to figure something out"

"Whatever you say. You are too calm. I thoughts you will be throwing your tantrum" she chuckled which made my lips curve up.

"Noor needs to be understood. That's what I am doing"

"But I know she loves him"

"Don't jump into conclusion"

"It is the truth. You might not have seen love that day but I saw love in her eyes for him that day" she replied nonchalantly.

"Oya, dey go school" I changed the topic.

"You are chasing me away" she whined and pouted.

"Yes because you will be late for school. The traffic will be terrific so leave" I returned to my work.

"Okay, I will leave" she got up feigning fake tears.

"Bye, bye baby sis"

"Bye, bye bad bro" she drawled then stormed out of the gazebo.

"Adjust you hijab. It is falling off" I shouted after her. I nodded my head. Raihana was a character on her own.

Few minutes after Raihana left, Dad came to join me in the gazebo.

"What are you doing son?" He asked after I greeted him by prostrating. When I say prostrate, I did not mean sujood. In Yoruba culture, you prostate by lying flat on your stomach or bending very well. The females kneel down. It is a way to show respect to elders.

"Office work dad"

"Good" he nodded his head satisfied "Just remember always be hardworking son. You have a family to build and a wife to take care of" he said. "Your mother used to say something. As you lay your bed so you shall lie on it. It was her persistency that brought me where I am today. She stood by me in every way. I was a lucky man and I am still a lucky man. She gave me wonderful children to live with" the corner of his lips curled up into a smile. "May her innocent soul rest in peace" he prayed which I said ameen to.

A very comfortable silence sets in after his little speech. My father owns a pharmaceutical company. He has been running it over two decades and Alhamdulillah it has flourished and is one of the best in Nigeria. He is my role model. He is a loving father and caring husband and a man who I will say has made it greatly. I look up to him. It is just that presently I am not interested in his business. I want to work under people I do not know and earn my own money which no one has opposed to. The money you earn with your sweat is valued more by you than the money you know nothing about.

"Dad, I have something to tell you" I broke the silence.

"I am all ears"

I closed my laptop then sat well to talk to him. The sun was already setting. Soon, the adhan for Maghrib would be called. Noorie was done with her psychiatrist. The woman had left leaving Noorie who sat by the pond doing nothing but staring into space.

"Amy and I might be leaving for our house soon"

"Why?"

"Dad...dad...I just....." Unable to reply, feeling so embarrassed about what I wanted to say next, I began to turn red, almost blushing.

"Why? Is something wrong?" He asked worried.

"No dad. I...I...." I laughed rubbing the back of my neck. "I need some time with her. You know. I want to be with her alone. It's been long since we spent time with each other"

Dad broke into a loud laughter which made me more embarrassed and red. One of the disadvantages of being light skinned is that there are some emotions that make your face warm and red.

"I understand you Adeniyi" he said between his laugh.

"Arrgggh dad" I buried my face in my palms like a shy teenage girl who is in love. "You are embarrassing me" I groaned. "We had to move here because of everything that was happening. I wanted to be close to everyone and Alhamdulillah, things are fine now"

"When are you thinking of leaving?"

"This coming Saturday. Noor is leaving for Kano that day. We thought we should leave too"

"Whatever you decide is fine by me" he said.

"Thank you dad, thank you very much"

"Come give me a hug son" he opened his arms which I walked in. He engulfed me into a hug. I was at peace in his arms. I was relieved everything was finally falling into place.