She was walking around the kitchen, picking one thing or the other as she moved it to where it was, while she cooked. Her phone was pinned between her shoulder and her ear, listening to the ramblings coming from Farha. It was always about Nura, how she was tired of how persistent he was and how she wanted to push him out of her life but he acted as if he didn't know what she was doing. She was giving her a few advices and when Yazeed walked into the kitchen, he rushed to where she was and held the phone for her. She flashed him an appreciative smile and he spoke softly at her.

"Should I bring your AirPods for you?" He asked, following her around the kitchen so she couldn't miss what Farha was saying.

Apologetically, she shook her head at him, "It's in my room," she sadly uttered and he nodded his head. Even though they were quite better than before, they were still things they didn't cross, borders that she knew would forever remain a boundary between them, which included their rooms.

"Jalilah, is that his voice I'm hearing?" Farha asked, and Jalilah silently prayed Farha wouldn't be her old self now, because she was sure whatever Farha said would be heard by him, and if that isn't embarrassing she didn't know what was.

"Yes, he's holding the phone for me, I told you I'm cooking," Jalilah spoke through gritted teeth, she wished the way she sounded would give Farha the impression that she was together with him.

"Oh, ask him to put the phone on speaker for you, I want to ask him something." This serious tone of Farha didn't sound promising, Jalilah was afraid to do what she said and she would end up embarrassed.

"What are you going to tell him, Farha? Or you wanted to ask, right? What is it?" Ya Rabb, don't let this girl embarrass her as she did before, because she was sure it would have much impact on her now more than it did before.

"Come on, I won't embarrass you, I promise. It's just a question, come on, Jalilah." She whined, and Jalilah looked at him after she opened the fridge with a smile.

"She wants you to put the phone on speaker, that she has something to ask you." He made an O expression with his lips before he did as she said. "Okay, it's on speaker, what do you have to ask him for?" Jalilah spoke while she moved to the cooking gas and began stirring the soup she had, he followed her.

"Hey, Farha. Good evening, how are you?" He spoke softly, and for a moment Jalilah forgot the way his voice sounded, and she couldn't help turning to give him one of her best smiles.

Farha smiled before she softly chuckled, "I promised not to embarrass this girl but every time I heard your voice I can't help but believe it more when she tells me how your voice sounds. Anyways, I can't break my promise even though I wish I can't tell you some of her little secrets which will lead me to embarrass myself because there were times I was damn angry at you that I wish I could take the next flight to wherever you are, maybe kill you or just strangle you to your death bed. Anyways, my name is Farha as you know and I have a request to make."

By the time she was done, Yazeed was laughing so hard that a quirked Jalilah had to turn to make sure he was the one laughing. "Okay, I think I should apologize first, I've done that to her already. I'm sorry, Jalilah's best friend. What's the request you want to make? I think I owe it to you." He smiled when Jalilah muttered a soft sorry and he waved dismissively. He didn't know why he was never angry at what Farha would say to him, she always sounded funny to his ears.

"I want to see her, Baby Jally, I mean. I've missed her, the last time I've seen her was nearly a year now, will you please bring her to Abeokuta? Or if you have things to do, someone can bring her..." She was silent and when she realized that even if he spoke he was going to say no, she chirped in again, "Oh, I even forgot. You shouldn't worry about it, she'll ask Jibril to bring her here, An Jali Jali, please call him immediately after we're done with this phone call, I'm sure he'll bring you, right? You told me he was in town, yeah?"

Did this girl know everything that was going on in Jalilah's life or he heard her wrong? As in she knew Jibril, and from the way she sounded he knew she wanted to jolt a reaction out of him which she successfully did. He glared at Jalilah that had her hands held up in surrender with a mischievous smile on her lips. "Farha, I know you're crazy like she is, but I won't hesitate to do whatever comes to my mind, if you want your best friend to be safe and sound with me by her side, don't call his name again. We'll be there tomorrow."

They both squealed so loud that Yazeed wondered what was so exciting about it. "I told you, Jalilah! I'm sure it would work!!!" He had to smile when he accusatively turned to look at Jalilah and she shook her head apologetically while holding her ears with her lips mouthing sorry.

"You two are something else. Is that all, Farha? I have some work to do and I need to leave." He said with a hint of a smile on his lips and Farha chuckled softly.

