OUR DEAL... Each paragraph🤝

ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA.

And that is how Fatima spent three whole days in the jail with no sign of her father coming. The small girl in her is still holding onto the hope that he is coming from somewhere or maybe he didn't come back at all from abroad but that is a blatant lie when the whole officers are mocking her about it. Her father back to his hometown and never came for her, not directly to her face but they murmured enough for her to catch on their words.

The witch stepmother didn't come too, that didn't hurt her at all since she's never liked the woman and her coming there won't change anything in their relationship. But her father didn't come! She wants to see only her father, he should come and get her from that dirty place. She hasn't eaten anything except water that she forced herself to quaff twice when she got to the brink of dying.

None of her emotions rushed as she'd expected them to, not even tears or anger. Why would she feel anything when the worst hadn't arrived? She is just there, depleted and tired of everything around her but still couldn't burst out the bottled emotions within. How do those motivational speakers explain this feeling? They cannot answer her questions, none of what she's read answered them.

Ahmad didn't come to taunt her about the matter, only demand that she eats food and not die in their station due to her stubbornness. She didn't listen to anything he's said and shun him away like an unwanted pest, that didn't stop him from coming twice a day to check up on her. It doesn't mean they are on the same page now, oh no, far from the same.

There is this one fight they had, most of the officers were stunned to say the least.

Ahmad stood before the bars for the second time that day, his eyes narrowed and pitched with annoyance. "If you won't open this door and leave, then make sure you eat the food you've forced us to add with you!"

Fatima raise her head from between her thigh and glare at him, eyes filled with contempt. She's already been filled to the brim after Betsy left few minutes ago, demanding that she release herself from the jail and meet her father but she wouldn't listen. Why should she? She wants her father to come, to see his daughter locked in a dinky place and feel sympathy.

Something she's never seen in his eyes since those years ago. She can't begin to fathom where she's gone wrong at that tender age. What should she have done in such situation when she barely knew what was happening? Oh life is so cruel, this test is something she badly wants to pass but she is not sure whether she's hadn't failed already. She might've failed right at the beginning when she started questioning her sanity.

When she started ruining other people's lives so they can be just as miserable as she is.

"I never forced you guys to add the potion with me, I'm okay with what I have inside my stomach. If you will disappear please." Since she is sitting at the far end of the cell, she had to raise her voice a tad bit so he can hear what she's said clearly which got the attention of the other officers.

"Why don't you just leave? No one wants you here and your issues shouldn't be solved with government. Go home for goodness sake." He's had enough, it is written all over his face and stern voice.

Fatima didn't like his tone, it feels like he is insulting her and being the defensive person she's always been, she rose from the bed but didn't mosey. "You can go back to arresting other criminals and leave me here to rot. I don't need no babysitter!"

A mocking smirk evaded his face unknowingly, she thought he is babysitting her. "If you'll stop thinking so far ahead of yourself, brat. I'm going to have someone break this cell tomorrow and you will leave whether you want to or not."

"Damn you and your fucking rules, fucktard!" There were gasps from the curious gossipers around the station.

"Don't ever disrespect me in my own territory or you regret it greatly, Miss Babagana."

Before she could reply with another sharp taunting words, he pivoted and left her like a gaping fish. She's furious that he got the last word and the people around thought she was afraid of his threat, it didn't sit well with her and he hasn't come back to the cell. She's perfected her words intact, waiting to haul them at him when he comes.

When he did later on, he came with two men holding so many tools in a small duffel bag. The minute they reached her cell, they started removing more tools and went for the padlock keeping her safe from the outside world. She didn't say anything, she is tired of waiting for her father too after three days and have surrendered to whatever consequences that may come after her. Her father doesn't care, that is enough for her.

The second the padlock fell off, Fatima threw the keys at Ahmad, took her phone from Margaret, bag and car key, she left the station without another word at anyone. Ahmad didn't try stopping her nor would she have appreciated that. Her car was parked outside, after she settled inside, she found out that the food Asabe packed for her three days ago was thrown away and the flask was washed and kept neatly on the passenger's side, where it was that day.

There are so many missed calls from her friends, some from Asabe and that was it. Wow, just look how boring and tedious her life is. Three days in jail and same set of people called her and came to see her, Asabe couldn't come herself.

Fatima arrived at home early that morning, the house is quiet so she leisurely made her way to the kitchen and ate cereal then rushed to her room for a quick bath. Her fear for water is slowly creeping back with the thought of her father so the bath didn't take her long. That day being Wednesday, she is going to school to join the lectures and demand for her makeup test for that day. She shouldn't have missed it in the first place!

She got dressed into a hot pink cotton T-shirt 'To Hell' written in magenta glitters shown on her bosom then dark denim jeans took over her lower body. Instead of a crinkled cotton veil, she took linen and just made classical style with it then left the room in a hurry only to bump into Asabe. The older woman looks worried and wary, her eyes taking her in, searching for any wound or discomfort but found none.

She is the same Fatima Maah.

"Thank goodness you are back. I was getting more and more worried and thought I should report you directly to Alhaji." Asabe broke the protocol of not getting too close and gave Fatima a hug which she didn't return. It was all awkward, she cannot do it with her life depended on it.

Asabe blinked after few seconds and drew back abruptly. She apologized repeatedly, her head bowed down to the floor. Things just got more maladroit with Fatima, she didn't like this timid Asabe in front of her.

"Thank goodness you didn't." She gave her a small smile that seem to relax the woman. "I am back home safe and sound, no one had to bail me out." She is filling in words inside words, the woman will understand what she means.

