undertones, and structural pacing:
He was sitting in the office with a beautiful little girl nestled against his shoulder. Her age could not be more than four to five years old, and she was fast asleep, while he was busy filling out some documents.
The guy was highly sophisticated; one look at him and you would know he was a man of leisure and wealth. Furthermore, he did everything in a calm, composed manner.
Another young man entered the office with a greeting. His age would not exceed 27 years old; they were contemporaries and clearly related, as they shared a resemblance.
As soon as the man entered, the doctor dropped the work he was doing and replied to the greeting, a smile gracing his face.
The one who entered remarked, "Doctor Farhan, you are always busy working with Afrah stuck to your shoulder. She is sound asleep; why don't you lay her down so you can rest?"
Doctor Farhan smiled, a gesture that enhanced his good looks, and said, "Oh Fu'ad, you already know how Afrah is. She is always glued to me. Especially when she wants to sleep, she inevitably has to be on my body before sleep takes her away. And as for laying her down to rest, even if I want to do that, if her sleep isn't deep yet, she wakes up the moment she feels me trying to put her down. My only relief is that Afrah is light—it actually surprises me because no matter how long I carry her, I don't feel tired. If you see me put her down, it isn't because I'm tired, but only because I need to do some specific work."
Fu'ad took a breath and said, "Indeed, Afrah is living the good life! I hope she doesn't stop you from enjoying time with your new bride, Amrah?"
"No, not at all."
"Great, that's what I like to hear—that Afrah isn't inconveniencing anyone." He said this while placing a bag of sweets on the desk, adding, "Here are some sweets I bought for sweet Afrah, for her alone, not the bride, because I don't want Afrah to be sidelined. If the bride wants sweets, her groom should buy them for her."
Farhan smiled and said, "I won't buy her separate ones, and she will definitely share Afrah's. In fact, she will probably start eating them before Afrah does."
Fu'ad replied, "No way, I won't agree to that! Afrah must eat them first." He said this while calling Afrah's name about three times, but she didn't stir.
Farhan smiled and said, "Thank God your ears aren't working closely with you today to wake her up for me."
"What do you mean, my ears aren't working closely? Farhan, don't tell me you don't know that Afrah cannot hear—she is deaf."
"Oh, really? Then why is it that when someone speaks to her, she nods her head as if she understands?"
"Yes, she hears sometimes, but her lack of hearing is more prevalent. And regarding that nodding of her head, look at her closely: when you are speaking, she watches your mouth. That is how she manages to answer what you say."
"The power of God! So you say she hears sometimes. Does that mean she can speak during those times too?"
"She cannot speak. It's just that her mouth moves as if she wants to say something, but she fails. However, when she cries, you would swear to God she can hear. Her cry comes out perfectly, unlike that of a deaf person, and her laughter is the same."
Fu'ad said, "Praise be to God. Won't you take her to be examined?"
"Fu'ad, you know I won't just leave Afrah like this. The issue has proved difficult, but she is constantly on medication—just like Amrah."
"So you're saying you are dealing with both the blind and the deaf in your house..."
"Hey! Who is blind?"
"Oh, you know better than I do."
"Ah, so it was insults that brought you to my office?"
"What insult? I only spoke the truth. Amrah cannot see without glasses."
"And is that why you call her blind?"
"Why shouldn't I call her blind, since the moment she removes the glasses she can't see anything?"
"Who told you that? Amrah can see shadows."
"Aha! Shadows that, even when she sees them, she doesn't comprehend what they are at all."
"Well, I've heard you, but no matter how she is, I love her just the way she is."
"Everyone knows you love her that way, since you married her," Fu'ad said, standing up. "I'll be going now; I know my patients are over there waiting for me. When you get home, give my regards to the bride."
Farhan nodded to him and said, "InshaAllah, she will receive them," and then Fu'ad left.
As soon as Fu'ad left, Afrah began to stir slowly. Farhan shifted her onto his lap. She quickly got down, pulled his hand, and pointed toward the restroom, letting Farhan know she needed to urinate. He lifted her up entirely, carried her to the restroom, and after she urinated, they came out. He placed her back on his lap and pulled over a food flask. He scooped some food for her and began to feed her slowly until she was full. He gave her water to drink and pulled out a tissue to wipe her small mouth.
He pressed his fingers against her cheeks, and I saw her flash a smile that revealed her dimples. Then she also reached out her hands and pressed her fingers against his cheeks, and he too smiled, revealing his spotlessly white teeth. He placed her back on the desk facing him, picked up the bag of sweets, handed it to her, and said, "Uncle Fu'ad said to give you this."
She went quiet, staring at him because she didn't understand what he said. He repeated the words while she fixed her gaze on his mouth; that was when she understood what he was saying, as he picked up one of the sweets and opened it for her.
