In A Quest For Love

LAYLA'S LIFE.

NEW STORY UPDATE:
Title; Layla's life.

It's already on my profile so you can add it to read the complete chapter.

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During the dull, dark and quiet time of the morning, The singing voices of birds and the corkroal of chickens were the only sound that could be heard around the neighborhood. It was the early hours of the morning, the sun wasn't out yet and almost everyone was in the confide of their houses. Except for a young lady who was seated outside their house washing some piles of clothes that were neatly arranged in front of her.

By the time she was done washing, the atmosphere had become bright. She cleaned the rope in front of their room with her hands and began spreading the clothes.

"Layla." She heard her Mama call when she was drying the last piece of clothe.

"Yes, Mama." She rushed to go inside but instead she met her Mama at the door of their room, struggling to come out.

"Ah, Layla. You washed." Mama said standing straight as she stretched her body.

"Yes, Mama. I decided to do it now because I might be too lazy to do it when I come back from work." She explained.

"That's good." Mama smiled.

"Where is Mustafa and Sabira, are they awake? They shouldn't be late for school now. I have prepared their bathing water for them already." Layla uttered, opening the curtain to their room.

"Wake them up so they would have their bath. Prepare their school uniform for them, for the main time, I will prepare breakfast." Mama moved to their local hut just beside their room.

Layla gentle tapped her two sibling. "Make una wake up go baff."

They both sat up on the bed, a very sleepy look on their faces. Mustafa scratched his eyes as he tried to wipe the remnant of sleep off his eyes.

"I am hungry o." Sabira wined with a sleepy voice.

"Have your bathe first then you will eat breakfast. Mustafa, you go first. Your water is already in the bathroom. It's hot, so be quick before it gets cold." She explained before going out to meet Mama.

She met Mama struggling to put on the firewood. "I totally forgot about breakfast, I wouldn't have put off the fire." She spoke, squatting, gathering the firewood's together to put on the fire.

"Weldone my dear." Mama praised.

When she was done setting the fire, she fetched water from the big drum which was half filled with clean water.

"Let me quickly rush and buy bread and milk from Mallam Habu."

"You get money?" Mama asked, concerned.

"Yes." And she ran off after carrying her hijab from the chair outside, she quickly walked to Mallam Habu's shop.

"Good morning Mallam Habu." She greeted the provision seller.

"Ahh Layla. Gudu morning in the morning." He said in a sing song voice. "Wetin you wan buy?"

"Give me bread, fifty-fifty Naira own three with two satchet milk."

Mallam Habu packed her orders in a black nylon and handed it over to it. "Your money na two pipti fifty." He said in his Hausa accent.

She looked at the two hundred Naira notes in her hand and passed it over to him. "I go give you fifty Naira later."

Mallam Habu looked at her suspiciously. "Make sure you bring my money koh." Everyone in their yard knew Mallam Habu to be very stingy. He never jokes with his money, most people referred to him as "northern Igbo"

"Wetin dey do you sef. Just because of ordinary fifty Naira. No vex me o." Layla fired.

"Oya Dey go." He waved a dismissive hand at her. He wasn't ready for her troubles this morning. Layla was known to be a very stubborn girl. She doesn't spare any one who dares find her trouble.

She hissed and took quick steps back home. She met Mustafa and Sabira already dressed for school, Mama had already kept a bowl and empty cups as they were all seated waiting for her.

She carried one tea bag from the drawer and put it inside the water, she opened the satchet
Milk and poured it inside the hot water. Luckily they had sugar so she added three full spoons of it into the water. She mixed it together and had a taste. Contented, she shared the tea into a cup for each of them.

She removed the bread and gave each of them one-one.

"What about you?" Mama asked. "Won't you eat bread."

"No. I will just drink tea."

"Let's share mine." Both mama and Sabira said the same time.

She shook her head, no. "Don't worry. If I go to work I will eat." She looked at Mustafa who had already finished his bread and shook her head. The boy eats way too much.

She took a gulp of her tea and got up. "You guys should be fast and go before your headmaster punishes you." She checked the old wall clock that was hung on the wall. "It's already 10 minutes past 7."

She removed her clothes and went out to the bathroom to have a bathe. When she was done, she came into the room and met Mustafa and Sabira already gone, Mama was busy cleaning the room. She greeted her and carried her clothes from the drawer and quickly put it on. She wore an Ankara that was sewn into a gown. It was a clothe that Mama had given her when she couldn't fit into it anymore. The Ankara was looking a little worn out. She picked her flat slippers from under the bed and slipped her legs into it. She carried her black veil and wrapped it around her head securely, she sprayed a moderate amount of body spray before going out.

"Till I come." She waved at Mama.

Mama followed behind her. "Good luck my dear. Abeg no joke o, no cause trouble. Anything wey dem give you do, do am well well." Mama advices.

"Okay Mama. I will. I am running late. Bye." Mama watched as she ran off. Layla's stubbornness always caused her her jobs. Immediately she finished her secondary school, their neighbor who was a school teacher helped her secure a job as a PTA staff in their school but Layla didn't even last up to two months as she got into a fight with one of the male teachers, when asked, she said he harassed her. The man blatantly denied, saying she was just trying to frame him, he even went as far as kneeling and crying that since day one Layla promised to ruin him because she claimed she saw him in her dream. Hence, they dismissed her from work. Without giving her enough room to explain herself.

The second job she got was as a shop keeper. She argued with a regular customer at the shop because the woman insulted her. The customer reported her to her madam and threatened never to come back to the shop if Layla isn't sacked and Layla got sacked immediately. Now this is her third job which was secured for her by her Mama's friend.

When Mrs Maryam came over to tell Mama she has gotten a job for Layla, Mama was so glad because she didn't know Layla would find a job again. She was their only hope of surviving now, Mama is getting weaker by the day so she won't be able to bear any work stress, Mustafa and Sabira were still in school and they needed money to sponsor them through out their education.

Mama had sat Layla down and begged her with her all, Mama even shed tears begging Layla to be of good behavior in her place of work. Layla promised Mama she would do as they told her.

Layla got her stubbornness from her Dad. May his gentle soul Rest In Peace. He was a nice man but he couldn't stand people doing the wrong thing without him speaking.

"I pray make her stubbornness reduce o." Mama said sweeping off the cobweb from the wall.

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Hey guys, this is my new story. This chapter isn't complete, you can read the complete chapter when you add LAYLA'S LIFE to your library.
Kindly add it to your library and do vote and comment. Also tell your friends to tell their friends to tell their friends. It's going to be an interesting one, I promise you.