There was a long pause, an eerily silence broke in the room. Fadwa had her eyes fixed on the bed; she wasn't able to pale blue orbs that flashed her nothing but sheer hatred.

Maheer hissed and pointed at the door, she knew what that meant. Without making any sound, Fadwa took her bucket and broom before she quickly walked out of the room. She heaved a sigh out of relief, placing her hands over her chest. Her hand naturally went to her head, and a small gasp escaped her lips. Her black veil.

What is she going to tell Majida? It was her veil, the one she loved the most. She took it because its width is wide and it could wrap her hair in a whole without leaving its remains.

She heard a sound from the room, and she quickly took her bucket and left the corridor. She already hated this place, and she couldn't wait for 6pm to click.

Fadwa entered the kitchen and kept the things, she kept looking around the kitchen. There was a wall clock pinned over the cooking, and she gasped. It's already 9:50am, it'll soon be 10. He said he eat breakfast by 11am. What is she going to do? What is she going to prepare for this man that point out fault in everything she did?

She concluded on going to ask him, it was getting late. She silently prayed and walked out of the kitchen, taking in a deep breath. She was by the kitchen door when he walked towards the living room and she could take a perfect view of him. She had never done this before, but today, she couldn't help but check this man out. She was nerved with fairness of his skin, and Fadwa doubted whether he could hear a single Hausa or Fulani word. 

He looked her way.

He caught her staring! She freaked and completely came out of the kitchen. Maheer stood midway and threw a disgusting look at her; she duck her head down.

"I don't know what to cook for breakfast." She was playing with her fingers, and waiting for the worst and heart wrenching reply to come. And it did.

"What were you doing that you still didn't start cooking the breakfast? Are you dumb? Or your poor excuse of a brain doesn't function well?"
She flicked it back. You shouldn't cry now, Fadwa, not in his presence. She warned herself and blinked back her tears.

She had always thought of how it will feel to be noticed by the people around her, but now that she was getting the attention she silently wished for; it suck. Wouldn't he act as if she had never existed and throw orders at her when needed? What breed does this man come from?

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you like eating for breakfast." She glanced his way and saw he had already sat on the sofa facing the television, the ends of his book between his fingers. She frowned.

"Go and cook whatever you think of, but don't expect me to eat one nasty meal you're used to."

Something was never easy for her than this. She blocked away the insult and walked back into the kitchen.

Roaming her eyes around the storeroom, Fadwa kept nibbling on her fingers, unable to pick up something she could cook for this man she hadn't even known his name yet.

Her eyes landed on a cartoon of indomie, and she smiled. She could remember the first time she ate it in Nadia's house, and it was so sweet she couldn't get tired of slipping its long tails into her mouth. She chuckled when she remembered their conversation with Nadia on that day.

"Nadia, thanks for letting me eat this. At first I thought it was spaghetti, but it tastes better." She was licking her long slender fingers, smiling at Nadia.

"Fadwa, for Allah's sake it's enough. It's over but you're still talking about it."

"Thank you so much, Nadia for coming me over. I love you." She hugged her tight, she was genuinely grateful.

She quickly sobered up from her memories lane and took two packs from the cartoon, trying so hard in cracking her brain so she could remember the recipe Nadia used while cooking hers. She was afraid of doing anything the wrong way, because this man didn't looked merciful. She might be sacked on her first day of work.

In less than ten minutes, Fadwa had prepared the indomie, after having lots of difficulties before she was able to put on the cooking, all thanks to Nadia for asking her to escort her to her uncle's house. She wouldn't have known.

She neatly put everything in a tray and took a bottle of water from the fridge and walked out of the kitchen. She prayed he would love it.

"Badra, you guys did a great job, it was awesome. And how did you managed to get those book?" it was weird seeing that smile on his lips.

She couldn't hear what was said to him, but she saw the expression on his face had changed. Maheer scratched his left eyebrow and spoke. "Badya, let's not start with this. Give her the veil or you'll face my wrath."

Fadwa was confused for a mean time, the names weren't easily understandable. "oh, because she rejected your boyfriend's calls that's why you're punishing her? Badya you're wicked." The sound of his laughter was wild to her ears.

He motioned for her to come over and keep the tray on the table before him, and she did. She was about to enter the kitchen again when she heard his bellow. "Come back here!"

Her heart did a somersault, and Fadwa found her wobbling legs taking themselves to a now standing Maheer Aliyu Shagari, his nostrils flaring in anger. What had she done? She made the mistake of looking into his eyes, and those pale blue orbs had turned to a darker shade of blue. She shuddered.

