FLAWED SOULS

Chapter 35: THERE FOR YOU

"... When your tears roll down your pillow like a river, I'll be there for you but you got to be there for me too..."

Martin Garrix, Troye Sivan---- There for you

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Twelve years ago when Adnan was a student at the Sokoto state University, he was arrested for raping a girl, his parents had paid heavily to not let the news go public and they'd also paid to have him released but his expulsion was inevitable.

When he'd come back home, his mother treated him like an egg and even though Adnan had confessed to raping the girl, Hajiya insisted it was a conspiracy, that was how much she supported him in everything, she refused to believe he'd ever do anything bad without provocation.

"My Adnan would never do that on his own." She'd say, "something must have happened."

And even when he'd started touching seven years old Amirah inappropriately, her mother had spanked her butt and told her to stop walking around with singlet and warned her to also never say a word about it to anyone else.

Hajiya was manipulative, she could be the best mother ever when she needed something from any of her children. In her twisted way of thinking, she loved all her children and she did things to protect them, Amirah used to believe after Adnan she was her mother's favorite but what she didn't realize that after Adnan was Adnan and him again... It was almost like he was her only child.

All these thoughts had been triggered by a single phone call from Khadijah saying,

"Ya Adnan is back, he said he's divorcing aunty Samha and that Abdul isn't his son, Hajiya is backing him up."

Amirah sighed, she was going to be a Hamidah now.

"That's their problem, how're you doing?"

She heard the expected silence from Khadijah's end.

"Amirah, are you alright?"

"I'm trying to be and that'll be possible as long as I don't hear from or about my mother." She stated as she poured milk into her cereal.
She was getting ready for work, last night Muhammad had shown up home late and walked past her straight into his bedroom, she'd stood knocking at his bedroom door knocking for minutes before deciding to let him be.

"Whatever she's done Amirah, she's still your mother." Khadijah said softly.

"Is she Dee? Is she?" Tears were beginning to form in her eyes and she hated it.
If there was anything Hajiya had been right about, it was tears, they were for the weak and she Amirah Aliyu wasn't weak, not anymore that is. She made a mental note to get a refill for her sleeping pills.

"Yes Amirah, whatever fight you both had should be settled instead."

Amirah laughed bitterly. "You don't know anything Dee, I'm getting ready for work, I'll call you later."

"Okay bye and please be careful."

"I'll be grandma." She laughed as she ended the call, just as she was adding water to her cereal, Muhammad walked into the kitchen and her breath hitched in her throat when she saw the bandage on his nose, she'd barely seen how he looked like last night.