"But I'm quite sure you know that my best friend isn't your chef, right? Help her work, Jalilah if he doesn't, make sure he doesn't eat that food. I'll send you the address, girl. Ya Rabb! I can't wait to see you. And Yazeed, one day or two, please. Yes, I know she has ballet and painting and you have work, but we sometimes sacrifice something for our loved ones. If it was Jibril, I'm sure he would spend two days here too. You're a good man too, may Allah bless you. Thank you. Jalilah, we'll talk later." She spoke in one breath and they were sure she didn't exhale until she ended the call and they broke into a peal of laughter. Jalilah shook her head, Farha would always be Farha. And the fact that she was finally going to see her tomorrow was so enthralling that she didn't even know how she should act.

Yazeed leaned on the kitchen counter with the smile on his face while she moved toward her sizzling pot, "I'm sure you would tell her if I didn't help you work, and she will rip me off tomorrow, I already know I won't be able to handle her. So, what do you want me to help you with, Ballerina?"

She turned and chuckled softly, "Does this mean you've agreed? We're spending two days there? Please?" The puppy eyes were back again without her even noticing and he glared at her before he nodded his head.

"It's not like I have any other choice if you can sacrifice ballet for her, then I don't think it's worrisome if I let go of work for two days, I don't have much on my plate to worry about. So it's a yes."

She squealed and looked around the kitchen, "Then that's your work, for now, just go the living room and wait for me until I'm done, I'll be out in a bit. Thank you." She flashed him a bright smile that Yazeed had no choice but to smile back at her before he walked out of the kitchen. After Jalilah saw his retreating back as he slumped on the sofa, she heaved a sigh. She didn't know how he did it, but he had held up to his promise, it had more than two weeks now but he didn't go into hiding again. They ate together, just not on the same plate anymore. They sometimes watch the movie together, he always took her to the art centre on weekends and she had still not figured the way she was going to convince him to continue painting, because he said as long as she would be giving him her paintings, then there was no need for him to paint.

The smile was evident on her face when she was done and after she had set the table and he helped with the cutleries. They sat at the opposite end and after Jalilah had served him, she sat down playing with her spoon on the plate. She had suddenly lost her appetite, realizing that it was getting to two months now that Mama still didn't answer her calls but she no more declined them, which was at least a good sign. But she missed her mother, even though every time she called Fareeda and sometimes Fareed, and they always assured her that Mama was fine, she even seemed to be back to her old self, she wasn't yet convinced. She wanted to speak to her mother, hear her laugh, exchange jokes with her and those little advices she gave her, which were what helped her in times of distress.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" He asked when he noticed that she made little to no effort to eating her food.

She looked up at him and he saw that tears were already glistening her eyes. "I miss Mama, I don't know how to make her pick my calls. She's still angry at me." She softly uttered and her tears finally made way to her cheeks.

Yazeed stared at her for some time before he smiled and stood up, he moved to where she stood with the smile not leaving his lips. "To kukan kuma na menene? You're a spoilt brat, Jalilah. Let's try calling her again, I'm sure she would pick today. I know you can't eat your food, you'd prefer your bounty cake slice and yoghurt before you go to bed. Let's go to the living room and call Mama, okay?"

She stood up and he shook his head, "Clear the tears first, do you want her to think you aren't happy? She'd feel bad no matter how she acts as if she doesn't care anymore." She cleared her tears and was about to walk to the living room when he shook his head, "You can't move yet. Why not smile first?" She didn't know she could be able to smile relating to how she was feeling, but at the same time, she couldn't resist Yazeed.

"That's so much like your old self, let's try our luck." They sat down on the three sitters and when she pulled her phone up, Yazeed shook his head. "I'm not going to burst your bubbles, but if you think she didn't pick your call for those days, why would she do that now? While she is certain nothing is wrong with you, you're just in Lagos having your best life with your husband..." He teased, and Jalilah whined before she looked away.

"Yazeed, and you're joking now." She pouted her lips while she stared at him.

"Oh come on, I just want to make you feel better, but still, that's what she thinks. I'd call her with my phone, there are higher chances of her picking the call, what do you think?" She thoughtfully stared at him before she nodded he head.

"Yes, she will. Put the number then." She called the numbers out and had to clasp her hands together when he was about to dial the number. "Wait!" She stopped him, "What are you going to tell her? Yazeed I'm afraid, Mama is a very strict woman."

He smiled softly at her and somehow, it calmed her down. "You don't have to worry, but as you prayed for, you'd speak with Mama today, inshallah." He dialled the phone and put it on speaker, placing it beside them. Jalilah stared at the phone with her heart racing in speed she didn't know how she could get a hold of herself if Mama proved to be as stubborn as Jalilah knew she was.

"Assalamu Alaikum," Mama's voice boomed through the speaker and their eyes met at the instant. He smiled to calm her down before he turned his eyes back to the phone as if Mama would see her.

