This chapter is for the beautiful mz_bushirah. Thank you for all that you do for me.

Nadia jiggled her feet to combat the late morning early February cold, UmmulKhair and Sarah held themselves beside her, both in cardigans under their long hijabs. 

"Is that her?" Sarah pointed in the opposite direction, Nadia gasped before squinting excitedly at the red car approaching them. She shook her head, it was not hers. 

"That's a Toyota, that's not my car." Just as she finished her statement, A wine Hyundai Creta sport, with a Kano plate number drew closer to the gate where they stood. Nadia screeched with excitement, waited for the car to stop before rushing off to let her friend out. 

"Thank you! Thank you so much Hajjo. Thank you baby!" Her friend, a tall, willowy dark skinned woman stepped out of the vehicle, adjusted her veil with her lips set in a mocking sneer. 

"'Yen yen yen Hajjo this Hajjo that'. I didn't hear this excitement when you wrangled my arm forcing me to drive to Abuja." Nadia's cousins saw her display a different kind of childish excitement with her friend. 

Nadia hugged Hajarah tight and placed a wet kiss on her cheeks. Hajarah wiped the kiss with a shout, "Why are you so happy, it's just a car." She inquired, her face searching Nadia's for any issues as though they could be on the face. 

"I miss you and I've missed my car. I've been stressing UmmulKhair there,"She pointed in the direction of her cousin, "To take me to work everyday, I know she's tired of my troubles." 

Hajaraah turned to UmmulKhair and upturned her neck in a way that expressed surprise and thanks. "Thank you so much dear, May Allah (S.W.T) answer your secret prayers." UmmulKhair put out her hands and said a heartfelt Ameen. 

They walked into the house, Sarah leaving to get some snacks for the guest while UmmulKhair went to prepare for a tutorial she had to attend. Sarah came out a few minutes later with piping hot strawberry tea and whole wheat meat pies she put in the microwave. 

"How long have you guys been friends?" She asked Hajaraah as she flopped down on the floor beside them. 

Hajaraah thought a bit, before slapping Nadia's laps to remember an event. "You're getting old o, Hajjo, we met at the first day of classes, ABU Zaria nursing school. We sat next to one other, a nervous hungry mess. We rushed out after our first class, to eat hot rice and stew at a buka. We have been friends since say, eight years. We were fifteen when we met." Nadia responded instead, since Hajarah was mute. Sarah's eyes widened. 

"Fifteen? How did you even get in?" Nadia gave Sarah a look and she stopped asking, got up and carried her camera to another room. 

"They like you. Why did you say you weren't sure of your relationship?" Hajaraah whispered in question to Nadia who wringed her fingers. 

"People don't usually like me because they think I'm so strict and all. Shebi that's why Ammar said he couldn't stand me. Even people at Kano Diezemane said it, 'You should loosen up', but all they do is crack sexual jokes I have no need for." Hajaraah shook her head. 

"You're not so strict, you just have standards that you want met. It's not a bad thing, don't let their words get to you." Nadia nodded with an easing sigh and tapped her friend with her eyebrows playfully moving up and down. "What's up na?" 

"Muhammad and I are going to Riyadh to see a gynecologist his aunt, the one that likes me, recommended. She paid for the flights, I've stopped all the medication I was using. I'm not very optimistic, because it is Allah (S.W.T) that gives a child, we're open to adoption just as we're open to fertility treatments." Nadia rubbed her friend's hands in sympathy. 

Fertility tests taken a year after Hajaraah and Muhammad got married showed that Muhammad had a low sperm count and Hajaraah had a right complex ovarian cyst. A combination of both and they hadn't even had a test pregnancy since they were married. 

They both sat there, each with their thoughts. Nadia in fear of what would happen if another suitor found she might not have children, or it would be hard to. The dating pool was already a mess for women with no issues, much less her with fertility tests pending. 

