Khadijah took a deep breath as she entered her bedroom as if refamiliarising herself with the scent, the aroma of lavender and her floral scented bath and room freshener, she smelt incense and bakhoor which made her smile.

“You missed the place?” Kamla stated rather than asked, she went to the hospital before she was discharged and they came back together. She’d wanted to visit her earlier but had been the one taking care of Sadiya’s children along with Baraka’s own. One of Baraka’s sisters in law visited and she was staying for the night, she used the opportunity and visited only to find them getting ready to leave, she was at least happy she went even though she hadn’t stayed for long.

She has grown very close to her cousin over the past few weeks and her sickness had hit her hard, she was one of the most important people to her, she couldn’t lose them right after finding them.

“Just a day but it feels like forever.” She glanced around the light grey walls and her grey colored bed covers with a satisfied smile, her work table was neat, all the pencils arranged and her system lay beside it everything was just how she liked, her vanity was also pristine neat, she turned to Kamla who had a small secretive smile on her face.

“You did this, didn’t you?” she asked and didn’t wait for her answer before pulling her into a hug.

“Umma said that was your favorite bed sheet and everyone knows you like everything to be in place, it’s no big deal.” She waved off her cheeks tingeing pink.

“Thank you so much.” Khadijah said hugging her tighter. It was little things like that that meant the most to her.

“Okay now don’t go getting emotional.” She teased pulling out of the hug but Khadijah saw her tear filled eyes.

“The children send their love.” Kamla said sitting on the bed, Khadijah followed and sat with a satisfied huff.

“How’s school?” Kamla’s cheeks tinged with the coming of a blush before her lips stretched into a wide smile.

With excitement she started telling her cousin about her school she was to for lessons and how it was going the excitement in her voice couldn’t be mistaken.

Since she was already through with secondary school, malam Sadeeq thought it best for her to further her education. He was a full supporter of girl child education which was a far cry from his wife and he couldn’t hide his surprise when she’d readily agreed.

On normal circumstances her next step would’ve been marriage because to her the highest achievement in world was to be married, forget you’re not mentally ready or any other thing, if there was a man they shouldn’t waste time tying the knot.

She did make an exception this time, so they enrolled her in a WAEC and NECO lesson, to refresh her brain before she wrote jamb and the other external examinations. Malam Sadeeq had been proud about it because she was bright from the comments the school had made.

One topic led to another and Khadijah didn’t know how but Kamla finally let her in and told her what exactly happened to her, after leaving their village and up to the point that she met Baraka.

Kamla has never had life easy, her mother, umma’s eldest sister had gotten married and left the village when her husband, Kamla’s father died, since one of his brother’s had taken her other younger siblings in, she had nowhere to go when her mother had married and moved to another place with no thought of her first daughter who was just thirteen at the time, leaving her in the hands of her late husband’s stepmother and her children, who were very useless.

She would hawk in the village sometimes going into town to sell her step grandmother’s awara (local delicacy made from soya beans), it was when she came back from hawking that she might be given something to eat, coupled with demeaning insults, she was in js3 then, the only good thing they did for her was letting her go to school, that was until they decided to send to her Kano to work as a domestic help, the first family she worked with were nice enough, they let her complete her secondary school education since it was in government secondary school. She’d wanted to write WAEC and JAMB even though she knew going to further her education was a far stretch, she had no money and even though the family was nice, she didn’t think they’d take the responsibility of her going to university, she was already grateful they even let her continue schooling, so far it wouldn’t interfere with her work.

She remembered how broken and lost she felt when they told her they were moving to Adamawa their hometown. It had felt as if her whole world was crumbling down, she didn’t want to go back to the village, her father’s siblings would marry her off without a second thought to the highest bidder, and if she was being honest with herself, she didn’t want to live like all her friends that she was sure were married, probably with children they have no means of taking care of, husband’s that only know to keep marrying and have zero sense or inkling of how to respect a woman, no she didn’t want to be like that, she had dreams she wanted to achieve, she didn’t want to be like her mother who jumped to the next available man after her husband died because she didn’t know how to take care of herself, she was too dependent on a man.

The woman that brought her to the Nasirs’, her first employers told her not to worry she would find another house for to work in within Kano.

She was elated when she started working for the Danbaba’s, they were horrible for starters and not only did they maltreat her, the children Maria and Jummai were rude and had no manners and their mother backed them and made her cook for their multiple ‘friends’ but that wasn’t the problem, the husband had his eyes on her, saying she caught his fancy with her caramel skin that was like porcelain and other things she didn’t want to think of.