"Waalaikumus Salam, Good evening, Mama." He greeted and when she answered back, they both went silent. He didn't know where to start from, but he knew he had to do this for Jalilah, he didn't know so much about mother but how their absence affected our lives, and he would do everything not to make Jalilah witness that ache. "Urm, it's Yazeed, Mama. Jalilah's husband." The moment he said that he looked at her and she was staring at him as well. He didn't know why that whenever they got themselves in this situation where either of them will call the other as a wife or husband or someone else called them that, it was no awkward. But to him, he felt an unfathomable feeling in his heart, something he couldn't point a finger at.

"Oh," Mama's voice went cold all of a sudden that Jalilah felt as a shiver ran down her spine. "What happened, Yazeed?" She couldn't help but ask, even though she knew this in all its entirety had to do with Jalilah, but she needed to know. To make sure if she was fine and nothing bad happened to her.

He cleared his voice and he was about to speak when Jalilah held his hand before she shook her head, her tears already making a fountain of her cheeks, "I asked him to call you, Mama. Isn't it too long for you to accept my apology? Please, Mama?" She begged, her tears rolling profusely down her cheeks. He stared at her, even though he was shocked when she wrapped her two hands on his because the last time they had contact as such was in the hotel, he knew she needed support now, and he put his other hand to show her that he would be there for her.

Mama hissed softly and Jalilah knew as much as she thought this wasn't good, it was far worse than she thought. "And what do you call me for? Are you pregnant and you don't want me to miss the news or what? Jalilah, what more do you have to say? I think I've heard enough from you, right? If it's the news of your pregnancy you want to..."

Jalilah wailed and broke into more tears, "Mama!!! For the sake of Allah, please!" She was crying so hard that Yazeed had to squeeze her hand to let her know that she had to take it easy on herself. She didn't feel embarrassed or awkward when Mama initiated she was pregnant and that supposed baby was Yazeed's child. All that mattered to her now was Mama's forgiveness, and she had to get it today.

Mama laughed humorlessly and Jalilah was only realizing that this was far worse than she thought it was. It was a huge crime, if only she wasn't even lying, and for Mama to find out she had lied to her but she still proceeded and stayed with a guy, Jalilah knew that day would be the end of her life. Because Mama would make sure she killed her herself. "What else do you want me to say? What more left between us, Khadija? You feel like you've grown up enough to get married on your own, isn't that enough freedom? Maybe you've forgotten your tribe, your tradition, your religion and whose daughter you are!"

She cleared her tears but more kept gushing out that she didn't mind to clear them off anymore. "I know what I did was wrong, but I had no choice. I'm sorry, please forgive me, Mama. Please, wallah, I've had enough, I can't bear you not being in my life anymore, it's going to damage me forever."

"Khadija, stop playing games on me. Do you have something to say? Have you had a miscarriage and you don't know how to take care of yourself? Because I know as long as it's not something that is of greater importance to you, you wouldn't be so eager to speak to me that you'll have your husband call me." Will Mama stop this already? For the sake of Allah, it was long enough for her to let go of it even though it was the most grievous mistake Jalilah had ever done in her life.

"Mama, for the sake of Allah, I beg you to forgive me. Baba, I'm not pregnant, I didn't have a miscarriage and called you for advice. I called you because you're my mother and I need closure, I called you because you're the only parent I have left for me, I called you because I'm sorry, Mama because I love and miss you altogether." She wished Mama could see all this and stop implying that she would only call her when something went wrong. She was still crying and Jalilah didn't miss the way his hands were trying all he could to console her.

"Are you trying to emotionally blackmail me?" Mama asked and Jalilah smiled amidst her tears.

"I'm not trying to emotionally blackmail you, I'm just stating something that is a fact. Yes, I've made a nearly unforgivable mistake, but you're my mother, you'd have to forgive me gradually. And I need you in my life because you're the only parent I have, you're both Baba and Mama to me, I have no one to find closure from except you. Please stop ignoring me, Mama. Please forgive me, will you?" From the way Mama sighed and went silent, Jalilah knew she had hit the target. Even though her tears and words were genuine, she was glad she knew Mama's greatest weakness was if she spoke about Baba.

"What do you want me to do now? How I gave birth to only you is my greatest weakness, Jalilah. Is that why you always take advantage of my love towards you?" She was soft now, loving and affectionate that Jalilah smiled through her tears. She turned to look at Yazeed with a triumphant smile on her lips and he smiled back at her.

"How can I do that, Mama? You're the only person I have, I'm still sorry, but I've missed you." She smiled and Mama did that too.