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"Your mother and I are traveling for our as you know, upcoming twenty fifth anniversary." The three girls who flopped down on the living room floor after Subh prayers suddenly perked up. 

"We're going to be gone for two weeks. The trip is about fourteen days, and we'll be back in Nigeria on the twenty-ninth." Sarah cheered happily, her exuberant chortling made UmmulKhair and Nadia who had sat up laugh. They cheered weakly alongside Sarah. 

"Are we not coming? Why are you saying the 'We' as if it's just you and Maama?" In the early morning light that filtered in from the roof to floor windows, Nadia saw her uncle's face give Sarah a scathing look. 

"When you're married, ask your husband that question. You're not my wife. I'm taking my wife on a trip for our anniversary, not you." Sarah grumbled with her arms akimbo for a moment before sliding on the tiled floor in her azure hijab to ask her father,

"Are we allowed to go out?" He nodded yes, but raised his left index finger in warning, "I do not want to hear that you didn't return home before Mahgrib prayers. I'm putting you," He pointed in Nadia's direction, "In charge of this house. Every outing must be duly recorded with Nadia. I must not hear, especially you Saratu, I must not hear that you went out to film content or anything without appropriate permission." Sarah put her head on her father's lap like a meek dove, nodding. 

"Toh, you all will go and represent our family at the wedding of Alhaji Maikano's daughter who is getting married on Friday after we leave." UmmulKhair who had dozed off woke up with a start. 

"Why? We don't even have the asoebi." Her mother gave her a knife-like look. She hated it when UmmulKhair said no, it would give room for Sarah who was more assertive to say no and the whole matter would be over. It was something they knew as parents. They could preside over UmmulKhair, get her to do what they wanted but Sarah always wanted a reason to do anything, if she didn't like the reason, she could say no. 

"The clothes you have at home have gone missing abi?" UmmulKhair began to grumble about the outing being a disaster from the start. 

"Don't eat me. I have fifteen yards that they gave me, if you know any tailor that can sew it for you, sew it. Don't waste my clothes." UmmulKhair shut up instantly and went upstairs to get the said material. Mumbling about them having to rush around because everyone thought they were kids. 

When she came back with the material, they called a tailor of theirs who groggily answered that she would reach there before eight am to take the material. They picked a simple gown style that could be sewn in a few days. 

As they left the living room, Nadia shuffling behind the sleepy Sarah, Her uncle stopped them with one last announcement.

"I'll leave a debit card with Nadia, you must document all expenses, we are not the Bindawa or Maikano family. Sarah, you can't be buying clothes from the UK when there are good tailors here in Abuja. That conversion gives me a bad headache." They all laughed at the statement. He harrumphed and shifted in his seat, seeing as the warning had been received. 

"Today is Friday, don't forget to recite Suratul Kahf." They nodded sleepily and trudged up the stairs to their different rooms to prepare for the day. 

UmmulKhair knocked on Nadia's door about an hour later at eight am, Nadia opened up in her grey blue scrubs, wearing a black inner sleeved jersey top to cover her hands and a black hijab. 

"This trousers are baggy right?" She turned her back to face UmmulKhair, UmmulKhair studied her for a moment before agreeing. 

"Yes, why are you worried?" She asked, Nadia huffed as she picked up her black constructed office bag, slung it to her shoulder and started out of the room. 

"I don't like how those men look at me at work. The gaze is very disgusting and I'm not interested in any of that rubbish they have to offer." UmmulKhair hissed lowly, Nadia turned sharply to her cousin who now told her a lot, how she and her boyfriend had issues and had to break up because his family arranged his marriage with another family friend, they'd bonded over bad break-ups and they now told each other anything. 

"My lecturer, keeps asking me to see him alone." Nadia stopped on the stairs, UmmulKhair crashed unthinkingly unto her back and Nadia's bag dropped due to the momentum. 

"Have you documented any of those inquiries?" Nadia asked, searching her cousin's face for answers. UmmulKhair eyes wondered around in their sockets. 