Asabe's face twisted into that of sympathy, Fatima loathes it. She offered a deep sigh and thoughtful frown, eyebrows pulling down I'm concentration. She featured a weak smile, not wanting another round of that awkward hug, she would've given her one.

"You are not alone, you know that right?" Her words are soothing and tone is extremely kind, almost motherly. It struck something in her pectoral, making it hard for her to know right and wrong.

Fatima opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out from her lips, she didn't know what to say. She wanted to say she was alone and want to continue being lonely but that will hurt Asabe's feelings, she's been concerned about her the whole time she was away. At least she cares about her, some of the people in the household still don't know that she was arrested or went on vacation to the station in a dinky jail.

"Thanks, Asabe. I'll be on my way now." She adjusted the Balenciaga city bag around her shoulder and sidestepped her only to be stopped by Asabe's words.

"I think you should go see Alhaji, Maah. He's asked about you earlier before he went for his morning stroll." Her words drip with uneasiness, not knowing what Fatima will take out of her words. Would she agree or burst out?

Fatima's heart skipped a beat and started beating much more rapidly, as if being chased by devil itself. She shouldn't be this happy and joyous because he's asked about her after the third day of him back at home. He didn't ask about her the whole time he was back till earlier that morning? Maybe he had a nightmare about her or thought she's left him for good like her mother did?

Her throat worked hard in gulp, her head swooning like someone had drugged her. Joy and yearn filled her belly but not enough for her to sprint to his side of the mansion and give him a bone crushing hug. Three days?! Three good days and he didn't bother asking about her whereabouts or tried finding her in those days. Why? Why is the man not working with mature side but held onto grudge from years ago?

"What did you tell him?" Is what she asked instead, not bursting or becoming emotional. Her expression remain austere!

"I told him you were sleeping. I don't want Hajiya to find out and do something we might not want. I hope there is no problem with that?"

"No." And she left the long corridor down to her car outside the lobby. She didn't wait for her driver again, whatever should happen.

She drove straight to school, her car blaring 'Alcohol' by Joeboy. All she wants to do then is sip her own alcohol and forget about everything and anything. With that change of mind, she drove off the school again, her car carrying out dust at it's wake. She searched around the whole place for a bar or somewhere she can get strong liquor and wine. She wants to forget about everything, all those feeling trying to indulge themselves within her.

Her eyes burned and itched, clawing at the cornea of her eyes. Demanding the tears to roll down her eyes with rapid vigour, she won't have that. Stopping at an expensive and sumptuous looking restaurant without any halal sign there, she stared at the place for a few minutes, contemplating whether to go down and take the decision of breaking yet another law.

Too emotional, her eyes burned yet again with another round and marathon of emotions. She feels sullen, her gaze longing and distant. The thickness in her throat thickened and darkened, signaling the onset of tears. The longing, yearn and fatigue manifest itself to the point of pain. She took the decision with blinded mind and swiftly dismounted the car to the D'Jour restaurant slash bar. She will get it all out today.

She bought different types of alcohol with the joint account she has with her father. She intentionally didn't use the one she has alone because she wants him to see and wonder what she's done with so much money, maybe he will care then? Gosh, she is demanding too much attention like a little girl but she feels like it most of the time. She didn't get the things younger girls got when they were her age, it's heartbreaking.

She got the magnificent, immodest and lavish Giuseppe Quintarelli, Masseto, Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 1992, Cheval Blanc and so on. She bought the small mini bottles that she could drink up in shots but they are worth almost half her designer walk-in closet and that is her saying something. When she saw the bill, her eyes bulged out and truth be told, nothing ever scares nor frightens Fatima Musa Babagana if money can buy.

So those rich and wealthy people taking liquor really do know what they are doing. The price didn't change her mind and instead, she started taking the first bottle of Masseto on her way out of the restaurant-bar. Her head boomed and swirled after the first burn of it reached her oesophagus. She lulled a little bit before regaining her composure and walked out of the place.

She sat inside her car and drank all the bottles like her life depended on it. She kept quaffing down the fiery drinks like water, her emotions blurring and the line spectrums not getting explained by none of those chemists. When she started Giuseppe, she almost gagged the thing out from her mouth, she forced herself into drinking it faster. This is her sanity, her solace and the only sanctuary left for her.

After finishing all the five bottles in ten minutes, she locked the car and lie her head down on the steering wheel. She slept for four hours straight and awoke to the sound of her phone blaring with an incoming call. The caller ID is unknown so she threw the phone to the other side after putting it in silent mode then started driving to her home drunkenly.

She should've known and remembered not to drive while drunk after she just left the jail and that just officer won't have any problem locking her back for more days. She doesn't care, whatever is going to happen should happen and she is ready for it. First, she needs to confront her father while she is still severely drunk and won't remember what has happened the next day.

Or are they lying when they say you never know what has happened during your stupor?

This is her first time with it and it seems like she is not taking it as lightly as she thought she would. She wants to fight, she is a violent drinker it seems. She hopes to never do it again but who knows when her emotions are going to be too choked up for her to bear. Such moments as this, whenever her father gets back home, one problem or the other keep on emerging from underground and she is getting tired.

Maybe she should look for another life like her mother had, she might just be happier that way. It is also a new decision she is going to take, ask her father for money and she will leave him for good. The minute she gets her hands on good money that will be enough for her, she will leave that man for good. Her emotions are not to be played with even after she thought she was guarding herself, she is being vulnerable to the wrong person.

She will get the countries listed out and pick out the perfect one to pack to. She needs no husband anyway, she wants to be on her own and work in some great company someday. She is going to help people in her situation one day, use her skills and knowledge to good use.

She is going to stop her bad ways and get to the good books, maybe be more religious.

First, she will meet her father and tell him what she feels.