"You're forgiven, I'll call you tomorrow and know how you're doing. I have some business to attend now, take care of yourself and the baby, okay?" Mama lovingly said and Jalilah screamed.

"Mama!! Wallah, I'm not pregnant, oh my god!" Mama only laughed and ended the call. She slowly turned to look at Yazeed with an embarrassed expression in his eyes, "Please tell her I'm not," she whined.

He chuckled and smiled at her, "You aren't even married yet." She felt as he released her hand and while she palmed her face, groaning softly.

"I'm sure this woman will now be expecting a baby in nine months. I have to tell her that I'm empty by tomorrow. Phew! That was hard." She sighed and looked up at a tired smile and Yazeed smiled at her.

"But do you always do this to her? I mean, blackmail her emotions?" He chuckled softly and she shook her head with a grin on her lips.

"Unless I have no way out, I don't do that to her. But she's always not strong when it comes to Baba, I can even say I'm stronger than her. Sometimes if I miss him I go to his room and check his stuff, but for her, I don't think she ever entered his room since he died. She loved him a lot." She sadly smiled and looked farther into the living room. It was a great feeling having being reconciled with Mama and now she felt a certain longing for Baba.

"It's good for a wife to love and be loyal to her husband. Maybe you should do what she does." He joked, to make her feel light-hearted and less worried than she looked.

She turned to look at with a mischievous smile and she nodded her head, "Yes, that's how much I'd love Jibril..." She wasn't able to complete her sentence when Yazeed lounged to catch her but she sprinted off into the living room. She was laughing and shaking her head while she moved frantically around the living room. "Come on, I just told you what you suggested I should do." After he stood up, she ran away from him, running up to the stairs and he followed behind her even though he wasn't running after her. It was all good and bad that she knew he didn't want her to be calling Jibril's name.

He smiled until they were both on the stairs and she turned to look at him, "When do you suggest I propose to him, um, Yazeed? Or I should wait until he tells me he loves me first? Which I'm quite sure he would do that soon. But what should I tell Mama, that we're divorced now and he's the one I love now?" She was giggling and wanting to urge a reacting from him, Yazeed wanted to laugh but at the same time, he knew as much as she was joking about it, some parts of what she was saying what true.

"Jalilah, wallah the next minute I catch, just know that you'd be no more, okay? Because I'd make sure you regret every word you've uttered." They took one step at a time. With her ascending it backwards, facing him while he glared at her.

"No, I'm serious. But I think we can think about it later, right? But now, I'm kind of missing him, he hasn't called me..." She lifted her phone and squealed, made some crazy dancing moves, "He's calling me!!! Yazeed, goodnight?" She wiggled her eyebrows and anger was evident on his face, which she laughed heartily at.

She picked the phone and motioned for Yazeed to keep shut, to annoy him further, she whined at Jibril, "Jaybee! I've missed you. How long has it been since we last spoke?" She whined and stomped her feet roughly on the floor while staring at a fuming Yazeed. She knew his jealousy meant nothing, it wasn't because he was attached to her or he liked her, it was just a natural feeling. He didn't want it when she associated with Jibril.

They stood staring at each other on the corridor, Yazeed didn't know what Jibril told her but she smiled gracefully and shook her head as if he could see her. "No, come on. I can wait until then. I'll be going to Abeokuta tomorrow, I'd spend two days there, by then you're back, right?" She was silent for a while before she shook her head, whining. "Come on, Jaybee, I need to see you. Squeeze and come over when you have the chance, please?"

The moment she saw Yazeed walking toward her she knew she either ended the call now or run for her life, and she did the latter. She ran to her room but before she closed the door, she grinned at him, moving her phone farther away so Jaybee wouldn't hear what she was going to say. "Goodnight, Yazeed. Please have a good rest, okay? And when are we leaving? Early in the morning?"

He was doing all it took to catch her and she shrilled, "Yazeed! I'm sorry!" The next thing he heard was the resonating sound of her laughter as she closed the door. The moment she leaned on the door, she excused herself from Jaybee and ended the call. She felt bad for leading him that way, not knowing she only did that to anger Yazeed.

❤︎

She was done eating her breakfast but there was no sight of Yazeed, she wondered if he wanted to punish her by not going to Abeokuta with her. She contemplated calling his phone or not, but she decided not to. Maybe he didn't have enough sleep and he was doing that in the morning, she couldn't deprive him of that. Farha had called her twice and had been asking her if they had embarked already, but her answer had always been a no.

When it was getting to noon and there was no sign of Yazeed, she decided that it was high time she checked up on him, maybe he was sick again. Maybe he had an attack or something. She walked up to his room and softly knocked on the door. "Yazeed? Are you up?" She asked, knocking softly but there was no response.

