Forsaken Gem

Chapter 3

The morning breeze was blowing swiftly through the open aluminum window making it to creak closing in and out. It was 4:30am, and my eyes is as wide as an owl's. Sleep has already deserted me for days, I always wake up during this time thinking about the young baby Aila who is just 3 years old. She has been sick for a while now, She had chronic pneumonia which later on resulted in asthma. It's been days since she slept peaceful at night, whenever she has cold or flu, it hinders with her breathing. Sometimes she cry while other time she can't even cry because of the difficulty she get in breathing. I had a strong connection with aila, often I will go see her or stay with her seeing her as a young version of me, she was also found in the water drainage near the central market inside a box. When she was found the box was already drenched and so was the wool clothe she was wrapped in. She was Crying profusely and shivering from the cold, the crowd gathered around and brought the box out of the drainage, some Good Samaritan brought her to our orphanage.
I can still remember her cries as it pierce through our ears when we were at the dinning room eating that Saturday morning, the cry was intense as you can hear her choking with her tears. They quickly removed her wet clothes and replaced with a dry towel, they on the room heater in the room and in matter of minutes the room became warm. She didn't stop crying until a warm bottle of milk was fixed to her mouth, she sucked it down in some minutes and slipped into a deep slumber. There were old clothes that the older children used in the orphanage and so they draped her in it. Later in the afternoon the matron came with her green Volkswagen beetle and they went to the government hospital to do a check up on her., it was later on they realized she has acquired pneumonia from the previous incidence.
  Well ever since I laid my eyes on Aila, she became a part of me. I always go to there rooms to play with her. Whenever she sees me she jumped up and down happily, and when ever I wanted to live she will clenched unto my neck and refuse to let go. And whenever she was sick, I tend to have insomnia, thinking of what I could do to help the poor girl, she was very innocent, I again start hating our life,our previous and present predicament, and the future too, I don't see anything bright in our near future except if you re adopted by good hearted people.
In the morning, I left the room early after fajr prayer to the young children's room just some rooms away from ours, they normally sleep with the old woman jummai who sleeps like a log of wood. Sometimes the children will keep crying while she's deep asleep, I always wanted to sleep with them especially when Aila or any of the kids are not feeling too well, but the matron never gave her permission to that. 
As I approached the room, Aila's screeching wail was all I could hear, the intensity of the cry was too much today. I rushed towards the door to find her on her on, just on the rug lying down on her back crying and kicking her feet on the ground. Some of the children are asleep while the other toddlers her age were looking at her bewildered. I rushed to her and pick her up not minding her soaked napkin that needed changing. Her eyes were swollen and reddish. I embraced her to my body cuddling her tighter as the heat penetrating from her body touches mine. She was still shivering in her soaked napkin.
"Where is jummai" I wonder as I stood up and started walking round the room consoling
her by patting her back as she sigh in relief of been carried. I changed her from the soiled clothes and washed her, and then with a wrapper just hanged on the door I backed her on my back and rushed toward the kitchen with a bucket
"Larai, please can I get warm water? I want to give Aila a bath"I said as I kept pacing front and back while patting Aila's butt.
" I think there is water still remaining from the one I made pap this morning' she said as she pointed to the big pot supported on three stone with the firewood drawn from underneath. I scurried to the spot and open the pot of hot water, the steam gust out of the pot toward my face, I moved back while wincing my face before I used a big cup and dipped into it reaching for the water in the pot, fetched and poured into the bucket, the cup was big so 4 scooped was enough I rushed out of the kitchen carrying the bucket to our quarters. I mixed with a little cold water from the big plastic bucket that was in their toilet to lower the temperature a bit, and then batted Aila and rushed out with her laying still against my body. I rubbed her body with blue seal Vaseline and rushed toward their wardrobe just by the wall and knowing which bag was Aila's I picked a green dress, I was about to wear her the dress when I felt a pain on my back, I tilted my head towards the direction of the blow. It was jummai, the children keeper who wasn't around when Aila was crying.
" what are you doing here? She asked giving me a stance stare with her red eyes and kola nut stained teeth.
Hajja(implying to the matron) said you should not be here taking care of the children. So you want to get me into trouble, you want to teach me my job right?
You when were you even born that you want to teach me how to cater for a child" she said as she pointed me with a finger.
" mama jummai, where were you since? Aila has been crying and she has a high temperature. So I thought I should help you out. I didn't know I was going to offend you by helping. I said as I picked Aila from the carpet she was laying down.
She jerked Aila from me with a strong force and the. The girl send out an intense cry.
" what are you doing? Since you don't know how to take care of her why don't you let me? I asked in a harsh tone
You are always busy with your grandchildren sneaking out to see them now and then, if you knew you will be engrossed like that why did you accept the job to stay the night with the children, you could have easily abort the job and take care of your grandchildren. This children too are like your grandkids, they need someone to cater for them. I said out loudly
