"Aisha, the PTA meeting is tomorrow. Don't forget to remind your Daddy as you always do." Dije told Aisha at the hearing of the bell ringing from the over-anxious hands of the Time Prefect who seemed to enjoy every bit of the sound from the bell.
Dije and Aisha are classmates who became friends from their initial days in the school. They are about 13 years old. For about five times, Aisha's father has not been attending the PTA meeting and nor was she represented by anyone. The notorious rule in the school is that, any student whose father or elderly male guardian has not attended the meeting, the student will either be fined or be given 10 lashes of koboko. To Aisha, any PTA meeting means 10 lashes of koboko.
Dije, as young as she is, has been observing Aisha so much that she noticed some unusual things about her. Aisha used to be an-always-happy girl, telling and listening to stories from her friends. But in the recent days, about a period of three terms, Aisha's demeanour has changed completely in the school. Deep inside her lies a pain which can be read on her face but she refuses to tell anyone. The teachers who, because of Aisha's intelligence, always engage her brain in the class, especially her English language teacher are disturbed by the sudden change of her demeanour. She no longer asks or answers questions, neither smiles nor laughs in the class.
When Dije told Aisha to remind her father of the meeting, Aisha didn't say anything. Instead, her eyes became teary. "Aisha, what's wrong? Please, tell me." Dije asked with a high degree of concern. Aisha didn't say anything. She stood up, took her back, left her friend and went home. It was Friday and the meeting was supposed to hold the following day.
When she arrived home, the house was locked. She went to a neighbouring house and collected the key to the house. This is how her mother always does when she's not home. Aisha is the first child of her parents. She has three younger ones. Her mother is from Yola while her father from Kano. The mix up, probably is the reason all the four children are uniquely beautiful.
Aisha's mother, for five hours now from her return, has not come back. Aisha was not worried that she did not eat food, no! Her worry was her mother with a baby strapped to her back who did not eat. She imagined her dried lips, her sorrowful face, dusty legs and pitiable voice. The two other children are at the neighbouring house where she collected the key, all day crying, drying and re-crying. For about a year now, Aisha's mother goes out every day from one street to another, from one radio station to another, from one police station to another. In this house now, there is no home.
Aisha was watching the clock, and few minutes to 9pm, she heard the steps of her mother. She quickly went out the compound to welcome her. As she hugged her, tears from the face of the mother landed on the head of Aisha.
"Mommy, it seems there is no good story even today." Aisha said in a voice that spells sorrow and continued: "Mommy, what if they have killed Daddy? For one year now, he has not returned home."
Of course, there is no radio station or police station that does not know Aisha's mother. For about 360 days now, there was hardly a single day Aisha's mother has not gone out in search of her husband.
Aisha's mother could remember the happy memories with her handsome husband and their beautiful children. He came back home early always so that he would not miss the usual fun with his children.
One day, he came back early, took a shower and met his wife and children at the parlour.
"Daddy, what is the story for us today?" Aisha asked happily. She loves to hear stories and that's why no day escapes owing her a story.
"Mama na kenan. Don't worry, I will tell you a nice story today. You know I want you to be a storyteller." Her father replied. Aisha bears his mother's name that's why he never called her by name.
"Once upon a time..., wait, like I can hear knock.. knock...knock on the door." He started telling the story but paused as he heard someone knocking from outside the house. Aisha felt sad that an intruder paused the narration of the story. Her father could read this disappointment on face.
"Mama na, calm down, the delicious story tonight is yours. Let me see who is knocking. I will come back now." He said confidently all in effort to calm down Aisha.
"Aisha and her storyteller. How much does she pay you?" Her mother jokingly said. What a happy family!
Since that time, just to see who was knocking on the door, at 8pm, he never returned. Neither his dead body, if he is dead, was found nor his whereabout, if he is still alive. He is not heard of and not heard from. When many people have lost hope about him, his wife keeps dreaming of finding him one day. She feels he is still alive and his disappearance is shrouded in mist of questions.
Fiction
By Abdul Mutallib Muktar
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