Misfortunate (Completed)

Chapter Twenty Eight: Chasing Abdul

The elevator doors swished close and the sound of a DJ AB's song was hitting the whole hallway with fervor.

The policemen who had followed the lawyer and Labeebah's mother shook their heads but rattled the small burglary gate to alert the occupants of the house of a visitor.

A full two minutes later and many shakes of the gate later, the music got turned down and a shirtless Abdul came out of the apartment. For the first time since he threw Labeebah, his heart lost several beats, he shook as he opened the gate and when he saw the lawyer, he hissed in his mind. Nothing could happen.

"What is it?"

The most senior policeman amongst them didn't reply to the rude question, but took the file that Labeebah's lawyer handed him. He opened up to a part where a court stamped letter told Abdul to pack his things and leave the house within twelve to twenty four hours.

"What's that?" He asked with a roll of his eyes, he swept an already sweaty palm down his beard. The policeman still refused to reply him.

"You're Mr Abdul-Mumin Goje?" Abdul nodded. The policeman handed the letter to him and when Abdul finished reading, he threw the letter to the floor and stamped on it over and over.

"What's this nonsense? It's my house. Labeebah and I bought it together. It's in our names. You want to throw me out of my own house? Never." Barrister Shonekan who hated lazy bums more than anything scoffed.

"Mr Abdul-Mumin. Please adhere to the directive in that letter. Your twelve hours has begun counting now, lest we throw all your properties downstairs and lock this place up.

"You dare not! You dare not." Barrister Shonekan arched a black mixed with plenty white haired brow at him and told the police go open the gate and a few seconds later, the gate was shot open by a stun gun the most junior officer was holding and Labeebah's mother went straight into the house.

"You have only twelve hours. We'll be here till you finish packing your things, please cooperate with us." Abdul's mouth dropped open and he walked back inside defeated, he had thought he'd be able to hold on to the house.

The court directive showed that Labeebah had bought the house in the name of her foster parents and not him as he had believed all these years. He fisted his hands, and cursed himself. He should have thrown her harder, that bitch was still alive. Too bad.

He walked to the room and took her phone that he had hidden immediately he threw her down and turned it off, but Labeebah's aunt had followed him with a policeman in tow. She grabbed the phone from him as he stuffed it into a pillow.

"I'm sure you've been trying to transfer money from her account abi? We've blocked all transactions on her account, so even if you try to the moon and back, they'll arrest you in the end for fraud."

The policeman escorted her out to go to Labeebah's room which she locked and put the key in a part of the huge handbag she was carrying.

"Ma, please allow me to stay here till tomorrow. I can't get a flight to Kano at this hour." He entreated the woman who had been his mother in law for over two years.

She laughed hard, and then her laugh turned into chuckles, she held her knees with her waist bent but when she raised her head, tears ran down her face. "You want me to let you stay here till tomorrow?" He nodded, but his mouth had gone dry, completely.

"I begged you. I begged you not to throw my baby, with my hair opened to the rest of the world, I begged you to let my baby down and we'd settle it. Remember what you did?" Abdul could not bring himself to shake or nod his head. He was cold.

"You threw my daughter unto the fence. You didn't think of her life as worth anything in your eyes, you just stood there and wickedly flung her." More tears ran down and Labeebah's aunt choked on her tears.

"I'm sorry Ma." She scoffed. "Sorry cuts nothing because one day, Labibi will wake up and get you arrested. You can only swagger around like this because of this stupid laws that govern this country. Just you wait, you and your poor useless generation will rot in jail and then hell!" She walked away from him and went to the kitchen where she covered all things coverable and shut the kitchen.

She went back to Labeebah's room and unlocked the door, searching frantically for Labeebah's trinket box. When she found it, she looked for the only gold set Labeebah had as momento from her mother and held it to her chest in tears.

"Bushratou, I miss you so much. I miss you, by now you'd have called everyone you know to make sure that useless wizard is arrested. I can't even go to Maama. I'm useless. I'm sorry. Bushra, I miss you!" Tears fell rapidly and soaked the stoned veil she had hastily wrapped over the casual brown A-line gown she wore that morning.

She wiped her tears when she heard a knock at the door, wiped her eyes, patted her cheekbones and walked to the door. She swung it open and looked at the senior policeman in question.

"He just left with his bags. Do you still need our help?" She shook her head but thanked very effusively, bellying the many tears that had fallen from her eyes.

"Then, we'll see you soon." She nodded and walked back into Labeebah's room dejectedly.

*****

Just as Labeebah's mother locked up the gate with a new padlock, the elevator swished open and out came a polka dot jilbab clad woman. Her fair skinned face glistened from something that looked like water to Labeebah's aunt.

She reached her in three strides, her Jilbab billowing behind her. "Good afternoon ma. How's Ms Labeebah?" Labeebah's aunt stopped, she put the key in her bag slowly before replying the question but the way she saw her wring her hands made her put down the anger she wanted to reply Beebah's neighbor with.

"Labeebah is faring fine. She has not woken up since her surgery was held just yesterday, but she's going to be fine." Ma watched as the woman cupped her nose and mouth and tears spilled over from her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I've watched that video over a hundred times but I can't see why the police won't arrest him." Labeebah's aunt sighed, everyone was astonished when they heard the police verdict.

"All I ask is for you to put her in your prayers. My baby needs prayers." As she turned to go, the neighbor suddenly walked to her front and said her name.

"I'm Huda. I don't know if you'd need any sort of help in the future, but I'm always free. Please call me, I'd love to see BeebahShe too." Labeebah's aunt took the card that Huda had fished out of her pocket. It had her number behind it, the card said she was a blogger.

"You're a journalist?" Huda began to shake her head in fear of being misunderstood. "I didn't come to fish for information about Beebah. I'm truly worried about her. I live upstairs with my husband. Please, call me anytime."

Labeebah's aunt watched her for a few seconds before putting the card in her bag. It would be useful someday. She was sure of that.

*****

Who else thinks there's much more to Abdul than meets the eye?

What are your theories? Ehn? Please tell me.😭😌😂

Anyways, see you after our break. Love you guys very much.

TheOmoope 💙💛