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Mommy had cried her eyes out and was refusing to talk to anyone about it. She hid in her room feigning sickness so she did not have to see anybody. The gravity of what she had seen that early morning had shaken her to her marrows. At first she did not want to believe what her eyes had witness and she had decided to call it a bad dream.

But, how could she ignore it? When she saw it vividly with both her eyes which are pretty functioning well.

Aliyah had come into her room prompting her to stand up.from.her bed so she could have some breakfast but she had refused, telling her daughter she had no appetite.

Noorie came in a little later and the sight of Aliyah on her mother's bed made her frown immediately. She hated the fact that Aliyah was over taking her in everything. She was supposed to be the one to come persuade their mother, why was Aliyah threading on paths that she should not thread on?

"Ya Noorie, come and talk to her. She doesn't want to listen to me" Aliyah had said with a smile and Noorie felt like slapping away that disgusting smile off her face forever, but instead she beamed at her sister and headed towards where her mother laid.

When Ummi could not take the pain of what she had seen, she knew it was time to tell someone. She would have called her mother but her mother and her aren't in talking terms and her mother could make matters worse.

When she ransacked her brain for a person, the perfect person came to her mind. She quickly dialled her number, and whispered the location and time. Only then did mommy have a little peace because she is sure a solution would be found soon.
***

It's a little past 4pm, meaning Janan was right on time. The outing was scheduled for 4:30, all she needed was to get the car started. She turned on the ignition, and as usual it's started off, only to turn itself off again. She inhaled deeply, trying not to loose it.

She did not want to believe the car chose today of all day to misbehave. She turned it on again, with high hopes that it would respect itself and her, but the same thing happened again. She remembered when her father had advised her against going for the car, but she had been  adamant, even after hearing a long speech about how the second option would have been better. The warning was suddenly going off loudly in her head just because the car chose today to misbehave. She shook her head in dismissal and then, proceeded to on it again, but it refused to start.

She groaned frustratingly, opened the car bonnet, before coming down to peak into it. As far as her knowledge for cars went, everything looked perfectly fine. She removed her shoe, and hammered onto the strong, promising parts of the bonnet, then she dropped the shoes, slid her legs in it and ran to the car, hoping the effect of the shoe would put some sense into the car.

She turned on the ignition, and it loudly mocked her into believing it was going to start, yet it switched itself off. She groaned loudly, fishing out her phone to book an uber. As she sat there dejectedly, Mubaraq mumbled a greeting to her, passing her to the bonnet. He had on a black jallabiya, looking all handsome as usual.

Apparently he had watch her run from the bonnet to the driver's side. It hadn't been his intention to watch her, besides after she had sent him away the other day, he's not gotten the opportunity to see her. She returned the basket when she was very sure he wouldn't be around. His mother had blamed him ofcourse and had even reported him to his daughter who is off to see her mother's family in Port Hacourt. He decided to help her when she started tapping her phone. He knew she wanted to get help.

Janan jumped out of the car to go see what part of the bonnet he would twitch to get it working again, because if he was walking straight to her bonnet, it was to definitely help her. She replied a greeting, and he grunted in response as he peered at the contents of the car bonnet with keen interest. He asked her to go start it, and she did. When it turned itself off like it has been doing. He started loosening a boxlike thing which she knows to be the car battery. He dropped it on the floor and then he turned to her.

"I'll go get mine, to get it started" he had said and she nodded slowly. She watched him go, and then she sighed sadly, as the warning bells about their age difference rang in her head.

He returned after some time and then he fixed his, asked her to start it. The car started running perfectly fine, and he transferred her car battery back to her car with the car still running. When he closed the car bonnet, she quickly came down from her car.

"The battery went cold" he explained softly, and even though she has no idea what he meant, the gesture had melted her heart away. She moved closer to him to thank him. But before she could do that, Junaid's car swerved into the compound making Janan frown.

"What happened to your car" Junaid had asked coming down from his car, concern lacing his features. Janan waited for the butterflies to come, but it didn't. She waited for the concern he had shown her make her stomach twist as usual but it didn't. She inhaled sharply, as realization dawned on her. She was thoroughly over Junaid.

"It's nothing. Mubaraq fixed it" she stated turning to Mubaraq, who was staring at Junaid. The resemblance to his children is uncanny, and he knew that this is definitely Janan's husband.

Junaid gave Mubaraq a once over disapprovingly.
"Who is he?" He asked frowning deeply.