She knew reporting to the wife would be suicide seeing the type of friends the woman had, she’d once heard them talking about a friend of their that the husband wanted to remarry, they talked about how stupid she was to let another woman to marry her husband that ‘tayi sake’ (she’s been lenient).

“If it was me,” Hajiya Badiya smiled cruelly, “Wallahi I would’ve shown her, zatasa wacece babba.” (She would know who the boss is.) She shook her head. Her friends only laughed praising her. Kamla wasn’t naïve to not know what that implied, not once had she seen the woman putting things in her husband’s food.

He’d once came to her to room in the middle of the night to ‘talk’, he confessed his so called feelings for her and even proposed, that he wanted to marry her, she told him okay because she didn’t want to infuriate him, he hadn’t looked like he was in his right state of mind.

She gathered enough courage and left the house late at night when they went to a wedding, she only knew where the woman that brought her to the house was, Azumi dillaliya, she was more than grateful she had about two thousand naira from when she worked with the Nasirs’, they gave her when they were leaving.

Kamla didn’t know how she managed to transport herself from jan blow to gadon kaya that night, it was only Allah’s guidance she knew.

When she got to the house she was shocked when the woman insulted her calling her a fool for missing such an opportunity, she said things about trapping him into marriage and being set for life, whatever that meant. She was grateful for the woman though, she’d let her stay with her for about a month without complaint until the day she’d arrived with another woman, about the same age as her or a few years younger than the woman, she couldn’t quite place her complexion, she’d bleached too much she was a mixture of pinks and purples.

“Kamla kinga ban iya cigaba da ciyar dake, nima ba wani sana’ar arziki nake ba, in na samo masu aiki ne nake dan samun wani abu gashi kuma yanzu bawai samun aikin ake ba, toh ga yar uwata a Abuja take, zata kaiki gun aiki a can, in Allah ya baki saa ma kya samu miji kiyi aurenki, kar de a manta damu dan gaskiya kinyi kalar hutu, nan haka wani me kudi zaki kamo.” (You see I can’t keep feeding you, it’s not like I’m doing a business, it’s only when I bring maids that I get something and these days, people don’t really need workers. This is my partner from Abuja, she’s going to take you there and find a place for you to work, if Allah helps you you’ll even find a husband and get married, don’t forget us though because you look like all those rich people, you’re probably going to snag a rich man.) She finished with a knowing laugh, her friend chuckled a bit too.

Kamla who was getting paler with every word that left the woman’s mouth started crying and begging her to not turn her out, she promised to look for a job to support her if she would let her stay.

“Keh!” (You!) the woman’s friend who she learned was Hajiya zee thundered making her jump frightened, “wani mugu abu aka ce zan miki?” (Did she say they are going to do something despicable to you?) Kamla shook her head instinctively already she was intimidated by the woman, “toh, ki kwanatar da hakalinki, in kin natsu ki huta, in ko kinki in barki, ana neman taimakon mutum yana wani kuka kaman kasha shi akace za ayi.” (So you should calm down, if you are calm you’ll enjoy and if you don’t I’ll leave you, they are trying to help a someone but she’s doing as if they want to kill her.) She muttered the last part with disdain.

“Hajiya zee, kwantar da hankalinki, zan mata bayani.” (Calm yourself, I’ll explain to her.) Kamla wasn’t any better assured after the talk with the woman, if anything it made her more scared. What did she know about the world anyways, she’d been in her village all her life and she was all but eighteen, thinking she had no choice, she agreed to follow the woman to Abuja.

They went to kwari market and the woman paid their transport to Abuja, Kamla who had no money to her name followed the woman blindly with her single Ghana must go back that contained the little she owned. They entered the Sharon that was going straight to Abuja, they were three in the back seat including Kamla who was in the middle and an elderly woman on her side, Hajiya zee on her other side.

Throughout the journey she was praying in her head, asking Allah in the blind step she was taking in her life, she wanted to cry for the life she wouldn’t have now. It reminded her of her father, he was different from his other siblings, he wanted her to go to school, her four elder brothers were all married in neighboring villages and thought she was fine with their grandmother but none of them visited after their father’s forty days prayer, they didn’t deem it fit to ask if she was being taken care of, she wanted to know what her grandmother must’ve told them and if they even cared enough to ask, they haven’t seen her for five years, had her mother even visited or has she forgotten she had a daughter, the thought almost made her laugh and cry in self pity.

They stopped in Kaduna to pray asr at the massalacin matafiya (travelers mosque), Kamla prayed and went back to the car after praying while Hajiya zee went to buy them food.

