BFFs: Married To My Sister's Best friend

46. Classes

Halima wakes up the next morning with a huge smile on her face. Today she's going for her first class in make-up. She skips to the bathroom and performs ablution. She prays her Subh prayer.

"Ya Allah, don't let me loose this baby. Help me. Let this baby be the best for me. Ya Allah don't let me be led astray." Halima continues to pray with her eyes closed, her hands raised. After praying she takes her bath then gets dressed in a black jumpsuit. She adds an Alabaster after dress then a matching alabaster veil that comes with the after dress. She takes all the necessary things and puts them in a black Fendi bag before slipping on black wedged shoes.

She checks out of the hotel and drives to the mall which is opposite La Cuisine Paris, the culinary school she's going to be attending after she's done with the brushing up makeup course. Entering the hall, she goes up to the first floor which gives a beautiful scene of Paris. The whole floor is full of makeup items and upto twenty people all paired in twos. Remembering that she forgot her makeup kit in the car, she groans and goes back down taking the elevator.

Once down she rushes to her car and gets her makeup kit. She goes back up again and when she enters the first floor for the second time that day, she meets a new face she didn't see the first time she entered. The person surely looks Nigerian. A lady who looks to be in her early twenties just like Halima stands there.

Halima drops her makeup kit and adjusts her bag before going over to the woman who obviously looks like the owner with the way she's showing people how to do whatever they're doing.

"Bonjoir Madame." Halima says. At least she knows a little French from her junior secondary school. The woman smiles at her.

"Bonjoir. Comment ça va?" The woman asks.

"Ça va bein, merci. Et vous?" Halima smiles feeling proud of herself for remembering what seems like a mantra she's used to hearing.

"Ça va très bein. Comment tu t'appelles?"

"Je m'appelle Halima, substitut de enciente femme." The woman makes a nodding sign with her head, recognition marring her face. She moves to the podium and claps thrice, making sure to have everyone's attention.

"Asseyez vous ètudiantes." Everyone sits by their makeup kits and the excess chairs are moved to the back of the large hall like place by some ladies.

"Tres bein. Some of the students here don't understand French so let's switch to English. I'm Madame Flora, your instructor for today. Instructors are changed daily so tomorrow, a different persona will replace me. That was by the way. Now let's introduce ourselves. I know we have thirty students so let's make it snappy." She claps thrice with her hand again and points to the girl at the front.

"I'm Yulan." The girl says in a small voice. Everyone introduces themselves till it was the last person's turn. Halima figures there are nine Muslims there. Two Aishas, one Amina, a Khadija, a Mariya, an Amratu and three Nanas. The girl beside Halima is an Aisha but she prefers to be called Eesh.

"Very good. Now we're going to start right away. We have just one week and one day is going to be used to cover one thing each. Today, we're going for makeup. The normal type of makeup people wear at weddings, dinners, balls and whatnot. That is the first step at makeup. Tomorrow, someone else will take you artiste makeup. It's the type of makeup that actors and actresses wear to match their roles.

"Then on Wednesday, someone else is going to take you costume makeup. This is the type of makeup that's worn instead of masks. It can represent animals. Thursday will be the last training day when you'll be assessed. Remember this is just a reminder class, not the main class so don't expect to be spoon-fed. Lastly on Friday, you'll be presented with your certificates and an after party will be conducted." Madame Flora concludes and she claps her hand thrice, instructing her students to pair themselves in twos.

"Remember, the person you choose will be your partner till the end of this class which will be on Thursday, choose wisely." Halima chooses Eesh and the lady agrees.

"Now face your partners and make them up
Casual makeup. The person by the left first." Halima who is by the left drags her suitcase like makeup kit and opens it. She quickly uses her wipes to clean every nook and cranny of Eesh's face before going ahead to make her up. An hour later and she's done so she calls the attention of Madame Flora who corrects her. Eesh does the same for Halima and that's how the rest of the class passes in a blur. Casual, bridal, party, smokey and cat eye makeup is what they practice on each other.

Once they are done Halima feels her stomach growling. She arranges her makeup items back in her makeup kit and closes it. She stands up ready to leave when Eesh stops her.

"Can we go grab lunch together?" Halima says sure and they both take their makeup kits to their various cars before going to the food court. They both eat, making small conversations here and there before they are interrupted by Halima's phone ringing. She excuses her self and picks the call.

"Assalamu Amal how are you?" Halima asks immediately she picks the call.

"My well-being doesn't matter right now, has Adda Nana called you? I think she's supposed to be back today so I was wondering if she called you." Halima says no and Amal says okay. The earlier gies back to her food and after exchanging numbers with Eesh, she goes back home.

Halima drags her laptop closer as she is about to Skype her mother and she suddenly feels like throwing up. She rushes to the bathroom and throws up what she had at the food court. As she is about to wash the things she threw up she notices blood in her bile. What could that mean? Ya Ilahi is her baby going to die. Oh no it can't be. Her baby cannot die, no it will not die.

She hears her laptop make a sound and she quickly rushes to see who wants to Skype. She accepts the call seeing its Fatima, her best friend. It has been a long four months and she has missed her human diary.

"Halli what happened to you, you look pale and so slim and.... I don't even know what adjective to use and describe... This!" Fatima waves her hand in front of Halima through the laptop.

"Things, things Teemah. What happened to you? You look like you've been crying for decades." Fatima chuckles humorlessly.

"Aqsam did."

"What? Who's Aqsam?" Fatima tells Halima how she fell in love with her therapist and how he insulted her by saying she's below his league.

"The hell?! And you couldn't at least call me? I would've come swinging in with my huge hammer like hulk's own." Fatima laughs and sniffs.