A Window of Escape

2.

Wannan wacce irin hayaniya ceh?

I asked myself as i walked towards the place the noise is coming from.
Its been 3days now, My father have left for the London he mentioned, i guess. I had neither talk to him nor seen him since then. And his wife too.

"Ayyiririiiiii, Hajiya Binta kina ji pah! Toh what is she waiting for" I clearly heard a woman with a masculine voice.

Hajiya Binta..1

I took a step again.

"Ay shineh dai Hajiya Larai, Time and Tide wait for no man" goes another voice.

Hajiya  Larai....2

"Toh ku banda abun ku, ku bary ta mutu kafin ku binne ta manah" The third voice added.

Hajiya Larai was the first voice, Hajiya Binta the second-- which replied to Hajiya Larai's statement.
The third one is Hajiya we-don't-know, but-we-will-soon-know.

"Yawwa, Hajiya Abu...

Yes! The third voice is Hajiya Abu. Now we know.

....Basu bary na fada musu plan din bah sun katse ni" Said my father's wife, my supposed-mother.

Ya Rabb...what plan is she talking about?

"Alright, we are all ears" They all echoed.

"Yawwa ko ku pah!" She said.
They all burst out laughing hysterically.

That kind of laughter that our Prophet Muhammad (SAW)  has prohibited.

She continued " Right now shi shegen is out of town! Wai london, He is retiring as soon as he comes back, na gama da part dinshi and he himself will deal with waccan karamar shegiyar" She added.

There was an uproar.

I took two steps back before running blindly to my room.

Innalillahi wa inna ilaihir raji'un.

What Plan are they talking about? What kinda women are they? This is serious!
I have no one, nobody to call mine, except friends! friends at school.

Ummi, you left me all alone in this world.

My maternal grandparents were dead long before i was born. Ummi was their only child. She once told me her relatives are in Chad. But, i don't know any of them.

To talk of my paternal relatives is to talk of hellfire itself. They hated Ummi for Only-Allah-knows the reason. That hatred was moved on to me after her death. And that's the reason i have never attempted to visit them or call them my relatives.

I am alone, on my own.

I dialled My Father's contact, it did'nt went through.

Why am i even calling him.

Daddy has totally and completely changed after he married Asabe.

Lord, i forgot to tell you guys her name.

Ummi died a year after Daddy remarried. Asabe is from Gwale LG of Kano state, same origin with my father.

Daddy's eldest sister- Gwaggo Kulu married Asabe for Daddy and sent her to his house, As his bride.

You must be wondering i know, it happens! On normal basis.

Ummi, an understandable woman took Asabe not less than a sister. Forget husband, she shared almost everything with Asabe.
They lived in peace for months, I clearly remembered, I was in secondary school at that time.

The first time i saw Asabe, i thought ummi employed a new housemaid.

Hell no!

I was shocked when Ummi told me she is Daddy's wife.
At that time, My father paid no attention to Asabe but in no time he started.
She started by sparking misunderstandings and arguments between Ummi and Daddy.

She was a hypocrite!

There was a time i caught her smiling as Daddy was shouting at Ummi, attempting to beat her up.

Something he never did.

Asabe disrespected the Ummi that respected her right from her 1st day in the house.
Gradually, she become The boss.

Daddy only does what Asabe wants or recommends. In short, she deleted Ummi from the picture.

It was a friday, a tragic friday oh Allah, forgive me. School usually closes 12:00pm, i was in a hurry to get back home to my mother.
I entered the house and found people in the compound.

"Yarta ceh" i heard some murmuring as i passed them confused.

What's happening?

The door to the living room was widely opened, my heart was skipping beats...There and then, i found Ummi's lifeless body.
I cried my heart out, my whole life was shattered to pieces.

After 3days, i found Ummi's note under her pillow, a note for me.

My dear daughter,
    I am gone, forever! But my prayers and blessings will  always be with you, you are 16years old now, you'll soon be a woman. I want you to be strong, life will be tough but you are going to make it, pray hard and qur'an should be your bestfriend. Respect your father as much as you can, Be nice to everyone and continue being a good girl. Everything mine is now yours. Take good care of yourself for me.
       I love you.
          Yours forever,
              Ummi.

*********************
SadeeqAhmadGumel The first person to vote the last chapter, jnr_bash, Ibrahimshafaat  Jazakallah khayr.
And also those that added this to their reading list/ library! Gracias..👍👍

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