Kameela

Chapter 9 - Epiphany

Kameela sifted through the files Maimuna dropped on her desk while she moved from one cabinet to another. Kameela had her scarf off with her hair all over the place. Maimuna thought that she had prepared for the meeting with what they deemed to be important clients. They were going to be late if they spent another minute in the office.

Kameela's phone started beeping indicating several messages coming in but she was too into her work.

"Kameela your phone." Maimuna said as she searched the bottom cabinet while on her knees. Kameela did not respond to her.

"Kameela!" Maimuna shouted.

"Huh?" Kameela answered absent mindedly.

"Kameela your phone has beeped like twenty thousand times." Maimuna complained as she stood up and dusted her dress.

"Kindly switch of the ringer." Kameela said without even raising her head for a split second. Maimuna walked towards Kameela's phone and picked it up. She saw the name on the lock screen.

"It's Ahmad." Maimuna knew close to nothing about him. Just that he met Kameela at a wedding and that Kameela smiles anytime he calls her. She put two and two together to figure out that Kameela is attracted to him but Kameela doesn't talk about her private life even though she talks all the time about every other thing.

Kameela looked up from the files in front of her. She contemplated for a minute before telling Maimuna to switch off the ringer.

After work, Kameela dropped Maimuna at home which had become a norm for them. Maimuna always begged her to come in but Kameela politely declined every time. Maimuna wasn't having any of it. So she pulled Kameela out of the car and into the house.

To both of their surprise, Maimuna's older sister came over for a visit. Kameela knew nothing about her but her name and the fact that she's married. The lady had been sour towards Kameela since she saw her. Kameela took that as a hint to leave so she bid the family goodnight and left.

The house was still very quiet without her parents back but she was too tired to go to Manal's or Aunty Khadijah's and she knew Amina was likely to send her out cause she was tired too.

After the routine of showering, praying then eating, Kameela sat on her bed and picked up the phone. She saw the texts from Ahmad from earlier in the morning. She opened it.

"Yar banza kinga miji na kina so ko?"

"Toh bara in gaya miki yana da matar aure har ma da 'ya yar shekara biyu."

"Dan a England kika girma kin dauka wai kin pimu ne?"

"Ki kiyaye Kan ki!"

It took Kameela a minute to process the information in front of her. After fully comprehending what the message was, she stood up and started walking up and down her room.

'He's married?!' She turned and walked to the door.

'With a two year old daughter?!' She turned and walked to the wall parallel to the door.

'So he's been playing me?' She turned again.

'I've been the side chick all along?!'

'Frankly speaking he didn't actually profess his undying love for me.'

'It was unsaid but it was said.' Her mind and conscience kept arguing while she kept asking herself questions. Her hands started moving frantically. She felt like she needed to move something. She stood by the door and looked at her room and she got an idea.