"The new neighbor, Junaid" she replied. Junaid had grumbled a rude remark to his own hearing, because Mubaraq's presence itself bothers him. And Janan has been throwing glances at him without her knowledge, which meant she fancies the bulky guy.

"Assalamualaikum" Mubaraq had said stretching his hands towards Junaid who eyed the hand in repudiation. He ignored Mubaraq's attempt to make peace and turned to Janan with a scowl. Janan groaned frustratingly before turning to Mubaraq who had sighed tiredly.

"I am very sorry about his behavior, he's just very skeptical about strangers. He's my ex-husband Mubaraq" Janan found herself saying.

Mubaraq's face lit up on hearing that. His mother had guessed right when she started planning on matchmaking both of them. Her statement had been "what man would not visit his wife in a whole week?"

He countered her statement, saying the husband could be on a journey or something. But Mubaraq knows his mother, she's probably milked out that information out of another prying neighbor.

"Thank you very much for today though. I am forever in your debt" she had said escorting Mubaraq to the gate. He nodded with his small smile growing wider.

"The car might misbehave, here give me your number so I would come pick you up if it does" he had said cunningly, and she knew what he was doing so she laughed a little. She collected his phone and typed in her number with a big smile. He waved her good bye, telling her to have fun at her outing after mouthing how pretty she looks.

Janan stood there smiling at his retreating figure, forgetting Junaid was standing there fuming. He cleared his throat loudly, bringing her back to her senses. She turned to him sharply.

"Why on Earth did you behave that way?" She stated through gritted teeth. He eyed her angrily.

"What exactly are you talking about?" He retorted making Janan's scowl grow bigger.

"He stretched his hands for a shake. The least you could have done is reply even if you do not like him" She explained exasperatedly knowing this conversation might not actually go anywhere.

Junaid chuckled at her statement making her groan in frustration.
"That boy is supposed to squat and greet me Janan"

"He's not a boy. He's a grown man!" She screeched louder than she intended.

Junaid chuckled once more finding her unsettlement funny. He knew Janan wasn't having licit thoughts towards this guy. "Just because he went to the gym and build up those muscles doesn't mean he's grown. I can bet you he's a little older than Iman.

"Junaid! You take back that statement right now" she warned, moving dangerously close to him. But she did not baffle Junaid. To him, Janan will always be Janan. "Janan, that boy is way younger than you. Whatever you're concocting in that little head of yours, get rid of it" he had whispered softly, successfully agitating Janan. She hissed loudly, got into her car and banged the door loudly. Without sparing him another glance, she drove off.

Pain pierced through her heart, knowing Junaid had seen right through her. She hated he was right. A tear escaped her eyes, and then another. Soon, Janan was sobbing as she drove with the thought that Mubaraq should have appeared a little early in her life, just maybe things would have worked out.

When she got to the eatery, she powdered her cheek, thankfully she wasn't the type to get bloody eyed after crying. A little eye pencil did the trick, even though it did not conceal her gloominess completely, it did conceal things. She got down from the car, and secured it before going to look for her date, who is Maryam's mother.
***

Iman stared at Maryam as she went on and on about how she had seen a person who had looked exactly like Noorie. He did not interrupt her, even though it's almost a week since she came back from Lagos and she has not failed to talk about Noorie every single day. It was starting to get tiring because there are things they could talk about that must not involve her sister who suddenly has a doppleganger.

"Maryam" he had called out and she hummed a reply in anticipation to continue relaying a story he's heard a million times. "How are you?"

She smiled at him.
"I am fine"

"How did your trip to Lagos go? Did they like the piece you wrote?" he had asked again.

She nodded enthusiastically, but did not get the hint. Infact she started talking about Noorie's lookalike all over again. Iman inhaled deeply, thinking of how to approach getting her to stop in the most delicate manner ever. She told him about how the girl disappeared almost immediately she had stopped hyperventilating in shock. She told him how she had almost lost her flight in an attempt to get the girl.

"Maryam" he had said and this time she actually groaned frustratingly, as if he was the one tiring her out with the same conversation over and over again. "Can we not talk about Noorie today? I really want to know how you are and how your lectures are going. I just want us to talk about us" he had said softly.

Maryam was quiet for some time, thinking about how to reply Iman without seeming rude but her irritation got the best of her and she kept mute refusing to say a word.

