Keeping Within Family Chapter 47

Read Chapter 46 here.

“Tell us what you saw when you entered the room during your father’s final moments?”
“Why are you asking me that? We have a suspect who hurt my father…”
“Who was there in the room when you entered?”
“My mother.”

“How was she like?”
“Distraught as she should be. She said she had stepped out and when she came back in, my dad was bleeding.”
“I see. We have a reason to believe that the bleeding was caused by someone tampering with the stab wound.”
“Okay…have you questioned the nurses who attended to him? They kept prodding him, you know.”
“It wasn’t the nursing staff.”
“Are you implying I did it? Because…”
“No, we are not. We have reason to suspect your mother.”
“I beg your pardon? Are you okay? Is that a ploy to throw us off the investigation? That brute who knifed my father like a thug must pay for what he did. Don’t use a nurse’s negligence as an excuse to free him.”
“Would you want to see the video?”
“Pardon?”
“A video of what exactly happened in the room. And see for yourself.”

“And if I don’t want to?”

“That’s totally fine. Just want you to know that if the defense were to get their hold of this, the man is walking out for sure.”
“And if it doesn’t? Does the law have the power to punish him for what he did?”
“Yes, it does.”

“Gosh, I’m tired. Trying to do all the work by myself is just not feasible,” Ida said when she arrived home and put her bag down on the sofa.

“Really? How were you working before?”
“I had Ayesha. She’s a gem. She made work so much easier for me.”
“So you want to call her back?” Nadia asked.

“I’d really love to but with the trial coming up and all, it would be awkward for us to be working in the same space, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“How was your day? Did you step out?”
“My day was okay. Yeah, I did step out.”
“Okay, where?”

“To the police station. I was called in, actually.”
“What for?”

“They said they have a video showing what happened during dad’s final breathing moments.”
“And why would they bring that up now? Cause you more grief?”
“It seems we stand a risk of Jamal going free because of it.”
“I see.”

Nadia watched her mother as she went to pour herself some wine. Ida sipped and sat down on the sofa facing Nadia.

“I was really looking forward to seeing Jamal get convicted and rot behind bars.”
“And who says he’s not going to?”
“There is a video, mum.”
“Showing what?”
“You know what, mum.”
Ida put the wine glass down. They stared at each other.

“So I’m not the only one mad at him for what he did.”
“No, you’re not.”

“Why didn’t you say anything? There was definitely another way to register your displeasure…”
“Like what?”
“You could have filed for a divorce and walked away with everything he had toiled so hard for.”
“There was no way he was going to grant me a divorce. Giving him one would actually have been Christmas come early for him. And I wasn’t going to give him that pleasure.”

“So you had to…”

“I did what I did so the family can finally get the reset it needs and move on with our lives.”
“The guys I met today practically asked for money to keep the video concealed so the persecution doesn’t get a hold of it.”
“How much did they want? We could pay them to give us the original tape.”
“I don’t want to go down that road, mum. This could end up being the beginning of a whole lot of drama, our dirty linen in the public and all…”

“Do you want the one who caused your father’s death to walk free?”
“Of course not.”
“Then be ready to do whatever it takes to keep that murderer where he belongs,” Ida said.

“And Ayesha?”
“What about her?”
“What happens to her after her husband gets locked up?”

“Why do you care? She shamelessly slept with your father and bore him a son! And had her husband kill him to top it up.”
“Someone would argue that you were the one who told Jamal about dad being Kareem’s father. Ayesha would never have told him. Indirectly, it was your fault.”

There was a pause as Ida sipped her wine.

“Actually, it is directly your fault as evidence places you right beside dad before he bled out.”

“What’s your point, young lady?”
“That maybe I’m mad at the wrong person.”

“You have no idea what your father put me through ever since we got married. I had to deal with several STD scares, funny calls from strange women and an empty bed on most nights. Finding out he had been with Ayesha for all this while was just the last straw for me.”

“And do you have plans for her?”
“Plans?”
“Does her punishment end with her husband’s incarceration or do you have something more sinister in mind?”
“I was hurt by what she did but Ayesha’s still my baby girl. She’s family. That will never change.”
Nadia nodded and got up.

“Going for a nap. I’m tired. I think I’m getting a migraine.”
“Okay. Are you sure you don’t want to take a painkiller for that migraine?”
“Nah, I’d rather sleep it off.”
“Okay, sleep tight.”

Ida picked up her phone after Nadia had closed her bedroom door. She sent a message: When is the trial starting again? This case needs to be closed ASAP.

Nadia woke up to hear some laughter from the living room. When she got out of her room, her mother was seeing some people off. A couple of cars drove off from the compound. Ida closed the door and turned, wearing all smiles.

“Who were those people?”
“Members from your father’s party wanted to have a sit-down with me.”
“Party? You mean the NDC? What did they want?”
“The head and tail of everything is, they would like me to stand in as your father’s replacement as MP,” Ida said and sat down.

“What? But you’re no politician.”
“Oh but politics is no rocket science. Like a game, you just need to know when to play your card.”

