THE WOUNDS BENEATH HIS SILENCE

EMIRATES HILL, DUBAI, UAE.

Ajiye dryer din dake hannunsa yayi a mazauninta bayan ya miqa hannunsa ya dauki hair oil dinsa tare da comb yayi combing kansa dashi wannan baqar sassalkar sumar nashi na ta qyalli da daukar ido. Dagowa yayi ya sauke idonsa akan mudubi yana kai hannunsa kansa ya sake kwantar da gashin nasa. Drawer dake jikin mudubin ya jawo ya tsaya yana qarewa varieties of wristwatches from different brands dake wajen yana son daukar daya. Akan wani black na companyn Omega hannunsa ya sauka hakan yasa without hesitation ya dauka ya daura a hannunsa. He sprayed his signature perfume, Pur Oud by LV again, even though its scent had already settled on his skin. Juyawa yayi ya bar wajen ya koma kan gado ya dauki suit dinsa ya dora kan farar long sleeve shirt din dake jiknsa bayan ya gyara tie dinsa.

Wayarsa da sauran gadgets dinsa ya dauka ya juya ya fita fuskarsa strict ba wasa. Yana fita ya tarar da chef dinsa yana jera masa abinci kan dining amman haka ya dauke kai kamar bai gani ba ya nufi hanyar fita. Yana bude qofa guards dinsa suka sake gyara tsaiwarsu kowa yana sauke kansa qasa yana tsoron yayi kwakkwaran motsi, don any mistake game over. Babu wanda ya kalla cikinsu ya nufi motar da yaga anyi parking dinta anan tsakiyar qaton compound din gidan qirar BMW 7 series. He said a short prayer before settling into the back seat, keeping to himself as he glanced at his wristwatch which read 7:30. Gyara zamansa yayi yana relaxing ya rufe idonsa don sam baya son makara saboda dokar daya saka wadda take aiki akan kowa, idan nace kowa to kowa don babu wanda dokar ta bari.

Lokacin da motar ya daidaita akan titi ya samu kansa da bude wannan almond shaped eyes din nasa masu mugun haske ya sauke kan sarararin samaniya da baya gani da kyau saboda tint glass din da motar ke da. Hannu ya kai ya sauke glass din kadan iskar garin ta buso masa da ta saka shi rufe idanunsa yana jin tana kai masa can cikin jikinsa. It took them less than twenty minutes to reach the massive company building with NOVEBUILD CONSTRUCTION COMPANY boldly written across it. Tun kamin su qarasa aka wangale musu gate saboda hango convoy din motocinsa da aka yi. In a neat line, the convoy drove into the company premises, just as they had approached the gate. The car he was in continued towards the main company building before finally parking.

Bai wani bata lokaci ba ya tattara abubuwansa daidai PA dinsa mai suna Ajmal yana bude masa qofa. Miqa masa kayansa yayi yana sauke qafarsa guda daya dake sanye cikin baqin cover shoe qirar Givenchy. Tie dinsa ya sake gyarawa kamin ya fita gaba daya yana dan kallon sama sannan ya sauke idonsa kan Ajmal. Rusunawa yayi yana gaidashi "morning Sir." Da kai ya amsa masa yana yin gaba duk suka dare suka bashi waje.

Kamin ya qarasa glass sliding door dake wajen Ajmal yayi sauri ya qarasa ya bude masa ya shiga. Hayaniyar da akeyi ciki ya dakeshi da nan take yaji kamsa ya fara ciwo. Sake tamke fuska yayi making him more strict, kamar dai abinda yafi tsana yanzu bai wuce hayaniya ba don har cikin tsakar kansa yake jin hayaniyar. 

Qasa yayi da kansa yana kai hannunsa kan girarsa ta hagu ya dan sosa kamin ya dago kansa gaba daya ya sauke awajen reception da yaga an taru anata ihu da alama celebration suke ma wata dake tsaye a tsakiyarsu sai murmushi take kamar dai sun manta da tsarin company. Wani side look ya bama Ajmal. Ba sai yayi magana ba already Ajmal ya fahimci me hakan yake nufi ya wuce abinsa leaving Ajmal behind ya shiga elevator. 

