"Mum, the situation is still the same." That was all he could say as his mother came to meet him at the door.
She had waited all night for him, praying, hoping for the best. But once again, her hopes have been dashed.
She had waited all night for him, praying, hoping for the best. But once again, her hopes have been dashed.
She said nothing, there was nothing left to be said. They each went to their respective rooms in silence.
"Good morning, Mr. Usman. Madam says I should tell you breakfast is
ready." Tonia knocks on Usman's door, but there was no response.
"Mr. Usman, can you hear me? Are you awake? Will you be joining Madam?
What do you want me to tell her?" She went on asking him, but there was
no response still.
Tonia is a bit worried, it's unlike Usman not to respond to knocks on his door, especially if it had to do with his mother.
"Ma, I knocked and knocked but he didn't answer."
"What do you mean, he didn't answer. He should be in his room now. Ki zo mutefi, let's go there."
They both go to his room and knocked and shouted for not less than five minutes. Still no response.
The door was locked.
"Go and check if his car is still in the compound, check if his driver
is around, and ask the security guard if he has seen him this morning.
He may have gone out for a late morning jog."
"OK ma." Tonia responds as she runs to do as she was told.
Usman was nowhere to be found. They looked everywhere, no trace of him.
The security guard told them no one had exited the gate that morning,
either with a car or on foot.
The searched and searched until someone thought of something.
"Are you sure he is not inside his room, God forbid if something
happened to him, he may not be able to hear us or respond to the knocks.
I think we should force the door open." Ahmed, the security guard
suggested.
At first, Mrs. Danladi rejected the suggestion, but when it seemed there was no better suggestion, she gave in.
"Ok, do what you must but with decorum. I know you people have no finesse. Don't destroy anything while at it." She snapped.
The male members of staff found weapons they could use, while someone
was sent to get a carpenter in case they couldn't break down the door.
Mrs. Danladi was in tears.
She started calling her other children.
She didn't know what to expect, So those were the only people she trusted enough to call.
"This cannot be happening to me. How can a forty year old man go
missing. Subuanallahi. May Allah have mercy on me. I seek refuge in
Allah."
The poor woman was already in tears. She sat on the tiled floor,
beating her laps and putting her hands on her head intermittently.
"Madam please take it easy, let's not assume the worst. Stop crying
ma." Tonia tried to console her. She even brought her a cup of water
which she vehemently refused.
After what seemed like eternity, which was only twenty minutes, the door gave way.
Everyone rushed into the room, Mrs. Danladi jumped to her feet and told them to draw back.
"Stop right there, let me see what's happening first. Have you no
respect? How can you barge into my son's room like that." She had
imagined the worst.
"What if Usman had committed suicide?" she thought.
She wasn't going to give the domestic staff the satisfaction of seeing
her son in such a vulnerable state and peddle rumours about him.
She walks in briskly, but Usman is no where in sight.
She goes into the bathroom, and there he was, lying on the floor.
He was not moving.
He looked lifeless.
What could have happened?
Mrs. Danladi wanted to scream, but all that came out was her whimpering.
The tears were flowing now.
"Madam, hope all is well, can we come in?"
#fiction
#girlchild
#girlchild
All rights reserved
Written By Tolulope Fakayode-Faniran
No comments: