Basma likes Fendi

23 | Who knew evil girls had the prettiest face?

•Inteesar

Back to the present...

One step after the other, we climbed the stairs in our frenzy of pile stocked gossip from our teenage years to the juicy and sad details of some of our friends she hadn't seen since she left the country with her mother.

She had always been my best friend so we told each other everything. This woman was the only reason I believed in friendship. She was all I had after my family—literally.

I called Bashir to make sure he was on the right page with me before settling into the hours of proficient spilling of dirt we were about to dabble into.

"Yes Inteesar, I'll be there." He answered sounding bored.

"Ok bye,"

He doesn't  answer  but chooses to let me hang up. I hear the sound of his phone hitting foam and I just wished I could slap some sense into him right now.

Doesn't he respect the mother of his child?

"Bye." I yell into the phone and he still ignored me, "I'm talking to you. I know you can hear me Bashir."

"Get off the phone please Inteesar." He says with a sigh. I almost feel like I heard a chuckle before hearing a clicking sound.

Ok, he hung up. Nice. I threw my phone in my bag and hugged Safiya as she lets me into her room.

"Can you believe it?" Your idea worked."

"Really? That's great. I knew that was the best solution to keeping him chained to you."

"We're going to take a paternity test soon and then, maybe he'll talk about our wedding."

"He didn't handle it well ko, right?" She threw her phone on her dresser and joined me on her couch.

"He was shouting. I was even scared but he didn't hit me."

"It's good to know that he's a gentleman. But wait o, how did you hide this from your parents for nine months straight without getting caught?"

I scoffed, "Aaah I'm a smart girl. I wore baggy clothes and mostly hijabs to hide the stomach. Luckily I didn't have events or anything to really attend so I mainly stayed at home or was at Wunmi's house. Baba hasn't been around, he travels and returns only for two weeks before he leaves again—just mama and she's been focused on her business. I doubt if they even noticed my new mode of dressing."

"That's my girl!" She moved her hands up to high-five me and we laughed, "I know you ai."

"If they knew I'd be dead. I only told Jameel so that he can help me out with my drugs and if I needed someone with me at the hospital during my antenatals but now he's gone so I just go with the driver."

"That's so nice of Jameel honestly. I thought he'd shoot you sef."

"Nah, he was very angry but he offered to support me and I begged him to keep it a secret till I can convince the father whom I kept secret from him to come and ask for my hand before I give birth."

"How are you going to do that? That plan is stupid—don't be annoyed. But you'll be a mother in a few weeks if I'm not mistaken and the father hasn't come out yet. What you need to do is just beg because we're out of options here. This man isn't very easy to convince. Go back to him later this week when he's calmed down and discuss with him—not today at the hospital—you don't want to cause a scene." She coughed, "If we try blackmail or threats things may just get worse."

"I understand but it's not going to be easy. I love him but sometimes he scares me especially when he's angry."

"Just be careful." She smiled at me just as a small girl comes into the room with a tray filled with drinks and water.