Zarah - infinite dreams

Chapter Six

I want you, all of you, your flaws, your mistakes, your imperfections, I want you and only you.

- 🤗

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Zarah shook her head, an amused smile stretching her lips. Her neighbor, Mama Faith, was at it again.

A worn out ankara wrapper was tied lazily on her waist over a black armless undershirt. She was holding her husband's shirt with one hand while the other was on her waist. She had a very bemusing warrior stance and Zarah had to bite her bottom lip to prevent her self from bursting into laughter.

  "Mama Faith, better leave my shirt, if you know what is good for you, better leave my shirt now!" He tried hard to sound menacing or threatening rather but failed miserably.

She hissed "What would you do? Beat me? Try it nau, Shebi that's the only thing you can do? See we die here today, I'm not leaving you until you give me something to cook for my children today" Tears filled her eyes and with every word, her voice rose in pitch and volume.

"Which money? Have I not given you money already? Leave my cloth before I descend on you this morning" He struggled to to get out of her grip but she tightened her grip on his shirt making it impossible to do so, wrinkling his already rumpled shirt the more.

"Which money?" She asked with contempt waving a miserable looking two hundred naira note in his face. "You call this money? When you know there is no single food stuff in this house. What do you want me to use this to buy ehn? Tell me!" She broke down in tears still refusing to let go of his shirt.

"Mama Faith! Mama Faith! Mama Faith! How many times did I call you? Don't let me repeat myself twice, leave my shirt before I..." He trailed off staring at her with what he thought was a threatening manner. She scoffed staring at him defiantly, her eyes daring him to do his worst.

He shoved her off him roughly and she landed on the floor with a yelp, wailing loudly.

"Ewo!!!  He has killed me oh! My husband has killed me oh" She cried dramatically, her hands on her head to complete the effect. She started screaming unprintable curse words and obscenities at him as he made his way out of the compound without as much as sparing her a glance.

"Useless man! E no go ever better for you and your family, idiot, Goat!"

Zarah clasped her hand over her mouth, wide eyed when a giggle escaped her lips.

"Zarah are you still there?" Her mother voice called from inside, surprise evident in her voice.

"No ma, I'm already gone, in fact it isn't even me that is talking sef" Without waiting for a response, she took off. Not until she was totally gone from her neighborhood, did she slow down her pace and allow herself dissolve into laughter.

She knew she wasn't supposed to laugh but she just couldn't help it, Mama Faith was just too dramatic.

She unzipped her bag and took out the drink Precious bought her the day before, she made the mistake of taking it home without touching it and her mother insisted on her taking it to school.

She unscrewed the bottle cap and took a swig.

I'll finish this before I get to school today.

"Ada, how do I look?" Zarah asked Adaora as she padded towards her seat awkwardly. She felt strange wearing the school uniform. She had received her uniform earlier that day and Adaora had insisted she wore it since it was still early and classes were yet to start.