Sitting in the balcony of his room enjoying the cool breeze of the night and looking at the beauty of the moon.
He always says he found sanctuary in looking at the moon.
The moon is soothing and one finds comfort if he look at it.
He always let out his emotion when looking out at it.
Though he used to bottled his emotion when around people but with the moon he let it all out.
Other times when he was looking at the moon, he brought the Qur'an with him and recite it and he'll feel peace all around him.
"Khaleel my boy I have being calling you since where did your mind goes?" Mama tapped his shoulder looking at him worriedly.
"No where Mama" He replied her.
"Or are you thinking about it?" She asked him sitting down beside him on the sofa.
"No" He said shaking his head not wanting to remember a tiny bit of it.
"Okay, I know what you're thinking about" She holds his hand smiling.
"What Mama?" He asked her.
"You're thinking about you leaving Nigeria and going to Cambridge University to do your PhD ofcourse" She flipped her invisible hair playfully as she covered it with hat.
That's what he loves so much about his Mama, she always knows how to bring a smile on his face.
She's very nice, he hadn't met any person that's so nice like her.
And he loved her for that.
She helped them a lot especially him.
And he's grateful to her for the rest of his life.
"You zoned out again" She shakes her head and tapped his shoulder again.
"No Mama, I'm not even thinking of me going to Cambridge University" He smirked looking at her dull face.
"No you're lying" She said standing up.
"Where are you going Mama?" He asked her laughing.
"I'm going inside, if you like follow me" She stormed out of the balcony to inside his room.
He just laughed and followed her.
He loved his Mama very much, she's just not his Mama, she's his best friend as well because he shares everything with her.
He found her sitting on the bed and tapping her foot on the rug.
"My love" He side hug her and holds her tightly.
"Don't let your father hears you saying that" She said smiling.
"So what? You're my love nah, infact the love of my life, and I know you love me more than you love him" He hugged her tightly again.
"No I love him more" she laughed at him.
He turned his head and moved away from her.
"If you're jealous get yourself a wife" She said laughing and moving closer to him.
"God forbid, I and marriage are two poles apart" He replied her.
"So what are you saying you're not going to marry? Look at you, you're growing old each passing day" She said and his eyes went wide like saucers.
"I'm just 23 Mama and you're already saying I'm becoming old like I'm your old husband" He said shaking his head laughing.
"Don't call my husband old again" She smacked his arm.
"Okay sorry" He holds his two ear.
"Let's talk about you going to Cambridge University to do your PhD" She said.
"What about it Mama?" He replied her.
"Are you sure you want to leave us and go back to UK again?" She asked him not wanting him to leave
"Mama I'm not leaving you, I'm just going to do my PhD and before you know it, I'll return to all of you" He tried to assured her holding her hands.
"But it would take you years to finished it" She glumly said.
"In sha Allah it won't take so many years, it'll be three to four years or probably three years" He said hugging her tightly.
"Okay may you return safely, and pass your PhD with distinction" She prayed.
"Ameen Mama" He replied her.
"You're going tomorrow right" She asked him and he nod at her.
"Okay let me help you sleep" she said as he put his head on her lap and she starts massaging his head.
They heard a knock on the door and they said "come in".
"Khaleel I see you're very ready to steal my wife abi?" Baba said immediately he came in and saw Mama massaging his head.
"I didn't steal her, she's already mine" Khaleel replied him smiling.
Baba smiled at him too.
Whenever he saw this side of his boy he'll be happy because sometimes in the years that passed, he never imagined there is a day that would come and see Khaleel smiling like this and even cracking a joke.
But thanks to Ayesha this happened.
He don't know what he'll do to repair her for what she did to him and his children.
But he prayed everyday to Allah to grant her wishes and reward her for her good deeds.
"Ayesha let's go" Baba holds her hands trying to get her up.
"Wait let me put my little Khaleel to sleep" Mama said.
"I'm not little" Khaleel pouts.
"You're still little in my eyes" Mama replied him.
"Hello mother and son, it seems you forgot about me let me go back to my room" Baba said.
"No don't go please, sit down let's gist together" Mama stopped him.
"Okay" He sits on the couch opposite them.
