KHADIJAH✔️

Chapter 7

24 JUNE 2021

WE ONLY LIVE ONCE, BUT IF WE DO IT RIGHT, ONCE IS ENOUGH.

I ran as fast as my legs could take me, I ran to the hospital where the guy told me the boy was taken.

I asked the receptionist if there was a patient named AL-Hassan Abubakar.

"No, I can't find the name in the list" she said.

"Okay, please is there any patient that was brought here few hours ago?" I asked.

"Yes, He's in room 13, but we don't know any of his relatives, If I may ask are you his relative by the way?" The receptionist asked.

"Yes ma'am, I'm his sister, please can I go and see him?" I asked.

"Let me check first, please.
Sit on that couch next to the water dispenser, please.
Let me check". She said

"OK ma'am," thank you.

I couldn't sit down or rather calm myself down, I was scared, and I was just praying let the patient not be Khalifa, he should be someone else. I prayed silently. But what if he's not the one? Where could Khalifa be? Is he lost or... No! He's not kidnapped, he can't be kidnapped because he's in the city, but what if he was taken by a car? I asked myself again. No that can't happen also, there are a lot of people out there so they can't let that happen. I wasn't thinking straight my mind was telling me that something was wrong with him. What if the --what if-s happen?-- But... Let me just pray he's alive and safe. Ameen.

After a few minutes, the receptionist came back telling me that we could go inside the room.

I walked with her to the room, rather trailing behind her.

"Is he the one?" She asked.

Innalilahi wa Inna ilaihi raji'un! Innalilahi wa Inna ilaihi raji'un, innalilahi wa Inna ilaihi raji'un. Before I knew it, I fainted.

****

I and my mother were discharged from the hospital, after several faints.

I took firewood and matches from the store in our house, I lit the matches and made the fire so that I could boil water for Khalifa. Yes, he was the one that got the accident.

When I saw him I was shattered into tiny pieces, tiny pieces that I don't think eyes would see except with the use of microscope. I was down, nothing was going well with me, I thought I would be happy because I got work, or a job to do and I'd reach to my needs and my family's, but... But Allah has planned something else, not that I lost my job, No I didn't. But it won't be enough for me to pay the bills. 15 thousand naira for Khalifa's first admission, and now this. I need the money before next week, what I've with me is only the change that remained when I bought the foodstuff.

I know Abba won't pay a hid to it. I won't even put him in this matter, because I know he'll do worse than he did. He couldn't pay 15 thousand naira.

I finished all that I needed to do and took my siblings to Asmau's house, my best friend. She helped me with the work then we ambulated to the hospital.

"Assalamu alaikum," we said at the same time while entering the room.

But no one answered, Umma was not around who else would? No one of course.