Chapter 25
She sat down at the edge of her bed, trying hard to digest the ego and pride that kept blocking her way. How will she face dad and apologized, for what she did. Will he forgive her or shove her too just has she did to him?" She contemplated as negative thought kept flowing on her head.
She stood up from her bed, after blocking away every negative thought she felt and sauntered out of her room to her dad parlour, She heave a sigh of relieve after looking around and saw only dad engrossed on newspaper without any sight of mum.
She walk closer to him and hug him from behind." I'm sorry dad, I'm really sorry." She cried onto his blue kaftan.
"Haba my princess why are you crying, what wrong with you?I don't really understand why you're apologising for nothing." Her enquire calmly.
"Daddy I ignored you that day, I never mea..." She hiccup and her dad shuu her down.
"Is okay Deejah! You know I will never get angry at you, you're my only princess and only heiress to my company. I really love you and will never let anything that will hurt your soul." He said wiping away her tears.
He stood up and sat her down and gave her a glass of water to drink. She drank a little and drop the glass at the center table. Dad should I go and apologized to them?" She asked, hoping her dad will just reason with her just like usual.
"And why will you apologized?" He asked furiously.
"Because mum asked me too and I don't know if you're with her on it." She said fiddling with her manicure fingernail.
"Well I forbid it! "He exclaimed in high speech.
That was exactly what she has been praying for, but hearing it from him this way make her stun, she raise her eyebrow" Dad what do you mean? "She asked not believing what he said.
"You shall never apologized to such wretch souls. they deserve it, for laying there filthy hand on my princess. Nobody touches you that way without regretting. " He elaborate arrogantly.
"So stop bothering yourself about that, okay!" He stated and she response vigorously.
"That my princess! Now let go out on a date to cheer my princess up and wipe away her tears too it been a decade" He said and quickly stood up while Deejah happily wrapped her veil and hold his hand.
Together they left the house.
* * *
"Mina what are you still doing on bed? Won't you get up and go and cook lunch, who did you expect to do it for you?" Hajiya Maryam asked her daughter.
"I will do that mum," She said and stood up hurriedly.
She sauntered out of the room together with her mum and went into the kitchen. She dish out all the ingredient to be used and started cooking fried rice and chicken and even make hibiscus drink.
Immediately she finish, she arrange the dining table and walk to her dad living room Alhaji maishinko, upon entering into the parlour she met both her dad and mum so engrossed on serious discussion.
"Assalamu'alaikum" she said and waited for there response before she came in.
"Walaikumul- Salam" they responded simultaneously.
"What happened, and why are you standing there? Ain't you suppose to be in kitchen?" Her umma asked her with serious expression written all over.
"Umma is because I'm done and food is already in dinning that why I came to informed you," she said calmly.
"Okay we will soon join you go ahead." Abba said and she quickly left them and saunter to dinning and served her self some.
They came in afterward and join her, while she serve them. They all ate there food silently, and when they were done her mum instruct her to wash the dishes before she left.
She felt bad for her self, if only she will get the chance to be closed to her Abba like Deejah, if only her mum will always consider her feelings, or even compliment on her food or whatever she did, it will be more absorbable than to be a maid in your own house." She lay her head on the dinning table and cried without any console.
She went into the kitchen sink and open the tab and quickly raise her face then went ahead and pack the dishes to the sink and wash. Immediately after she was done, she went back to her room and pick her phone from the nightstand.
She click into her WhatsApp and was replying some messages and randomly came across sheriff number" This should be my chance" She said to herself.
She quickly chat him up "Hi" and waited for his reply since he was also online.
"Who are you?" Was his reply, so mannerless without even responding to her greeting, she murmur to herself and still try to be patient and endured.
"Is Mina, your girlfriend best friend Deejah" she reply.
"Oh I'm so sorry pardon my manners" he reply her quickly.
And what she felt for Deejah even got deeper, she can't even comprehend it anymore is it "jealousy or hatred" she doubt.
Imaging even apologising already just because he realized am the one and I'm her best friend" she asked no one in particular but her self.
If she don't appreciate all she has then I will make her list everything even before she realized it" She swore to her self.
"No problem I only wanted to say hi when I saw your number" she replied back.
"I'm glad, nice meeting you finally" he utter.
She blush and reply " This wasn't our first meeting remember your girlfriend introduced us to each other" She type and hit the send button.
"Yeah I do but at least I get to know you better since you're her best friend" He reply.
"Yeah so could you believe it, when I tell you Deejah is cheating on you?" She asked hoping he believe her easily.
"What do you mean by she's cheating on me" He asked even though there not in good term.
"She has another boyfriend" She uttered.
"What!" He exclaimed, " And how did you expect me to believe this trash you're said about your friend?" He asked again.
"Well it obvious, she said she didn't even have any feelings toward you again. And that why even when you asked her to come over she didn't make any attempt to visit or tell you any good reason why she couldn't. It was all a game to date and dumb you after all."
"What! I guess this is just a chat I can't believe any of your word unless if we can set up a date and see one on one." He suggest and she agreed to it immediately.
"But won't it be too suspicious to be seen in an open together " she lament
"Well if you think so, can you come over to my house? since is not open and is not like your friend normally visit" He saif.
"Okay will be coming tomorrow " She said and drop her phone aside with a full satisfactory victory lacing on her lips.
* * *
Hajiya Rukkayya was in the kitchen along with maid helping her with cooking. She's expecting her relatives that will arrive at any moment from Egypt. So she kept her self busy by cooking different varied of food for her relatives coming down to Nigeria just to visit her since it has been decade they visited there home country.
After she was done with the cooking she went upstairs to her room and went straight to the bathroom and perfume ablution and came out afterward.
She lay a praying mat and said her prayer, after she was done she make her supplication and tears were blurring her vision at the process but she refused to let it cascade down her cheeks. She didn't know what to do about her daughter anymore and she's going astray without anyone to wipe her blind eyes from the fake people surrounding her daughter. Oh Ya Allah guild my husband and daughter to right part, protect them for me she pray and tears flow down her cheeks not stoppable. A call jolted her abruptly and she stood up and pick the call.
"Assalamu'Allakum, Ya Amina are you at the airport already" She asked happily.
"Walai'kum Salam, yes and your driver has already pick us so we will soon be at your house" she stated.
"Alright I will be expecting you all soon she said and ended the call."
She quickly went to the kitchen and instruct the maid to set the dinning and also change all the guest room bed sheets.
"What about Deejah? Are they back?" Hajiya Rukkayya asked Mariyam in particular since she's deejah personal maid.
"Yes Hajiya, she has been inside her room since she came back with Alhaji." She said.
"Okay, you can go back to your work" she said and left immediately she head the sound of cars.
She swiftly approach the car at the parking lot immediately the driver alighted the car. They all came out of the car and she welcome them urging them to come with her. She wrap her arms around her mum hajiya Aisha and others trailed behind them Ya Amina, Ya balisu and sumayyah, ya Amina last born who is Deejah's age mate.
* * *
Laying on hospital bed was Nusaiba Abdulsalam who has been in coma for the past six month with lowest chance of recovery.
Mubarak step mother, Aunty Hauwa was seating beside her massaging Nusaiba lifeless hand with towel and instantly she move her hand and started blinking her eyes severally trying so hard to get up.
Aunty hauwa still couldn't not believe her eyes and quickly rush out of the ward to called doctors.
