"You're angry. Aren't you?" Maleekah inserted a straw into her shake and sip it. She closed her eyes,welcoming the sweet sensation. The taste was heaven, and relaxing to her taste buds. Maleekah was Mimi's best friend. The daughter of a famous businessman. She's a lady with class, she loved fashion and anything that had to do with food. One good thing about her was, she knew the definition of humanity unlike Mimi.

"You have no idea Leekah" Mimi huffed an air of frustration and took a bite of her pie. She didn't even know why she was extremely deranged. The nerve of the guy that owned the farm was so disgusting to her. She can't believed that, he called her father a thief. Although that was not the first time she's hearing that, this particular one had a great impact on her heart. She closed her eyes briefly reminiscing the way he said it with lack of fear but confidence in lieu of that.

"It served you right. I have always tell you this, we that live in wealth and them that live in poverty are all the same. The God that created us is the same God that created them. They're humans too and deserved to be pitied. If possible they should be helped but the gov..." Maleekah quickly palmed her mouth. She'd always do this-talking bad about the government forgetting that, her best friend was a daughter of a governor.

"Complete it Leekah. Say it my father is a thief! You should say it also!" Mimi stood up from the chair and grabbed her bag violently. The strawberry milkshake jar fell and broke. Every eyes turned to her but she didn't give a damn about it. She hissed and sauntered out of the eatery. Maleekah looked at the way Mimi followed and shook her head. She would come back later when she calmed down.

"Pardon, how much for the broken jar?" Maleekah asked fishing out her purse from her bag. The man dressed in a white shirt and trouser with an apron atop looked at her and smiled.

"Is she not his Excellency's daughter? He send someone to pay for her bills every month so don't worry. We're used to having her here," he explaned. Maleekah was surprised. She knew Mimi was a spoilt and pampered child but she never knew it was this far.

"You don't also have to pay. What's the use of being her friend if you're not going to be benefiting from her. We all know no one is enjoying the tenure of her father but what? When the opportunity of getting something comes we grab. Yarinya kawai ki biye mata ki ci baati" The man complete his sentence with nonchalance. Leek only laughed and dropped some notes on his hand.

"You can keep that to your self" she walked out without waiting for his reply. The man's words came back to her mind. Did he thought that she's a gold digger? Something he didn't know was, the eatery was her elder brother's own but still she paid. The world need not to know who was she. She hated being worshipped like a goddess.

Xxxxx

"Come here," a man called an almajiri who was sitting by the front of a small canteen. The boy looked at him suspiciously before he stood up and met the man in the car.

"I just want to help you. Why are you looking scared little boy?" The man smiled and removed a two hundred naira note from his breast pocket and gave him. The boy eyed the money as he remembered his mother's words.

'If you collect large amount of money, you're going to disappear or turn into a yam. So be careful' Bareerah had said to her boy before he's taken to the city. The boy blinked his eyes and shook his head.

"No, thank you" despite being hungry, he don't want to turn to a yam or something as his mother told him. He turned away without waiting for the man's answer and left.

"The situation of this country is getting worse. Kidnapping and magic is too much. Look at how afraid he was to collect a penny from me" the man told his friend that was sitting at the passenger's seat. The friend only shook his head and they drove away.

Xxxx

Nazeer tried to comprehend what his mother was trying to say but he failed. No, he's contented with the way he was. He needed no change or anything.

"What are you still thinking of? Your mates are studying abroad but you're here stuck in a federal university." Sadiya rolled her eyes because from the look of it, her son wouldn't budge in to her request. Nazeer was a simple guy.

"Mammy, I am in my third year in the university and I have a very good point why do you want me to transfer?" He formed his lips into a thin shape and scratch his head not because it was itchy.

"Don't you want to brag? Don't you want people to be saying that you're studying abroad? Didn't you see Usman, Zainabu's son? He's there in UK and the kind of respect he gets whenever he comes back was something beautiful. If you don't want it for yourself, do it for me. I want to be proud of you and say my son is studying in the States" Sadiya completed her statement while smiling dreamily. Nazeer ducked his head low. He was surprised of what his mother was saying. How could someone be so competitive like this?

"The Usman you're talking about, his parent didn't take him there with their pocket money. It was a scholarship an..." She cut him off.

"So what? See even if they took a loan, they are better of, in the eyes of the community than us. It's a disgrace to me but it's okay" she feigned hurt. Nazeer ignored her feigned expression and continued to explain himself.

"Mammy, allow me to finish my degree here first, please. Then I will do my masters in the States. That will be better I think. Yeah?" He grinned, trying to make her succumb to his plea.

"No. By the time you finish your degree, you will start thinking of marriage. It is not going to be possible. When I agree to this, that means its only your wife that will be enjoying and taking the pride. No!" She said in an authorative voice. Nazeer knew there was no going back.

"I will do it for you but not because I want it" he stood up and left feeling so sad. All the sleepless nights were going to go in vain. The three years of struggle was going to fly away in the thin air just like that. Sadiyah smiled gracefully immediately he left.

Xxxx

"Wonders shall never end! Senior Musaddiq Isah is this you?" Sadiqu shook his friend's hand. He was about to cross the road on his way back from the market where he carry loads for people when a honda civic car nearly hit him. The person under the wheel got out to apologize and it happened that he was his senior at their boarding school.

"Sadiqu Mamman? Oh lord is this really you? What happened?" He gasped touching the torn pocket of Sadiqu's caftan. Musaddiq sighed and drew his friend inside the car. It was not something that could be discussed on the streets. How could the brightest student be carrying loads for people for goodness sake? What was the importance of the government if it can't provide education for the masses. Not to talk of employment or something.

"A girl like that snatched away the farm... Well, her father was in support of her" he bitterly said it as his heart ached over and over again over the use of power displayed on him.

"It must be Mimi! And I will deal with her" Musadiq fumed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sadiqu raised his perfectly arched brow that compliment his chocolate brown skin. The white part of his eyes shone at Musaddiq's face waiting for an answer.

"She kind of have crush on me. Leave everything to me. I have some few forms with me for scholarship, you can come and get one. If you pass the exam hopefully, you will be sponsored to study in London. That is all I can do for you" Musaddiq sighed. Sadiqu only stared at him. Well, his friend was a bully back then and everyone worshipped his feet at the school because he's from a rich family. He wondered how he simmered down and became a gentleman. He thanked him and promised to come and collect the form. Sadiqu joyfully left home with two thousand naira note as a gift from his friend to him. He told his mother about everything and she prayed for his success.

Xxxx

Sadiqu was dressed in his well ironed Caftan walking towards to the screening area of the Aminu Kano international airport. It was a luck that he won the scholarship to study electrical engineering in London. His mother had rejoiced and adviced him to remain focus and guard his faith. She emphasised that, he should never forget his origin and his intention to study. He should avoid bad friends and all.

He smiled happily when he remembered how she kept praying and blessing him. "Ouch, I'm sorry" he bumped into a lady dressed in a palazzo and a croptop.

"Idiot" she hissed.

"But I said..." He stopped when his brown orbs fell on her. She was the one.

"You, again?" They pointed a finger at each other.