ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA.

"Betsy Marcus, our salutatorian!" The name was hollered and it echoed throughout the field, the speaker reaching each crevice of the school and even the whole street surrounding it.

"You did it!" Fatima gave Betsy a high-five low from their seats, close to each other. Betsy have a watery smile, as if she couldn't believe what she's done. A salutatorian is the person with the second highest GPA.

Betsy stood up from her seat after giving Fatima's hand a gentle squeeze which she returned with a large encouraging smile that she can do it. Fatima knew she was going to be the last person so seeing that everyone's name is called except her own means she is going anytime soon. Betsy was afraid of going to the stage all alone without anyone to snap some pictures with after coming down but Fatima encouraged her that she has that covered. Betsy didn't know what she means of course but she trusts Fatima.

"You can do it, darling." Fatima stood up and gave her a hug then patted her back in a goading way. Hayaat and Bara'a watched from beside her in envy because she didn't do that to them when it was their turn and they brag to everyone that they are closer to Fatima, she's proven them wrong.

Betsy strutted down the bleachers and walked slowly to the stage, her wavy wig bouncing behind her with each step. She collected her certificate from a well-known respectable man, she has forgotten his name since she only focused on Ahmad's speech as the commencement speaker, Fatima also listened and stared with jaw hanging low as her husband gracefully glided up those stairs that lead to the stage, stood behind the podium and searched the crowd no doubt for her and when he located her, he smiled.

He talks for a few minutes mainly addressing the whole society than the graduates which annoyed her a little but then, it was an impromptu speech or she would've given him an earful later on. His eyes were on her the whole time he was talking then he looked around when he was about to conclude it with congratulations to the whole graduates. She saw some of the ladies gushing, snapping pictures and sending winks to him, she almost smashed their heads with her phone. Are they blind? Didn't they see them walking in earlier or they didn't hear about the gossip going viral? Or they are just dumb.

Betsy shakily adjusted the microphone in front of her as she stood, she licked her lips before smiling slowly. She wasn't expecting this, talking about how she's achieved everything in life and all those sappy bullshits. "Good day my fellow graduates..."

Fatima dozed off for a little bit thinking about her own speech and how she is going to start off, it's going to be a hard thing to do. She is already having second thoughts, maybe she should continue hiding it. With a start, she listened to Betsy as she heard her name uttered.

"...Babagana is my backbone and sole reason why I want to become a better version of myself. I wasn't too good with my course at the beginning but seeing her own natural way of getting good grade point average without too much effort, I thought, why can't I do something like this? And then I was reading throughout the nights, researching and some more. I'll never be able to thank her enough for all she's done to me throughout my life in AUN. She is a great person even though all of you here think otherwise." Some grumbled while others chuckle at the irony.

Fatima didn't know she was giving a watery smile at Betsy till she was done with her speech. She composed herself knowing the year's president will give his own speech next then she is the one. Betsy walked down the stage with a smile feeling satisfied and happy with herself, she didn't tremble with nerves. She bumped into someone then let out a yelp of surprise after seeing who that person is, Francis Marcus is right in front of her! Her older brother came!

Emotional hugs, pictures and more hugs later, Betsy went back to her seat and gave Fatima a bone-crushing hug. The attention of all the graduates around them yawed to them instead of the president talking ahead. All of them watched in surprise as Fatima rounded her arms around Betsy and cooed her awkwardly to be calm and not cry, it'll ruin her makeup. Betsy took deep breaths before sitting down next to Fatima, bending her head low to sober up and look more presentable. They won't understand how it feels, having such a supportive friend in her life. Fatima Musa Babagana is truly a gem!

When everything has calmed down with Betsy and the graduates are back looking at what is really going on in front of them, the president has already finished talking and Fatima's heart thudded loudly in her ears. She is the next person, as the year's valedictorian, she will give a farewell speech and damn right she will make sure they are galvanized. Not only is she going to release something no one knows in the entire world but a few private people, actually one person and that's Betsy, they are going to know few more facts about the enigmatic rich heiress that's wrecked many lives.

"Fatima Aliyu Yahuza, the year's valedictorian." Both Fatima and Betsy stilled, Ahmad's face meandered blank at the different name called instead of his wife's.

Okay what?!

"Sorry, there's a mistake. We have Fatima Musa Babagana as the year's valedictorian! A round of applause for her please." It took her forty seconds to regain her composure because she was surely shocked. Oh, maybe she is not the only one giving surprises today and galvanizing everyone. She chuckled inwardly, she also got shocked in another way. She stood up and made her way down with sure steps in her heels, head held up and gait graceful.

She reached the stage, went to the podium and lean a little to touched the microphone. Her eyes meandered all around the place, fixing her eyes in anyone's she's catch and thought she's seen some familiar eyes but when she looked again, they weren't there. There are more than a thousand people standing there in front of her, some are sitting actually but it doesn't matter. One had think with Fatima's bold and daring personality, nothing will shake her but the amount of people looking back at her got her nervous.

