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"Tahir, please leave me." 

Tahir screeched, because the sound he made could not be classified as laughter. He confidently sat at the chair in front of AbdulRahman and it irked him very much because he was expecting guests. 

"I have guests coming over. You have to leave in," He raised his Richard Mille clad wrist to look at the time, "Ten minutes max. I have no time to review what we're meeting on." 

"Go on, show off your watch." Tahir waved on AbdulRahman sarcastically, AbdulRahman facepalmed, trying very much not to laugh out loud. If he laughed, he knew, Tahir would not leave any longer. 

"What is it I did to deserve you dragging me out, one hour after I resume work? Wait don't you have work to do?" Tahir shook his head and  walked to the coffee maker in the corner. Turning to AbdulRahman, he pointed at him with another shake of his head. 

"It's true you don't want me to get married." AbdulRahman's jaw dropped in surprise. He could dare say that he wished Tahir's marriage more than anything, if nothing but for the fact that he wanted Tahir to disturb someone else. 

"Where are you taking me?" AbdulRahman finally asked with an exasperated sigh. Tahir nodded his head as though he'd finally won and made some coffee, mixed in cream liberally and brought the mug to the table before speaking. 

"I'm going to see the construction company in charge of my house. They said they have the floor plan to show me today." AbdulRahman struggled to keep his anger in check, he wanted to speak but if he did, he would hurt his friend so he forced himself to read a full page of contract, calmed himself before asking, "But, we could have gone tomorrow?" He asked Tahir. 

Tahir took a sip of his coffee before responding as honestly as possible, "All the excitement would have fizzled out by then. That's why I want to go today." Just as he finished speaking, the intercom sitting in front of AbdulRahman rang. 

"Yes?" He answered, pressing the speaker button in hopes of telling Tahir off with his guests. 

"Mr Babagana and his team will not be arriving at ten anymore. They say an emergency has occurred in Yola and they might take the whole day to work on it.  So, they're not going to be here anymore." His secretary informed him in a regretful tone and asked if he wanted to see people from the Health and Safety team. 

"Eh! He'll see them on Monday morning. Please, please your oga is done for the rest of the day." Tahir jumped in, leaning over to shout into the intercom. AbdulRahman let him, leaning back into his plush leather seat to watch Tahir. 

"Sir?" His secretary asked with an unsure tone. He waved his hand and remembering that he couldn't be seen, he agreed grudgingly. 

Tahir immediately drained his coffee and covered the book AbdulRahman was trying to read. "Let's go. My meeting is by ten am." 

He began to hustle AbdulRahman out of his seat. A thought occured to him and he sat down back, wagging his index finger in Tahir's direction, he warned him gravely. "This thing you tried today, let it be the last time. If you're dragging me to somewhere, let me know in advance." Other people would maybe be shameful or apologize, not Tahir. Because he raised his facial muscles into a sneering smirk and asked sarcastically;

"Who was the one who called me to go hiking the other day without rhyme or reason?" AbdulRahman wanted to scream. He'd forgotten about that incident totally, he should have known Tahir would not rest until he paid back in full.

"Let's go." They finally left AbdulRahman's office, Tahir stopped at the cubicle that housed the CEO staff and greeted them all smiles. AbdulRahman rolled his eyes and went to the elevator, pressed for ground floor and waited for the doors to close before Tahir came running in. 

"What's wrong with you? It's Friday.  Smile, It's Sunnah." AbdulRahman looked down at his Zara sandaled feet and wondered for about the hundredth time, how he came to be friends with Tahir. 

***

*

"Welcome. Come on in," Azeem Adepoju welcomed them into his office, they'd gone through so many protocols to get in, washing their hands, getting their temperature checked in a cubicle, using hand sanitizer and exchanging their disposable masks for new ones. 

Immediately they got into the office, Tahir took off his mask and made a show of breathing. "Innalilahi. This Coronavirus is showing me pepper oo, because I can't even breathe well." AbdulRahman rolled his eyes with a smile as he lowered his mask to his jaw.

"Please seat here." Azeem ushered them to a square table arrangement, with four plush sofas away from the official setting. They sat and watched as Azeem used a remote to turn on the table in front of them, showing the architecture plan of the house. 

"Is this my house? Ma Sha Allah, so beautiful." Azeem nodded and answered all the questions that Tahir had about the house. They watched the prototype show for a while more before AbdulRahman who had not spoken ever since asked a question, "Why are these cabinets so low?" He pointed in the direction of the kitchen cabinets in ornate marble. 

