Bound ✅

For real

“Dagaske” for real

Halima mentally rolled her eyes at Salisu's mother reaction to her new job.

"Who will take care of Salisu for you. Isn't that your job?" Salisu rubbed his hands over his face, blowing out breath loudly. His mother continued to rage and shake her fingers at Halima.

Salisu began to cough right before their eyes and Halima rushed to bring his medicine from a nearby cabinet and ran to bring sachet water from the open kitchen.

Her life flashed before her eyes and she asked Allah to forgive her for all the times she ever wished him dead. Or sick. Once he took his drugs ans plenty of water, he stopped coughing and looked better.

"See what I mean? Who will take care of him now?" Halima pushed her full lower lip to a corner of her teeth and pulled harder than necessary, causing pain.

"Mama, There's a boy, a young boy that just graduated from secondary school that needs a job. He'll stay with me all through the day till five when Halima returns and Halima will be here. I don't like it when you behave like this." His mother let her jaw drop, leaving her mouth open.

"That was why I was proposing you both move to my house." From where he was lying on the sofa, Halima watched her husband shake his forefinger in the air making his mother sigh.

"Toh." She got up and checked his temperature and adjusted her veil before leaving.

Halima did not say goodbye, it was good riddance to bad rubbish, she'd soon be back anyways.

She had no idea how the woman passed the neighborhoods to their house nearly every morning and evening without feeling bad.

******

"I love your ringtone Halima."

Halima who just finished speaking to the boy watching over her husband, smiled at her colleague Hamdiyah, who was in charge of all things equipments, she knew what equipment you needed and handed it to you right away. She was also one of those quiet people so Halima was startled she was speaking to her.

"Thank you Hamdiyah." Others who had just closed for the day began to hum the song as they cleared up for the day.

"The lyrics sef are very uplifting, no matter what you do, remember Allah watches over you, He is the light of the heaven and Earth." Halima began to think herself, was Allah really watching, in the things she'd faced from the time she finished her polytechnic education till now, could she really say that Allah had watched over her.

All she had was circumstances beyond her control, circumstances that when she thought of it, she wished She'd died and not had to marry to cover her own shame. Completing half of her Deen with someone who didn't respect her or love her.

Conversation buzzed around her about the best places to get the cheapest meat or to get the best food stuffs for lesser prices at different markets. Halima whom normally would listen to this conversations refused to input, she was in deep thought.

"Goodnight. See you all on Monday." Halima latched her back to her shoulder and carefully navigated the wet stairs og the salon. All the while thinking deeply.

She hailed a tricycle still deep in thought, wondering if things could have gone better if she'd done things differently.

Sometimes, in some thoughts, Salisu represented the dearth of her freedom, of her aborted achievements. She could never count the number of times, she'd fallen asleep on her prayer may asking Allah how it had to be her that such a predicament would befall.

But, It could all be called the test that humans go through, and so as she paid the driver absentmindedly, she accepted that she'd do her best to carry this burden, all the while waiting for Allah's mercies.

***

"Well, what do you say?"

Halima didn't say a word. She'd returned from work, only to meet Salisu's mother and a young girl in exaggerated makeup and a lilac kimono.  She only smiled and asked. "Where will she stay?" Her mother-in-law smiled at her question.

"Here with you. At least you're not here during the day. He'll have a woman's touch. Good, hot food and someone to help take his drugs. She's young too. Very young, so she'll be of help." Halima swung to look at the girl in question.

Not to mock her but if that was how eyebrows were drawn, then no one would love them. She must have been plucked from her mother only a few months ago. Because she was wearing new clothes and sporting an angry look as though Halima took something from her.

"You won't even notice she's here. She'll come to sleep at my side every night." Halima cocked her head at the person speaking in surprise, her mother in law was making too much of a case, as though she was scared Halima wouldn't like it.

"It's fine. This place is big enough for three people." The older woman replied again, "She stay with me. So you'll have privacy."

Shifting again, Halima nodded at the girl  "What is your name?" She directed at the girl in Hausa.

"Hauwa Jiddarh." Hauwa replied with a smirk and an acerbic tone.

"Okay. In the mornings, I like my kitchen washed, cleaned. If there are any clothes, wash them, I'll cook breakfast. Since I go to work now, I can simply leave it all for you to do." Hauwa turned to Halima's mother-in-law in question who shrugged in reply. Only Allah knew what they'd talked about before bringing her to Halima's house.

"Are you in school?" She shook her head no. A light entering her eyes. The kind that used to be in hers when her father told her he'd rather she married than go back to school. Puzzles began to work in Halima's head.

"How old are you?" She grumbled out her age. Halima  spinned the number in her head noting that she was nearly nine years older than the young girl. 

Her only question was, Had Salisu's mother gone crazy?

****

Hi guys,

So I know this are filler chapters, but, please leave a comment. If you don't like it, we can take it down and forget Bound ever happened.

You can also tell your friends,and your family too😍😍

Have the most amazing week ahead,

TheOmoope.