Haleema Akram

2: new neighbors

           The flight landed at 2pm exactly. The air hostess dismissed the airline as the passengers alighted one by one. The Akrams checked out of the airport and took thier luggages down to the arrivals. They took a luxirious bus down to their new home located at senior staff quaters at area 11 Abuja. The houses looked exactly alike, they were fifteen in total. Theirs was house number fourteen. The  house was extra large, much bigger than thier spacious house back in kaduna. There was a mini gate, it was a duplex house painted brown. The other children ran to the house to choose their rooms. Their parents chose the downstairs room which had a mini parlor and it was closest to the kitchen. Jawahir was given the room adjacent to thier parents because she was the youngest and needed her mother, she was just two years old. The other door opposite the kitchen gave way to a corridor containing two rooms, jawad chose the first one. As they opened the other room, Haleema instantly had a liking to the room because it gave a clear view of the backyard garden which had a swing. But unluckily, jalilah also liked the room and was making a fuss about it. Haleema being older, tried to convince her not so nice sister but she refused. Though she was two years older than jalilah, she never had any respect for her because thier mother always showed them that haleema was nothing but a douchebag to them. Jalilah marched up to her mother, shedding crocodile tears to which her mother instantly adhered. She met Haleema in the room, already arranging her clothes in the walk in closet. Hajiya Aisha scrunched the clothes out of the closet and threw them out the window, the neatly folded clothes now in a total mess. Haleema tried to explain but maami as they called her, slapped her so hard she saw stars. Maami has always been livid with her. She warned her against ever getting in her dear jalilahs way. Haleema silently took her bags out of the room. At fifteen, though a young age, she learned to let things go the way others deemed fit. Her decisions were all in favor of others before her. She went out to the garden, a lone tear escaped her eyes. She neatly folded her clothes, then sat on the swing and let her tears flow silently. She wondered where she had gone wrong in this life. Her Maami was once the mother every child would want to have. Somewhere in the faint memories of her childhood, she still remembered how she and maami bonded. She loved that woman dearly but fate drastically took turns and here she was today crying because of the woman who once wiped away the tears from her cheeks, the very woman who was the reason for her existence. As she looked up, she saw two pairs of eyes looking at her from the house adjacent thiers. She took her clothes and draagged her luggages up the gigantic twin stairs.
            Haleema was all the more happier when she headed up the stairs. There were four rooms and a living room to which she could choose any befitting her choice. After ravaging through all the rooms, she chose the one attached to the living room. It was large and spacious with a medium bed and a book shelf. Adjacent to the bed was a door which led to the grand balcony, the balcony had two swing chairs which would be perfect for her early morning coffee. She planned on enjoying the view, she moved her shelf to the balcony and had her reading table placed there. She would read while enjoying the fresh air, like how she used to do back in kaduna. She finished arranging her closet by maghrib time. She then performed ablution and prayed before heading down stairs.
            *****
                 Maami had finished with thier room in no time. Since she was used to having maids around, she just dropped thier suitcases inside the wardrobe and made the bed. She had a shower, changed into casual clothes and proceeded to her kids room. She made sure everyone had settled in before going out to do some shopping. She took her car keys and went out only to notice a grocery inside thier estate. She shopped enough foodstuffs and supplies. By the time she was home, she was jetlagged and famished. She went into the kitchen only to notice that there was no food what so ever. She got angry as to how Haleema didn't move a limb. What was her use if she won't help around."Haleema!"she bellowed. Haleema was up in her room when she heard the angry voice of her mother shouting her name as if she wouldn't hear if she called softly. She quickly draped a veil over her PJs and skipped the stairs two at a go. "So like the idiot that you are, you expect me to come and cook in this house?" She asked menancinly eying haleema from head to toe. Before Haleema could answer she slapped her, then shoved her into the kitchen forcefully. Haleema landed on the tiled floor, hitting her head in the process. She stood up, ignoring the excuriating pain that shooted in her forehead. She ignored her drying throat and the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She quickly made mango juice and jollof rice through dizzy teary eyes. She finished about half an hour later and served everyone at the dining room. She quickly headed for her room after excusing herself.
               Haleema quickly showered, prayed Isha and headed outside the balcony, she was not feeling hungry since maami fed her insults. What wrong did she ever do to deserve this treatment? She cried silently into thin air, before she could wallow in her silence, she heard her name being called. She quickly rushed downstairs and met her dad, she greeted him to which he nodded. Mami was seated by his side serving him food. She knelt down to hear her father out. "Haleema, I've raised you better than the girl you're trying to become. As the eldest daughter, it is your duty to serve this house in all honours but you blantly refused to move a limb when your mother asked you to cook." Haleema was beyond shocked. She opened her mouth to speak but she knew better than to interrupt him while he was speaking. Alhaji Muhammad was seething in his chair, anger was visible in his eyes, he wondered what came over the daughter who was once the apple of his eyes." Haleema apologized to her Maami for something she didn't dare do but who would hear her out? She practically had no one to talk to, she only had her shoulder to cry on, she made happiness out of lonely things, most times her books, made friends out of sorrow most times her tears. To some point, haleema was so lost she only saw her father's lips moving but her attention was far away in another world of misery, where tears defined her soul, there was no life to her eyes, no joy what so ever in her life. She was rich for sure but without love in it, she was not happy at all.
         Haleema! Her father beseeched. He had been calling her for the past few minutes but she was long lost in her own world. You clean , wash, cook and take care of these children before we get a new maid. You are dismissed , he said plainly before turning his attention to jalilah who was cladded on the royal sofa watching TV. He smiled at her beckoned her over as they talked about how she liked the house. Haleema just dumbly sat there watching as the duo discussed what designs to add to the interior of the house.
                  Jawad and jawahir slept off in the living room, haleema tucked them in bed before proceeding to the kitchen. By then, it was past midnight. She switched off the TV and the lights then headed to the kitchen. She took her time to arrange all the groceries her mother bought before unloading the kitchen wares, then one by one, she arranged them in the pantry. As she put away the paper bags in the bin, she noticed a figure staring at her from the kitchen of the house opposite thiers. As she looked up, the same almond eyes were paring  into her soul.  She knew it was a boy but couldn't make out his features. She quickly rinsed her hands , turned off the lights before heading up the stairs and into her bedroom. Haleema sat down on the empty chair in her balcony, leaving the lights on he reading table on, she picked up the book she was reading earlier. She read for hours enjoying the sky view when her peace was interrupted. A paper was thrown at her. As she looked up adjacent to her, she then noticed that the lights on the other house was on and a boy was standing at the balcony, wearing a hoodie over loose sweat pants. She then picked up the paper, it was just an emoji of a smiling face. She looked up at him and raised an eye brow, some how, he noticed through the still night. He then motioned with his hand making a smiling sign, she got the message, smiled and turned around leaving the mysterious guy by himself. He watched as she disappeared into the room just like the stars did to the black sky.

Xoxo
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