"I've always gone with my friends. Not even one, two of them. He usually asks if I'm scared of him." Nadia nodded and picked up her bag, her hands shaking. 

"Don't let him call you names and try to pressure you into seeing him alone. If he pesters you, report him. You're in a private school, no one is above the law there. Okay?" UmmulKhair used her vantage height on the stairs to hug her cousin's neck, she was grateful to have an older sensible person to speak to. 

"Don't choke me to death you this strong Zamfara woman. Leave me." Nadia battled UmmulKhair's strong hands that had clasped themselves around her neck. 

"I thought you were stuck up and strict, you're actually so fun to be with and you always understand me." She leaned forward and kissed Nadia's cheek. Nadia stopped trying to move and put her hand on the kissed cheek in horror, she brought back an evidence of the kiss in more horror. 

"Did you just kiss me with gloss on your lips?" UmmulKhair laughed and rushed to the kitchen where her mom was setting their breakfast in little ziplock bags before placing them in warming bags. 

"Mummy, Ya Nadia wants to beat me." Her mother furrowed her brows, placed caramelized sliced apples in the bag that was marked N before responding, "Nadia won't just target you, you must have messed up." 

Nadia reached the kitchen this time, still holding out her hand in horror. "She's here to beat me!" UmmulKhair screamed once Nadia stepped imposingly into the room, ready to beat sense into her cousin. 

"Look at how she put those her over glossed lips on my face, now I'm carrying around a coat of lipgloss on my face." She explained and watched her her cousin shadowed her mother in fear. 

"Both of you, sorry. Carry your bags and leave this house before you're late." Nadia splayed her hands, washed them and put her index and third to her eyes before pointing them in UmmulKhair's direction in warning,

"Wait for my revenge." 

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By the time Friday rolled around, the girls were exhausted. On Wednesday, they'd accompanied UmmulKhair and Sarah's parents to the airport, picked up their clothes from the tailor, gone to get groceries for the house. 

Nadia began her five day break on Thursday, did some jewellery shopping with Sarah and UmmulKhair after classes, they bought a clutch for Sarah and a pair of mule heels for UmmulKhair. They slept away their tiredness till the next day without eating dinner. 

Friday morning, they got ready, attended Jumaah prayers at a mosque in their area, returned home, to take a nap before getting ready for the party. 

"Ya Nadia, my friend is here, can we use your room for the make-up?" Nadia nodded as she helped them clear out the trolley she kept next to her window before opening the curtains for more light. 

All made-up and pictures taken, they took Nadia's car to the venue at a bespoke event center in Asokoro where they flashed two invitations that admitted three people. 

They sat at their table and enjoyed the surroundings, the wedding was a 'Crazy Rich Asians' themed wedding and it was just what it implied, crazy and expensive. There was an abundance of food, drinks and good company. 

At ten pm, Nadia got tired of watching everyone dance, tapped UmmulKhair who was talking to one of the groomsmen and asked her to prepare to go home in thirty minutes. Then Nadia set out to search for Sarah who wanted to make content from the wedding. 

Nadia found her holding her camera while dancing, She shook her head fondly, wondering how Sarah did it. She tapped her cousin and told her the same thing she told UmmulKhair before returning to her seat to wait. 

A shadow covered her and after a few seconds, Nadia looked up to see a tall, slim man in a blue shadda that was worn by the groom's party standing before her. She raised her brows in question, the stiff saqi fabric that was tied around her head, so close to her forehead moved. 

"I'm so sorry I blocked your light, I just saw an angel and decided to come introduce myself." Nadia sighed and pursed her lips, saying nothing. She didn't want to be rude but for now, she was over men. Especially those who didn't know what they wanted, more of those ones who called her angel on the first meeting. 

"Won't you talk to me? What's your name?" Nadia sighed and leaned back in her chair, still not speaking. It showed that she had a lot of time and had it to waste. 