She acknowledged everyone from the esteemed faculty members, guest speakers and chancellor. She's left everyone flabbergasted since such respect from Fatima was never seen until date. "...I know a lot of you here think I've made your life a living hell, that's not true, we were just having fun and y'all know that too. I'm genuinely not sorry from the bottom of my heart but I truly am sorry... don't look too shocked, the part where you're supposed to be galvanized hasn't arrive yet.

"My goal after this is to open a large company meant for people with mental illness, not a psychiatry but for those depressed patients. We don't have them much in Nigeria so most of the people I'm going to hire are going to be from my fellow graduates, I've seen how hard y'all have worked to get to where we are-" she was cut short by round of applause and hoots, Fatima looks genuinely confused. Because she is going to hire them? That's more to her benefit than to them but that's not the truth, they will benefit some more because knowing her, she won't pay a useless salary and the fact that she's talked about her plans, they have no doubt she will set that into motion in no time. Even with some of the undying hatred in their hearts, ninety two percent of them trust that she will do like she's said.

Fatima continued with a shake of her head. "Stop making my head burst like that, I'm just talking about my goal. Then the part where all of you made sacrifices without even knowing, I've seen that time and time again and I admire you all for that. It was fun watching everyone reading knowing I can do everything y'all are doing after skimming through my notes." She laughed with some of them because they know that's the truth, she is guru by nature. "The past four years have been nothing but a rollercoaster journey, filled with fears, fun and a lot more. Some of you view me as an incubus, a bully and nightmare but deep down, you're curious about who really is Fatima Musa Babagana.

"I'm just a normal girl but trust me, I'm far from what you will define as your normal. My life is not like everyone's, it's filled with trouble, pain and so much more but I'm not going to dive deep into it, that's not why we are here. Life has taught me a lot but the best lessons I've learnt so far is from my darling husband!" Gasps, wide eyes, murmurs were all you could see and hear, that's what Fatima wanted anyway.

When she's certain that they are done taking their wild guesses and are curiously waiting for her to continue, she cleared her throat. "ACP Ahmad Hakim Al-hafiz..." more murmurs, susurrus, gasps and comical expressions "We got married few months ago and not your usual wedding since none of you knew about it. That's a story for another day. Living with him, engaging in his affairs showed me that life is too short to waste it on irrelevant things. All you need to do is straighten the path and have a good connection with your Lord, everything will fall into place after that and all your trouble and pain will have meaning behind them.

"The last thing I'm going to talk about here so as to not bore you, I know I'm anything but boring... I'm I wrong?" The all shook their heads in negative then she beamed. "Raise your hand up if you've ever heard about RFM Development Foundation." Almost everyone there raised their hands up, the people around the VIP Ahmad included, the esteemed faculty members, chancellor and the other guests of honor.

Seeing that, her eyes brimmed with tears that she choked back forcefully, she is overwhelmed. She almost lost her balance. "RFM Development Foundation is founded by no one other than Fatima Musa Babagana."

She almost blacked out at that minute hearing the whispers, murmurs, hollers and hoots all around her. She felt someone's arms around her and turn to meet Ahmad's gentle and supportive arms. He gave her a reassuring nod that she should continue from where she stopped and he is there for her. Fatima yaw back around to acknowledge the stampede crowd, everyone is talking to his or her neighbor in disbelieve. Their expressions says it all. She didn't expect such respect, eminent gazed of people on her, people's view on her changing drastically with few words. Her head throbbed, she didn't apply for this. The ones that don't know about the foundation are already browsing it in their phones.

RFM Development Foundation is an NGO founded three to four years ago by an unknown person. Everyone thought this might be someone from abroad with too much wealth ready to help in Africa. With time, they stopped guessing and allowed the place to do all it can to help. It's main mission is to alleviate poverty and encourage economic participation by empowering people through social and economic programs. And so far, they've achieved quiet a lot from the time it was opened. Now, has a positive impact in the poorest Asian and African countries in the world, reaching an estimated twenty million people.

RFM Development Foundation has successfully put 400,000 young children in primary school, gave ninety percent of households in obscure locations healthcare and lifted 38,975 households in Africa out of extreme poverty. They have four main projects, including social development, social enterprises, investments, hospitals and a university. They are still working on it, waiting for one investor to offer them and they got that few weeks ago from an anonymous person.

It also allow individuals to break out of the chains of poverty by equipping them with the necessary tools needed to have a more profound participation in the economy. As a result, it has established few enterprises, one of which is RFM Sanitary Napkin and Delivery Kit, which produces feminine hygiene products to encourage women to stay in school, and home birth delivery kits to ensure that births are sanitary and safe. There are a lot of women in the NGO willing to offer their own aid by helping them know their way through such things.