Wajen da suke Ajmal ya qarasa yana yin gyaran murya "uhmmmm uhmmmm.." a firgice duk suka juyo suna wara idanunsu ganin Ajmal sun san dole boss yazo. Lokaci daya kowa idonsa ya raina fata especially da suka ga boss baya nan.

"Y'all know the consequences of making noise here... Well, you guys are fired!!!!"

Kusan dukansu hannu suka dora akai suna zare idanu. Tsautsayi da rabon za'a yi haka yasa suka manta da dokar waren gaba daya. Sun manta slight noise za'a kore mutum. Is better kayi wrong aiki a companyn akan kayi making hayaniyar da zai damu mutane, kamar dai mai companyn yana da issue da hayaniya haka.

Zasu hade hannu su fara bawa Ajmal haquri yayi saurin yin gaba don yasan hukunci dai ya tabbata. Da wani abun suka yi Boss zai iya haqura amman wannan hayaniyar shi kansa da ba irin Boss bane sai data hau masa kai bare kuma Boss da komai qanqantar hayaniya take saka masa ciwon kai irin mai zafin nan. Shima elevator ya shiga ya kaishi 9th floor, that's the second-to-last floor in the building, where only the CEO's office and his PA's office were located. Iyakar atmosphere din dake wajen ya isa ya bada tabbacin nan din ba wajen wasa bane bare aje ga yanayin tsarin ginin wajen. Everything about the place was simple yet screamed luxury.

Office din Fu'ad ya wuce kai tsaye bayan ya tsaya yayi magana da secretary dinsa da office dinsa yake kusan hade da nashi. Knocking yayi ya tsaya jiran umarnin shiga wanda bai dade ba a tsaye aka bashi izinin shiga. A zaune kan office chair dinsa ya sameshi. Sai daya lumshe idonsa saboda yadda qamshin air freshener plus wannan mayen qamshin nasa da yake manne da wajen ya bugeshi, he really loved the scent.

He walked over and placed the files in his hand on Fu'ad's desk before saying "Boss I've cleared everything. We can now proceed to the next level."

Yana typing a system dinsa ya furta "I'm not going now. I've assigned you Ajmal. You'll be there until the construction is completed..."

"Boss what about the Russian contract?"

"We're not doing it."

Kai ya gyada masa kawai kamin ya sake cewa "Permit me to go Sir."

"Permission granted..."

Juyawa yayi ya fita ya barshi yana cigaba da yin abinda yake. It was only after forty minutes that Fu'ad finally looked up, his pale almond eyes settling on the files Ajmal had left for him. Jawosu yayi yana shirun fara dubasu wayarsa qirar 18 Pro ya fara ringing. Kamar wanda yake da matsalar wuya haka ya juya kansa ya sauke idonsa kan screen din wayar. UMMI ya gani rubuce da qaton baqi yana yawo kan screen din. Bin sunan yayi da kallo sai dab da zata katse sannan ya kai hannunsa ya amsa wayar ya saka a handsfree.

"Fu'ad!"

Ya ware manyan idanunsa yana amsawa da "Na'am." Komai ya canza. Idan nace komai, I mean everything has changed. Hatta da yadda Ummi ke kiransa ya sauya. He's no longer Hayati he's now Fu'ad. Yes, his name FU'AD as it was.

"Barka da Safiya.." ya gaisar da ita da wannan muryar nasa dake nan qasa sosai kamar mai rada.

"Alhamdulillah... When are you coming home?"

Sama ya daga kansa yana saka pen din dake hannunsa akan girarsa.

"I've been appointed as the Minister of Finance. You didn't say anything..."

"Ummi I've told you ki tsaya daga anything related to siyasa kin qi.. That damn country is an unjust country. Ina miki tsoron mulki Ummi. You did not hear me..."

Wani dogon numfashi yaja saboda yadda yaji maganar yayi masa tsayi dama ga ciwon kan da aka jawo masa and now Ummi Is making him talk.

"Ina so and so what, this is not what I wanted, I want it ace naci wannan zaben, I want it ace I'm now part of the Senate or representatives but none has worked then why will I not accept the ministry offer..."