With a joyful smile typical of children, she reached out and accepted the sweet that Farhan had opened and handed to her. She clapped her palms together in a sign of "thank you" and put the sweet in her mouth, swinging her little legs. Farhan reached out and adjusted the braided strands of her hair that were dangling over her face.
At night around nine o'clock, Farhan and Afrah were lying on the bed in their sleepwear, playing a game on the phone, and Afrah was bursting into fits of laughter. "Uncle! Uncle!!" The call came in a pleasant, sweet voice.
I saw Farhan stand up calmly and head to the restroom. He found her holding a towel; she hadn't tied it yet but was just covering her chest with it, groping around blindly. He took the towel and tied it for her, then gathered her hair, which was completely drenched with water, threw it back, and started searching around the restroom but didn't find what he was looking for. He pulled over a small towel, drew her close to his body, and began to dry her hair. When he finished, he lifted her completely and carried her to the bed. Before looking toward the mirror, he spotted her eyeglasses. He said, "Amrah, why did you go into the restroom without glasses on your eyes?"
She raised her oily eyes, looking in the direction where she expected his face to be. If you saw this, you would assume she could see because of how she aligned her pupils with his—a gaze that Billy and Futha marveled at, but Farhan seemed used to seeing it, so he wasn't surprised at all. She said, "Uncle, I want to start learning how to go places without relying on glasses."
He said, "No, stop doing that. I'm afraid it might cause an accident one day." She nodded her head before Farhan stood up, fetched her eyeglasses, and put them on her.
She said, "Thank you," and then stood up, walking carefully. Farhan just watched her feet with deep pity. She went to the mirror and applied beautifully scented perfumes to her body. Then she headed to the wardrobe, while Afrah rolled over onto Farhan's body, using his thigh as a pillow, and handed him his phone. He began to stroke her hair gently because he realized she was feeling sleepy.
By the time Amrah finished preparing for bed, Afrah was already asleep. She approached, sat on his other side, and rested her head on his shoulder. Farhan stroked her hair, looked at her affectionately, and asked, "How is your body feeling?" She lowered her head shyly, playing with her ring before saying, "I feel better."

Chapter 2

He smiled, which enhanced his good looks, because the way Amrah acted when she felt shy amused him greatly. He stroked the side of her face before placing Afrah—who was already fast asleep—onto his shoulder, and walked gently to lay her down on her small bed. He spent a long time reciting prayers over her before leaving the spot. As for Amrah, she did nothing but look at him, something she never grew tired of doing. She didn't stop staring until he came close to her, sat down, drew her close to his body, and tapped her nose, saying, "What's with this staring? It's as if today is our very first meeting." She said nothing to him but closed her eyes with a short smile. Farhan turned off the room lights, and they lay down to sleep.
At dawn, Afrah's crying woke them up. Farhan quickly got off the bed, rushed to where she was, picked her up hurriedly, and headed to the restroom with her so she could urinate. He knew she only cried when she needed to urinate because Afrah was a child who, no matter how badly she needed to pee, would never wet the bed; instead, she would just wake someone up with her crying. After they came out, he sat with her on the bed while she snuggled against his body, sleep overtaking her bit by bit until she drifted off completely. Farhan then laid her down, praying earnestly that she wouldn't wake up because he wanted to go to the mosque since it was time for prayer.
It wasn't until around nine o'clock that Afrah woke up. At that time, Farhan had just stepped out of the shower and was combing his hair. He quickly looked at Afrah, who was crying the way children do when they wake up. Seeing her eyes closed, he let out a sigh of relief because he knew if they were open and she caught sight of him, he would inevitably be the one to bathe her, and he was in a great hurry to attend a meeting scheduled for ten o'clock.
He looked at Amrah, who had just entered the room, apparently coming from the kitchen because she was carrying a food tray. The look Farhan gave her made her understand his dilemma, so she set down the tray in her hand, rushed to Afrah, picked her up quickly, and before Afrah could even open her eyes, they were already in the restroom.
By the time they came out, they didn't find Farhan in the room; he had left. Amrah looked at the breakfast she had brought and realized Farhan had taken his portion, as one plate was missing from the dishes she set down. She then applied Vaseline to Afrah and dressed her in warm clothes, given how cold the weather was.
As for Farhan, he went to the parlor, sat at the dining table, and ate his breakfast hurriedly. Once finished, he returned to Amrah and Afrah. He found Afrah lying against a pillow, sucking her thumb, while Amrah held a plate of food, trying hard to coax her to sit up and eat. But she stubbornly refused to get up despite being very hungry; she insisted that only Farhan should feed her before she would accept it.
Farhan walked over slowly and sat down. Amrah said, "Uncle, I tried everything to get her to eat, but she refused."
