Adeelah's family was in shambles once again. Abba was missing! They had been calling him and the number was switched off. They had all seen when he drove out of the house and then suddenly they couldn't reach him.

When they called Adeelah to inform her, she had just finished praying Isha. As soon as she drop the phone, Muhammad came in, only to find her crying with all her strength. He had stood first, afraid of what she would tell him.

Did someone die?

He couldn't say. So, when he managed to tap Adeelah's shoulder, she collapsed into his body. As much as he didn't want to hold her, he held her and began to make soothing patterns on her back. He didn't even know what to tell her that would calm her down.

"Abba is missing."  She repeated the word that had became a mantra in the family in just few hours. His body went cold. He wondered how she must be feeling. So he hugged her tighter than ever.

"He will soon be found in sha Allah. Have you eaten?" He asked not demanding an answer. He gently moved with her head still against his body to the cushion. He allowed her sit before he went to the kitchen to bring plates.

He dished out the food he came in with. It was chips and liver sauce with yoghurt. He stood to get a tissue to clear her tears.

Muhammad felt deep pity for Adeelah. "He's safe in sha Allah. Just eat something okay?"

He forked the chips and shoved it towards her mouth. She reluctantly took it and let it unchewed in her mouth. Muhammad noticed such so he sighed.

"Please don't worry, swallow it okay? Or do you want me to sing for you?" He asked, his eyes glistening with something Adeelah had never seen. Perhaps joy?

She pinned her gaze to him. This man was so transparent yet opaque. Sometimes she felt like he's allowing her in, sometimes she felt him inching back.

"Singing?" She asked.

"Yes when my little brother didn't want to eat food i used to sing like..." then he paused. He can't believe he just said that out. How could he now tell her that he married her for that his little brother whom he wasn't even sure of? Adeelah would take him as a mad person then. What if El-Mustapha turned out not to be his brother? What would he do? Would marrying Adeelah be a vain act? He prayed ElMustapha was his biological brother.

He prayed his Mustafha would soon be back to him. And he prayed that his mother was alive too. Since the woman whom he thought was his mother turned out to be someone else. He prayed ElMustapha knew about their mother's whereabouts. His research had shown that the probability that she's alive was higher than her death in a fire accident.

Adeelah was left in suspense. She didn't know when she pouted her lips.

"Please nowww." The way she said it, affected him in a very bizarre way. He didn't like it at all. Those boundaries he set were threatening to disappear. He couldn't wait to travel so he didn't have to bear with all those.

Adeelah looked at him, so he smiled.

"Who's that little bunny? Who's that little bunny? Noah catch that little bunny! Noah take him away if he doesn't eat..." he continued to sing.

Adeelah didn't know when she laughed. "Childish enough. Who's Noah?" She asked.

He smiled, the picture of his parrot displaying in his mind.

"It's my parrot. I cried for days when it died." He sadly told her. That's why he didn't keep another pet. He's scared of how close it would get to his heart. Not even pet, he's scared of keeping people too. The people in his life didn't last long with him.

"What's your brother's name and where's he now?"

He answered the first question and left the other hanging . "Adeel."

Adeelah's mouth flung open. "Adeel?"

But the Adeel she saw was alone! And he was covering his face! Was he hiding! She knew this wasn't a coincidence! Oh goodness. That's quite more interesting. She's ready for this game of discovery!

*****

Salisu.

I had met Muhammad. And i told him my condition which he gladly followed. It would eventually unfold, needless to say. I sat down alone, Goggo was gone to her hometown in Niger Republic. I had finally set her to go back and never come back and i would be visiting her weekly. We had grown really close that i still miss her. I cried on the day she left.

Now as i sat in my disguise face, in case someone would barge into the house, i began to think of what my next move would be. I would just refurbish this house and gift it to our neighbor. But that would be suspicious, so i discarded the idea. Maybe i should just leave it for now.

Well, i would be moving back to Muhammad's house.

Oh i forgot to give you the gist. I guess you could recall that Muhammad took my hair and blood sample at Abuja. You see my disguise was looking much thin and  real that he had to get my blood. Well, he sent for a DNA test because he was thinking that i would turn out to be his brother who was missing. We were both missing anyway.

The result showed we were related but it didn't show i was his brother, it just showed relation that's why Muhammad couldn't let me live life simply. Wondering why? I planned ahead and the samples were replaced with Uthman's hair and blood.

So Muhammad knew i was related to him that's why he was musing to himself that my real name wasn't Salisu.

He's also badly in search of ElMustapha so much that he had to send his friends to Adeelah's friend's wedding. That day that El-Mustapha refused to shake my hand. I almost laughed out.