Bai ce komai ba don yana jin yau kamar ya kawo limit din maganarsa hakan yasa kawai yace "uhmmmm."

"Come back home. I want you to be part of the celebration..."

"Busy..." kawai yace da ita wanda ta fahimci abinda yake nufi. Ya bude baki yace he's busy dinne ba zai yi ba.

"idan na isa da kai to kazo sai dai ko idan ban isa ba da kai ba...."

Tun wannan lokacin, shekaru biyun nan Ummi ta dawo masa haka. She's always instructing him. Idan ya nuna yana da abin yi zata ce masa ko yayi ko ta barsa da Allah. Abin nan yafi komai damunsa.

Kai kawai ya samu kansa da daga mata ba tare da yace komai ba. Me ya canza Ummi? Why the sudden change?

"Hello, are you there?"

"Uhmmm."

"Are you coming?"

"Uhmmm."

"On Monday."

"Ok" kawai yace mata babu wani jan zance ta amsa da "Okay then see you kazo da wuri please kaji." 

Da kai ya amsa mata yanzu kam yana jin kamar kansa zai fashe saboda maganar da yayi, kwata-kwata yanzu bayan son yin magana, he prefers silence most of the time.

Yana gama waya da Ummi zai ajiye wayar kamar jira sai ga kiran Fa'iz yana shigowa. Rufe idonsa kawai yayi yana budewa kan sunan Pal din nasa. A yadda yake ji yanzu ba zai iya magana ba hakan yasa ya katse kiran ya shiga message yayi masa dropping text: "What's up? I can't talk."

Immediately sai ga reply din Fa'iz nan "You always are not talking Pal. I'm in Dubai, Al Barari, so expect me soon, and I will spend the week with you..."

Tagumi yayi kawai yana kallon screen din wayar bayan ya kammala karanta text din nasa. Fa'iz a Dubai means Fu'ad will keep having severe headaches because of all the talking Fa'iz will do. Sam Fa'iz ya kasa sabawa da sabon halin miskilancin da Fu'ad ya arowa kansa that's why yanzu kullum cikin fada suke kuma kamar mayu basa spending one good month sai sun hadu duk da most times Fa'iz ne yake zuwar masa don gaba daya yayi relocating back to Dubai. His affairs and business affairs yanzu gaba daya sun dawo Dubai.

He hates staying in Nigeria. Ko yaje ma bai wuce kwana biyu yake dawowa. Har yanzu ya kasa sabawa da halin daya shiga two years back then. That separation and that breakup still weighed heavily on him. Ya kasa mantawa. Taya ma zai manta? Forgetting your first love is not easy at all, especially when it comes to a heart like Fu'ad Aliyyu Jimeta's.

"Send your men, man. Su zo su daukeni. I'm exhausted."

Bai mashi reply back ba ya ajiye wayar kawai yana jawo files din ya bude ya fara dubawa. The thought of going to Nigeria da Ummi ke so ya dawo kansa. He was thinking of what kind of old wound would reopen whenever he set foot in Nigeria. Ba Kano kawai ba, gaba daya qasar ya tsana zuwa. 

"Damn it!" Ya fada yana slamming laptop din dake gabansa ya miqe kawai ya nufi wani corridor da kana yinsa zaka ga qofa guda biyu sai kuma side view din Dubai city din that's worth watching, duk da safiya ne ammn the city was damn, a must-watch. Wannan bashi ne abinda ke gabansa ba qofa daya ya tura ya shiga yayi appearing a qaton bedroom dake wajen da yayi looking more like home, kamar kana gida. Bathroom ya fada kai tsaye ya wuce wajen sink ya kunna tap ya tara hannunsa ya hau wanke fuskarsa wai ko zai ji sauqin fama masa ciwon da Ummi tayi. Ba wani abu tace ba, ammn har dai za'a ce yaje Nigeria he always feels the pain, komai sabo yake dawowa masa. Ya kasa manta komai. It was as if it had all happened only yesterday, ya kasa manta wannan kalaman. Those words were still deeply etched in his mind, he hadn't forgotten a single letter of what she had said or how she'd said it. Taya zai manta bayan wancan lokacin shine karon farko daya bude zuciyarsa ma wata...... 

To be continued...... 

like, comment and share