It Comes With A Twist

Chapter 8_ Distant Stars

"I never see the forest for the trees, I could
really use your melody, baby I'm a little blind,
I think it's time, for you to find me..."

Demi Lovato

~•~

***Zubaida

"Who was that?" I turn around to see Hauwa walking towards me with a slightly suspicious look just as I shut the doors.

"Oh...uhm Habiba's brother, he came to return this.." I guestured to the water bottle in my hand.

"Turns out I did leave it in the car." I sighed thankful that I actually hadn't lost the thing forever, as I looked over observing the water bottle which seemed to have changed a bit in features to me from not up to a day of being away from me.

"Oh." She simply said as we both head back to the kitchen.

Hauwa had already finished putting the Egusi paste, spices, pomo and stock fish into the pot so what was left was to let it cook for some time then add the vegetables, in the mean-time, I decided to sterilize the water bottle out of habit, and cuz I don't feel too safe drinking from the bottle when it's been away from me for hours.

Just as I'd put the water bottle in a small bucket of hot water, I turned to see Hauwa turning off the burner where we had put the yam on, signifying the yam was done, as we pack up all the stuffs needed to quid the yam and head to the back of the house which also had an exit only meant for members of the house to come in and go out through for privacy purposes.

And just as we put the first serving of quided yam into the food flask, we suddenly heard voices from the kitchen, and few seconds later, Husnah's fair face peeped out the door to the kitchen, followed by Shareefah's, as they both sauntered out, both looking exhausted.

"Hiii babies." Hauwa greeted.

"Why did you guys take so long?"
They'd called to inform us to open the gate around a few minutes past twelve, and now it was almost one.

"Hold up)? " Shareefah simply said in a dry tone too exhausted to be dramatic.

"Kuma Rana...ga zapi cikin Keken, walahi kaman in cira dankwalina. (And it was sunny...it was so hot in the Rickshaw, I almost wanted to remove my head-tie I swear)." Husnah shook her head.

"Hmm, sorry eh." Hauwa mocked wickedly.

"Waka." Shareefah insulted more of playfully.

"Toh when I said I would go, is it not you guys that volunteered." Hauwa said.

"As if you could get everything on your own." Husnah retorted.

"Abeg, we go go freshen up jare, all the stuffs are in the kitchen." Shareefah said referring to the goods they'd gotten from the market as they both head back in.

After we were done with the yam, we cleared up the kitchen and decided to go pray first before coming back down to sort out everything they got from the market.

A few moments after, we dish down everyone's food as everyone settles down in the sitting room to eat.

"Come on, open your mouth."

"No, I don't want."

Hauwa rolled her eyes in frustration as a struggling Ali wiggled out of her grip forcefully.
She had to force him to eat as he hated swallow foods but the boy was way too stubborn and agile for her already exhausted soul.

She huffed in frustration putting back the mosle of yam she had been trying to force into his mouth back into the plate in defeat.

"Sauran ka ce za ka je gidan su Ihsan Wasa (Come and tell me you want to go play in their Laura's house and see." She hissed glaring at him referring to one of his habits of claiming he wants to go play at their immediate neighbours house just to go there to eat whenever he didn't like the food that had been prepared in the house.

Both Shareefah and Husnah on the other hand were loving the taste of the soup due to the new spices I had added.

Suddenly..
"Ina kuke Wai?!(Where are you all Wai)!" We all heard a voice coming from the entrance in the kitchen.

"Who's that?"
Everyone looked up startled as Hauwa and I share a look of surprised faces, light gasps escaping our lips as we both instantly recognized the voice.

In seconds we're both off our various seating spots as we ran to the kitchen squealing crazily.

"Aaargh!!" She also squeals at the sight of me especially, mirroring both our expressions as we both run into her with a hug.

We go on jumping up and down and almost tripping her down all in the name of hugging.

"O my God, as if I knew it could only be you..." Hauwa says when we'd finally let go to give her some breathing space.

"I know right, who else breaks into people's house like one burglar like that, mad human being kawai."

Hanifa only giggles. "I just wanted to surprise you guys."

"Of course, after ditching us yesterday." I say glaring at her.

We walk back to the seating room for everyone else to meet Hanifa, though it seemed like they all already were familiar with her even more than they were with me as it seems it wasn't the first time she was visiting. The house was full of laughter afterwards by the three of us with Hanifa around. Her wild character was as always very dangerously contagious as we all got carried away in one another's energy.

After eating and clearing up, the three of us headed to the room to catch up as Hanifa filled us in mostly about her 'love lives'. (Yes note the plurality)
And all we did was mostly insult the hell out of all the men in her DMS which she condoned.
Don't judge.

From that the conversation carried on to other random stuffs like latest relationship trends, men, women, fashion trends, money, business, mostly our businesses as we then moved on to discuss about the main thing that brought us here which was Habiba's wedding makeup as we planned our day out tomorrow in order for everything to go smoothly.

By three, Fati was back, and after freshening up, she also met Hanifa and they greeted before she then went downstairs to them Shareefah in the seating room.

The rest of the day winded down in a breeze. I later retired to a little nap before it was evening as I was already a little tired from everything yesterday but then ended up waking up around magrib time, by that time Hanifa was already preparing to go home as she didn't want to make it inconvenient for us by spending the night here as it would also be a bit inconvenient for her too and we'd already agreed she'd be here tomorrow early, latest by seven.

"Okay bye."

"Byee."

"Thank you, crazy ass kawaii."

After escorting Hanifa on her leave we all came back in and everyone carried on to go do what she wanted to achieve or do for the evening.

I was checking my messages on my phone, and catching up on the latest, realizing how much I'd neglected my phone the whole day, it was almost drained of it's battery by the time I picked it up, I then came across a message from Habiba, asking if I was safely in Maiduguri and all was in place. I immediately reply to assure her that everything's in place and she doesn't need to worry, hoping she even sees it.

And with that, I decide to call it a day and go to sleep, my thoughts jumbled up with so much rethinking on whether I have everything put together for tomorrow and a lot of day dreaming of how epic tomorrow's gonna be Insha'Allah.

***