All For What!

11

Few days after Hajiya Aisha had left, Maryam talked to Sa'eed regarding Nafisa's schooling. She wanted to enroll her in a private school that was not very far from where they lived. The school was approximately twenty minutes drive from their house.

Sa'eed gave her the permission to do what she wanted, but on one condition; she was never to neglect  their daughter in any way, because that was the main reason she was hired.

Maryam thanked and gave him her word she would not.

•

Set to leave for work, Maryam met Nafisa in the living room. "Get ready, we are going to enroll you in a school today," Maryam announced the good news to Nafisa.

"What! Me?" Nafisa's demeanor contorted in surprise. She couldn't believe she would finally be able to further her studies.

"Yes, Nafisa, it's true." She smiled. " Now get ready quickly, I still have to go to the hospital."

"Sorry, ma, alright." She apologized and dashed to her room to take a bath. She still couldn't believe she was finally going back to enrolled in a private school. Her old school back in the village, was a public one, which was miles away from her village. She always had to walk for at least an hour or more before she would get to the school. It was a huge relief to her, she wouldn't have to walk that much to get to school anymore.

Maryam was seated on a couch, scrolling through her cellphone, when she returned to the living room. "What took you so long?"

"I'm sorry, ma," she apologized, discreetly rolling her eyes at her.

"Let's just go." She put her phone in her bag and stood up.

Nafisa trailed after her as she walked out of the house and secured the main door with a key.

She got into the car and Nafisa did the same. She wanted to sit at the backseat of the car, but Maryam told her to sit in passenger's seat
Instead and she obliged. Not that she had a choice.

"Where did you stop?" Maryam suddenly asked.

Nafisa's brows furrowed in confusion. "What—"

"I mean your class, before you dropped out," she clarified.

"Oh! J.S.S three." she responded.

"So you weren't able to write the WAEC?" She questioned, her gaze in the road.

"Yes," Nafisa muttered, suddenly remembering how she had to drop out of school two weeks before her junior Waec. She cried so much on that day, because she was someone who was very passionate about education. She also wanted to be as successful as all the successful people she idolized. If they were able to make it, then she was positive she would also be able to make it someday.

"Don't worry, I'll have you enrolled in the class you stopped. Is that okay?"

"Thank you so much, ma." Nafisa appreciated, with a genuine smile plastered on her face. 

•

Maryam parked the car in front of the school and they alighted. Together with Nafisa, they strolled to the principal's office for the formalities to be made for the enrollment.

•

After all the necessary formalities had been done and school fees paid, Maryam left for work and Nafisa was taken to her new classroom.

She was asked to introduced herself to the other students by the math teacher, which she did, but nervously. The kids seemed rich. She felt out of place.

During recess, she was seated all alone in the classroom, going through her English textbook, when a girl took the next seat close to her. "Hi," came a bubbly voice.

She looked up from the book and saw one of her classmate, who smiled sheepishly at her.

"Hi," Nafisa greeted back, nonchalantly. By the expression on the girl's face, she could tell she wanted to be friends with her, but she wasn't a tad bit interested. She had her eyes focused on a clique of three friends. Just the mere sight of them, anyone could tell they were from the rich families. And the way they carried themselves in high esteems, fascinated her. It was exactly the kind of people she wanted to mingle with.

"Welcome to our school! Nafisa right?" She attempted to start a conversation.

Nafisa almost rolled her eyes at her dumbness — Had the teacher not mentioned it to the class earlier? She heaved a sigh. The girl looked dumb and she didn't make friends with dullards because she wasn't one. She preferred to be friends only with the most intelligent and brainy ones. Of what benefit would it be to her to be friends with someone she wouldn't gain from? No benefits! And everything she did, she always benefitted from it and this time, it wouldn't be an exception.

"Yeah du—" she had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from blurting out the word 'dullard' . Not that she cared about her feelings, she only stopped herself in time not to make any trouble on the first day she started the school. It would seem inappropriate, so she restrained herself.

"I'm Zeenat by the way. Nice meeting you," Zeenat extended her hand for a handshake.

Not to seem too rude, she shook her hand and pulled away away almost immediately, as if her touch burnt.

"Likewise," Nafisa faked a smile and went back to reading the book she was previously reading, totally ignoring her presence.

"I'm glad then. So friends?" She asked, a smile plastered on her face.

"Yeah. Friends," she replied, nonchalantly.

•

Throughout the remaining hours of school, Zeenat clung to Nafisa like glue. They slowly began to get to know little about each other. In spite of not wanting it, she couldn't help the situation — she was already acting clingy towards her.

"Where do you live?" Zeenat asked when the school hours were over for the day. 

Nafisa showed her the way leading to her house, but was careful not to blurt the address out. She knew the address of the house, but didn't want to tell Zeenat. She feared she might find out she was just an ordinary maid.

Zeenat gasped in surprise. "Really? that's the same way to my house also. Let's walk together," she grinned.

Nafisa's eyes widened. Walk together? Absolutely not. Knowing Zeenat for just few hours, she already knew she would want to come into the house — to her room and that would surely give her a hint on who she really was in the house. Zeenat was very inquisitive and smart to an extent. Her status in the house would indisputably be revealed. She couldn't take the risk. She needed to come up with an excuse and quick. "No Zeenat...I...I," she couldn't even form a coherent excuse to make. It had never happened before. "I h—" she cut herself off and gasped as she suddenly sighted Maryam's car approaching."Oh no!" She muttered underneath her breath. What was she going to do! She couldn't afford to get busted. Instantly, an idea crossed her mind. "My sister is coming to pick me up. Oh there she is—" she pointed at a red car that suddenly got parked in front of them. The sentence flew out on its own accord. She had not planned it beforehand, but now, she would have to think of ways to put up with the act and not get busted.