"Are you deaf? What's your name?" Nadia continued to stare at a fixed flower point in front of her which was directly beside him. Of course, he would turn insulting, he would try to degrade her for refusing to speak to him. 

"I'm Uthman, you are?" When Nadia refused to answer, he chuckled as though he couldn't believe that she wasn't responding to him. He adjusted his Shadda and said his name again. 

"What do you think you are, don't think you're so beautiful, if you continue like this, no one will marry you." He hissed, turned and left. 

Nadia shook her head with a sigh. Most men could not accept what they dished out and quickly showed their own true behavior once the slightest provocation came up. 

UmmulKhair replaced him quickly and said she was ready to leave. Sarah appeared a few minutes later and they picked up the souvenirs they received and tiredly dragged themselves out of the hall to the now cool car park. The cold wind blew past them and they rushed as quickly as they could to the car, their combined selves would warm up the car in seconds. 

They piled the load unto a part of Nadia's backseat, got in and began to move. They'd not gone past three cars when Sarah gasped. 

"This girl was dancing with her friends just now, why's she in a secluded corner with those boys." Nadia stopped the car and looked at where Sarah was pointing out. There was a flickering Overhead lamp but it showed how scared the girl looked. 

"Three boys? She can't be talking to them can she? She looks scared sef, Ya Nadia, what should we do?" Nadia's blood boiled, in fear and anger as she knew this sort of situation well. She'd been saved once by an older woman and she was willing to do so if the said girl needed help. 

She moved the car to an opposite direction, swerved and parked opposite the place where the foursome where standing, turned on her headlights in their direction in full glare, picked up a veil she usually kept in the car and wrapped herself with it. Barefooted, she started in their direction. 

Once she got a few meters from them, she shouted, "Keh, Yarinya, is this where you are? Why have I been calling your phone and looking for you all evening? Oya to the car now, right now before I open my closed eyes." When Nadia opened her eyes, her heart thumped a beat. It was the colonoscopy patient's daughter. 

"My phone was with them, my friends-" Nadia heard the full story from how she was shaking like a leaf. She stretched out her hands bravely and snatched the phone held by one of the boys. Then she marched the girl to the car, still spitting faux insults. 

Immediately the doors shut, the girl burst into tears. "Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Those people, I don't know them at all. Wallah, my friends who I came with, left and asked me to wait with them while they quickly got some food. I've been waiting for over twenty minutes. They took my phone as well, thank you so much. I'm so grateful." 

Nadia stared at her, her heart still pounding and hands shaking. Anything could have gone wrong there and the outcome could have been different. Nadia nodded, then she started the car and raced out of the event center to a nearby mall that sold everything but the scent of fresh bread overtook everywhere around it. 

"Sarah, please pass me a bottle of water." There was no water in the car so Sarah took some cash and rushed to get them bottles of water. 

The girl was unconsolable, crying till her voice went hoarse. "What would I have said to my dad? He didn't even know I went to that party, I stole his invitation to enter with my friends." Nadia passed her some wet wipes, she watched as the girl wiped her make-up and took a sip of the water Sarah brought. 

"It's okay, now you're safe. You can call a  cab and go home." Nadia watched as She shook her head in absolute horror, as though she could never imagine it. 

"Please, don't leave me. They wanted to sexually abuse me, they'd said so. Please, take me home. My daddy will pay for your fuel. Please. I remember you from daddy's colonoscopy." Nadia sighed and rubbed her hands together for more heat.  She pulled on the gear and placed it on reverse before looking in the mirror to ask tiredly,

"Where are we going?"

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The ball has been set rolling, whatever happens after now is free for all.

Please if you forgot to comment, I beg you, go back and do so. Please vote as well, please share as well.

See y'all on Friday next week.

May God bless us all abundantly. Thank you for reading, commenting and voting.

TheOmoope 💙❤️