“Can you make out what’s written here?” the elderly woman asked her handing her an android phone, “I left my reading glasses at my sons’, he was the one I went to see to in Kano” the woman said with a small laugh, with adoration for her son.

Kamla who didn’t care about the voluntary Information collected the phone and read the message, feeling a sense of pride for being a literate, she had always wanted to be educated, to have her own voice, and if reading a text was as far as she was going to get in her life, she might as well feel the momentary joy.

“Where is your aunt?” Kamla looked confused for a moment before it realized that she was talking about Hajiya zee.

The first thing she wanted to say was she isn’t my aunt but decided to shake her head, knowing full well it wasn’t an answer.

The woman didn’t try to make conversation with her after that, when they stopped at the car pack in Abuja, the woman pulled Kamla to the side when Hajiya went to claim their luggage.

“look, I have daughters and I don’t know your story but I can see your discomfort and fear, whatever it is they brought you here to do, you don’t have to do it, remember it is Allah that put you in the situation you’re in and he’s the only one that can help you, so don’t go after this worldly things,” she glanced around when she was sure Hajiya zee wasn’t done with finding their things, the woman added more quickly this time, “by Allah I’m not trying to judge but women like that, they take you from your villages promising you better lives and greener pastures, they bring innocent naïve girls like you here and ruin your lives, introducing you to prostitution and drugs and Allah forbid, cultism, you still have a chance to save yourself.” She rummaged through her bag and brought out a small book and a pen, she scribbled her number on it, tore the page and placed it in Kamla’s palm then curled them into fists, “Call me if you need help.” She turned when her phone started ringing, she answered the call talking in yoruba.

Kamla knew she wouldn’t ever forget the woman, she saved her.

She’d gone with Hajiya zee to her house in gwagwadala, it was nothing special but it was certainly different to what she was used to. Compared to Azumi’s one room self contain and shared toilet and bathroom the simple two bedroom with one bathroom, a moderately sized kitchen and an average sized living room was luxury, and so much bigger than what she knew from their village.

She didn’t fully realize Hajiya zee’s profession until her third week of living with her.

She’d woken up in the middle of the night which was unusual for her, normally when she went to bed by ten she wouldn’t wake up until fajr time, she decided to go ease herself thinking it was the discomfort that woke her up.

The bedrooms were facing each other with the bathroom in the middle, she’d thought she heard a sound but couldn’t quite place it when she was in the bathroom so she disregarded it and quickly did her business then rushed back to her room, making sure to lock the door and almost triple checked it before going back to bed, she said multiple prayers to the point they were tripping over one another stumbling out of her mouth, she managed to go back to sleep and didn’t wake up until fajr like she was used to.

She thought of telling Hajiya zee about the sound but quickly brushed it aside, she couldn’t burden the woman who was already doing too much for her, and besides she was probably just imagining things, yes she was imagining things she convinced herself and went about her daily activities.

The next night she woke up again and strained her ears, scared but also curious, thankfully she didn’t hear anything, she laughed at her own stupidity and went back to sleep feeling safe and assured.

Their routine was simple, Kamla would wake up early, sweep the house and make breakfast, she would do the dishes after while Hajiya zee dressed for work, she didn’t know where she worked though, she would later cook lunch since the latter returned after one or sometimes by two, again she would do the dishes and start dinner from there, it wasn’t much work since it was only the two of them.

Sometimes Hajiya zee would go out and wouldn’t come back early, nights like that, Kamla would cook noodles or drink garri to not cause any extra work for herself, she would close the door with the keys she gave her and go to bed if Hajiya zee didn’t return early, she didn’t know what time she got back but she was always back her in the mornings.

A few days after the sound incident, Kamla was reclining in the living room with one of the gowns Hajiya zee had gifted her, it was a sleeveless plain gown, a little tight at the bust area and free below, she felt weird wearing it so she wore her old cardigan over it.

A man walked into the living room without a salam starling her, she stood up quickly and adjusted her veil, at first he looked almost sorry but the expression was soon changed with a wolfish grin, she could’ve sworn she said him say something like, “so zee was hiding this little piece of meat here, no wonder she wouldn’t let me sleep over.”

She ignored the statement and in a shaky voice said, “Excuse mister, how can you enter people’s house without knocking at least?” she pulled the cardigan around her tighter as if it’ll stop him from looking at her with hungry eyes, he disgusted her.

“So you can talk, what’s your name sweetcheeks?” she ignored him and sent him a glare instead, she was contemplating screaming but for what, it was not like he tried anything , but he did enter the house without permission and she didn’t like how he was looking at her one bit.