“So what, you’re considering it?”
“Oh yeah, not everyone gets such a golden opportunity served on a platter. Believe it or not, the people loved your father and their sympathy for his passing could be my winning ticket.”

“But you always complained of how politics changed dad and stole him away from home. Why would go in for the same thing?”
“Unlike him, I’m no wife now. And you’re a grown woman. You don’t need me tucking you into bed and checking your homework. What do I have to lose?”
“But politics is dirty, mama. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“It’s too early to tell but I’m really considering it.”
“Planning on bouncing it off with Uncle T?”
“Will tell him but it’s not like I need his permission to do anything.”

“I know that but please do talk to him first. I know it’s a big break; maybe I’m just being selfish but I lost my father to politics in a way and I don’t want to lose you too.”

“Aww…honey, come here, baby.”
Nadia went into her mother’s arms. Ida rubbed her back soothingly.

“I’m going nowhere, honey. I promise you that.”

“Aren’t you late for work?” Bibi asked as she wore her lipstick.

“I have my first appointment here at home before I set off.”
“With who?”

The doorbell rang.

“I believe she’s the one.”
“A she? Who is it?”
“Calm down, woman. Too early for hormonal reactions, don’t you think?”
“I’m not being hormonal!”

The help had ushered Ida in when Tariq and Bibi entered the living room.

“Hey!”

“So nice to see you,” Ida said as she hugged Tariq.

“Hi Bibi, I must say you’re rounding up pretty nicely,” she said as she hugged Bibi next.

“Thank you. I didn’t know you were coming by. Should I get some breakfast made for you two?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. Heading out, huh?”
“Yeah going for a review at the doctor’s. I need to steal you one of these days for some baby shopping.”
“Of course, let me know when you are up for it and I’ll be your shopping buddy all day.”

“Oh thank you. Got to run. See you, honey. Have a nice day,” Bibi said before giving Tariq a brief kiss.

“Bye.”
“Bye, have a nice day, B.” Bibi left the house.

“Where would you like to sit? Want anything to drink?”
“Would love some tea and French toast. Maybe we should sit at table,” Ida said.

“Sure.”

Tariq told the tea to brew some tea and make some French toast. They sat at the dining table.

“How’s Nadia?”
“She’s good. Hanging in there. Excited about being a new father again?”
“I’m excited for Bibi. She’s really looking forward to that experience. As for me, after Nadia and Ayesha, I’d say been there, done that.”
“I see. And Ayesha, how’s she holding up?”

“What do you think? Torn between her two families? Being asked to sacrifice one for the other, how do you think she’s doing?”
“That’s the bed she chose to lay, T.”
“But Nadia asking her to testify against her husband is a hard ask and you know it, Ida.”
“That’s between the two of them. I have nothing to do with that and I honestly don’t want to get in the middle of that.”
“Especially when there’s hard evidence that Omar’s demise was not because of Jamal’s initial attack.”

“Regardless, if he hadn’t attacked him in the first place, he wouldn’t have ended up in the hospital to begin with.”
“But a resentful person would have found another way to do him in.”

“What are you implying?”

The kitchen door and the help came in with a flask and served the toast. They both poured themselves some tea. Ida shared the toast between them. They started eating.

“What point were you trying to make with that comment, T?”
“I believe you get the point. My thing is, I may not understand what drove whoever to do what he or she did but I don’t see why an innocent person should have to pay the price.”
“Did you say innocent? He stabbed him!”

“He was furious for understandable reasons. What was hers?”
“I don’t know. Please don’t tell me he’s innocent because he happens to be your son-in-law. It’s your brother he killed.”

“Uh huh.”
“Anyway, let’s talk about why I’m here. So…some executives of the NDC came to see me yesterday.”
Tariq put the tea cup he was holding back down.

“I see…they want to stand as MP in Omar’s stead.”
“Not a bad idea, right?”
“Yeah, it’s not. But the question is, are you up for it? Do you want to?”
“I don’t mind. Not exactly a big fan of the party but when it comes down to it, the parties form the opposite sides of the same coin, right? They are all after the same thing.”
Tariq raised a brow.

“And besides, you wouldn’t feel alone in that circle anymore. You and I can take off where you and Omar left things. I can be a good sport.”
“How does Nadia feel about it?”
“Skeptical to say the least but I’m sure she’ll get over it. So what do you think? Should I go for it?”
“If you want to, I’ll say go for it. You know I’ll support you with whatever choice you make.”

“Thank you, T.”

She reached out for his hand across the table and Tariq took it. After rubbing it with his thumb a couple of times, Ida began to tear up.

“I didn’t mean to do it. I…don’t know what came over me. I was looking at him one minute and a thought crossed my mind and the next minute, there he lay bleeding. And I panicked…I didn’t know what to do…”
“It’s okay.” Tariq pulled her up and into his arms.

Ida broke into tears.

“I didn’t mean to.”
“I know.”

Read Chapter 48 here.