Chapter 26

An hour later after he had prayed Maghrib, he left the house again to Yusuf's place. He entered the house and met him in his leaving room playing football. "Again, don't know why yapendo agreed to let you have your own house," muhsin mouthed teasingly as he settled down on the soft sofa beside his cousin. Yusuf paused the game and glared at him. "Same reason why you own your own damn company. I'm old enough," he claimed before he pressed play and continued his game. "What's up? You seem a little rough," Yusuf spoke, eyes fixed on the screen. "Same thing everyday." He heaved a desolate sigh and rubbed his temple. "What did you cook? I'm so hungry..." "Aren't you tired of going places to eat?" He paused the game and faced his cousin. Muhsin gave him a puzzled look. "Yes, aren't you tired? I mean you need to man up! You're are the man of the house. It's not like I am giving you a bad advise but you need to fix things around your house, man. Man up and change things around your house." Muhsin threw his head back laughing heartily. "You know amira since day one and you know how tough I am with her but you're still speaking like I am the one letting her do things on her own. You need to understand how entitled this girl is. She is the only daughter daddy has so I am not surprised by how spoilt she is." "That doesn't mean she should be like this and if it's that way, You only have one sibling too but you aren't like that and it makes no difference to me," he opined. "I have a sibling, like you said. And I am a male, she is a female. There's a lot of difference," he corrected Yusuf. "You're not being that tough because you've never slept outside when you know she would be worried. You may think that I am crazy but if I was the husband, I would threaten to beat the crap out of her, maybe that would get some senses into her brain," he opined as he paused his game. Muhsin stared at his cousin in amusement. "I can't hit her, Yusuf. Though I don't love her but I cannot hit her..." "Never said you should," he defended himself. "Well I'm not hitting my wife and I'm telling yapendo you advised me to," he jokingly spoke. "My mother knows how innocent I am, she would never believe your words," he claimed as he stood up from the sofa. Muhsin followed him into the kitchen, "don't forget, I am her favourite nephew, you should stop playing with your life because I have her heart." Yusuf threw his head back laughing before he shook his head. "So, how's the new construction going? When are we going to launch it?" He asked excitedly. "Ohh it's going pretty great alhamdulillah. The new branches will be launched in few months by Allah's will." he sighed happily when the thought of his new branches came rushing back to his mind. That was one of the things that made him relieved whenever amira upsets him. Yusuf cooked noodles for him before they headed out to the poolside and settled down as they conversed more about his new branches. Muhsin didn't leave the house till it was passed 10pm. He entered the house the moment he arrived home. He met her at the same place he left her watching lord knows which movie. She looked away and Continued munching on her popcorn. He smiled, that was what he wanted; her silent treatment. It was a punishment for him, she thought. But what she never knew was he gets satisfied when she doesn't speak with him. Peace of mind, he chuckled as he opened the door to his room. He wouldn't mind if they lived that way. But she'd eventually get tired of the silent treatment and come rushing back to him. She was always the weak one. She regretted letting him know her weak point, and he was using it against her without him knowing he was. The next day, Dalia finally gets to finish her registration with the help of Muhsin. He was on his way to take her home when his attention was being called at the office. "I was called at the office and I have to be there now. I can't let you use commercial car," he mouthed as he swerved the steering wheel. She gazed at him and looked away without saying anything. He shrugged and continued driving to the company. She focused her gaze on the people and cars passing by while the thought of her mother crossed her mind. It was past 5 in the evening, she knew her mother must be outside the compound getting some fresh air like she always did especially when her father was at home. She sighed calmly at the thought of her father. Sometimes his memories makes her sad especially at night and sometimes it made her smile when she remembered the precious time they spent together. It was almost a year since he passed away but the mourning had not run it's course. The heaviness was in her limbs as much as her mind. Things she used to find funny now only caused a deepening of the pain. He should've been there to rejoice with her when she passed her Jamb at her very first attempt. He should've been there to dance with her when she got admission into one of the most expensive universities she knew in Nigeria. He should have been there when she started her registration, to hold her hand and soothed her whenever she was nervous but no, she had to learn to embrace herself and do things on her own. She missed being a daddy's girl. She missed being pampered even when she threw her tantrums even though most of the times she did it to get his attention but he was long gone now and she won't get to see him again till hereafter.