He said, "I figured as much, which is why I rushed through my own breakfast so I could feed her before my time runs out." As soon as he finished speaking, he drew her close to him and began feeding her until he was sure she was full. He then gave her water, stood up, and pulled on his suit—blue-black in color, matching his trousers—while his inner shirt was milk-colored. The shoes on his feet, his wristwatch, and his briefcase were also milk-colored. He picked up his car keys and said, "I'm leaving."
Amrah stood up, holding Afrah with the intention of seeing him off, but Farhan said, "No, you two stay inside. I don't want her to see me getting into the car because I'm certain she will cry for me to take her along, and it's impossible to take her to this meeting. It's a gathering of all the doctors in the state, and I don't know how long it will last, so I can't take her and leave her with the nurses. Besides, it's very cold today, so I want her to stay safe at home."
He said this while checking his wristwatch, seeing it was 9:40 AM. Then he looked back at Afrah, who was staring at him, clearly wanting him to pick her up. He just waved "bye-bye" to her and headed out of the room. But just as he opened the door, he heard the sound of her crying. He stopped dead in his tracks, filled with distress because he absolutely hated hearing her cry, especially when he remembered she was an orphan and a trust given to him. With a heavy heart, he went back, took her from Amrah, and said, "Let me take her to Gwaggwo's section to see if she will agree to stay there."
He came out and headed to the other wing of the house, which was the section of the Gwaggwo he mentioned.
He entered with a greeting and found her eating breakfast. He bowed respectfully, greeted her, and stated his request for Afrah to stay with her until he returned. Without any objection, Gwaggwo reached out her hands to take Afrah, but the girl shrugged her shoulder and clung tighter to Farhan, indicating she wouldn't go.
Gwaggwo said, "I just kept quiet initially, but I knew she wouldn't agree to stay. And besides, you usually go everywhere with her, so what brought about the idea of not taking her today?"
Deeply worried, he sighed and said, "Gwaggwo, I didn't want it this way either, but taking her along today is impossible due to the nature of the meeting. I told you yesterday about how massive this gathering is going to be..."
"That's true, you are right."
She then took Afrah, though it was with great difficulty, amidst crying, struggling, and thrashing around. Farhan left, feeling very unhappy, wishing he could just cancel going to the meeting if it were possible.

Chapter 3

From the time he left the house, he didn't return from the meeting until after the Asr prayer.
As soon as he entered, he went straight to Gwaggwo's wing. Upon entering the room, he stood there with a smile, watching Afrah lying down, fast asleep. Sweets were scattered next to her, and the rest were strewn all over the center of the room, matching how the braided sections of her hair were spread across the bed.
He walked further inside, sat down, and greeted Gwaggwo, who was sitting on her prayer mat reciting litanies. He said, "Gwaggwo, did your little foster child mess up your room with sweets like this?"
Only after concluding her prayers and removing her hijab did Gwaggwo reply, "Hmm! Today, she threw a mini-tantrum at me, scolding me in that sign language of the deaf."
Farhan smiled and laughed. For some reason, he hated hearing her being referred to as a deaf person, even though he knew she was.
Gwaggwo continued, "In her anger, she picked up whatever she could find and threw it. I coaxed her until I got tired. Amrah also came by, gave her candy, and tried to comfort her, but it was all in vain. She eventually exhausted herself from throwing tantrums right by the doorway until sleep overtook her. That was when I picked her up, laid her on the bed, and started picking up the candy. I hadn't finished when I heard the call to prayer, so I paused the chore to pray first."
Farhan sighed and asked, "I hope she didn't hurt herself during the tantrum, and she didn't cause any real damage to you?"
"No, not at all, I don't think so."
He then stood up, saying, "Alright, let me go rest a bit, then I'll come back and carry her."
Gwaggwo said, "Alright, may Allah ease your fatigue."
He replied, "Amen," before leaving the room.
When he reached their wing, he found Amrah wrapped in a towel in front of the mirror, combing her hair. He stood there for a long time without her noticing him, until she eventually spotted him through the mirror reflection. She flashed him a tender smile, and he leaned down gently, hugging her from behind while resting his head on her shoulder, inhaling the sweet fragrance of the perfume emanating from her body. He said, "My Amrah, I am so tired."
Stroking his facial hair, she said, "Sorry, my uncle." She said this as he stood her up.
He said, "Let's go, I want to eat."
She began removing his suit jacket, saying, "Why don't you take a bath first..."
He looked at her exhaustedly and said, "You have no pity, do you, my Amrah? Just because you have eaten and are full, you expect me to bathe before I can eat?"
"No, uncle, it's not like that."
"Oh, it is. See, even your stomach is slightly distended, a sign that you've eaten to your fill." He said this while caressing her stomach, moving up toward her chest.
Filled with shyness, she buried her face in his chest without withdrawing his hand, which was moving over her chest. She said, "Honestly, uncle, I feel for you. But you know I suffer from ulcers; even if I wanted to wait for you, I wouldn't be able to manage it."
