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Cardi B- Be careful

"Let's get this photoshoot out of the way first."

I shook my head and walked back to the arranged set to sit in a swing, while dressed in a black, long sleeved turtle neck top, a cream rain pleated skirt, heels and a full turban, my second outfit. The first was a mustard sleeveless suit that I wore a long sleeve white turtle necked top with white heels.

The photographer calling my attention took me out of the reverie I was in.

Bashir Bakura wants to meet me? I need a break first to think.

"Smile please." I automatically widened my lips into a beautiful spread. She gave me a thumbs up and snapped away. Huda went to the stereo in the corner and fiddled with it, Brown skin girl by Beyoncé flowed out of the speakers prompting me into a smile, my skin is one of those things I'm grateful to Allah for the most, beautiful, dark as chocolate, supple skin.

I blushed, letting an even wider smile frame my face as I heard Beyoncé croon on and on about how beautiful my skin is and how powerful I am. I stepped off the swing and in a feeling moment, I twirled with my still wide smike, Showing off my pop socks and sparkly heels that encased my feet.

"That was perfect! Perfect!" I bowed slowly at the praise. My body is a miracle, here I am, bowing, happy, dancing, and taking photos. When just over a month ago I just left the wheelchair and began using the crutches.

Jibike put so much effort into helping me walk again before I found out my father sent her. Calling him father seems far fetched, like something I cannot seem to grasp, I refused to call Kawu my father because I thought I'd lost my father to the plane crash with my mom. Turns out, I still have a father and I really do not know what to do with myself.

I haven't fully grasped that he birthed me together with my mum and he wants to see me? I don't know about it. It's a little too early, I mean I scoured the internet for all the news I could get on him. I flicked- more like stalked- through his children's social media accounts and saw how close he is with his wife and family, I don't want to break that balance.

At all. I do not want to be the other woman, or daughter, in my case.

"Madam, you've gone again." I raised a brow at Huda who was scowling at me in mock anger. I smile disarmingly at her, making her huff away to her place behind the photographer. I face the camera again and make a face, with my left arm raised and my right arm hugging my torso. I've zoned out so many times these days so when Huda stalks to me, I dont falter, I deserve it.

"Stop zoning away. Stay here so we can take full advantage of the daylight and we can leave early!" I bit my lower lip and exhale. I nod and she moves away from me.

"By the way, Kaka and Aunty Hanna are awaiting at home, the quicker you finish, the faster we can leave." I laughingly nodded and turned to the photographer again. I'm here now.

*****

"He's reasonable man."

I sighed and burrowed further into Ma's arms. She put her arms around me more, making me smile. She knows I want comfort.

"I know you think you need to give him space, but think of how he's feeling, knowing he has a child somewhere and cannot reach her because she's worried he might hurt her. He has assured me, he won't outstay his welcome, he just needs to see your face." I shut my eyes in my place in Ma's arms. Kaka's approval means a lot to me, since in past few months I've heard stories of how she raised her children when my maternal grandfather died and left her about six hundred million naira in debt.

She got money from the bank, opened a huge textile store here in Lagos, befriended people in the corridors of power and bought an oil block and the rest they say is history. She paid the debt, bought back the houses she had sold off to pay the interest and now my uncles manage the oil and gas firm she owns. She's no little woman.

"I'll see him." I say. She gasps.

"For one hour only." She nods excitedly and picks up her phone with shaky hands, Huda steps up to hand it to her. She flicks through it with a dexterity that bellies her old age and abundant white hair and when the other end picks, she smiles widely.

I tune out the conversation, worried. Bashir Bakura already has a daughter I see from pictures he loves a lot. I don't want to be third wheel. I do not put my emotions through a wringer like I did with Abdul again, I do not want to ever give anyone that sort of power over me and my emotions again. Never again.

I've wondered over the past few days if I should change my name to Bakura or just let it be. I thought of it, I was raised as Sheriff, I am known as Sheriff, would changing mean leaving behind all that I've known to a new dimension, a new phase in my life that I've never stepped into.

It's hard. Considering that being Labeebah Sheriff is all I've known. Just being Labeebah Sheriff.

"He says he'll come on Thursday. He has an opening at twelve. Is that fine by you dear?" I nod with a smile. I see where my mom and Ma got their love endearments from. My mom used to call me all sorts of endearment in Hausa, Yoruba, English. She praised me without sparing, never holding back one encouragement.

Ma always says maybe that's the reason I'm always so confident in front of the cameras. I do not know, I just know I was conditioned to accept the best version of myself and Abdul broke that part of me. He chipped at it with several insults and soul drenching jabs that I no longer see that confident woman from so long ago.

*****

"At the wedding anniversary dinner of President Iyiola Oladele and the First lady, Chiebere Ezeigbo, the vice president attended solo. He was said to have stayed long enough to congratulate the couple and left almost immediately.

The fifty year old was dressed in a regal white babban Riga, embroidered with silver grey threads -picture attached below- and a black damask cap styled Yoruba-ly, he looked in short, like everyone's sugar daddy specifications.

Sources say the father of three has been changing several staff in his home and office, even his ADC was moved to do another duty, bringing to forefront rumours of his split from his wife Yaana Bakura and their twenty two year old marriage.

Our sources go on to say they have moved out of each other's rooms and now staying in separate houses after a disagreement.

Unlike before, the Nigeria's second man has not set out to dispel or quell rumours like he's used to. Nothing has come from his official pages either.

Is it safe to say that all is not well with the second family? Or are we unduly worried?"

Huda hissed and turned off her phone, turning to look at me. I shrugged. I didn't know what to say either, she had just read out the article to me and I do not know what to say.

"Do these people think it's easy to be so in the spotlight? Even Uncle Abba and Uncle Muhammad have it hard." I shake my head, knowing Huda is referring to my uncles who run the family's oil and gas company, DB oil and gas. 

"They have no idea, they judge people based on their own standards, they have no idea what these supposed rich and famous have to go through to get what they have. It's just so annoying." She rolled her eyes and threw up her hands.

"I'm not even angry if your dad and Yaana divorced or something, I just hate how they're stalking the poor man, as if having all these wahala isn't enough, they just have to come and pile theirs, this one," she pointed at her phone, referring to the faceless blogger who spoke of it. "seems to have people in his house who watch and give them information, because how can they know all these things?"

I didn't answer because all that is on my mind are thoughts of how much impact I would have if I really changed my name.

A/N

Heyoo guys, welcome to chapter thirty nine, I'm very excited 🙈 because we're so close to twenty five thousand reads. So, thank you all. God bless you.

Who else is holding a cane over Labeebah's head alongside me. 🙄That girl is so indecisive, ah.

See y'all as soon as I can finish editing chapter forty. God bless you all abundantly for me.

TheOmoope 💙💛💛

PS, I'm leaving a little gift for y'all in my new story When Stars Collide. Check my profile to access the book and the gift.