Her Little Secret(Prior)

Chapter 31 *ephemeral and furtivity*

HALEEMAH

Being a journalist is quite advantageous. You get to spin out stories the way you wish. The satisfying part of it all is seeing people gratifying the story.

Oh and yeah! The power of being capable to destroy a well built image or uphold it.

For years, I had cleaned up messes with sugar coating words that were far from the truth and in the process amassing a wide network of people who owe me big time. And similarly, I had done opposite too. That, I am not so proud about.

But that isn't what journalism is for me. Especially with my dual identity that people do not need to know about.

I may be a local journalist in Yola capital, but my initials had travelled far, wide and beyond.

Aside from the reputation and the network, the sole reason I was still a journalist is because of the informations I have easy access to. I am a walking big data collected over years of experience.

And yeah, I use that knowledge for my alter ego currently in Kano. 

It was a good timing for a great mission. There's a flight readily available to kano because hajja was going to attend her granddaughter's wedding and there was an exclusive story to cover because a scandal just broke out among the kannywood movie stars.

I stepped away from the Atm Machine in Zenith bank along zoo road in kano just in time to reply Bright's message who was asking how the wedding was going_a wedding I was never planning to attend_only to come face to face with someone I never thought I'll meet randomly. Talk about strange coincidences.

"Haleemah?" He called, or more like asked for confirmation of what I was doing in kano. I wondered how he was pretty sure that I was the one even before he called. Or how I was sure he knew I was the one before he called. Whatever!

What is the percentage of running into someone you met randomly again by just visiting their state?

To think I was using his sister's wedding as my backstory. Even if I was attending the wedding that was supposed to be my backstory, I didn't expect to run into him at all. Maybe I did, but this was far away from the venue. I didn't expect this at all.

Then ding!

It clicked in my head that I wasn't supposed to be recognized here because I was supposed to be incognito. A casualty is waiting to be rescued a few meters away and I was only here to fund a temporary account needed to complete the mission I was on.

WMCY was rescuing a heavily bullied step daughter from around and I was just taking necessary precautions to cover up our tracks. She'll be taken to safety and would return openly only after she's gained her own strength.

"Hey!"

I wasn't going to play familiarity and I wouldn't really deny it either because my body language must've said it all so I chose not to greet first.

"What are you doing here?" He asked."You seem to be in a hurry"

Bingo!

He just presented a way out so"oh yeah! I need to be somewhere right now and I am very late. See ya!" And I sprinted off. What was that?

"Yaya Muj!" I heard a voice called just as I passed but I didn't even bother to look towards whoever it was. Even though I wanted to.

It was only when I had roared back my car into life and was driving past that I actually noticed that the caller was a really beautiful lady with an opposite character to what I'd ever tolerate.

She's being too mushy with him. I mean his name is pretty nice, why divide it into two? Why call him Muj instead?

Seeing you again was nice, Mujahid.

I sent a momentary message which would never get out in my mind.

*

"Jamima" I called the eighteen years old young lady in the form of frail figure and swollen face curled up in a corner on the bed inside the hotel room.

She's been reportedly missing for the past seven days, but was actually locked up in the store behind the house as punishment by her step mother.

When the cleaner saw that the punishment was getting out of hand, he secretly lend her a phone to call for help. And yeah, she called WMCY. Even though we are in Yola.

"Jamima" I called again and that was when I was able to get her attention.

I smiled down at her and tried to reach for her hand. But she jerked and hugged herself again mumbling incoherently. This response was much expected and everything is being covered as evidence. A visual evidence is a strong evidence for anything.

I nodded at her and sat a bit far from her assuming the same posture as hers. She watched me keenly.

"Jameemah, my name is Haleemah. I'll call you my sister, you are pretty. Today is Friday, it's a really good day to chat with pretty people..." I kept talking randomly until I saw her visibly relax.

She watched me at first with little interest but soon gave me all her attention when I talked about chocolates and cakes.

I figured she must love either of the two so I sent for them.

After wasting about two hours with her, she's eaten bits of her chocolate parfait, had a panic attack when touched and was finally nodding to few things.

For a family like that of the Gajes, I did not think I'll link this mess with them. A daughter of the Gajes could actually be this pitiful? Step daughter or not? What is that stern Gaje man looking at?

________

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