"What the hell is this? You don't expect me to eat this gross, do you?" he clamored, and Fadwa felt her whole body shuddering in fear.

The tears she had been suppressing for all the hours she spent in the house cascaded down her cheeks; and she couldn't hold them anymore. "Will you answer me or not?" It came again, and she had to muster the strength not to fall on the ground. He's freaking her out.

"I'm...you said I should cook whatever I think of," She stuttered in between her tears, her body silently shaking.

He lifted up the plate she put the indomie in. looking between her and the plate, he spoke "This...this is called a breakfast in your wrecked home? Have you ever tasted it before to know whether it could be eaten for breakfast or not?"

Is it a fault to be poor and have a father that knew nothing but to gamble and come back drunk after midnight? He made it sound as if she was the one that choose to be poor. As if she was the one that choose destiny to design her life and painted Baffah as her father. He made it sound as if it was all her fault.

She shook her head, her tears intensifying with each thought crossing her mind. "I'm sorry, but I thought the privileged people will find it amusing and would love to have it for breakfast. I didn't know cooking this would make you angry, I wouldn't have, trust me." Her voice was as slow as a whisper of a glumly night, and it came out slow; like a wind having to beg the trees to blow it away into the world, she was still in tears.

She felt as the sizzling specks of the indomie were painfully dripping on her hijab, and she looked at him; unshaken as he furiously emptied the plate on her and spat out the word she would never want to remember.

"I'm sorry, that's the only phrase the poor people know how to pronounce perfectly without difficulties. Whatever it is your name, take your sorry back as it might be of use when your poor excuse of a family gets into a loan trouble. But I, Maheer Aliyu Shagari, would never take it as an apology because it came from someone poor, wrecked, that has nothing to do but be a maid. My maid. Get this place cleared off and go away!"

Before slumping completely onto the lush carpet that id nothing in placating Fadwa's burning heart. The last sound she heard was that of Maheer banging the living room close and she heard the roaring sound of his car's engine.

She can't do this. How is she expected to live with this man for a whole month? His words were so heavy, had he ever thought of their fierceness before he uttered them? Or he said them knowing so well they will break her down and she had nothing to do but cry and plaster a smile on her lips before going back home? Because she can't risk putting her family into a loan problem and she'll get stocked with him as a maid? His maid.

•

She cleared the place off and walked out of the living room, she needed to get her mind set, on how to avoid getting his way and how she would need endurance for the whole month she's to work for him. Fadwa didn't know where to move to, and she stood on the stairs leading to the main door staring at the plants adorning the sides of the house. It was beautiful.

"Fadwa, I hope everything is fine?" She heard a voice beside her, she turned and her eyes fell on Abban Nadia's worried face, she smiled. He had always being the fatherly figure they needed in their lives, he was the one that got them enrolled in their school, when all Baffah did was beating Ammi whenever she spoke about taking the girls to school.

"I'm fine, Abban Nadia. Just needed some fresh air, everything feels new and weird."
He scrutinized her face and whole body before he spoke again.

"Your eyes look like you cried, and you have stains all over your hijab. Tell me, Fadwa, is everything alright?"

She was about to answer him when they heard a loud honk coming from the closed gate, they all knew who it is. She gulped down her fear and smiled at Abban Nadia when he motioned for her he'll leave before she walked back into the house.

The kitchen had already became her sanctuary, she ran there and herself from the man with the monstrous words. Oh, she could remember him calling himself as Maheer Aliyu Shagari, it sounded luxurious. He looked luxurious himself. Maheer, how the name fitted him so well, she groaned.

She heard his footsteps when he dashed into the corridors leading to the rooms. She came out of the kitchen and walked out. She went to Abban Nadia and asked him for a tap so she could perform her ablution, it was already Zuhr time, and she couldn't leave until 6pm. More hours left, Fadwa.

She performed her ablution and went to the kitchen again. It's spacious for her to sleep and do all she needed, but she couldn't pray on the bear tiles of the kitchen.

After so much contemplation, Fadwa hesitated before she walked towards the corridor, heading to the room she left her black veil in.
Her head was hung down and her eyes fixed on her toes, all she wanted was for her to reach the room, take her veil and decamp from there without him seeing her, but luck wasn't on her side.

She was about to turn the doorknob of the room when Maheer turned his doorknob and came out, coming face to face with her, her golden eyes bulged like saucers;  filled with fear. While his pale blue orbs were a slit of anger, disgust and hatred.

Can I say Dum dum dum?😂

Ramadan Kareem! I'll soon start my exams, wish me luck and pray for me.