Destined Hearts

Chapter 11

It's nowhere near the size of Aunty Salmah's house but it is a large house. The compound too is also big with a small guest house on the side. Ya Muhammad steps out of the car first then I follow. He leads us to the large brown front door of the house and knocks.

The door is opened by a girl. She has dark skin, but it looks so smooth and good on her. She was tall and was definitely not fully Nigerian. Maybe Ethiopian or Sudanese. She looks older than me but not past the age of 24. She smiles when she sees Ya Muhammad. "Inayah has been calling your name since." She says as she moves to let us pass.

"Did she make trouble for Umma?" He asks as he gives her a smile. A genuine one. Wow.

"Umma adores her no matter what she does." She says then turns to look at me. "Who's this?"

"Madeenah. She's Asma's cousin." He says making me look at him in confusion. What does he mean Asma's cousin? Isn't Asma his sister and doesn't that make us cousins too? What is he playing at?

"Oh, you must be who Inayah has been telling Umma about." She extends her hand for me to shake. "I'm Hiba."

"It's nice to meet you." I say with a smile.

"Inayah is in Umma's room. You can go up." She gestures to the staircase on the right.

Ya Muhammad heads up the stairs and I follow behind him. He seems comfortable here as he takes turns as we head to her room.

He knocks on the door and enters when a voice murmurs a 'Come in'. He steps inside just as a voice screams from the inside.

"Daddy!" Inayah screams as she runs to hug her father.

"Hi Princess." He drops a kiss on her head.

"Anty Deenah!" Inayah squeals as she spots me over her dad's shoulders.

"Hi baby." I say and step forward just as she reaches for me. I grab her from her dad's arms and hold her to me as she wraps her arms around my neck.

I look past her to see a woman sitting on the couch and watching us with a smile. I squat down with Inayah in my arms. "Ina wuni."

"Lafiya. Ashe ke che Anty Deenah da take fada min kenan." The woman says with a smile still on her face. Hiba looks so much like her although she's way lighter than her. (So, you are the Anty Deenah she has been telling me about.)

I just smiled as Ya Muhammad sat down beside her on the floor. She smoothed a hand down his hair as she smiled softly at him, and he did the same. "Ya kake da na?" She asks him. (How are you, my son.)

"I'm good Umma. You know how the office is." He shrugs.

"You need to take a break." She says.

"I will. I'm planning on going to see Baba soon with Inayah." He gestures towards his daughter who pulling on my necklace and every other jewellery on my body.

"Which Baba? He came back yesterday." She says with a chuckle.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me?" He sits up straighter.

"Because I know how you are. He said he wanted to come back, but he's going back in two days, and I'll be going with him."

"Is he feeling better?" He asks with a worried lilt to his voice.

She just slowly shakes her with a sad smile. The room suddenly goes quiet only interrupted by Inayah's ramblings that I was barely paying attention to.

"Hafsa say my hair pwetty in school." She tells me.

"That's amazing baby." I say with a soft smile as I look down at her with a smile.

I can hear Umma ask Ya Muhammad who I am, and he gives her the same explanation he gives Hiba which makes me more confused.