Misfortunate (Completed)

Chapter Five: Breaking bank accounts and promises

Fun fact; I downloaded the whole Beyonce's Lemonade Album and some other of her older songs to write this book. I may at anytime, put up songs or stuff like that. 🤗😘😘😘

6:50 pm,

The Lamido house, Life Camp, Abuja.

I responded to greetings as I shut the door of the Uber I ordered and watched it drive out of the gates that Baba Sarah opened. I waited to greet the gateman who i knew was itching to talk to me.

He quickly shut the gate and ran to me. "Oga soldier." He greeted, mimicking the attention stance my battalion soldiers gave when they saw me. I just nodded and waited for him to stop trembling enough to speak.

"My daughter had the baby yesterday. She is still at the hospital because there is no money to use for discharge." He said in Hausa, tear clouded his eyes and I sighed. His daughter had been raped by some boys in their area who thought she was playing hard to get, I personally reported to the assistant inspector general who sent the police there to get all three boys arrested.

I tapped Baba Sarah's back as I turned back to go in, "Send me your account number, or give it to Layla, I'll send you something for the baby. It's going to be fine." He nods and thanks me profusely as I walk the length of the unnecessarily long driveway into the house.

When I cross the threshold into the house, the sound of Hausa music and Layla shrieking assails me from where I'm standing. I walk to her unassuming self and rap a knock on her head.

"Why are you screaming like a child. You're fifteen! Behave your age!" She smiles at me and instead of the frown i expected, she flies up from the chair and jumps into my arms.

"Ya Sa'ad!" I shake my head and set her down on her feet, she adjusts her scarf as she walks back to her seat right in front of the television. It's very rare for Layla to be found in front of the television, she's either reading or talking to her friends. I sink into the chair next to her.

"What is making you so excited?" She laughs and points at the television where the opening song of Dadin Kowa is playing. I sit next to her and ask her how school is while the anchor is doing an introduction.

"School is fine, its just IELTS is so hard to read for, you know?" I nod. Knowing Baba, he forced even me to read for GCSE and all the international tests even when I was going to a military school in Russia.

"I understand, if you have any problems, you know I'm open to reply questions." She smiles and points at the television again. "That's whom I came to watch, she's an actress, Labeebah Sheriff. Isnt she beautiful?" I blink at the television over, careful not to show my interest.

"How popular is she?" She goggles at me, trust my sister to overdo. "Very popular, although she 'blew' last year." She quotes the blew. I laugh casually.

"I met your actress the four days ago, the soldiers in a battalion in Kano held she and her driver at her checkpoint. So I stepped in and helped when I saw her looking pitiful. No one was the wiser." I rub my face as I speak so I don't see my sister's eyes widen and then she jumps up and down.

"You met her? Like Labeebah Sheriff? Oh my Allah!" She covers her face with her scarf and screams loud. "That was how Fateema's sister saw her and did not tell anyone until Labeebah reposted her photo." She swallows and comes to my side, taking my hand lying limp on the chair. I eye her and she takes her hand off.

"What was she like?" I laugh again, surprised at my sister's reaction. "Well, she was calm, calmer than I gave her credit for. I thought, although I didn't know she was an actress, that she was mild enough, knowing the officers were being insulting. She was okay." My sister gasps.