Loving Khair

2; Admission

17 years later.....

Bauchi, Misau

Khairiyah wore a yellow and green wrapper on her faded pink night gown and wore a yellow hijab

Going downstairs she saw her her mom making pap and she picked the bucket containing beans and Pepper with onions

"Umma sai na dawo" she announced "Toh Khairi ki dawka naira hamsin akan radio (carry fifty on the radio)" her mother hajia hadiza

She carried the money and went off to the gidan ńika, grinding house

On her way she met malam audu and she greeted him with a smile "Ina kwana malam audu"

"Lafiya kalau" he answered and she passed walking to the house, she opened the rusty brown gate and salamed entering the house

"Ina kwana bilkisu" she greeted the young woman who collected the mini transperent bucket

She gave the money and Khairiyah watched as the white beans grinder with the onions and pepper making the batter orangish red

Khairiyah is a 17 year old and a bright and beautiful girl who lives in bauchi in a local government called Misau, Misau is not a village and not a city but it's half of each, with few mud houses and also brick houses, and is a graduate at bauchi secondary school

She lived In a two bedroom house with her mother, her father alhaji who is currently in kano doing business

She collected the bucket and thanked the dark skinned woman with light brown eyes

She walked home only to be stopped by kabiru, "en mata" he grinned showing off his ugly yellow teeth

She went around him and continued walking without uttering a word

He followed her till she started taking quick steps and she quickly arrived home, rumours has been spreading that he has onced raped a girl

She entered the house and she saw umma grinding pepper , she beat the ground beans and she put them in the hot oil in shape of flat rounds

She finished frying the beans and umma packaged some and she took it to malam audu, and inna , her grandmother who was about two minutes walk

She met Binta on the way, her best friend since from diapers, we chatted away and we went home together

We met umma and served the bean cake on a plate with pepper by the side and pap in three cups for me , umma and Binta

After eating  khairi and binta went to her room and had her bath,  wearing a blue bubu with a white viel and  slippers

"Umma we are off to the cyber cafe to check the email" khairiya announced and hugged her , "Sai kun dawo" umma waved and she laughed waving back

They entered a keke napep (tricycle), he took them all the way to ķoparan, and they went to the cyber cafe there

They entered and they went to monitor 3, she logged into her email account and she had two notifications, she wondered how

She came to check her jamb results and it was said that it was emailed yesterday and she came to check it today

She checker her jamb result and she had a 321, she screamed jumping up and down, after all those readings never in her life has she imagined getting one of the best in the school, the best so far in a ll records was 324, and she was just 3 marks away

She turned to binta and hugged her best friend, Binta got 296

People turned to look at her and  she quickly composed herself , she checked the other email

Eastville college...

Khairiyah Hameed Maishanu,

You have been admitted into Eastville college on full scholarship solely because we are giving the best student I'm these states

Bauchi
Kano
Katsina
Yobe
Kebbi
And zamfara

You are the best student in these 6 states, you are expected to resume school by the 10th of January 2018

Items necessary will be sent to you by tomorrow..

                        Eastville college
                                Abuja
                              12.11.17

She reread the message over and over again then she screamed now not caring wether people were watching or not

Binta pushed her away from the seat and read the message, she also squealed happy for her best friend not one bit jealous

Khairi brought out her tecno  and took a photo, she printed the photo and they entered a keke napep going home

They payed the man a hundred naira and entered the house, they showed umma the paper and she wore her glasses and read it

She looked up and tears filled her eyes, she hugged umma so hard she had to pat the exited girl and she released her

Khairiyah and binta squealed, jumping up and down, making funny faces at each other

Suddenly khairi frowned and she felt the tears well her eyes, Binta stopped and raised khairis face by her chin

"Your not going with me" she cried and binta smiled painfully,  she hugged her and they sobbed silently and umma watched them with a beautiful smile

She laughed as they parted and they both starred giggling "call me everyday, I will visit you every two weeks kinji and if you get an abuja guy call me we will fish my own together" binta kept blabbing and they sat on the couch in the small parlour

Binta smiled happily as she saw her best friend chat away with a very lively face, Binta is a beautiful chocolate skinned girl with big doe eyes and a small rosy lips

The day went on as binta and khairi went round Misau telling friends and family on khairis achievement

They stopped at innas house and they had fur da nono and later ate tuwo with miyan wake as dinner, they licked their fingers and washed their hands in innas tap

They prayed maghrib and they got the remaining fura inna made and put it in a ķwarya (calabash)

They went home and binta called her mom, goggo Hajara wether to sleep with khairi

They gisted about the new school and how they couldn't wait

****

Salamu Alaikum, my fellow brothers and sisters, how are you ? , the family

I hope you like my book so far,  do you think the action starts here?  Nope, wait till she gets in the swarm of rich kids

Toh, an gama azumi , chop chops have started finishing the food in the house, don't be surprised I'm one of them , Bye

Fatima Balewa