She knocked again but with each passing second, she wondered if he was fine, "Yazeed? Are you fine? What's wrong?" She called again but sadly, no response. When it persisted, she roughly knocked on the door, "Yazeed! I'm going to come into this room, are you sure you're fine? Or you had an attack again?" She was getting worried, and she lifted her hand to knock on the door but before she was able to do that he opened the door.

"Oh," she said as relief washed over her, "I thought something bad happened. Good afternoon." She greeted and he looked at how she looked, beautiful in her abaya and a soft touch of makeup on her face.

"I'm fine, afternoon. Where are you going? Is David here already?" He asked as she closed his door and they began walking downstairs together.

She shook her head with a little pout on her lips, "Come on, Yazeed. Don't act as if you don't know what's going to happen now, please. We're going to Abeokuta to see Farha, you promised, Yazeed." She whined and he quizzically looked at her.

"I promised? When? I have a business to attend today, should I drop you at the ballet school or you'll call David?" She knew Yazeed was trying to get back at her for what she did to him yesterday, and by Allah, if this kept going on she didn't know what she was going to do or how she was going to stop her tears from cascading.

He sat down on the dining table and began eating is food while she sat on the chair next to him. "Please, Yazeed. You promised to take me there yesterday. Why are you acting as if it doesn't happen? You said it was okay if you leave for two days, please." She whined again but without looking up at her, he shook his head.

"Jalilah I can't remember when I made such a huge promise, I have a meeting today, I can't make such promise knowing what I have to do at work today. Maybe you heard me wrong." She shook her head at him and her tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You promised, Yazeed. Please don't do this after I've put my mind into it, please. I know I was wrong, I'm sorry." She apologized, and he looked up at her with a small smile on his lips.

"What are you sorry about? That I can't make it to your imaginary trip?" He questioned and placed down the cup he was holding before he stood up. He walked to the door while Jalilah followed him with her small trolley in one hand and her other hand holding her bag.

She opened the back seat and placed her trolley there before she looked at him, "Are we leaving now?" She asked, with hope dripping from her eyes.

He shook his head, "I'm serious when I told you I have a meeting, Ballerina."

Yes, she had always loved it when he called her that. But right now there was nothing she hated more than this name being called by him. Because she knew he was doing that to annoy her. "Stop calling me that, Yazeed. Please tell me you aren't serious about this. Will you?" She stomped her feet on the floor and he stared at her feet.

"What are you doing? Wait, are you going to cry?" He stared at the tears already on her cheeks and stubbornly, Jalilah got into the car and wrapped her hands around her chest. He laughed before he got into the car and sat down, turning to stare at her, "What? Should I take you with me to the company?"

She screamed at the pitch of her voice, "Please, Yazeed, will you stop already?" She cried, wiping at her tears.

"If you want me to stop, you know what to do." He ignited the car and drove out of the estate.

"You want me to apologize, right? I will. I'm sorry, but I don't know why you're acting like this."

He shook his head, "You aren't sorry, Jalilah. Maybe you want me to take you to the company." He swerved the steering wheel and she whined again.

"Please, you can't do this to me. Okay, I'm sorry for doing what I did. Will you please take me to Abeokuta? I need to see my best friend." She whined, but she needed to see her. The way Yazeed was acting, even though she was sure he was doing it deliberately, she couldn't help being riled up and she could tell from the smile on his lips that he loved annoying her.

"I'm sure you'd do it again. For now, I can't break my promise. I'd take you to Abeokuta, but for what you did, we're going to be there for just one day, deal?" She turned to look at him, there was a pout on her lips as well as tears pooling the brink of her eyes, but she dared not let them fall.

She didn't reply to him, she looked away through the window and he smiled before he put on music in the car. After so much time had passed, Jalilah turned to him and spoke, "Can I change the music? It's making me more depressed."

He couldn't help but laugh, he had never seen a lady as stubborn as Jalilah was. What was depressing just because he played a game similar to the one she played with him and also, just because he said she wasn't going to spend two days with her best friend? "You can, Ballerina."

She glared at him and scoffed, "Stop calling me that, my name is Khadija Ibrahim Fufure. You can either call me that or Jalilah."

"But the name suits you so well, I think I'd love to call you with it." Without an answer, she put on 'My heart breaks in pieces' by Tatiana and he resisted the urge to laugh. Why? Because he knew it was likely referred to him, her heart broke in pieces because he didn't let her spend two days with her best friend. He smiled and shook his head, Jalilah will always be Jalilah. And strangely, he liked that she was herself.

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