Muhammad wanted to test if ElMustapha was his brother because of his own researches. He found out the name of a little boy ElMustapha in the research of things that occurred during and after the death of the late president of Nigenia who died as a result of assassination and two years later his house with his family therein, burnt to ashes.

Alot of the times, while i met ElMustapha i was always almost choking with laughter. You would soon know why in a matter of seconds.

Okay, i needed to be clear enough. So yeah, there you have it. Adeelah, my wife was married to my blood brother. My elder brother, Muhammad.

As much as Muhammad thought he's wise, i was wiser. I knew he's my brother but he didn't know. Sometimes i felt like hugging him whenever I sight him due to the happiness that comes with seeing your blood but i had to act like a stranger. I knew he wanted me in his home so he could assign someone maybe Adeelah to monitor me closely.

He would fail at it, i was sure. I had been misleading him silently. He found a woman whom he thought was our mother and he had been taking care of her. He didn't know that our mother was supposedly dead.

Well, yeah. I knew she didn't die, she's hiding and studying me closely. But I didn't know of her whereabouts. That's the only assignment left for me to do. Our mother would be killed if she revealed herself. We would also be killed if we show we knew the truth about our lives.

Sometimes i want to talk to Muhammad so i would warn him to be careful but I didn't want to reveal my identity to him yet.

He had a question mark on me and was thoroughly looking for El-Mustapha.

He could however never see ElMustapha. The power of Muhammad meeting ElMustapha was in my hands, fisted and never going to be opened.

I have sent ElMustapha to coma. Yeah, ElMustapha could only walk on his feet when i wish so. How? You would eventually get it. Life was all about patience you know? If I wasn't patient enough, I wouldn't be where i am now.

I decided to forget about all this and focus on the root of the story of Adeelah and I.

I remember when i told Adeelah's mum my name was Adeel. I didn't lie, it was my nickname, my mother used to call me with that name sometimes. When Adeelah's mother told me Adeelah's name, i was so happy. That same night, i went to the Ka'abah and prayed.

I went to Umrah alone. You see that's how my life had been. One minute lonely, the next crowded. I was wearing a mask because at that time I didn't want anyone to spot me by accident. It was just a question from little Adeelah but it inspired me in a way. I just thought that alot of people would be wondering why i was covering my face so after i went back to my room, i began to think of how to change my way of hiding , in case you're wondering, i was sixteen at that time.

After my Umrah, i met Uthman whom i shared my idea with. On my eighteenth birthday, i got my first phone and that's when i and Uthman found about what a disguise was. With alot of boyish research and risk taking, we managed to fly out till we met someone who made leathered faces. I sat with him for while till he taught me all about it. We purchased all the items needed, you see money wasn't the problem at all.

The first project i did was to sketch a Salisu. I chose the name Salisu because i was born on a Tuesday. And i made a face for him. The man commended my effort and corrected me where needed.

Like i told you I don't have parents or i have? Anyone. I followed Uthman to his mother's hometown first. You see, she was related to my mother. So, she told me stuff i needed to know.

And in Uthman's apartment at London, we established the disguise making room. The next thing i did was, to make my real face. I researched further on how to make the disguise more comfortable and stuff. I kept upgrading it till it looked like a real face and that was the beginning of it all.

Uthman wore my face alot of the times while i was needed. The first time someone called him with my name, i knew i had nailed it. So, Uthman became the second me.

And i flew back to Nigeria while he kept acting like me. Sometimes i would ask him to travel so he could rest, sometimes he would meet me in Nigeria. It was a really tricky stuff. It's hard for him to play being me.

Sometimes he had to act arrogant. Sometimes soft just the way i am. Sometimes he pulled mistakes but people hardly ever notice.

Either way, Uthman lead a bad lifestyle but this way i had him busy with my business and family. He put a share in my industries so all was fine. When he needed, he would bid bye to my family and then move out then visit my family as Uthman. This carried on for more than ten years. It's hardship. Lying is a hard task.

But one funny thing was, all these while, Adeelah had met me as Salisu and had met Uthman too.

Uthman was none other but me in disguise.

And I was none other but the mighty El-Mustapha Kabo.

And what again? Baffa Kabo was the one who sent thugs to assassinate the late president and took his son out of the fire for some reasons which you would eventually know.

And that son, was me.

Adeel El-Mustapha Salisu.

Whichever name you knew me with, was right.

*****

Okaaaaaayyyyyyyy the book has reached it's climax! We have been waiting for this, right? So what do you think is next? Guess guess?😅

I will updare when we reach a certain number of votes and comments 😁 or perhaps when the book reaches 40k views?