Halima’s POV
After tossing on the bed and clutching my stomach once it rumbled I finally decided to apologize.
As I stood up to apologize my phone rang. It was a private number. Normally, I wouldn’t pick private calls but something was bugging me to pick this one and so I did.
“Hello Halima. I suppose you don’t know who I am. But don’t worry, you’ll know me today, let’s meet at the back of your house in two hours.” Came a deep but calm voice. The voice sounded oddly familiar.
I started panicking. See why I didn’t like picking private calls, people seemed to enjoy disturbing people’s lives.
“who… Who.. Who are you? Why should I meet you around 9pm? How’d you know my name?” I stuttered literally freaking out.
“calm down mi hermana, you’ll get all your answers once we meet.” He chuckled then cut the call.
I walked out of my room and sighted mummy coming up the stairs. I ran and engulfed her in a hug only for her to push me away.
I tried to hug her again but she held me by the shoulder and asked “are you ready to apologize?”
I nodded in response and she let go of my shoulders then walked away. I went to Lauratu’s room and knocked on the door.
She opened the door and I entered. Since that was my first time in her room and I decided to check it out before I did what I wanted to do.
Her room was just like the other rooms in the house, air conditioned, with a queen sized bed, dressing mirror wardrobe. Infact everything my room had.
Her room was just painted milk like the other guest rooms while mine was purplish with touches of gold.
I turned to face her and I said, “ehmm, Lauratu I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Sharrin shaidan ne {it was the devil’s doing}”
“bah komai ai {no problem} I’ve forgiven you.” She said beaming at me.
“thanks. Bari inje inci abinci cikina nata shaku shaku {let me go and eat, my stoma has been dancing shaku shaku}” I replied equally beaming at her and then mummy came inside.
“Halima as from now she’s not just Lauratu. She’s Aunty Lauratu”, and then she went out.
What is going on in this house?, I thought to myself but I knew better than to ask so I just left to go downstairs and have some food to eat.
I entered the dining room and scent of something delicious assaulted my olfactory senses. I opened the first warmer and I almost squealed in happiness.
There in front of me, were parathas. I opened another warmer and there was potatoes soup then in another mummy’s signature mango harbenaro chicken parts.
I rushed to the kitchen as if the food was running away and picked a plate. I put six parathas and a lot of potatoes soup with the mango harbanero chicken parts and sat down to munch on the delicacy.
I ate all of it and kept my plate in the kitchen then opened the fridge and found a jug of mango smoothie. The night just couldn’t get better.
After watching Zarah’s Nikkah I decided to go and read on wattpad for the rest of the night. I went to my room and prayed Isha prayer reluctantly then plopped on the bed only to receive a phone call from a private number.
I suddenly remembered all that happened and then I picked out a black plane Abaya and black veil to match. I refused to change my shoes as I loved the slippers hausa people know as taka biredi.
How I fell in love with the shoe, is a story for another day.
I rushed to the back of the house and it was surprisingly dark. I hated darkness but my curiosity made me walk further into the darkness.
“I was already thinking of going with plan B if you didn’t arrive here.” A deep voice echoed in the darkness. The same deep voice I heard over the phone.
“plan B? What is this plan B?” I asked letting my mouth do the thinking.
“oh you do not wanna know”, he said in a sing song voice then chuckled.
“okay so why did you call me here and how’d you get into our house?” I said confused. And those weren’t the only questions on my mind I had on my mind.
I wanted to ask him,
Who are you?
What do you want?
How’d you know me?
And lots more….
“well let’s just say I’m your stalker. But if you really want to know me you can ask your dad.” He said slowly fading into the darkness like a hallucination.
“well at least can I know your name?” I raised my voice thinking he had left.
“Just call me hermano. I’ll message you but not with a private number this time. Save my number so that we can talk on whatsapp.”
“Okay?”I knew it sounded more like a question but I just couldn’t let it settle in my head.
I turned to go back inside the house through the kitchen door and my phone pinged with a message from Ya Sa’eed. It said “I’m outside your house waiting for you. Come out we need to talk. It’s urgent.”
I replied with an okay and adjusted my veil which the wind blew off my head.
I walked outside and almost immediately recognized Ammi’s car. It was a blue Mercedes Benz with tinted glasses. Which model, I didn’t know. I hardly paid attention to car models.
I knocked on the driver’s window and then he rolled it down then said, “zagayo ki shiga {turn around and come inside}. We need to talk”, then rolled the window back up.
It was awkward and I’d never been alone in a car with a guy before except for my daddy. But he wouldn’t do anything right? He was Ya Sa’eed after all, an older brother figure to me.
I shrugged all my negative thoughts off then breathed in and out before turning to the other side and entering like he said or more like ordered.
“be fast dan Allah. Mummy will soon start looking for me.” I said looking up at his window to check if Mummy was looking through her window.
He turned to bring something from the back seat which turned out to be a big black nylon with sahad stores boldly inscribed on it with white.
He handed it over to me and I collected it. I collected it and wanted to go out when he said “I’m not done yet. Don’t you want to see what’s inside?”
I did want to see what was inside but it’d waste time and mummy had started laying down rules for me. If I broke any I’d be in deep shit.
I quickly opened it and there were two ice-cream packs, one from sahad and one from cold stone. They were a lot of chocolate bars ranging from amos to eklairs.
I wanted to jump and engulf him in a hug till he couldn’t breathe but I couldn’t. Another rule from mummy.
I said a thank you and was about saying a bye when he said, “please whatever I say don’t let it scare you off. Please don’t let it ruin our relationship. If you’re not comfortable no problem. Okay so, uhmm I want to tell you that uhmmm…. I love… I love you. Like love love. As in love na sayoyya and I hope that one day In Shaa Allah we’ll be together as husband and wife. If you’re not ready I can wait. Afterall I’ve waited this long so waiting for longer is not a problem.”