"El-mustapha Kabo is going to be at a wedding, Meena event centre. Five pm dot."

"Monitor all his moves."

"No one should approach him with any talk. He must not see you."

A tall man in suite talked in bits to all the men around him. He was brawny, collected and calm. His hair was kept neat, shiny and silk. His skin looked well cared of. His accent was mixed. Not precise.

This case had been dangling in the air for so many years. The reason for the assassination of the former president of Niigeria hadn't been disclosed and swept under the carpets. He believed the case was closed by the people above. Whenever a security officer began investigation, the next month it would be heard that he discarded the case. The last time it was brought up was some years ago. A couple of presidents had ruled in those years. But the president died thirty years ago.

"Yes sir!" They chorused at once. While they turned to leave, he smiled.

"Dress like expensive wedding guests. Classy groomsmen." They all answered and left to work. He was a secret security officer and he wanted to do this out of his work. Yes, He was working with the government. He felt he was riskkng his life. Reason was, when he started working on the case five years ago, he was warned. He dropped it and a year after he brought it up. He was threatened. That happening, he worked with the government for four years without bringing the case up. And last year he resigned.

Just to focus on the case. It was for his own benefit. The president was his father. And no one knew that.

When everyone left, he sighed and mumbled a prayer before he exited the office.

Some families shall be in shambles very soon.

*****

Salisu's heart constricted in his chest and slammed when he stepped his feet into his mother's house and found her gasping on the mat.

"Goggo!" He called out loud before he rushed to her aid. In no time she was on his arm and he has put her in his car. No, Adeelah's car. He began driving fast to the nearest hospital praying she won't pass out. She was am athematic patient and she didn't like taking her medications. Just in the morning when he visited her, he met her breathing hard and when he inquired about her inhaler she said she threw it in the dustbin and it's of no use to her.

Now as she was gasping, Salisu knew she had already regret doing so.

"Salisu," she managed to call.

"Goggo you will be fine. Just two minutes we will be at the hospital." He glanced at her on the other seat and sped to the hospital. He could imagine people insulting him for being a rough driver. It didn't matter. His mother was dying.

Twenty minutes after, she was standing and walking on her feet to the car.

"Goggo please keep this inhaler just this once. Please." He sought and began driving.

Goggo smiled, her brown skin was still gleaming in youthfulness, she would have been mistaken for a young woman because of how lean she was. When Salisu asked hee whether she's Fulani, she only smiled and didn't answer him. That lingered for few days in his mind before he let go.

"Salisu drive slowly. I'm not ready to die now." She beat his arm as he drove.

Salisu smiled. "Goggo you've enjoyed life enough. Let's go." He tapped on the brake, jerking the car on purpose.

"Stop this rough play Salisu. I warn you."

"Sorry old woman." He answered.

"Where's your wife? I can't wait to see my daughter. When are you bringing her here?"

"Goggo she will come to see you tomorrow in sha Allah. But..." He raised his index finger in the air. Goggo looked at him narrowly.

"You must not talk a lot lest you will say something..." He then paused and monitored her expression.

"I'm not saying anything. I don't even tell you anything."

"Yes don't say something about my childhood to her. She will laugh at me." Goggo threw her head back and laughed dryly.

"Deal. I won't tell her the real name your father named you. You're just Salisu." Salisu smiled.

"But the brakes of the car have heard you Goggo. Secret?"

"Yeah." He fisted his hand and she did with hers before they hit each other's. When they laughed and remained silent, Goggo turned her head to the window and wiped a mist around the corner of her eyes.

She wished some day she would tell him the truth about his existence.

*****

Adeelah had never danced in her life. Seeing Fatimah happy and cheerful pushed her to dancing to the loud music coming from the big speakers that stood by the side of the hall. The groomsmen's eyes were mostly on her. Seeing some camera's made her alerted. She heaved a sigh and stopped dancing.

She's married.

Lord, how much she hated that reality. It's putting a lot of halts to her activities. When she remembered who the husband was, she felt more sad.

She sighed and sat beside Fatimah.

"El-mustapha isn't here yet huh?" Adeelah smiled when Fatimah whispered that to her.

"He is not here Fatimah. Let me check my phone and see if he has dropped a message. I will be back." Fatimah nodded. Adeelah adjusted her veil on her head and went out. The atmosphere outside the hall was chilly with cool breeze brushing her skin. She turned around and saw many cars on with their headlights turned on. Most of the cars had a man and a woman in it, chatting away. She removed her phone from her purse and checked whether she had a notification.

"Adeelah!" She heard someone call her from a distance. When she turned around and didn't see anyone, she assumed that she was hallucinating. She had unlocked her phone and was checking it when she heard Salisu's voice calling out Dillaliya. She turned around and there wasn't a glimpse of him. She shifted from the spot she was standing. Maybe she was in some unseen being's territory and maybe they're playing pranks on her. Adeelah shook her head with a smile. She had to be realistic.