Fatima decided to open that NGO when she was just nineteen, tired of spending her father's money and seeing young children of eight to ten outside begging for something to eat looking all disheveled and tired, filled to the brim with hunger. Something deep within her brought forth the idea but she didn't pay much heed to it at first but in no time, she realized that it was a good idea.

She started setting up the mission and cause of the NGO which was to help almajiris from the streets, women begging by the sidewalk in the market, older people walking recklessly around traffic asking for money and also handicapped people wheeling their wheelchair all around bumpy places causing more illness to themselves than health. The next thing she did was set up board directors and members. She anonymously choose efficient and loyal people to do her work and there is nothing she can say now other than more praises on them. They've worked hard to get them where they are now, ranking up first in whole NGOs in Nigeria.

She named it RFM Development Foundation for further mystery so no one will come to realize what is the meaning behind those letters which is Rashid, Fatima Musa. She didn't want to add her father's name but found out there is a well known clothing brand R&F so she reluctantly added the M. Registering the NGO wasn't hard since they were so into their work, their chart too good for anyone to turn down and they weren't asking for anything in return, not even a penny. They didn't start asking for funds until two years later so people won't suspect too much about the person behind the NGO. And then they build a worldwide network!

Who would've thought? She did it all alone, she didn't ask for anyone's help. Betsy found out about it just few weeks ago when she decided to tell her what she's planned to do during their graduation.

"What the actual fuck, Fatima? You mean you are the founder of that worldwide known NGO? Seriously?" At the sound of her full name not Tims or Maah, Fatima knew she's seriously shocked Betsy.

She had shrugged her shoulders then. When she started the NGO, she also didn't know it was going to be well known and successful but with Allah's grace and bounties, it's top one in Nigeria. She sometimes don't believe that she really did that, it feels like dream. "I never knew it was going to be such a hit but here we are."

Fatima took a deep breath before leaning closer to the microphone to talk some more. "I hope one way or the other our foundation has helped you or someone you know. It's named after my brother and I. Rashid Fatima Musa, so as to confuse people some more. I thought I would never feel the need to acknowledge the foundation as my own but with time and viewing the world through another lenses, I decided to acknowledge my own hard work and also pat myself on the back that I'm a nice person even though I don't want to accept that title. I want to continue being a bad ass, not caring what people think but everything changed and I'm still trying to find out whether it's really for good or bad.

"Lastly, I have a confession to make. Like I've said, my married with my husband is a long story for another but I've never confessed my feelings to him and thought I should do it publicly if not for him, then for me. I need the assurance that that's really how I feel about him, I'm still battling with my feelings." Fatima bit her lower lip not daring to look at her husband. "But you know that most women would like it if the husband says those three words first but I'm impatient, I don't care whether he says them or not. What do you think?" A loud cheer of "Yes" and "Say it" filled her ears, mostly from the women so she smiled.

"Well then, as you wish." She took the microphone off it's stand and turn around to look at a dumbfounded Ahmad. She chortled and touched his growing beard then whispered into the microphone so that everyone can hear her. "I love you ACP Ahmad Hakim Al-hafiz and all your flaws alongside your annoying unromantic nature."

She turned around to talk some more. "In case you are crushing on him, uncrush him immediately. I'm still not too nice to let anybody near my husband."

"Long live, Fatima!" One person amongst the crowd stood up and cheered and before you know it, everyone sitting or standing are cheering in a loud voice.

"That's our daughter." Zaitun cried into her husband's chest as they stood among the crowd hearing them shout her daughter's name and not to complain, but to wish her well. There are no words to describe what she feels, everything is just falling into place so suddenly that she is afraid something might go wrong.

Musa Babagana couldn't say a thing, he just watched as people praise his daughter and shout out how amazing she is in loud baritone. If she were a man, they would've picked her up from that stage and haul her up then catch her, that's how much gratitude and excitement they are showing. She is smiling down at them, leaning behind her husband because she no doubt feels overwhelmed too with everything around her. He never imagined that Fatima who shows nothing but selfishness could do such selfless act. He won't say she used his money, she works privately on something too. His money wouldn't have done that, there is something else. Or is it Allah's mercy on her for being patient and enduring all that from her parents?

"Is that Fatima?" Rashid asked from beside them, eyes wide as he watched his younger sister gave a watery smile to her admirers. God, that is his younger sister Fatima!

"Yes, that's your sister." Musa sucked in a breath because he wants to breakdown like his wife beside him. They are all wearing face mask, standing at the top of the bleachers where he's requested from the school to be given so he can sit alone with his family privately.

Nayla peeped from beside them and chirped in, not wanting to be left out. "I'm very sure I'm going to love my sister-in-law!"