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"Doctor, please how's she?"

The doctor sighed and opened the door to her wide office and ushered them in tiredly. Halima apologetically walked in hurriedly, trying to err on the side of caution.

"My patient is in fire circumstances. How did she get here?" Halima shook her head, Summayah shuffled her feet, Kemi hissed -yoruba woman style- and the doctor clasped her hands and waited.

"Well, her husband beat her first, she went to his mother's house to report, he came back and beat hee even more as a result." The doctor nodded, wrote some things down, pulled out a prescription paper wrote some drugs on it and handed it to Kemi who was sitting close to her.

"Buy her this drugs and give them to the nurse on duty. We don't have this drugs in our pharmacy. One of her ribs broke and punctured her left lung. We'll have an x-ray for that. I will update you as time goes on." The doctor got up and walked out of her office, at the threshold, she walked back and said.

"We cannot keep quiet. We will prosecute the abuser. We have informed the police already. An officer will be here shortly." Halima's heart lost a beat. She wondered briefly if Aminu's mother would like that move. Many women didn't like their husbands arrested after abuse.

"Thank you for that move." Summayah's words calmed Halima's heart and so they shuffled out of the doctor's office and walked back to the waiting area.

"Aminu." Halima called when she reached the little kids. "Your mom will be fine." Aminu nodded bravely but tears filled his eyes.

*****

July 10

"Madam, come out oo. I am waiting." Halima quickly grabbed the bottle of fruit juice hee mother had made for her and shut the door behind herself.

Safeenah and her mother were resting in time for Jummah prayers later in the day. Halima jogged lightly to the gate and opened the door to an alien red Mercedes that Summayah was sitting in.

"Assalamualaikum. Jummah Mubarak." She greeted Summayah and sat in the passenger seat beside her.

"Walaikum Salam Bestie." Summayah pushed the keyfob into a space and the car started. She drove carefully on the uneven road. "Who's car is this?" Halima asked.

"Jamal's first baby." They both laughed, it was an inside joke that Jamal loved his cars after himself and Allah. He used to say that he loved his cars and Allah. No one came second.

"So, how are you feeling? This is an important day." Halima sighed and played with her manicured fingers. They were well filed and cut into little moon shapes.

"I'm fine. Finding resources in me to be excited to my wedding. And to deal with a trauma. It's not going to be easy, but I'll get better. That's for sure." Summayah sighed but didn't speak anymore.

As they rolled into the carpark of an office complex in Maitama, they met Kemi paying a cab driver. Summayah opened a door for her at the central lock and Kemi got in. They all greeted and drove further into the underground car-park.

"Girls." Summayah began when she parked ans the key fob was ejected. "Today, I'm not only your girlfriend. I'm your sister. I'm your confidant. I believe your truth. I believe in your strength." Halima sighed and shifted in her seat.

It was Kemi who replied for them. "Thank you Summy. It's a blessing to have you on our side." Summayah nodded and they all got out of the car. They simultaneously adjusted their clothes. Kemi checked her lip gloss and changed the eay she was carrying her bag.

They all knew they were doing it due to how nervous they were. So, they took the elevator and as the machine climbed floors, Halima shut her eyes and sighed softly. She remembered that she had not yet told Jamal this issue, she had not meant to make it drag this long but it had happened and there was nearly nothing she could do about it.

"Hello, I'm Motopeda. Welcome Tukur and Co associates. Please fill these forms." They promptly introduced themselves and the secretary checked their names in the computer.

"Barristers Tukur and Idris will be with you shortly." The secretary moved out of the small cozy decorated with warm colors room and shut the door behind her. Halima let out a harsh breath. The air conditioning was making her feel like she was in a courtroom.

The door opened and two women walked in. Halima smiled automatically because the one named Hafsat was smiling at her.  "Hello ladies." They chorused a reply and the two lawyers sat in  prepared chairs in front of them.

They both pulled out pens and began to write on the yellow legal pads they were holding. "I'm Hafsat Idris and this is Hajarah Tukur." Halima and Kemi smiled mirthlessly at the both of them.

"There's one thing I need to both of you to know; from this moment onwards, we're yours. To call when anything happens, to discuss anything you remember with. You must tell us the absolute truth, nothing but the truth. There will be no judgement from either of us, we will represent you to the best In Sha Allah." Hajarah sighed as she finished when none of them spoke.

"Tell me, who is the accused?" Halima sighed and spoke Captain's full name, his brothers names and their mother. "You're suing all of them?" Halima nodded.

"Miss Kemisola?" Kemi adjusted in her seat before saying. "Please just call me Kemi. Just about the same people." The two lawyers nodded, writing furiously in their pads.

"Were any of you offered money or any equivalent in kind?" Halima shook her head but Kemi sighed and spoke of how her father had taken money from the accused. Hafsat raised her head in question.

"Why do I feel like you're worried about it?" Kemi sighed again and Summayah patted her back gently.

"I wonder if the judge will throw my case out because my father took money." Hajarah shook her head and tapped on her iPad, and passed it to Kemi.

"Read this precedent case, and see." It took Kemi some five minutes to read the document. "So, taking money isn't a factor?" Hajarah and Hafsat nodded.

"Don't let anyone make you feel like paying for their evil makes it feel better. Never ever." Kemi nodded at Hajarah's words.

"Tell me about the first time you met him?" Kemi explained that she had gone to clean floors, their bathroom floors with her mother and when her mother went away to buy detergent, they locked the gate and raped her till she lost consciousness. They had woken her by putting her under a shower spray.

"How many of them?" Kemi sighed. "All the of them. The eldest held me down while the rest had their way with me. While the second did, the eldest forced his genitals in my mouth. I had a sore throat for weeks." Hafsat nodded as though she didn't just hear one of the most horrible things in the world.

"When you woke, what did they tell you?" Kemi wondered again and said with her voice breaking. "They said i caused it. That they were ustazes and I'd caused them to sin with my calf length skirt." Hafsat nodded and passed Kemi a pack of tissues.

"Did either of you go to a hospital?" Halima nodded, Kemi shook her head. "My mother washed me with hot water and gave me painkillers. But it didn't kill my heart ache." The two lawyers nodded and wrote some more.

"Miss Halima?" Halima sighed. "Shirish Hospitals in Gwagalada." They noted it down.

"Anyone seen a therapist?" Hafsat asked, after noting something down.

They both nodded. "I just began seeing one a few weeks ago." Kemi replied meekly. They both shut their pads at the same time.

"We'll meet again on August twentieth." Halima nodded, it was a full week after her wedding.

***

July 11

"Anty."

Halima sighed and turned to Safeenah with a long suffering look. "Are they going to like me?" Halima pursed her lips, didn't reply. Only busied herself with paying the cabman.

"Feenah. They're going to like you. Okay?" She said in Hausa and pulled her along to the private house where the cake Baker lived and had invited both she and Jamal to do a tasting.

Safeenah's jaw dropped as they walked up the drive, it was a little hill-like so they were breathing very hard when they reached the top of the slope. They met Jamal and his girls waiting under a tree's shade.

"I hope you didn't wait long?" Halima smiled immediately she reached his side. Jamal shook his head and pulled down his sunglasses, exchanged it for his medicated ones before smiling winningly at Halima. Halima smiled back foolishly till he broke the silence.

"Who's the little angel you've brought along?" Halima drew the forgotten Safeenah closer and introduced her to Jamal.

"Ina Kwana." She greeted him, genuflecting slightly. Jamal smiled at her and asked about her health and school as they walked to the greenhouse-like building that served as the bakery.

"What class are you?" Safeenah seemed to blossom and spoke her English with pride, whereas she would just shut up and sulk before other people.

"Let's go in. The girls are waiting." Jamal held the door as Halima and Safeenah walked in. When they got in, Both girls marveled at the steel interior of the bakery.

"Welcome to Sugar and Spices. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding." Halima and Jamal said thank yous and followed her with the three girls to a part of the bakery that was labeled tasting room.

"Jariyah, Lubna, how are you?" Jariyah bared her teeth in a smile and went to hug Halima who introduced Safeenah to them. Jamal carried each girl to sit on one of the high six chairs that was placed there for visitors.

"So, we have six cake varieties for you to taste as well as the icing we thought of. You both agreed the cake would be in accordance to wedding colors which are white and gold." Halima nodded and asked her about the general cake. "Because we thought, the main cake at the stand, that we get to cut, should be for close family and us to eat later, but there should be a general cake that everyone gets a slice of."

The baker noted it down and asked what flavors they wanted the general cake in. "That's why we're here with little girls who are experts at cake. These are Jariyah, Lubna and Safeenah." Halima pointed at the three girls who were already discussing amongst themselves.

Her phone pinged over and over as the baker walked away to start serving them and she brought out her phone to look. It was Summayah sending her videos of her lefe. Her eyes widened in bewilderment at the number of boxes her father's living room was housing. Two sets of boxes and other stuff filled a corner.

She turned to Jamal but he wss in deep conversation with the girls. She shook her head as the baker walked back in with a tray of cake. She would thank him later.

"We'll start with vanilla first." They were served forty-five degrees angle cake slices with lemon-flavored icing. They all cut into their respective cakes, quietly savouring the fluffiness and slight density of the cake.

Jamal leaned in to Halima. "This is good. Very good." Halima laughed and pointed him in Lubna's direction. She was scraping off all the icing unto the ceramic plate the cake was sitting on, all the while her face was scrunched up.

"Obviously not a good choice." Jamal smiled at Halima's whisper and allowed his plate to be taken away.

"Umma!" Jariyah whispered harshly to Halima.

"Yes?" Jariyah pushed Lubna to speak. "Tell her we want chocolate cake and vanilla icing for the general cake and a mix of chocolate cake and vanilla icing for the other cake."

Halima and Jamal looked at themselves eyes wide.

When did they take to calling Halima Umma?

****

HELLO EVERYONE 👋

Our wedding is on za wayyyyyy, and I do not even know how to feel 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Anyhoos, we're here now. Thank you so much for 55k. God bless you all so richly. If not say school no dey now, I for do giveaway. But at this point, me sef deserve giveaway😭😂

See y'all when i see you. I promise, I'll reply comments as you send them, so please keep them coming in.

Ciao

TheOmoope ❣️