Jalilah

Chapter1: the past still hurts

Lagos Nigeria (2019)

Hanan flung the door to the living room where her mother was seated open, the living room was dimly lit with the vintage wall scones that hung on the mute colored walls like earrings. Thick velvet curtains hid the long windows across the walls. Two antique couches stood the opposite sides of each other on the hand-woven rug, accompanied by rich velvet and bronze chairs. The paintings and faded tapestry on the walls seemed to blink at hanan as she entered and sat on one of the chairs which was opposite her mother.

Hanan starred at her mother for a while before finally uttering the words at the tip of her tongue, Umma who is she I really need to know, hanan questions her mother with curiosity written all over her face. What is wrong with you hanan I thought I told you to stop touching those pictures, let your dad come back I will tell him what you are always up to when he is not around umma raises her voice at hanan taking her completely off guard. All I really need to know is why her pictures are scattered in this house umma, hanan replies back at her mother fully aware of the consequences of her actions.

What is going on here and why is there so much noise coming from this room Abba who has been standing by the door reprimands the both of them, And what pictures are you talking about hanan I hope you are not up to another mischief. Ummas suddenly became silent ignoring both hanan and Abba.

Hanan noticing ummas silence became hesitant to talk about the picture or and walks slowly to handover the picture to Abba.
(Alhaji Ahmad who is popularly known as Abba was Aisha husband they have been married for over 18years now with two beautiful daughters. alhaji Ahmad is tall and fair in complexion.)
Suddenly Abbas facial expression changed and hanan who had never seen her father like that thought it was because of her behavior towards her mother and began to apologize. Abba muttered jalila so low that even hanan that was beside him r what he said.

When Abba noticed that hanan was also on the verge of tears he held her hand told her to come sit next to him and he started to comfort her. Her name is jalila she was your mother's best friend back in school, they were in the same class Abba said to hanan putting his arm around her shoulder.
Then Abba why doesn't umma like to speak about her and where she is now hanan asked her father who seems to be ignoring the whole conversation. It is because we all miss her hanan and she lives with her husband in another country.

(Hanan is the second child of Hajiya Aisha and alhaji Ahmad she just completed her junior secondary school. hanan had a wheatish complexion which she had taken from both parents and she had a small body which made her look exactly like her mother when she was her age she also had her mother's long thick brown hair) umma who seems quite furious glares at hanan and tells Abba you are the one spoiling her that is why she doesn't listen to anyone.

(Hanans mother Aisha was Jalilas best friend in school. Hajiya Aisha is fair and of medium height. Hajiya Aisha had gained a lot of weight due to aging but it only added to her gracefulness. Hajiya Aisha had a long thick brown which was always tied in a scarf. She had only two daughters. Maryam and Hanan.