RUWAIDA ✔️

CHAPTER ONE

_____________________________
The heavy downpour of rain didn't stop, even with the rain falling for more than three hours. She watched as the buckets she had placed outside awhile ago filled up to the brim with water. When she noticed the black clouds that enveloped the skies earlier, she kept them in the open compound, just Incase they end up a whole week with no tap water.

Her little sister kept on playing with the rim of her scarf, ignoring the fact that she is trying to complete her forms, which will be due the very next day. Glancing over at the wall clock, she sighed and shook her head disappointedly, remembering the fact that the batteries had spoilt weeks back, but their mother wasn't able to get them changed.

She placed the files on the small stool beside her and took up Barra with her, walking down to the small kitchen just a door from the living room. She clasped the two year old on her waist and held her with her right hand, while pushing the wooden door with the other hand.

Peeping her head into the kitchen, she smiled at her mother, who busied herself with making them dinner. "Mama, what are you doing," she asked even tho it was clearly obvious. The chubby woman turned to stare at her daughter, then opened her arms, motioning for Waida to hand Barra over to her. "Here, she's been disturbing me, you know I'll have to finish filling up the forms, or else I might miss the scholarship," Ruwaida complained, placing her small sister on her mother's lap, then sat on the mat sprawled across the empty area.

"You haven't finished yet? Go and make them ready, the rain has stopped now, you can just take an okada," Barira advised, rocking Barra to sleep. The small fair girl cradled over her mother's neck and closed her eyes, unaware of the discussion between the two, after all, she's just a little child. "But, where's Abdul? He hasn't even taken breakfast before he went out," the worried mother complained, walking out of the kitchen, with Ruwaida trailing behind her.

"He's worried that they'll leave without him," Ruwaida explained and released a slight chuckle, remembering how much he awaits this Saturday so he could play football with their neighboring school. Barira shook her head, with a ghost smile on her lips as she placed Barra on the bed, took up the blanket and covered her small frame.

"I don't like him always playing football, he should at least try to be like you, spare some time so he could study,"

Ruwaida covered her face with both hands and laughed. "He tries his best Mama, he'll get better By Allah," she assured, sitting beside her mother on the bed. Some few minutes passed, before she went back to the living room, took up her papers and went on to fill them up.

The usual slight headache she always feels came back in full swing this time, but she ignored it and placed everything into her small handbag, taking her hijab and dripping it over, she walked out of the house. Reaching the main road, she had almost screamed her lungs out when she checked her bag and couldn't find the transport fee. It most be that she left it lying on the TV set. She looked back and decided against the idea of going back home.

She hugged her bag to her body and continued to trek. Only a few meters, she began feeling dizzy but she still didn't give it a thought. She is used to having herself always getting ill, So just a headache wouldn't make her delay the form submissions any longer. First, it was her Father not able to arrange the form and entry fees, and then now, it's likely to be a cold again.

She greeted and gave a slight nod towards the three slim guards at the gate of the center, before she walked in. Ruwaida smiled lump sidedly, seeing a whole bunch of other registers, waiting to be called in. if it were not almost too late, she'll have gone back home and return the next day, which is very much impossible as they don't work on Sundays and then Monday is the deadline.

She sighed and sat on the crooked bench that was situated on the sides of the large storey building. She tapped her feet impatiently, feeling like the queue wasn't moving at all, while it actually did.

"Ruwaida," she raised her head slightly closing her eyes as the sun shun over head head, giving her only a little view of the person calling her.

"It's Zarah," the girl said and sat down beside her, placing her clutch on her laps. "You don't remember me? We wrote Jamb sitting just beside each other," the girl tried helping her recall. And realization dawned on her when she remembered how the girl showed her the way she'll operate the desktop. She grew up with zero experience with such electronics, so she literally knows how to use them. In fact, the mobile phones the kids around had, she also knows nothing about them.

"Oh-ya salaaam! I'm so sorry, how are you doing," Ruwaida asked, turning to smile at her.

Zarah reaches for Ruwaida's hand in a handshake before she answered. "I'm really good, what are you doing here by the way," she asked, looking around the small area.

Ruwaida gave her a tight lipped smile. "Yes I_I came to register for the NSF (National scholarship Funding), I passed the exams,"

"Oh, that's good then, I just wanted to say Hye, I went out with my brother, and when we were coming back, I told him had I had no recharge card, so he parked here close to where his friend Kasim works and told me there's a kiosk nearby where I could get it,"

Ruwaida gave her a nod, taking note of how much the girl talks. "That's great,"

And then, somehow, the Kasim they talked about was the one doing the registration, so Zarah helped her finish early and then, begged to come along with her so she could drop her. But Ruwaida had openly declined. If by any chance Zarah was alone, she might have agreed, but not when her brother would be there.

Love_
Silentwriter☕️