CHAPTER 5

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       "what are you doing?" I tried peeping at her phone.

She instinctively tapped on the screen several times. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.
" what are you hiding Zainab?"

"Me?" She laughed. "I'm not hiding anything Esha".

"You can't even lie to save your life. Look at me in the eyes, and tell me you weren't hiding something from me".

She smile sheepishly and looked over her shoulders for any listening ears. When the coast was clear, she dragged me closer and whispered into my ear.

"What?" I half yelled at her.

"Shh," she placed her hand over my mouth. My eyes were as wide as saucers, almost popping out of their sockets as I ran over what she just said in my head.

"When was that?"

" two days ago".

Her response didn't seem to calm my nerves, instead making my stomach churn. Zainab was out of her mind, that was a fact.

" do you have any idea how dangerous this is Zainab?" I whisper and yelled at her.

" nothing bad is going to happen In Sha Allah. He's a good person ".

"That's not the point Zainab," I scolded. " you know what? Let's talk about this somewhere more private". I didn't give her a chance to speak as I dragged her across the hallway to one of the spare rooms.

We were at my Dad's other home, meaning his first family's house. My mum got married to my dad when she was twenty, and he was forty-three. His first wife or Umma as she was being referred to, had given birth to two boys and a girl when the marriage took place. Need to say, she and my mum don't get along, always avoiding each other like plague even in public places.

I slammed the door behind me, making sure to turn the lock. The last thing I want is Umma or any other person hearing our conversation and putting me in the spotlight. I would rather not have anything stain my reputation thank you.

"You're being dramatic, " she said.

" you're the one who has lost her sense of reason here Zainab," I said. My voice rose with each word.
" What has gotten into you? A meeting with an online stranger, and that too in a secluded place?" I paced up and down in the empty room.

The fact that this was getting into a heated argument between the two of us made me want to hunt down the stranger guy and give him a piece of my mind. Zainab and I had gotten along well until he came into the picture.

"Look," she stretched her arms in front of her as a form of defence. " it's not as bad as you make it sound. Besides, he's a Muslim so he wouldn't dare try any nonsense ".

" I don't trust you to be alone with a total stranger. For Allah's sake, haven't you read stories on what usually happened in scenarios like this one?" My voice was laced with desperation as I tried to knock some sense into her skull.

" what is wrong with you? You were doing just great a few days ago, and now you're being stubborn and unreasonable".

" I don't remember judging you when I found out you double date guys on social media," she said, her phone clutched in her hand.

My heart desperately reached out to hers, a wave of indifference washed through her face and I watched helplessly as my pleas fell on deaf ears.

" Okay".

Her head shot up at the one word I uttered her eyes failing miserably to conceal the surprise in them. However, before her thoughts could get any wilder than it already was, I said. " but, I'm coming with you".

Watching how the look on her face changed and morphed into a look of irritation, my biggest fear engulfed me as she shook her head in disagreement. But, I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction, so I glared back at her with equal intensity.

" Oh common girl, quit acting like my mum".

" I could just tell your mum what her precious daughter was planning on doing. Maybe then, you'd take my words seriously ".

Suddenly sensing some movements behind the door, I snatched the phone away from her clutches.
" Esha," she said in protest.

Not making it any easier, I raised my hand above my head knowing there was no way she could reach them now. I was gifted in the heights department and Zainab happens to be a short girl compared to me so it made things a lot easier in times like this.

" give it back Esha," she scowled and jumped at me. Flexing my other hand, I caught hold of her dominant hand, securing it tightly. My fingers swiped on the screen and typed the pin in a swift motion. Damn, if only I was this fast in every other thing I did, maybe mum would have been proud.

" What are you girls doing here?" The door was pushed open from outside. No surprise, it was Ameerah, my sister from another mother. Remind me again why Dad had thought it'd be cool to give us a common name. I felt bile rise in my throat at the mere mention of her name. She should have just gone by her middle name; Nusayba which seemed more fitting.

"Oh, you're here," breathed Zainab. " I need my phone back from Esha ASAP or I fear she'd cause further damage to it. It's brand new, Samsung to be precise ".

My sister's eye twitched slightly while I stared back in amusement, waiting for her next moves. If there was something Ameerah my sister was excellent at, it was spontaneous actions.

"Still behaving like the kid you are," she said. I felt my body stiffen at her choice of words, and the grip on Zainab's phone tightened as I subconsciously flashed my eyebrows.

"Absurd," I muttered under my breath, but loud enough to be heard by anyone in the room. " and here I thought twenty-five came alongside with maturity".

" What?"

Zainab stepped in the middle and laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood. But my eyes never left my sister's, the atom of respect left in me vanishing into thin air.

"Okay," she laughed awkwardly. " Ya Ameerah, I suddenly remembered that we have to leave right now". Tugging on my arm, she grabbed my clenched fist. " right, Esha?"

" avoid me," I said simply and brushed past her, exiting the room.

Mum was wrong in assuming we would get along perfectly with time. Dad was partially at fault for fixing an engagement day on a Saturday when I'd rather stay in bed all day reading my books. Zainab wasn't left out either as I would not have been here if she hadn't insisted on making me tag along with her.

"Esha, wait". Zainab ran after me, taking my left hand in hers. She was panting like earlier, and I would have teased her for not being fit if only my eyes weren't seeing red now.