He said nothing to her, continuing his gentle caresses, doing everything in his characteristic calm manner. He was even attempting to slip off her towel, and she didn't stop him despite the intense shyness she felt over his actions, because she hadn't fully loosened up around him yet. But she knew if she stopped him, she wouldn't be fair to him, especially since she knew the fragrance of the perfumes she applied wouldn't let him just stop at looking at her.
While they were in this state, she suddenly pulled her body away from his and retied her towel, which Farhan had started loosening. This caused Farhan to slowly raise his head, looking at her. Seeing her staring at the bedroom door, he also turned his gaze in that direction.
He saw Afrah standing there holding a sweet, her face wearing an angry expression. He smiled, a look that showed how deeply happy he was to see Afrah. He walked over to her since she showed no intention of coming closer. He knelt down and held his ears in apology. Afrah turned her face away, pouted, and shrugged her shoulder, acting stubborn. Like a little child, he pointed to himself and said, "Is it me you won't forgive?"
She just looked at him, then looked at Amrah, who was standing there watching them. She left him kneeling there, walked over to Amrah, and handed her the sweet in her hand. Amrah took it, opened it for her, and then picked her up. Farhan approached them while unbuttoning his shirt, went to the side of the bed, and sat down, pulling over the stool containing the food flasks. Amrah served him food while he kept watching Afrah, who was sucking her sweet and staring back at him. He understood she wanted him to hold her, so he reached out his hands, took her, and placed her on his lap, asking, "Is someone done being angry with uncle?" She just stared fixedly at his mouth and snuggled against him, playing with the buttons of his shirt.

Chapter 4

Farhan looked affectionately at Afrah as she played with his shirt buttons, realizing she was hungry. He removed the sweet from her mouth, pulled out a tissue to wipe her lips, and adjusted her seating position to feed her comfortably. He tasted the food first to ensure it wasn't spicy, because Afrah absolutely loathed spicy food. He found the food to be perfectly seasoned with no issues. He had expected as much because he had never found a fault in Amrah's cooking; he only tasted it because humans are imperfect and can make mistakes sometimes.
He slowly began to feed her, and she opened her small mouth to accept it. Then she would also open his medium-sized mouth and feed him back, because Afrah was a child who loved duplicating whatever Farhan did for her. Even though the way she fed him was clumsy and playful, Farhan indulged her. Sometimes when she went to put the spoon in his mouth, she would tilt it and spill some food, but he would just smile, use a tissue to wipe it, and realign the spoon for her so she could put it in his mouth without spilling. They continued eating their food this way, presenting a delightful and endearing sight to anyone watching.
After they finished eating, he picked her up, gave her a bath, wrapped her in a towel, and laid her on the bed before heading into the restroom to take his own bath. By the time he came out, Amrah had already dressed Afrah in clothes that suited her wonderfully, and she was smelling entirely of sweet fragrances.
After a few days, Farhan arrived carrying Afrah on his shoulder, with a large bundle of items in his other hand. Amrah, who was lying on the three-seater sofa, rushed over and took the bundle from his hand, and they went inside. As Amrah set the items down, Afrah began opening them joyfully, making her characteristic deaf-mute sounds and showing the items to Amrah one by one. Amrah began taking the items to examine them: a school bag, books, sweets, chocolates, biscuits, a school basket, and a lunch box. When she finished looking through them, she began asking her questions using sign language with her hands, and Afrah responded.
After she finished questioning her, she turned her gaze toward Farhan, who was leaning against the sofa with his eyes closed. She said, "Uncle, Afrah is asking if you are starting to take her to school tomorrow?"
He slowly opened his eyes, adjusted his position, and said, "Yes, by tomorrow, InshaAllah, she will start going to school."
"What about the discussion concerning my own schooling?"
He went quiet as if he wasn't going to say anything. After a while, he took a breath and said, "Don't worry, when it's time for WAEC and NECO exams, you will go and write them, but you won't return to regular daily schooling."
She said nothing to him, not because she was unhappy, but because this arrangement actually suited her better. Hearing her silence, he sat up, removed his cap, looked at her closely, and said, "What is it, my Amrah? Don't you like this arrangement?"
She shook her head and said, "No, uncle, what you have done is actually better for me."
"Okay, fetch me some water to drink, please."
She stood up and brought him water along with a cold juice.
At night around twelve o'clock, everyone was fast asleep, resting peacefully.
Slowly, Farhan began to open his eyes because of a sensation that his body felt entirely bound tightly. He felt completely restrained and heard a lot of movement around the room. Attempting to surge forward, he discovered that he was indeed tied up, to the extent that he couldn't make any significant movement. He looked at the bindings around him in absolute shock, wondering how this could have happened. Who did this to him?!
His eyes darted over to Afrah's bed...