Please vote and comment. Bikonu.
As i stepped into the Hall, it's seemed like I'd stepped into my dream. All the weeks of planning. Three months if hectic hardwork had finally paid off and five years of dreaming, all in a snap of a finger and one Hyman's generosity.
Adeel leads me to the front where our name cards are, together with some important people in my company whom I raised their positions as we've expanded.
We sit carefully and wait for the event to start. Just as we sit, the wife of the vice president and her entourage walk in. Ushers rush around trying to seat them at their appointed places and I watch her laugh and gist with Maama and Zeenah before seating herself.
Then we recite the national anthem. Tears sting my eyes at the honor, at the beauty of it all.
Adeel holds my hand and we laugh to the jokes of the host. I feel like I'm in a daze, like how Meghan must have felt meeting the Queen. In a daze.
Then, it's time to make my speech.
I planned this speech in bed last night while Adeel slept. I stepped out of bed for an hour to write it.
As I walk to the podium, from the side of my eye, I look back and see the crowd of well dressed people. The photographers and pressmen in front are busy taking pictures. A tear rolls down my left eye.
I reach the podium and accept the microphone.
"Good afternoon everyone." They all reply.
"You know, as I walked up here just now, I sort of looked back and asked myself if all these people were here just to watch me show them what I'd spent nights working on, what I and my team had spent weeks working on." A round of applause follows my words. I wait till they finish. "So I want to tell you all something." They chuckle.
"Three years ago today, I left an abusive marriage. Three years ago today, I finally got the strength and grace to leave a marriage that threatened to let me go to Jannah before my time." I breathe through my nose for a moment. This is a lot I'm revealing.
"Afterwards, I was married to that amazing man over there, and his amazing family over there." I point at Adeel, Maama, Zeenah and loud applause sounds.
"And I can't say I've lived happily ever after because I've suffered from withdrawal, he stood with me in it all. On the nights when I'd wake from a nightmare, he'd be there to wipe tears away." I fix a stare at him.
"I'm grateful Adeel Baba Hassan. Thank you." I turn the page on my iPad. He blows me a kiss in return and I laugh shakily, nervousness taking over me.
"Now, let me get on with my speech." I turn on another page. They all laugh again.
"Many times, we dream, we consider them too big to be actualized. We consider them too much, some people might even say 'why dream so big?'
But with a step in the right direction, every single day, I promise you'll get there." I turn a page again because that wasn't what I really wanted to say.
"Today, my line is being sent out to the public. Today, women will wear what I and my team put together, with love of course. What we worked tirelessly for to ensure it all came together. We've put our life and sweat on this, hoping you'll love it and protect it and cherish it as much as we do. We don't hope for too much."
I press a button a link on my ipad and the stage begins to rumble with the noise of the unveiling.
I look back to watch with the others, photographers taking photos furiously.
The purple and lilac design I chose comes into view, rotating little by little to show the name on it. 'Aa'ila'.
A round applause follows the name. I turn back to the stage to watch the fireworks fly up and down.
When the applause quiets down, I tap the microphone again.
"Aa'ila, is a word for family in Arabic." The photographers are still snapping the logo with serious attention.
"All our pallettes, our lipsticks, glosses. Everything, have names after the word family. You can go on to our website at Aa'ila.com to see what we mean." I dropped the microphone and walked off the podium to where I was seated with Adeel.
When I reach him, he pulls me into his arms and hugs me tightly. For the first time in public, I don't hold back. I let him, infusing all the love i can into the hug.
"We love you Mrs Hassan." I nod stiffly, willing tears not to run down my cheeks, it's a day of happiness, not sadness.
I sit and watch the host take over, he makes jokes that has us laughing out loud at his skill. Then he calls Bob Izuwa.
"Hello everyone." Bob Izuwa's voice is typical of the Southerner, same as his dressing and manner of walking. Self assured, confident. Nearly overly so.
"Good Afternoon." The hall gradually quiets down. The attention of everyone is held by the makeup line on their phones, I watch numbers on my phone and see that we've sold sixty-two percent of our stock in forty-five minutes.
"We had a plan for Aa'ila and that was to ensure that everywoman got to know about it. We sat together, plotted, sweated and here we are." He spreads his hands out. And a loud round of applause sounds.
He steps off the podium and the host announces that lunch is about to be served.
"Beela, I'm still in shock." I smile slyly. He has no idea of what is coming, when it hits him, he'll know.
"What's that smile one your face." I chew my lower lip to mask my smile but quickly remove it to not destroy my lipstick.
"It's a smile of knowing more than you know for the first time." I shrug. He picks his soup spoon and scoops some unto it, slowly blowing the heat from the offal peppersoup.
"You'll tell me. Now, or whenever. We're a partnership and partners don't conceal." I eye him lightly, even though my heart is soaring at his beautifully said words.
"You'd still have to wait won't you? Sweet words notwithstanding." He slams one fist into another, slyly smiling back at me.
Gotcha there Hassan. Gotcha.
...
Hi y'all,
Good evening, or morning, or whenever you read this. You know, this evening, I was trying to count my blessings for this book and I found it was immeasurable.
So many of you cheer me everyday, some don't even comment or vote (please don't leave this chapter without a comment) and those that do, always put a smile on my face.
Today's chapter is for my hero @fareeree. Thank you darling for the love you so largely share. I love you.(Even though i want to fly over and give you a sound beating over ALP)
See y'all soon. Love you all.
TheOmoope.
YOU ARE READING
Soiled #ProjectNigeria ✔️
ChickLitNabeela has never had life easy, never ever. She is at her wits end. Love and living life has never been her known forte. But, what will she do when she gets tangled in a web of deceit and lies woven by her parents? What happens when the very ones...