"We're talking about Khaleel going to UK tomorrow" Mama told him.
"Oh he's still going?" Baba asked looking at him.
"Yes Baba I've to go and get my PhD if not you're not going to give me the CEO of our company" Khaleel replied him.
"I knew it, that's the reason you're going to get your PhD if not you're not going to that. I remembered before we returned to Nigeria, in UK I told you to do your PhD when you finished your masters, but what did you said I'm done with my studies" Baba told him.
"Baba that was then, I didn't know you're not going to give me the CEO if I don't have PhD" Khaleel replied him.
"Yeah whatever" Baba said.
"Any news about you finding your friend, Muhammad? Mama asked Baba.
"No, I don't know where Muhammad is, I looked for him everywhere but there is no news. I even went to his parent's house but people said they don't know where they moved to over the years.
And the private investigators I hired there is no news from them" Baba replied her sadly.
"In sha Allah you'll find him soon" Mama said assuring him.
"All this our wealth is his, whatever I owned is his but he said what he owned is mine too that's why each of us have fifty fifty percent of this wealth.
"He helped me when I lost all of my wealth and gave me his. Is there any kind of best friend like him.
He's not just my best friend but my brother too" Baba told them shedding a tear.
"I pray we find Uncle Muhammad soon before I returned in sha Allah you'll find him" Khaleel said sitting down.
"Ameen ya rabb" Baba replied him.
"Okay we're leaving now, Goodnight" Mama stand up and took Baba's hands.
"Goodnight" Khaleel said.
They closed the door and he lie on his king size bed covering his body with the blanket.
****
"Akhiii" Zaynab shouts his name.
"Abu not now please, let me sleep" Khaleel muttered underneath his breath.
"No Akhi you've to wake up now, as you can see you're leaving today and I want us to talk before you leave" She removed the blanket from his body.
"Okay before we talk can you please pack my luggage" He sits down and smiled at her.
"Seriously you haven't even packed your luggage? And you're leaving by 2PM and it's 10AM now" She said not believing him.
"That's why I asked you to do it for me please" He winked at her.
"Okay I'll do it" She said entering his closet and he trailed after her.
"Let me freshen up before you're done, thanks in advance" He hugged her.
"You're welcome" She hugged him too.
"Akhi I'll miss you when you leave to UK" She muttered.
"I'll miss you too but you see I've to go and further my studies so that I'll become the CEO" He replied smirking.
"Akhi and CEO, but you shouldn't stay more than one year" She laughed.
"Who do you ever seen had finished his PhD in one year?" He raised his eyebrow.
"I don't know" she shrugged her shoulder.
"I'll take three years in sha Allah, take care of yourself, mama, baba and my little brother" He told her.
"In sha Allah I will" She assured him and he nod.
"You should take care of yourself too" She said.
"In sha Allah" He replied her.
****
The whole family accompanied him to the airport.
"Akhi please don't go" Muhsin hold his hand crying.
"Don't worry I'll be back before you know it and we'll go and spend some time alone and have some ice cream and chocolate without Zaynab" Khaleel cheerfully said trying to lighten his brother's mood.
"Yay but Akhi you should promise me to return soon" Muhsin said.
"I promise I'll return soon to all of you" Khaleel promised assuring his brother.
"Akhi you're still going" Zaynab pouts.
"Not again Zaynab" Khaleel warned.
"Okay okay wishing you safe flight" Zaynab prayed.
"Ameen thanks" He replied her.
"My Mama" Khaleel went and hugged Mama.
"I'll miss you my boy" Mama said.
"I'll miss you more" He said and he went to Baba and hugged him too.
"You should take care of yourself and don't follow bad friends, do what takes you there and returned with your PhD certificate"Baba advised him when they broke out of the hug.
"In sha Allah Thank you" Khaleel said.
"I think that's it, he's probably going" Zaynab shed a tear.
"Yeah, you two should come and give me a hug" Khaleel open his hands for Zaynab and Muhsin to hug.
They hugged him tightly like he's not going to return to them.
"Good bye" Khaleel waved at them as he head towards the airport entrance.
"No good byes see you soon" Zaynab yelled and he laughed.
They waved at him till he enter the airport entrance and can't see his back.