" Let's continue our discussion on the phone. I suddenly don't feel energised to argue with you anymore, " my eyes were everywhere except hers.

" Are you planning on leaving me here? Wait, I'll go get my purse and say bye to the elders," she said and walked away.

Oh well, did I forget to mention that I lacked manners? I sure wasn't going back there not, especially when some old guy keeps staring at me like a new toy. He's got to be around my father's age if not even older.

" I want to marry your daughter".

My eyes had popped open and I gaped at the audacity. Dad had stiffened for a few seconds before they both burst into fits of laughter. I, however, felt like the ground should open up and swallow me. Good thing mum was out of sight or else she would have flipped. There was nothing more that irked her than relationships with a big age difference gap which sounds ironic considering her case.

I felt restless despite knowing the fact that it was an attempt at a joke. A joke that didn't sit well with neither me nor my parents judging by the look that flashed across my father's face. Then and there, Zainab had come to my rescue as she pulled me away from the intense stares I was receiving.

Alhaji Gaddafi meant what he had said.

" Let's go".

I let Zainab drag me to the garage. Picking up the car keys from the shelf, I let myself into the new car mum had bought two weeks ago. That woman is making me seriously think sometimes. Who would buy a car, a quite expensive car with their hard-earned money and then park it in the garage without any use? Not me.

"So, how's it going with your online boyfriend?"

Glancing at her from the corner of my eye while I reversed the car, my mind flashed to the latest message I had received twenty minutes ago which I still haven't responded to. " which one of them?"

" the Ismail guy or was it Ilyas?" She shrugged trying to appear nonchalant but I knew better.

" Oh... good," I replied.

As soon as I drove out of the neighbourhood into the main street, my phone pinged with a  notification. Zainab was staring at the phone longingly making me snort and rolled my eyes. Gossips are her weakness. Hint her on any latest gossip and you've got her undivided attention.

" don't try to wiggle your way out of this Zainab. It won't work this time around," I scolded.

"Look," she sighed. " I love you, but I love him more".

My eyebrows raised at her declaration. " How nice of you to put a guy before your family Zainab, you deserve a medal".

" don't use that sarcastic tone at me," she snapped. So, we're back to arguing once again. No one should stop me when I finally get a hold of the guy because he was going to hear it from me, loud and clear.

I swerved the car right, parking in front of a bakery. My hands reached out for my phone and I was dialling Aunt Rahmah's phone number before Zainab could protest. She tried to take the phone away from me, but I slapped her hands away and could hear her curse under her breath.

"Assalam Alaikum Ameerah, " Aunt Rahmah's soothing voice came through the loudspeaker. I stole a glance at her, mentally giving myself a thumbs up as she made a pouting face.

"Wa Alaikum Salaam Ma, how are you doing?" I greeted in a low voice, eyeing Zainab from the corner of my eyes.

Taking a deep breath, I rehearsed my words.

"Is Zainab there with you?"

"Ma, I want to talk to you about her".

"Okay, dear. What's it about?" The curiosity was obvious in her voice and it took a great part of me not to burst into laughter. Zainab sat frozen in her seat, her hands slightly shaking.

"Oh, it's nothing serious Ma," I locked my eyes with Zainab as the words escaped from my lips. " I was hoping she could spend the night over at our place".

Zainab visibly relaxed and she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Her mother also sounded surprised like she had been expecting something worse.

"Sure dear," she said.

"Thank you Ma," I said with full enthusiasm. She said it was no problem as she was resuming work on a night shift and it would be nice not to have Zainab spend the night alone in the house.

"What was that for?" Zainab sneered.

"Oh, that?" I shrugged nonchalantly. " I took permission from your mum. Anything wrong with that?" I blinked my eyes at her innocently.

Turning away from me, she angled her body to face the car window while I hummed a song. Checking the safety of the street, I pulled the car from the bakery into the busy street. My phone pinged and I dart my eyes to see that it was a message notification from Ilyas.

"Are you still coming with me tomorrow?" She looked at me from the bottom of her eyelashes.

"I am".

Zainab let out a harsh breath, exasperated. If she thinks I was going to go easy on her, she had it wrong. The last thing I'd ever want to hear is rants from a broken-hearted girl.

As soon as I parked the car properly in the garage, she stepped out of the car, matching towards the house. I, on the other hand, made sure the car doors were locked before heading inside. As soon as I walked into the living room, my eyes went to the bag on the floor, and the veil laying a few inches away from it. The sounds of pots clattering against each other in the kitchen, and loud murmurings only made me sigh, shaking my head as I proceed to retrieve the veil and bag from the floor.

"Why is there no ketchup here?" I heard her yell.

" It's finished," I shouted back as I climbed the stairs to my room.

I knew what I was getting myself into when I'd insisted on coming with Zainab earlier. And I doubt that I'd be getting a wink of sleep thus night with all the grumbling and frustrated sighs. That wouldn't matter anyway, it was worth it.

My back collided with the bed as I flung myself onto it. My mind drifted off to the last messages I had received earlier today and I grabbed my phone. As soon as my fingers touched the keyboard, another ear-piercing scream resonated through the walls.

" WHERE IS THE DAMN PEPPER?"

Oh well, I'm back guyys. I'll try to be consistent with my updates on my books.

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     Much love, stay safe.
                                    Midha...