HAFSAT ✔

SEVENTEEN

17.

After retrieving her luggage, Hafsat dialled the only number saved on her phone; Khalil.

He asked where she was then said to wait, he'd meet her.

Hafsat found a place to sit, got lost in her thought while waiting.  She was tired of how her thoughts found ways to focus on Hamza. It was exhausting having to consciously think about something else. It'll take time to forget him completely, that she knows.

"Assalamu alaykum. Hafsatu?"
She looks up to the young man who kept his hand busy working on his already perfect collar while the other was in his pocket.

Hafsat nods before answering, "Waalaykumus Salam. "
She was actually expecting a driver but this was a younger version of Kawu Mahmud.

Khalil grabbed her luggage immediately, "Let's go?"

They got settled in the car. Khalil glanced at her for a few seconds before he started driving.

"You don't remember me, do you?" He asked.

"No. Am I supposed to?"
Hafsat let her eyes linger on his face. She had no recollection of him to be honest.

"Um how about Khalo?" He stole a glance at her expression then focused back on the road.

Hafsat burst out laughing, "Of course I remember Khalo. That boy was a handful, I wonder what he looks like now."

"Handful how?" Khalil couldn't stop smiling as he asked.

"He bullied me when no one was looking. Dragged my hair, called me ugly.  There was a time he deliberately made me trip and fall."

"And you?"

"It was all his fault seriously. " Hafsat wiped the little tears she shed from laughing.

"Look at that lie. You always reported me to Ammi whenever I tried something new. I couldn't breathe when you were around. " Khalil halted at the traffic.  He playfully eyed Hafsat while he watched her make sense of the situation.

"Wait! No way..."Her hands covered her mouth in surprise.

"Yes way." The light turned green.

"You know, you were too calm for my liking earlier. But after this lie, I'm assured you were just hiding your true self," he went on.

"I only reported you Cox I was worried you'd harm yourself. " She argued about the situation from years ago.

"Yeah sure. What about the evil smile or laughter after Ammi scolds me?" He honked at a gate and a young man rolled it open.

Hafsat spent seconds laughing at the question. She couldn't deny how she loved getting on his nerves.

Once he parked, they got off the car.

"So you're really Khalo? You're all grown up."

"Yeah too bad you can't bully me now," he retorts while taking out her luggage from the trunk.

She made to collect it but he stopped her. He led the way. Hafsat observed her surrounding;simple yet beautiful.

Mama opened the door before they reached. Hafsat got teary and rushed to hug her while Khalil shook his head in disbelief and left them to it to drop the box.

Mama led Hafsat inside. There were food flasks on the carpet, in the parlor. Mama asked Hafsat to sit down then served her the masa and miyan taushe.

Hafsat first took in a deep breath, grateful to be back home. She folded her legs Indian style, washed her hand in the bowl of water and digged in. She adjusted her veil to be more comfortable since she couldn't remove it, Khalil was still around.

Hafsat gestured at him with her face then said to Mama, "Wai Khalil ne ya girma haka Mama."
She was in shock.

"Toh ya jiraki ne? You should go greet Ammi when you're done."

"Where's she?"

Khalil answered before Mama did,"Next house."
He sits on the couch facing Hafsat. She became conscious and fixed her veil which had nothing wrong with it.

"What?" She shot at Khalil who was still there minutes later. It made her a bit uncomfortable.

"I'm waiting for you so we can go together. You don't want?"
She nods in understanding then took the last morsel.

Mama was on the couch closest to the TV. She was half asleep though.  Hafsat concluded she woke up very early to prepare such good food for her.

After Hafsat cleared the place, she woke Mama to go to her room and rest then left with Khalil.

"Khalo what are you up to now?"
Hafsat broached as they walked the short distance.

"Just work. What course do you want to study?"

"I'm thinking Biochemistry?"

"I honestly have no idea what's it about but you can take your time and make more research."

"Suree. What of your sisters? Are they all around?"

"No, both in the university but they come home weekends. It's just Ammi."

"Okay. "

"You remember Hajja Faati?" He asked while opening the small gate allowing her to go in first.

"Yes na. We were the ones running errands for her. Then she'd give us sweets. Good old days."

"Yeah. She used to tell Ammi how much she misses you. You were the one person who always went willingly."
Hafsat smiled at the memory.

"She died recently," he broke the news. Hafsat prayed for her soul, she was a good person.

Hafsat spent at least thirty minutes with Ammi. Ammi was quite curious about the program so she filled her in.

Khalil was watching football when she entered the parlor. He was using his phone at thesame time.

"I'm so exhausted. Let me go get some sleep Khalo," she broke the silence;the TV was muted.

"Sure. You can sleep in Aama's room?"
He suggested, referring to his sister, Amatullah.

Hafsat chuckled at that."No haba. Is it that you can't get enough of me?" She teased and lead the way out.

"For real. It's so good to see you. " His face was devoid of mirth and his eyes reflected his honesty.

Hafsat enquired about her other cousins and he promised to take her to visit them, whenever she was ready.

Khalil watched her close the gate before turning around.