A Smile of Destiny

I didn’t know which happened first; mother’s scream or my body as it hit the dirty wood-encrusted floor of the stall. I was in a pool of my own blood. It was all I could recall as the nurses pushed the stretcher carrying my weak body. Even after being injected with anesthesia I vaguely remembered […]

I didn’t know which happened first; mother’s scream or my body as it hit the dirty wood-encrusted floor of the stall. I was in a pool of my own blood. It was all I could recall as the nurses pushed the stretcher carrying my weak body. Even after being injected with anesthesia I vaguely remembered the man I saved, the pickpocket’s knife, the pain that pierced my tummy after an attack meant for ‘that man.’
I felt like a hero, I had done something noble.
As the drug took stronger hold of my consciousness, flashes of the past weeks breezed in.
‘I’m sorry Miss Barde but the CEO is not impressed with your agency’s portfolio,’ the voice of the tall and dark-skinned Itsekiri lady rang in my ears. I adjusted my scarf and ambled through the hallway and out of the four-storied building that was MM & Sons Industry.
The supposed meeting with the CEO could have been my silver lining. I have been jobless for five years and they had offered me a temporary appointment pending when I met all the targets I was set to achieve. Mr. Richard Timipre, the Executive Director, had stated clearly this was my third and last target. My major mission was to attract MM Industry to patronise our bank.
The walk back home from the bank with my few documents and belongings was the longest ever. That day, I cuddled like a baby on my mama’s laps and cried my eyes out, my heart filled with rage and hatred for only one man – Abu Muhammad Musa, CEO MM Industry.
Mama effortlessly tried to cheer me up and thus took me to the nearby market for a shopping spree. We strolled and window-shopped. That was when my eyes travelled to the pickpocket hell-bent on stealing from ‘that man.’ Now I am in the theatre.
‘The man’ came every day to the hospital, bringing flowers and get-well-soon cards. He still came for whole day visits after I was discharged and we grew quite close, then he formally asked me out.
‘My name is Abu Muhammad Musa, CEO MM Industry and I am interested in you Miss Barde.’ Shocked and dazed I looked up at him with a whole-hearted smile that brought out my dimples.
Fatima Ahmad Bukar, is a Mass Communication graduate of Bayero University, Kano.