"Well, first off, I noticed that in all the houses I've built, the cabinets are always hight up and women who use the kitchen more often in most cases have to stretch and waste more time trying to reach what they need. My sister drew my attention to it and I had the architect adjust that area." AbdulRahman nodded very slowly, his mind going to all the times he helped Nai'mah pick mugs or beverage from those high cabinets. 

"Your sister is the one who jogs with us each morning, no?" Azeem Nodded in affirmative agreement. 

"She's Amina." AbdulRahman narrowed his eyes and tried to recall the name he'd heard Azeem and Munayah call her several times. 

"Isn't she oni- something?" AbdulRahman  laughed unsurely, feeling like he had overstepped and stopped speaking. 

"Oh, we call her Onikede." Azeem unpretentiously answered and the conversation moved on to other things. But, one thing was underestimated, the power of Tahir's ears. 

"Did I hear you in that office have an interest in someone?" AbdulRahman turned to his friend with an incredulous look on his dark skinned shining handsome face. 

"What do you mean? Don't start your nonsense Tahir." Tahir, never to be told off, swallowed the sinasir on his fork and took a sip of water. 

"Amina or what did they call her name?" AbdulRahman fought the urge to punch his friend's face. 

"What does that have to do with me?" Tahir rolled his eyes as though he didn't hear the terse tone AbdulRahman answered with. 

"You don't notice women. But you noticed this one. So, tell me about her." AbdulRahman pursed his lips, choosing instead to take from his food and chew it slowly. 

"I've only spoken to her once in my life. That's all." Tahir's brows rose in question but he surpressed it, only taking up his fork again to continue eating. 

****************†

"Assalamualaikum." He greeted, he watched as she held herself from jumping because he practically sneaked up on her. 

"Walaikum Salam Wabarakatull. Good morning sir." She greeted in response after getting back her breath. 

"I'm sorry I sneaked up on you, I was trained to walk lightly, and I'm not Sir. My name is AbdulRahman Barkindo. You can call me AB." She stared past him to the car waiting at the foot of the hill, two people were in it. And behind the car, the rest of their party jogged to the hill's summit. 

Everyone else reached them in no time and they passed around bottles of water as usual. She didn't uncap her bottle but stopped and stared at the sunlight that was slowly peeking through the clouds. 

She felt the prick of tears and quickly uncapped the bottle she'd kept aside to mask it. Wiping the stubborn tears that had managed to fall and drank some water. 

In her heart, she prayed that As-Samad, the one who is Lord, who possesses and disposes of all affairs one who created things the way He desired them would create a new chapter in her life. She wanted more than anything to put Kassim's betrayal behind her and move on with her life. 

"I hear you teach?" AbdulRahman rolled around again. He'd noticed she was a little standoffish in her response earlier and while they jogged back to Sun Valley estate. He made sure to jog beside her. 

"Yes. Preschool and early basic years. I have a degree in early child education." She answered with a pant, she had stopped to respond to him. 

"What is it like?" He asked, genuinely wanting to know. The others had paired up among themselves, Munayah and Azeem, Adnan and Zulaiha, they were left to their own devices at the back. 

"Very interesting. The fact that I'm moulding the early life of several children at the same time makes me take my job very seriously and while at it, I have to make it as fun as possible for them." He nodded very slowly, as though he was holding in all the information. 

"I suppose your job is harder now that you have to do it via video conferencing?" He asked her again. She stopped and wondered if it was harder. She was used to hard work so she had no idea of it was really hard. And AbdulKareem's death had forced her to put all her thoughts on work and nothing else, leaving the rest of her time for family. 

"I don't think so. I don't feel it's harder. I just need to think up more ways to keep the children busy and excited." He nodded again and began jogging, his black track joggers flashing in the morning sun. 

"So, what prompted you to come speak to me today?" AbdulRahman stopped and stared at her really for the first time. When he realized he was staring, he lowered his gaze immediately and asked for Allah's forgiveness. That stop, however robbed him of an answer to her so he watched her jog off to her sister in law and they began to race each other. 

He would have something to say next time, he promised himself. 

******

Well, we can say they've officially met! What else is remaining?

The ball is now in AB's court and from his first pass, e don enter corner oo.😪

Anyways, I'll see y'all soon.
May God keep us all safe till then.

TheOmoope 💙💙💚