“Please sir, you should leave.” She pointed to the door he walked in from moments ago.

“You know what? I don’t think I will.” He sat back crossing his hands at the back of his head. “You can join me or get out of my face.” He picked up the remote she was holding before and put a football channel on. She wanted to go to her room and hide but he looked strong and if he wanted to break the door, she was pretty sure he could, it was only wood anyways and definitely not of the highest quality.

She decided to stay where she could run out if he tried anything funny, if he noticed, he didn’t say anything about it, he kept watching the match ignoring her presence. “Bring me something cold from the fridge.” She wanted to talk back at his audacity but kept quiet, when he saw she was still rooted to the spot, he turned and snapped “Ba magana namiki ba!” (Did I not talk to you?!)

She jumped but didn’t move thinking what if he followed her to the kitchen? There was nowhere to run there. He hissed then stood up and went to the kitchen, he returned with a bottle of coke and sat back, his phone rang moments later.

“Wai where are you? I’m tired of waiting fa.” He said immediately after answering the call, he listened to the person on the line talk before making a humming sound and keeping the phone.

“Keh!” (You!) he regarded her with a demeaning look, “Whatever it is you’re worried I’d do to you, it’s better you leave my presence, you’re not my type,” he looked at her from head to toe and hissed, “me ma ze burge mutum a jikin naki, look at her like stick.” (What would appeal a man in your body?) He hissed again turning back to the television. Not up to five minutes later, Hajiya zee walked in with another man in tow, they shook hands with the one sitting.

She almost vomited the contents of her stomach when Hajiya zee cat walked to where the man was sitting and sat on his laps then proceeded to kiss him, she moved back still on his lap and used her finger to wipe his lips, he whispered something to her and that made her look at Kamla who was frozen in shock. The other man was quite comfortably sitting on the other chair, his eyes on the television.

“Kamla lafiya?” (Is everything okay?) She asked not having the decency to at least keep a respectful distance between them.

The other man looked up only then noticing the girl standing, he smiled instantly and spoke to Hajiya zee, “Wanna fa?” (What of her?) He didn’t wait for a reply before adding, “Budurwace ba?” (Is she a virgin?) he licked his lips not waiting for Hajiya zee’s input, “Ba ma se kin amsa ba, na sani,” (You don’t even have to talk, I already know) He made a sound at the back of his throat which honestly scared Kamla.

“Kai barta kawai” (just leave her) the first man said nuzzling Hajiya zee’s neck. He whispered something that made her giggle.

“Serious zee, how much do I pay and to her? Fuck I go pay anything to savage this beauty, have those lips do things to me.” He made the sound again eye raping her.

“Kai, barta nace ba!” (I said leave her!) The first man snapped scaring both ladies, the other man didn’t seem to mind though.

“Kai, you’ll be satisfied right now, let me sort myself out because she’s the only one that can help me in my situation right now.”

“Babson just leave her, she’s for a special client.” This time it was zee that talked, “Kamla tafi daki kinji, barshi kawai, wasa yake yi.” (Kamla go to your room okay, leave him he is just joking.) Her whole body shaking, Kamla basically ran to her room and locked the door for precautionary measure. She sat against the door and didn’t notice when tears started rolling down her face.

She felt humiliated, and violated even though they didn’t touch her, they might as well have with the way they were looking at her like the last piece of meat on a plate, and Hajiya zee, was this who she really was? The question answered itself, she didn’t know what she thought of the woman but she was disappointed, she shouldn’t be, she wasn’t all that surprised but still.

Long after they had left and she was sure she’d cried herself dry, Hajiya zee knocked on her door, she contemplated pretending she was sleeping but knew she couldn’t hide forever so she opened the door, she walked in with only a towel covered just a little below her midsection, her hair that was plaited with a brown and blue colored attachment was packed in the middle of her head.

She walked in like nothing was amiss and sat on a stool, the only other thing in the room apart from the mattress Kamla uses and her bag that was at the other end of the room, she tapped the bed for her to sit. “You see I like you, honestly and I wouldn’t want to turn you out to the streets so what happened today shouldn’t repeat itself, the man that came today owns this house and I would rather not push his buttons, he can very much decide to send us both out, so please if any of my friend’s,” she paused a little and Kamla got the friends she meant, “Just give them something to eat and go back to your room and lock the door, just be polite, do your work and leave, I wouldn’t want us to fight okay?” tears tinged Kamla’s eyes but she didn’t let them fall, rather she nodded mustering up a small fake smile, zee patted her on the head then stood up and went back to her room.