"I did not mean to sound rude or anything. Maryam, it's been a week and I leave work early, wanting to hear about you, your day, what you've  been up to. Instead you just go on and on about Noorie and her lookalike. I can relay that story without a mistake because of how many times you've said it. Let's not talk about them. Let's talk about ourselves, like how many weeks is it before you wrote your exams......"

He paused thinking she would say a thing, but she did not.

"Maryam, won't you say anything?"

She kept mute.

He sighed softly and kept quiet too. After spending fifteen minutes without a word, Iman turned to her tiredly.

"If you are not going to say anything, I want to leave" he stayed turning on the ignition. Maryam turned to him in disbelief.

"So, you're asking me to get down from your car"

"You were not talking! I've had a long day and I would like to rest. Sitting here and keeping quiet is the same as staying at home. Atleast I would be sleeping then" he replied with a yawn.

Maryam scoffed.

"I can not believe you would look me in my eye and tell me not to talk. I saw someone who looks like my sister...."

"She is not your sister. Maryam she is not anybody to you. You have to put that into your head. You have to come to terms with the fact that, that girl is nothing but someone you shared a home with. She's brought nothing but discomfort and sadness into your life, and I am extremely sure she's jubilating for finally getting you out of the house. That girl hates you, how can you not understand that, after everything that has been happening?" He yelled the last part.

When he turned to her, Maryam was already teary eyed. Before he could stop her she got out of his car and  had ran into the hostel. Iman had hit the steering wheel hard before inhaling deeply.

He contemplated staying back, so they could settle this once and for all. But after dialling her number a number of times and she did not pick, Iman decided that he should go home and deal with this issue tomorrow. A yawn escaped his mouth as he drove away from the hostel parking lot.
***

Meanwhile, Janan and Ummi (Maryam's mother) sat opposite each other. Ummi was trembling like a leaf and Janan wondered what the problem is. Janan has never ever tried to talk about Ummi's decision concerning Maryam. Even when Iman would sit her down and relay all his problems to her, she would only listen.

This morning after she had woken up from sleep, Ummi called her whispering. Janan knew all was not well, so she asked her to meet up at a eatery where they could talk freely without the fear of being listened to, which Ummi had agreed to quickly.

As she was about to open her mouth after they were all settled, Noorie had shown up out of nowhere with her friends. Ummi had acted as if she's seen a ghost, she went pale and her eyes were widened in terrified veneration. Janan had turned to the reason for her friend's relapse.

Janan connected the dots, and had quickly kicked her friend who had successfully composed herself before her daughter noticed them.

When Noorie saw her mother and Iman's mother, she wasn't very pleased. She had believed since Maryam is already out of the picture, her mother would end the friendship with Iman's mother. So, she plastered a plastic smile and headed towards her mother who tried to smile, but ended up with a forced smile.

She had greeted them with much enthusiasm, but her eyes had shown displeasure even when she tried to hide it.

"What are you guys doing here?" Noorie had inquired with a eerie grin, making her mother shift uncomfortably, but managed to keep her composure. Her mother could not answer as she was busy squeezing her hands from under the table to manage her composure.

"What are you guys doing here?" Janan had asked with a curt smile. Not liking how Noorie was interrogating her mother as if she was the boss of her.

"To eat, ofcourse" Noorie replied in a clipped tone. Then she turned to her mother waiting for a reply for her answer. Her mother managed a small laugh so she doesn't set off the alarm bells in Noorie's head.

"Actually we are done with what we are doing and we are leaving" Janan had interfered picking up her bag. Noorie let out a high pitched laugh, even though nothing is funny. She stepped aside for her mother to stand up.

"I'll see you at home mommy" she had said, pecking her mother who went rigid, but quickly recovered. She smiled at Noorie and then hugged her tightly saying she would see her at home to get Noorie not to suspect a thing. When the women left, Noorie walked back to her friends contentedly.

Janan and Ummi had driven to another eatery, which is far away from where Noorie and her friends are. Ummi had paid the bills for an exclusive room with the fear that Noorie could show up again.

"Why do you allow your daughter act as if she has a say in your life?" Janan had asked rather bored, ignoring Ummi's trembling body. "You're her mother for God's sake......"

"Janan" Ummi had whispered, getting all teary eyed, interrupting Janan's sermon.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Janan, Noorie is crazy" she had stated, trembling in fear. "She is really really crazy" Mommy had said before bursting into sobs. While Janan remained transfixed trying to process the information.