Architect and Mrs Dantata

11: ZAYD

I go to the Tambuwwal home from the airport. It was the first place to come to mind when Amal's plane eventually took off so I drove straight to Guzape.

It's a full house; Hassan, his sisters (Anisa and Nasirin), and his parents (Alhaji Lanese and Hajiya Saudah) I don't stay long; not because I don't want to, but because my mood doesn't really get better even with Hassan's teasing. I've accepted the fact that Amal's making me experience a lot of firsts but this ache in my chest is excruciating and I hope it gets better fast or I'll have a big problem.

I drive aimlessly around town for a bit and pray Asr in a mosque before heading home. To my surprise, the Sienna is not in its usual spot. Either everyone else is out or most of them are. Christopher opens the door and lets me know Mas'ood, Mama, Aliyah and Zafeenah went out to meet with the vendor who would be in charge of Aliyah's anko. Baba stayed behind to work.

I leave Christopher down and head up to Baba's study which doubles as his home office. I knock once before pushing the door open. The space is brightly lit and Baba sits behind his huge desk, his eyes trained on the wide screen in front of him. He doesn't turn to me as he smiles. "Hello, Sa'ed."

I close the door behind me with a small sigh. "Hi, Baba."

"You stayed out for a while. Was Amal's flight postponed?"

I slowly make my way over, taking in the books, pictures, certificates, awards and medals on the walls. We all have something hung up and we take pride in them.

"Her flight wasn't postponed." I would normally stop at his desk but I decide to walk around it so I can see what he's working on. "I saw her off and then decided to check in on Hassan. It's a full house and they send their greetings."

There are two windows open side by side on the screen; a blueprint in one and a 3D model in the other. It's a bungalow and although I can't recognize the project, I like the floor plan. Seems like a restaurant.

"And are you just coming from Hassan's place, Sa'ed?"

"No. I drove around town for a bit and then prayed Asr. I was surprised to see that the Sienna was taken out. Christopher told me where they went. Why didn't you go with them?"

He doesn't reply. He stares at the screen for a minute and I find what needs to be corrected before he does. I don't point it out, only smiling when he finds it and makes the necessary adjustment. With a sigh, he swivels his chair around to face me. "Because I have work to do." He says. "And I need it done by tonight."

"New client?"

He shakes his head. "Not at all." He turns his chair back. "It's for your brother."

I immediately turn back to the screen and take a good look at both windows. It is a restaurant; a model of the dream restaurant Mas'ood has been going on about. Honestly, Baba deserves the best father award. He deserves it every year.

"I thought I should finally bring his dream to life since he's about to graduate." Baba tells me. "That way, he won't have to ask for it in a few months from now. He's done some rough sketches and I happened to see them so here we are...I did the same for you and I want to do the same for him. If Aliyah and Zafeenah want to establish their own businesses or your mother finally decides she wants to open a restaurant rather than using my kitchen for all her work –"

I laugh. They behave like cat and rat sometimes. They really do.

"- then I know I will come back to this chair and design something for them. Since a certain Dantata is helping ease my workload in the industry, I'll focus on the family."

That makes me feel really good. Baba has worked hard all his life and I like the fact that I'm slowly taking over, giving him more time to finally get his well-deserved rest. He's done a lot and I'm proud of him. We all are.