Amidst Our Hearts

Forty nine.

Federal capital territory,
Nigeria.

Deafening silence fell upon the entire room with no single soul making any attempt to talk, only the sound of the fan bounces through the room. Amma stared at Haaya like a ghost from another universe, well she is a ghost to her. The girl that is dead to them for four years is now standing fit and healthy before them, anyone will take her as a ghost.

They all stared at her while she stared back at them acting non chalant and all. She let out a frustrated groan and rolled her eyes, getting fed up with the silence. They called her here to talk to her, didn't they? Then she should speak."Can I leave?" She didn't wait for a reply and stood up from the plastic chair, ready to walk out.

"Sit down." Abdullah commanded, his voice echoing off the four walls of the room. His commanding tone made her sit back in the chair. They need to get deeper into this matter. They are all not dumb enough to believe that this imposter here claiming to be Haaya is Haaya.

She crossed her leg one over the other and entwined her fingers."What do you want then?"

"Who are you?" That question made her scoff. She knew that they won't easily believe her but then again, she came prepared. She opened the Dior handbag dangling from her wrist and brought out an envelope then passed it to Abdullah. She stared at him with keen eyes as he opened the envelope his eyes scanning its content.

He hissed loudly and passed Fadeel the envelope so that he could also confirmed what is written in there. It is a DNA test. The blood samples of her and that of her parents, Amma's twin sister and her husband matches exactly. Fadeel watched her as his mind went in a daze of thoughts. 

If she's here then how did she manage to get blood samples from his aunt and husband that are in Egypt? Could it be that when they were in Egypt she was there the entire time too? Something clicked in his brain, he remembers. Someone from the inside so definetely helping her. There is no bigger explanation.

The equation just keeps getting more and more complicated.

"Does your mother know that you're alive?" Amma, for the first time spoke. She can't seem to understand what is happening.

"My mother? You all left me to die with those thugs, even Khalifa!" Haaya screamed her temper getting worst. The bitterness in her heart fresh and new. "Ever since I got kidnapped I lost everything did she bother to find me? You all left me to die." Anger tears stream down her now red face. They all don't know the reason behind her bitterness. As a young girl she had to come face to face with all the wicked people in the world. She barely survived, everyone abandoned her.

"Your mother loves you Haaya, you were all that she had. She kept praying day and night for you to be safe. We all cared about you." Amma paused, tears also streaming down her cheeks. "Haaya please go back to Egypt. Khalifa is in a critical condition because of you, I can't lose him." She broke down in Abba's arms.

Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha has been mute the entire time. He knows what the family went through when they lost Haaya, what his wife went through mourning her death and Khalifa's health condition. It's like reliving the past over and over again except this time, Haaya is back from the dead.

Amma is not crying because of what happened to Khalifa, it's because of why it happened. Everything happens for a reason. One way or the other, she knew that what goes around comes around she just didn't expect it to be like this. Their past sins is catching up on them and now, her children are praying the price.