All For What!

16

In the evening, when the whole family was home, Nafisa started thinking of a way to steal some money from Maryam, but it would be hard for her to do so, as Maryam never left the door to her room open for her. She was not even allowed to go into the room.

"Manal, come here dear," she motioned for Manal to come to her which she did, reluctantly. She was still a tad bit scared of Nafisa from their previous encounter.

"Do you want ice cream?" She asked, she knew too well she did.

Manal nodded and her eyes lit up. "Are you going to buy it for me?" She asked. Her parents had refused to buy some for her because the weather was cold. They didn't want her to get pneumonia.

"Of course I will, but only if you do as I said," Nafisa carried on.

"I will," Manal replied.

"Come here," she seated her on her laps and whispered in her ears what she had to do.

"Ummi says it bad to—"

"We don't have to let her know. Don't tell anyone, alright?" Nafisa interrupted. "Just do as I said and tomorrow, I will get you lots and lots of ice creams. Which flavour do you prefer?" She asked.

"Vanilla," Manal replied.

"Alright. Go into the room and do as I said, I will be waiting for you here," Nafisa smirked.

"Alright," Manal answered and went into her parents room.

~~~

Sa'eed was busy with some work on his laptop, while Maryam was arranging stuff in their wardrobe when Manal walked it, but not before saying assalamAlaikum, otherwise her ummi would reprimand her.

She walked straight to Sa'eed's side and sat beside him.

"What's wrong baby?" He inquired, sensing her mood. She was quiet than usual.

"Aunty Nafisa asked me to—" she stopped remembering Nafisa's warning and placed both her hands over her lips.

"She asked you to do what?" He asked.

"Nothing,"Manal answered and ran out of the room.

"What's up with her?" Maryam asked her husband.

"I don't know—" he shrugged. "-she's acting weird these days, I have been observing her."

"She's not, habibi. You are just stressed from work and that's why you're having that thought," Maryam said.

"That isn't it. Haven't you observed she's not as loud as before?" He asked.

She shook her head. "You are just being paranoid habibi." She got to where he was seating and collected the laptop from him, shutting it down. "-you need to rest more."

"If you say so-" he smiled. "-you're the boss."

•

Nafisa drew Manal to the corner when she sighted her coming out from Maryam and Sa'eed's room.

"Where is the money I asked you to bring?" She said, stretching her hand out to collect it.

Manal stood there quietly, not daring to utter a word.

"I asked you a question. Are you deaf?" She whisper yelled.

"I don't have it—"

"You don't?!" You are really fo-" Nafisa sighed, trying to keep her anger at bay. Her parents were home, but she made it a point to deal with her in their absence.

"You are not getting any ice cream," she pushed her out of her way and went back to her room, leaving Manal standing there like a lost puppy.

•

Nafisa went into her room and started throwing some of her stuff on the floor in anger and frustration. What was she supposed to do now? She had promised to make herself look rich in the presence of her classmates. How was she going to do that without money? She thought.

"I will have to do this job myself, that little brat is a dummy, she doesn't know how to do anything and the fault goes to her parents for spoiling her too much, especially her dad. What's even his name?" Nafisa mumbled to herself. She was in the house long enough to know all of their names, but she didn't because they just wouldn't call each other by their names. "Habibi...habibty," she imitated in a mocking voice. She found their use of endearment for each other annoying.

"How can I get into their room now?" She muttered to herself. "-I will have to think of a way before tomorrow and—"

She was interrupted by the loud ringing of her old Nokia torchlight phone.

"It must be Zeenat," she grumbled and fumbled around for her phone in her bag. To her dismay, it wasn't Zeenat as she anticipated, it was her mother.

"Ma...mama," she stuttered as she received the call. Her mom was only calling to ask for some money - she was sure. That was all she wanted from her, she didn't care about her well being, what she was involved in, in the city, nothing.

"Why haven't you sent us any money?" She asked, going straight to the point. She didn't even pretend to care about her by asking her how she was first, she just went straight to the point. Was he really her mother? Do mother behave like that towards their children? - she wondered, but spurned the thought from her mind immediately. Of course she was.

"I haven't been paid yet," she replied. 

"I don't care what you have to do to earn the money, just send it to us as soon as possible," her mother said.

Before Nafisa could give a reply, the call ended.

"Arghhh," Nafisa groaned in exasperation and flung the phone on the bed. She now had more reasons to get the money as soon as she can. For her family and to show off to her classmates in school.

•

After dinner and everyone had gone to bed, Nafisa sneaked into Maryam and Sa'eed's bedroom as quiet as she could. She met Sa'eed and Maryam in deep sleep with their arms around each other. She rolled her eyes at the sight and went straight to Maryam's handbag to look for some money. She rummaged through the bag thoroughly, but found nothing. "Where on earth does this woman keep her money?" She mumbled and continued searching through the drawers. She opened a drawer and Sa'eed stirred in his sleep. Oh no! She quickly lay down on the floor and stayed as still as possible. She waited for some minutes and when she was sure he would have gone back to sleep, she stood up and tiptoed to the wardrobe. She started rummaging the wardrobe and her hand came in contact with some money on the first second layer. She smirked and looked back at the sleeping couple to make sire they were still sleeping, then she brought out the money and took about ten thousand naira. She didn't take many, so they wouldn't notice their money had gone missing.

She returned the rest of the money and started tiptoeing towards the door to prevent herself from making unnecessary sounds and waking one or both of them up. Her hand was on the doorknob, she was about to twist it when she had a groggy voice asked. It was for sure a man's Sa'eed.

Busted!

"Stop there!"