Burnt Embers

Chapter Seven

The arrival of Aunty Dije and Nabeeha lessened her worries , upon seeing her Nabeeha was like " Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun Kay what happened to you ??" Khadijah just smiled at her sister saying nothing while mommy chastised her ,saying that all the questions she got can be asked at home not in the hospital corridors ,with that she shot Khadijah an apologetic look and went to hug her Baby Zee as they used to call each other, it was an inside joke between the three friends,they once heard a lady calling her huge boyfriend that resemble a hulk Baby and it was a hilarious sight to them that they've resorted to calling each other Baby which Khadijah exempted herself from, they'd made jest of her saying that she's such a dry girl who is lacking in the humour department. After hugging each other and sharing some banters , they proceeded to the ward where Baba was admitted , Nabeeha almost cried seeing the state he was in , he is just her Aunt's husband but he has a major impact in her life, he is the first man to teach her the deen , to tell her the stories of jannah and the rivers flowing beneath it, to tell her about the torments of hell fire, to make her differentiate the difference between good and evil, the difference between right and wrong, she had almost come back to kano to live with them when she was 12 but daddy didn't let her. Being his favorite and the only little child at home back then , she love the man lying on a hospital bed fighting for his life so much like she loves daddy and she knows that Khadijah must be really strong even though she appears to be in pain ,she cannot wait for them to sit and have a heart to heart talk, she also have news for her,but it can wait till Baba gets well. They left the hospital after Asr leaving Baba and Ummie in the hospital. Khadijah fixed dinner for them after all the protests from Aunty Dije and Nabeeha , she didn't relent saying that they've not eaten anything in the hospital after a long journey " See her small mouth like long journey , From Abuja to Kano is not that far madam" Nabeeha teased her cousin which earned her a pinch on her lap .

Looking at Khadijah, Hajia Dije saw the exact same pain in her eyes like that of the one in Kaybee's eyes,they've had it bad and the people the world thought loved them were nothing but a source of pain to them,people who destroyed their happiness and shattered their hearts into pieces, she's also close with Khadijah because Ummie and her are like twins being orphans at a tender age,they have been each others strength and pillar to lean on ,the fact that Ummie is married to Baba who has nothing compared to Daddy it didn't make them forget each other, even though Ummie often decline to receive help from her or her husband they are each other's confidante and it was Hajia Dije that bought all the furnitures for Khadijah making the parents promise her that they won't ever let Khadijah know .Hence the somewhat expensive furnitures in Khadijah's deserted house .

" D come here, tell me what happened anya kina cin abinci kuwa ? Look how thin and pale you've become " Hajia stated the obvious with a small smile Khadijah put her head on Hajia's laps ,something she always do whenever they meet, Nabeeha is always complaining on how unfair it is , she's Hajia's Auta but never get the chance to be pampered that Hajia is being bias blah blah blah and they will laugh at her to her dismay .
" Aunty D please tell me it's going to be okay, tell me I'm going to pass this test,tell me that Baba will not pass away because of this , tell me that Allah will surely see me through, just tell me am going to survive this in shaa Allah, tell me that I am going to be happy in the future, tell me that this is a nightmare which am going to wake up from " she burst into tears and Hajia Dije couldn't say a word. She pities Khadijah and even though she cannot imagine the kind of pain the innocent child is going through she knows that it's immense " Khadijah you'll pass this test in shaa Allah, and if by chance Baba pass away it's not because of you, even if you're the happiest and none of this happened he will die at the exact time designated by Allah , have faith my dear, it's qadr of Allah that he falls sick when everything went down hill in your marriage,don't blame yourself D it has been destined to happen and no force on earth can change this " Those were the things she told her and maybe they are the things she wanted to hear ,she slept after a few more minutes of sobbing and Hajia let her sleep for a while before gently helping her to the bed , Nabeeha was quietly watching the exchange between her mother and favorite cousin and she wished she has a special power to take her pain, Khadijah doesn't deserve any of this but who says life is fair? Life ain't fair and the world is cruel .