Finally she slapped me hard on the face and then she started crying as loud as possible alerting the whole compound. I looked at her dazed at her pretense while people started gathering around asking Babah Larai what seems to be wrong. She was crying profusely while Aila was still crying too.
" she fall on the ground while a security man who rushed in upon hearing the commotion took Aila from her. She started lamenting that I slapped her on the face after telling her she doesn't know how to cater for a child.
Everyone there where bewildered as they never expect me to do something like that, they looked at me with eyes full of dismay and start consoling Baba larai who was now drenched in tears.
There I stood, totally bewildered and I couldn't  utter a single word as I watched before me an act of treachery displayed by an older lady.
The matron was just in time for the drama as she joined the assembly of people listening to mama Larai deceptive lies.
" Zainab, how many times have I warned  you not to try showing them you know too much. This is not your job, stay out of it or I will deal with you" she said  as her voice escalated
" get out of here now before I loose my temper."
I shivered as I made my way toward the door as quickly as possible. Outside I met Aila held by the security man who was pacing back and forth trying to console her. When she saw me coming forth she pulled her hands out wanting so much for me to carry her, I looked at her tear soiled face and immediately I ran to our room hearing Aila's voice that I didn't know was the last.
Days after I tried to keep my distance from Aila, even though her cries when I passed through their room sometimes draws me to her I simply ignore and leave with my heart full of anger. Then one morning I didn't hear the cries again, in my mind I was thankful thinking Aila was well catered for today. I slept very peacefully without any hindrance after fajr prayer. since I had only laundry duty so I had time to sleep after prayer.
I was deep asleep when I heard noise coming from the admin block, through the window just at the side of my up bunk bed I saw people gathered around the matrons office. My heart kept pounding, deep inside I sensed something must be wrong. My roommate abida,was not in the room. We all had laundry duty so I wondered why she was up so early.i rushed out of bed grabbing my hijab hanged on a nail hook to the wall and scurried fast out to the admin block.
Murmuring sounds kept coming as I approached the mass crowd, just under a mango tree by the side of the admin block I saw abida in between other orphans lamenting over something I wonder what it was. Immediately she saw me she approached me with fear showing all over her face. She quickly hugged me as I try to ask her what was wrong. The words that came out of her mouth as she embrace me left me dumbfounded.
" Zainab, am so sorry but your little Aila is gone.." as she started sobbing profusely
It came to me like a thunder strike, except thunder doesn't take you unaware since it displays lighting before it strikes but the news of Aila dead left a mark on my heart that I don't think I will ever forget.
I pushed her and ran towards the gathering into the matrons office without seeking for permission I rushed to the table they gathered around only to behold Aila already decked up for burial in the white cloth according to Islamic right. 
I gathered her into my arms and sobbed bitterly. At that point no one tried to stop me not even the matron who sat on her chair looking at poor Aila, she wasn't wearing her medicated glass which I think is her way of showing remorse. Babah jummai was there pretending as usual while all along she was at fault, there were all at fault. They could have done something to help Aila, if they couldn't help they could have at least let me be with her, I know death is inevitable but it could have helped for Aila to feel loved on her death bed.
Well that day they took Aila corpse away together with some part of me away. I detest; the kind of life we lived, The government for forsaken us (so I thought) not knowing the government are not at fault but the medium to which they send the fund that doesn't reach us. I also loathe our mothers the most for dumping us in rubbish.
  The matron didn't take any steps against  Baba jummai, she allowed her to continue displaying her careless attitude while Catering for the young children.

Months after, things were still the way they are, some lucky kids getting adopted while the unlucky ones like me are still trapped in this orphanage. Some died while others are been brought in from different angles. Even abida got adopted by a rich couple who needed a friend for their only daughter. She was very happy to be adopted even though she didn't want to live me behind. I persuaded her to take this chance while it last before it's too late, I told her am happy for her and wish her the very best of the best. We cried when she was about leaving with her new family. Now that abida was gone I was the only older kids and had the room to myself, the chores became much on me but I carried it out alone.
Now it was becoming clearer that I will die alone here in the orphanage. It never bothered me much that I wasn't adopted like it did now that abida was gone, I wonder how she was fairing there? Abida was 3 years younger than me, she had sickle cell anemia and so no one ever wanted to adopt her until this family came along, they said they will take her to the hospital whenever the crisis episodes begins. Apart from me been older, the oldest children in the orphanage are age 12. The matron and other people in the orphanage grew tired of my presence, the fact that no one wanted to adopt me was something else too. So I tried to keep my distance from them by secluding myself to my room always. Now I sleep on both the up bunk bed and down bed that belongs to abida before. Reciting the Quran was what kept me going on. I was restricted from going to other places except the cafeteria to eat.