Blooming

2.

𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑪𝑬𝑳𝑺

The Ride from home to the office was entirely stress free as Wambai street belonged to the new GRA extension. There were little to no cars and the road was smooth with no potholes to drag with the wheels.

One would think with the many potholes on Shagari road the number of vehicles would have shortened but no, it has only managed to increase by the day. One expects nothing from the City centre yet the Government has not done anything regarding the road so motorists have to struggle to reach their destinations everyday. Unending traffic jams and abandoned cars that have broken down have become a daily find. That was why it felt surreal to be cruising this smooth road. Also adding to her joy was the fact that she was no longer saddled with the responsibility of picking and dropping off kamil at school. He now has a designated driver for that.

This morning when she woke up, she had found him all set and ready for school which she knew was Hajiya's doing. All His  clothes had been neatly stacked in a spare bedroom.

As soon as she opened the door to her office her eyes landed on a brown envelope atop her desk. It was not a new thing to find an envelope on her desk. What surprised her was that shukra had not said anything to her about a envelope.
She walked briskly towards the table and picked the envelope from its spit on the brown mahogany office table.

Ismail Yari
Isatnbul , Turkey.

"Madam what is this I am hearing? Have you lost your mind? Haba Leems you haven't even returned any of my calls which i am sure you deliberately ignored."

She quickly slipped the envelope inside her bag while she masked away the surprised expression on her face and turned to faced the person who just came into her office unannounced.

Dubai had suited her friend very well. If her eyes were not deceiving her, she had even gained more weight. Her fair skin was gleaming under the Morning sun peaking from behind the half raised blinds like freshly brewed coffee with excess cream.

"Hajiya ba ko sallama? Mutanen Dubai. I need to thank Hubby irin wannan kyau haka?"

She cooed intentionally ignoring the daggers the woman before her was sending her .
She didn't answer. Instead, she pulled out one of the seats and sat  while Halima stood.

"Me yasa baki jin magana ? Hope you are satisfied? Nobody in his rightful senses will leave his Parents house because of a small misunderstanding. Imagine how surprised I was when I went to see you only for Umma to tell me that Kinyi kaura." She said while eyeing her.

"Muna, I am fed up. I cannot do this again. Was it not you whom I told what they are doing to me in that house? You know everything. When home has become a threat to one's peace and there's nowhere for one to go. You have to make harsh decisions . I have already made my up my mind. I am beginning to fit the bits and pieces of my life back together as I have realized that nobody will do it for me. I have to stand for myself. I was the one who chose this path. I have to walk through it and I will be happy Insha Allah." She said everything in one breath.

The last few statements hit home. They were actually supposed to do just that. She had said them so they would reach her and the mission has been accomplished. She smiled when she saw how Muna shifted uncontrollably in the seat. Her pitiful attempt at masking her shame was pathetic.

"Coward." Halima mused.

But Muna still had something to say