Seeing no El-mustapha's call made her sad. If he knew he wasn't coming, he should've told her.

She was about getting in when she saw someone leaning by a car. His hair was neat and well kept. It was also wavy as the air blew. His height was moderate. She didn't see his face but she felt like he's the one calling her. What if he wasn't human? Adeelah shook her head and again and proceeded inside.

"Adeelah drama girl. It's real. Oh I mean Salisu's Dillaliya." The man muttered before he walked away.

It wasn't only Adeelah that was waiting for El-mustapha's arrival. Those men were also eagerly waiting for him at the entrance. They were as well resisting the urge to toast some beautiful ladies around them. They knew their boss might be around them even though he didn't tell them he was coming.

"Do you think he will come?" One of them asked the other.

"Al'amin, you know Sir will never play. He only talk about what he's sure of." The other man answered as he let his eyes wander around in search.

Al'amin smiled and nodded in agreement. "I wonder when this case will end. He starts and discards. I hope this time around he will be consistent." He sighed at the end. They were all tired. Thank goodness it was a secret operation. The man that assigned them to the work was above them when he was in the office. They were now helping him as friends.

"He has Justice Hafeez Sani as his Judge. You know how serious and hot tempered the judge is. He wouldn't let him back off this time around."

"I know better. Justice Hafeez Sani is my brother in-law. Halimah's husband. Although she's my cousin." The duo then shrugged while the third of them remained silent as if he will be hurt once he talk.

*****

"I am sorry for coming late. I was so busy." El-mustapha apologized when Adeelah walked out to meet him outside. He's enshrouded in a brown kaftan with a matching cap as if he was the groom himself.

"Apology not accepted. What happened to giving me a call and telling me your excuse? Anyway you can go back because you already ruined my mood. I don't want to see you." She fluttered her eyes in anger.

"He's easygoing." Al'ameen told his colleague.

"Dillaliya that's too harsh. Especially to someone like him." Salisu appeared. Adeelah blinked twice. She though she warned him. What was he doing here? Adeelah's anger simmered a bit.

"Please who-"

"I am Salisu, her..." Adeelah quickly quit him by stepping forward.

"He is my chauffeur." She finished begging Salisu with her eyes. Their eyes met and he blinked. Without a word, he understood what she meant by that.

"Oh nice." El-mustapha remarked.

"Don't you shake hands with drivers? Do you think you can't do that?" Salisu asked him while extending his hand.

"Not at all. I..." He stopped, his hand still at his back. Salisu felt embarrassed and withdrew his hand. He glanced at Adeelah and she looked at him with a look he couldn't fathom.

"He is not down to earth as he seems to be, maybe?" Al'ameen said and jotted it down. Neither Adeelah nor El-mustapha noticed them as they stood few inches away from them. They just acted like they were waiting for someone and were chatting on their phones.

"Dillaliya round up. It's night already. Goodnight El-mustapha Kabo." Salisu left. Adeelah could sense something was wrong with him. She didn't know how it happened but she looked forward to seeing her in the car with him. When she talked briefly with El-mustapha and he announced that he was about to leave, she looked at him.

"Try again next time. You've failed at the first chance. Maybe a second chance? Learn to respect people of all class, okay? He is my chauffeur and deserves your respect." With that, she left. She spotted the car and increased her pace to it. She would call Fatimah and explain to her, why she had to leave abruptly.

"I didn't see Ameer." Salisu said.

"Stop pretending. You're not well. Anything? Not like I care to listen. Just asking and the choice is yours whether to say it or not."

Salisu didn't move an inch. His lips didn't quiver. He hated being embarrassed.

"Salisu?"

"Goggo wasn't well." He spit that out, perhaps Adeelah wouldn't ask him further about anything regarding his mood.

Adeelah noticed the way his demeanor changed whenever he talked of his mother. He must be really close to her and from all points he loved her a lot.

"After that, you're disturbed with what El-mustapha did. I'm sorry about her sickness. May Allah grant her shifaa anyway."

"Ameen. Go and tell Fatimah that you're leaving." And she did.

The drive was unusually silent. She didn't enjoy his silence at any cost. She was used to hearing him blabbing Dillaliya up and down. When they reached home and he didn't say a word, Adeelah looked at him. No, she stared at him, beyong his eyes. As if she's trying to figure out what he's feeling in his heart. His soul was away, the vibrance and brightness of his face had vanished.

She felt guilty.

"Salisu..." He looked at her.

"Goodnight." Adeelah croaked after the silence.

"Goodnight Adeelah." He answered without emotions. Her hand was on the handle of the car but hearing Salisu say her name just like that made her numb. She released the handle.

"It's getting late." Salisu remarked and walked out of the car leaving Adeelah inside. When she cane out, she had tried calling after him but the words stuck in her throat.

Ya Allah. Salisu was messing up with her head.