Kameela

Chapter 10 - Summer Feels

Moving towards the mirror that was well balanced on the dressing table, Kameela tilts her head back and laughs at Maimuna's morning face before settling on the cushioned stool.

"What's so funny?" Maimuna asks her at the other end of the call.

"Do you see yourself? I thought you said you woke up flawless. Turn on the lights so I can see your flawless face properly." Kameela makes jest as she drags the word 'flawless'. Maimuna hisses then rolls to the other side of her bed, picks up her phone charger and connects it.

"How's your mum and sisters?" Kameela asks while dropping her phone on the table and then trying to balance it to lean against the mirror. After which she faces the mirror in front of her to fix her scarf that felt loose on her head.

"They're all good. Well all but Na'ima."

"What happened to her?" Kameela tries to fix her scarf without redoing it all over again but it starts to fall out of line which caused a groan of frustration to escape her lips.

"You know that day I dragged you into the house? Apparently she found out her husband was cheating on her with some white girl or something like that. I wasn't really listening." Maimuna explains as she disappears from the screen to switch on the light.

"No wonder she was all sour. I thought she didn't even like me. Oh eyyah. Oh my gosh isn't summer the best time of the year? No work no school." Kameela wasn't one to dwell on sad news. She always looked for a way out once it is brought up.

"You're just happy cause you're traveling."

"And I begged you to come but no, you rather stay here and do whatever uncool things you like doing." Kameela smiles at the mirror. Proud of how her scarf came out.

"The answer is still no. Are you traveling with your family or alone?" Maimuna changes the topic to avoid another round of Kameela's plea session.

"Well family yeah. Manal, Mama, Aunty Khadijah and I. I begged my dad, Bappa Ali, my brother and even Ismail but they all gave me flimsy excuses. All in the line of work or keeping the house safe. Can you imagine? Even Ummama said she couldn't make it because of something something sore thumb, I wasn't really listening after she said no." Maimuna scrunched up her face while trying to remember who Ummama was in Kameela's family tree but she knew if she told her that, Kameela would spend the next 10 minutes complaining about Maimuna being a bad listener and then another 5 minutes explaining who Ummama is and how she is related to her. Kameela took no notice to Maimuna's thinking face as she vents to her while applying lip gloss pausing to rub her lips together.

Kameela opens her mouth to complain some more but she got cut off with the slight creaking of her door. She turns to see her mothers face which was fully adorned with disbelief.

"We've been waiting for you downstairs for like 15 minutes and you're busy talking to someone on the phone!" Maimuna quickly ends the call to avoid Hajiya Fatima's wrath. Kameela blankly stares at her mother's face because if she had on the true emotion she felt, her mother would tell her she's been rude for acting nonchalant and if she had one a 'oh I'm so scared' face, her mother will tell her that she'll give her a reason to be actually scared. Kameela also knew that if she tries to explain to her, they will be surely late so the blank expression and silence was the opportunity cost.

After her mother had given Kameela an ear full, they move to the car where their luggage and Garba was waiting. Putting her hand on the door handle, Kameela remembers something and turns back into the house.

"Where are you going to?" Hajiya Fatima yelled from inside the car.

"I haven't seen Baba today!" She shouted as she jogged back into the house to bid her father good bye before going back to the car.