A BOND OF FATE

Chapter 7

Everybody wants to be famous, but nobody wants to do the work. I live by that. You grind hard so you can play hard. At the end of the day, you put all the work in, and eventually it'll pay off. It could be in a year, it could be in 30 years. Eventually, your hard work will pay off." — Kevin Hart

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"I should go to Abuja, and we'll be returning early tomorrow, which marks the start of Ramadan. I should visit Aunty Yesmeen, who's been unwell, and we can come back together. Why didn't my sister choose to work in Kaduna, like I wish? She's working in a court in Abuja, but I wish she would come back to Kaduna. I don't like traveling and leaving my state. And with the 10 am train, I need to gather my clothes."

"I packed a simple atamfa gown and its matching veil into my bag, along with my perfume, charger, and other essentials. Despite being reluctant about this trip to Abuja, I'm also determined not to bother with makeup, so I simply applied my lip gloss and wore my black abaya. I'm keeping my look minimalist today!"

"I posted a mirror selfie on my Instagram story, and Mamah and Aisha are the first to respond. I made a mental note to reply to them later, but for now, I'm too preoccupied. To make matters worse, I skipped breakfast and don't plan on having one today, despite feeling frustrated with everything."

With the driver awaiting my departure, I swiftly collected my belongings and made my way to the entrance. After loading my items into the car, I returned to Baba's parlour, where Ummi was seated, engaged in conversation. I greeted them softly with 'Assalamu alaikum' and Ina wuni then settled onto the carpet, ready to bid farewell.

'Toh Allah ya kiyaye hanya,' Baba said which I reciprocated with a gentle 'Ameen.'

Ummi rose to walk me out, reminding me, 'Allah ya kiyaye hanya, don't forget to recite your azkar before going out.' I nodded with a smile insha Allah ummi. as I settled into the car, feeling grateful for their love and guidance."The drive to Rigasa railway station is marked by a contemplative silence, with only my thoughts keeping me company on the journey ahead."

"With my ticket in hand, I settled into my comfortable seat, conveniently located by the window, as we arrived at the train station. As the train slowly began to move, I watched as the city of Kaduna gradually disappeared from view. I pulled my veil to block the sunlight streaming through the windows and started scrolling through my phone. I came across Ya Hamad's story on Instagram, which made me chuckle. He is at the gym with Ya Marwan, and I wonder why he's so passionate about working out. I replied to his story with a laughter emoji, amused by his enthusiasm."

He also works in Abuja as an NDLEA member. Interestingly, we'll be traveling back home together tomorrow. I'm still wondering why he and and aunty yesmeen, are both working in Abuja, as I personally prefer working in Kaduna. It's worth noting that my father, Baba, works at the NNPC refinery.

"I find myself hoping against hope that Aunty Yesmeen will have a change of heart and agree to return to Kaduna today, but deep down, I know it's a long shot. The possibility seems remote, and I'm left to accept the original plan.

"I wonder if the passenger beside me is aware of the disturbance he's causing? I roll my eyes in exasperation as he slept and snored loudly, his mouth agape. When he finally stirred, I expected him to offer some quiet prayers or azkar, a common practice among travelers seeking a safe journey. Instead, he plugged in his headphones and began blasting Davido's "Kante" song, further adding to my frustration.

"He finally removed his headphones and turned to me with a toothy grin, 'Hey, sorry to disturb you!'

But I quickly turned my head towards the window, indicating that he is indeed disturbing me.

'Hello, beautiful!' He exclaim again

It's typical of rich kids like him, who often lack manners. Does he even know what 'sallam' means? Can't he just say a simple 'as-salamu alaikum

"When I didn't respond, he finally kept quiet, which I am glad about since I didn't want to continue the conversation. As I scrolled through my feed, my eyes landed on Fatima's post. I haven't even unfollow her account yet. Apparently, Mamah has gone to meet Fatima, but the girl wasn't even available! I don't think it's worth my time or energy to deal with such drama."

"I silenced my phone and drifted off to sleep, only to be awoken by the train's arrival at Idu Train Station in Abuja. I quickly dialed Ya Hamad's number, aware that he is my ride to Aunty Yesmeen's residence....

Hello, beautiful readers! I hope you're all doing well. I know the chapter is too short I wanted to update you yesterday, fah but something unexpected happened. I started writing this chapter, but my mind wandered off, and I ended up mixing it with another chapter! I was almost done when I realized I was writing nonsense and had to delete it all.🤦🏽‍♀️😂

Feeling frustrated, I turned to YouTube for a distraction and stumbled upon my favorite series, Dosti Yariyaan Manmarziya, which I've been searching for for years! I originally watched it on Star Plus, and now it's available on YouTube. If you're looking for a great series to watch, I highly recommend it it's definitely one of the best I've seen!

Anyway, I got caught up in the show and ended up watching until 1 am, which meant I couldn't write and publish as planned. So, here we are! Despite the school stress, I' try to manage and update today. The chapter might be short, but I hope you'll enjoy it.

Thanks for your patience and understanding. Happy reading! Don't forget to vote comments and share 🥂😺
Ummeetarh05