Over and Over

Pendulum

ABUJA,
NIGERIA.

LAYLA'S POV

I finally stirred from the long slumber.

As i woke, I immediately noticed the absence of the baby.

I knew her mother, Maymun, must have taken her.

Yawning and rubbing my eyes, i was startled by the sight of a red jewel gleaming on my wrist.

Astonished, i admired the beautiful bracelet, wondering how it had ended up on my arm.

Slowly, i got out of bed and made my way to the lavatory to wash my sleepy face.

In the lavatory, i tried to remove the bracelet, but the hook was stuck, refusing to budge.

Frustrated, i left to find Maymun, only to discover her with her husband.

Disheartened, i joined Rayhana in the living room, where we watched the Food Network together.

I also couldn’t find Seema anywhere and asked Rayhana about her whereabouts. "She followed Hakeem to Kano when he came," Rayhana explained.

"Hakeem was here?" I thought to myself. We continued watching the program before eventually heading to our respective rooms.

It had been a while since I had picked up a book with the intention of reading it, but that night I m decided to delve into one for real.

---

The next morning, Layla received an early call from Hamida, informing her of an important test at noon.

Flabbergasted, she relayed the news to Maymun and immediately prepared to leave.

Fortunately for her, she found Baba at home, who promptly bought her a ticket to Kano.

Upon arriving in Kano, she booked a cab and instructed the driver to her destination.

She was  on her way, but she kept feeling worried so she decided to call hamida.

Despite her efforts to reach Hamida, the call kept dropping until, finally, on the fifth attempt, Hamida answered.

LAYLA'S POV

"Have you started the test?" I asked anxiously.

"What test, Layla?" Hamida replied, her tone confused.

"I was just joking. I hope you didn't take it seriously," Hamida added.

My anger surged, imagining all the ways i wanted to strangle Hamida.

I hung up, and slammed my phone on the seat.

"Please take me to Railway Estate," I
instructed the driver, feeling utterly betrayed.

When i arrived home, i noticed the gates were already open as if they were expecting me—or maybe not.

From afar i saw Hakeem walking to the car park with Seema trailing him like a shadow.

Domestic helpers then came to assist with my luggage.