Scarred For Life

Chapter 10

*
Cursed amongst all seasons is Harmattan, the harbinger of dry skin, crusty lips and the sickening coldness of the air in the early hours of the morning. Though it was much despised by nearly everyone in the north, none of their hatred came close to Afrah's.

Abba always told her that 'hate' is such a strong word, and should never be used except for the most extreme situations. Which is why she chose to use that same word to describe the weather. She didn't just hate it; she despised it, loathing every second of the season until it passed.

The nearly-unbearable heat of the afternoon was nothing compared to the freezing cold of the morning. Most times, when she woke up to pray Subhi at dawn, several minutes will be dedicated to her sitting on the bed, wondering whether her body will be able to cope with the ice-cold water. In the end, she always lost that internal battle.

On a faithful Friday morning, Afrah was to be found lying in her bed at nearly an hour to noon, wrapped completely in the thickest duvet she could find and sleeping soundly. The curtains were drawn, the windows were shut and the air-conditioner was cranked up to the max. Everything was perfect.

A sudden knock on the door pulled her forcefully out of her peaceful state however. Even before she opened her eyes, Aunt Maimuna had opened the door and walked in.

"You're still asleep?" She asked, pausing as she saw her cooped up in the duvet like a caterpillar.

"Not anymore," Afrah yawned, sitting up on the bed. "Good morning, aunt."

"Good morning Afrah," she replied hastily. "Your father just called, and he asked when you will be coming back to Abuja for the wedding."

"Oh," she rubbed her eyes slowly, "I was thinking of leaving three days from now."

"Well, I have spoken to your uncle already and he said we can leave whenever we prefer," she said. "I think three days from now will be fine. You would probably have left sooner if it wasn't for school, I presume?"

"Of course," Afrah laughed. "It's been a while since I attended a wedding. Umma and I were already beginning to make the preparations before I came back here. I would have gone back earlier to help her, but I have a test due today, and an assignment I need to submit. "

"Well then, you'd better get out of bed if you plan to do all that today," Aunt Maimuna said as she pointed to the clock. "It's nearly noon."

That made her jump out of bed.

"The test is by 12:30," she groaned, staring around the room in disarray. "I'm going to be late."

"I'm going to a friend's house now," Aunt Maimuna said as she turned towards the door. "Your breakfast is in the kitchen, and the keys will be in the usual spot if you return before I do."

Afrah was already halfway towards the toilet by then, barely paying attention to what her aunt was saying.

As luck would have it, she didn't miss the test. In fact, she got to school with an hour to spare, as the test had been postponed until after the Jumuat prayer. Maryam met up with her in front of the female hostel, and they went for lunch together.

"I wrote your name in the list," she told Afrah as they sat down. "The first meeting is going to hold tomorrow, at SCE room B."

"Do I really have to?" Afrah groaned.

"As your personal advisor, I would answer in the affirmative," Maryam said. "You need to get out and socialize a little bit more. You need to learn to talk to people."

"I'm talking to you right now, aren't I?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I'm your best friend in the entire universe, so I don't count. And besides, it's for a good cause. I heard Hafsat earlier saying we'll be visiting a village in Jigawa next week. Of course there'll be two more meetings before that, so we'll receive proper instructions on what we are expected to do."