Tears of Zubaida.

•••••TEARS OF ZUBAIDA••••• •••Chapter Twenty-five•••

Amina gently dragged a comb out of Zubaida's hair, while Zubaida is still mixing some olive oil with Shea butter.

"Pass me the oil." Amina said opening her palm to collect the container from Zubaida. She parted the hair into two and began to rub the oil on the hair lines at the same time massaging the hair.

"You know you EDD is next month right?"

Zubaida hummed and nodded her head, not wanting to talk as she was feeling sleepy, plus she was famished as the fasting has exhausted her remaining energy.

"Nasan dai ba kurma bace ke. I've talking to you since, but all you do is just hum and nod."

"I'm tired, you won't understand." Zubaida replied sighing.

The room fell into a peaceful silence until Amina decided to talk again. "You miss home right?"

Zubaida not wanting to answer the question pretended not to have heard what Amina said, a knock on the door made latter stood up to see who the intruder was.

"Yasar, Lafiya ko?" She asked.

"Everything's fine, I just remembered I brought something for Zubaida and I was too exhausted to even remember. Is she there?" He asked peeping into the room.
Amina steppes aside for him to walk in and noticed that he's hiding his right hand behind his back.

"Hajiya Zubaida." He said leaning on the wall. "I got you something."

Zubaida nodded her head and mumbled something to herself before she opened her eyes, she quickly draped her scarf and replied him.

"What is it you got me, Alhaji Yasar?"

"Ehm, be fast mister, we are doing something here." Amina intruded.

"Allah ya baki hakuri." He eyed her. "Close your eyes. I don't want the surprise to be ruined." He urged Zubaida.

"Shaking my head." Amina mumbled enough for the duo to hear.

Yasar dropped two small polythene in the center of the room, each bag contains a brand new phone.
Amina didn't fail to notice the half eaten apple logo on the bags which made her squealed and jumped in surprise and shock as a result she startled Zubaida.

"Na shiga uku. Amina, do you want to kibosh our eardrums?" She fused.

"Just shut up and look at what's in front of you!" Amina said grinning so widely.

"I leave you two in peace." Yasar reaches for the door before Amina quickly hold him back.

"For who?" She asked, still amused.

"I believe this is a room for two right?" He retorted.

"You don't mean it." Amina shook her head smiling so broadly at her brother. "He got us new phones, Zubaida." She squealed.

Zubaida couldn't hide her excitement at the news, she doesn't even have a phone yet, and now she has one to herself.

"Na- Nagode. Mun gode. Thank you so much Yasar." She stated recovering from the little surprise shock.

"Y'all are welcome, Zubaida's' has a SIM card in it." He apprised and left the room. "Oh, I forgot to tell you that it has been charged already." And then he left.

Amina brought out the phone packages, one is 6s which is Zubaida's own, while Amina's own is 7plus.

"They must have cost a fortune." Zubaida said. "Are they the same? Yours looks more bigger." She asked.

"No, they are the same brand but different models." 

"Oh." Zubaida nodded.

So, he got you a bigger one than mine. She thought.

"Is everything alright? I've been talking to you."

"Nothing, everything's alright, am just tired."

"Alright, you should rest while I set up the phones."

"Sure." Zubaida said and drifted to a slumber.

The familiar adhaan was heard very loudly in the room, Zubaida mustn't be told that there's no light if such is heard, because if there's electricity, the adhaan will be heard faintly. She liked it like that, although at times she doesn't. She has been with them for almost two months already.

She slowly rise from the bed and headed to the bathroom where she performed her ablution and then prayed.

The nice and heavy aroma that filled the corridor confirmed Zubaida's thought, she walked to the kitchen and met Hajja, Amina and Hindatu; whom was the new housemaid they got.

"Zubaida, you're awake." Hajja said stirring something that was on fire.

"Yes." She replied.

"Congratulations. I heard you've gotten a new phone." Hajja smiled.

"Thank you." Zubaida bluffed, eyeing Amina.

"Please peels those fruits over there." Hajja pointed at the counter where pineapple, pawpaw and watermelon was kept.

"Alright."

"My father is coming back today, he has been on a long trip." Amina whispered to Zubaida.

Zubaida giggled and whispered back "that's why she's in the kitchen today."

"Shaking my head."

"It will fall, continue." Zubaida eyed her.

To Amina, it was a playful gesture whereas to Zubaida, it was of two things; the first is because she's dating Mu'azu and the second her phone model is greater than hers.

"Amina, you and Hindatu should go and do what I assigned you."

Amina left to the living room where she put on the burners and placed some sandal woods incense, and also lit on some incense sticks. While Hindatu prepared the vegetable salad.

"Zubaida, just prepare the fruit salad, okay?"

"Alright, I will."

It was already 7:15pm, everyone has prayed and are seated on the dinning except Zubaida who didn't showed at the table.
"Amina, where's Zubaida?" Hajja asked.

"She's praying when I left her. She should be done by now."

"Zubaida, is she the girl you're telling me of?" Alhaji Abdulfatah asked raising his head from his phone as he was going through some news feed.

"Yes, she's the one." Amina answered.

Alhaji AbdulFatah nodded his head, "please call her, let's have iftaar together." He ordered.

Meanwhile in the room, when Zubaida finished praying, she quickly went through Amina's phone and copied Mu'azu's number, and some of his pictures to her phone. She also remembered the number Ruqayyah gave her and also saved it.

"Zubaida, ke muke jira." Amina announced.

"Gani nan zuwa." She replied as she kept her phone and joined them in the dinning.

Glossary.

Nasan dai ba kurma bace ke ... I know you aren't deaf.

Lafiya ko? ... hope all is well?

Allah ya baki hakuri ... May Allah grant you patience.

Na shiga uku ... I'm doomed.

Nagode/mun gode ... thank you.

Iftaar ... breaking of fast.

Ke muke jira ... we are waiting for you.

Gani nan zuwa ... I am coming.

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Thank you.🙏