Kamla rushed and closed the door, she didn’t know for how long she cried, she slept at some point and when she woke up it was already past six, she prayed asr and sat in the mat for long and prayed to the Allah, As-sami’u the all hearing, Al-basiru the all seeing to help her and remove her from the place that her virtue was being threatened.

Much to her joy, there was no more run ins with Hajiya zee’s friends, she stayed in her room most of the time even when she was alone, she would close the door with a key and go to her room and lock it too. She wasn’t getting much sleep and she kept waking up in the night, eight out of ten times she would hear different sounds in the house, she kept steadfast in her prayer, asking the only one who could help her to help and protect her.

On a Wednesday, she was making lunch for herself, Hajiya zee said she wasn’t going to return early, she heard the door main door being opened, she probably changed her mind, she thought serving the hot noodles, she opened the tap to soak the pot and turned, she let out a small scream without realizing, it was the man from the other day, the one Hajiya zee had kissed, she also said he was the owner of the house.

Kamla greeted him meekly looking for places she could escape, he had a look in his eyes that she couldn’t place, her whole body was on alert and she wanted to run for her life, but where would she follow, he was by the door, the only means of escape.

His back was against the door, he smiled but it didn’t calm her nerves not that he did it to help her she thought, if anything it made her more nervous and she wanted to run, run and just keep running until she couldn’t.

“Why do you look like you would run any second? I’m not going to hurt you, in fact what I’m going to do to you, you’ll enjoy very much.” He said his words tripping over themselves and that was when she realized he wasn’t steady and he was holding onto the wall for support.

He walked towards her making her move back, “since that day, I’ve been thinking about you, I just couldn’t get you out of my mind, I tried, I tried so fucking hard but I couldn’t,” he drawled walking slowly his eyes never leaving her, assessing her, like a predator and it saddened her to realize she was the prey.

“At night I would wake up, throbbing, thinking what you must be doing, what you are thinking, what you are wearing,” his voice went an octave lower, it was deeper and she could feel her blood freezing, she kept muttering any supplication that came to her, she wasn’t sure she completed one before starting another.

“And when I’m in her, I wish it is you there with me, saying my name, holding on to me, keeping me in, do you understand what I’m saying?” he was a few steps away from her, if he stretched he could grasp her and she had nothing to defend herself with, “Please don’t cry.” He said lowly and she nodded absently, she hadn’t realized she was crying.

“I’ll make it good for you too I promise, I know you’re untouched and I want it to be special for you, I’ll make it special.” He touched her face with his fingertips, like a feather’s touch but the repulse she felt forced a sob to break free from her lips.

“Please don’t.” the words were out before she knew it, she was full on crying now, she fought when he pulled her into his body, he smelled bad, maybe it was alcohol she didn’t know but she did know was she wanted to be out of his arms. She felt him sniff her and then groan.

“God, you smell so good.” He murmured, his hands roaming her body, each touch caused her to cry harder, she was begging him, she didn’t know exactly what it was she was saying but she was begging that much she knew.

“Just once, I want to taste you just once to satisfy this thirst for you.” She heard the sound of him unzipping her faded gown before she realized what was going on, she felt the cool air against her back and let out an ear piercing scream.

“Shut up!” her ears ringed with the sound of the slap he landed on her face, then she felt the pain and blood in her mouth, she was grateful that she wasn’t in his arms because he moved back, her relief was short lived when she saw what he was doing.

“I wanted this to be special for you but you just had to be a stupid bitch and scream like that.” He looked livid, his hands frantically untying the rope of his kaftan trouser, with that keeping him busy, Kamla made for the door but she didn’t run up to three steps when she felt herself being pulled back, she fell to the ground and hit her head with the mortar they kept by the door, her head was woozy and she was seeing two of everything, he was down to his boxer briefs and singlet then, she didn’t have the energy to cry anymore, he tore the rest of her clothing while she just laid there trying to stay conscious.

She felt his hands roaming her body, he was grasping everywhere and anywhere he could get his hands on. Kamla wasn’t crying anymore, having already surrendered to her fate, his hands that weren’t steady moved to unclasp her old bra, she felt when he unhooked it and the pressure was less, he was moving it to take it off her.

Kamla felt a crushing weight on her and screamed with her eyes closed, she felt something like water touch her.

His hands that were roaming weren’t moving anymore, her eyes opened on their own accord and she looked at the blood coming from his head, she looked at the door wondering what must’ve happened when she saw it.

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Eid is tomorrow o, who'll give me barka da sallah and kayan sallah🥺🥺🥺🥺

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Amyrah