TRIALS (Completed)

Fourteen

“Ikon Allah, she said that?” Kauthar said from the phone tucked between Waleeda’s ear and shoulder.

“Hmm, kedai bari kawai.” Walida said, using a rubber plate to wipe off the tuwo from the wooden spatula. “But why do you sound so surprised?”

“Hmm, I thought she had learned her lesson from the incident with me na.”

“Chab,” Walida dipped both packer and spatula into a bowl of water and turned down the fire to its lowest level. “Aunty mamy maybe, but not Hajja. She still holds some kind of aversion towards the male species.”
“But she’s happy with Baba na, abi is that all for show?”

Waleeda strolled out of the kitchen and settled on the dining table littered with drawing papers and crayons.

“Not at all,” she paused, wondering if she should  tell Kauthar about her discussion with Baba. But then, it was more about Hajja's past. So she stayed silent, hoping Kauthar wouldn’t prod further. 

“Hmm, toh, Allah ya kyauta.” Kauthar said.

Walida sighed in relief. But then,  Kauthar never bothered about what she didn’t know.

“She should try leaving her past in the past sha, at least for our sakes.” 

Walida nodded, folding edge of a paper with a half-coloured dinosaur drawing on it. She shook her head as a chuckle escaped her lips. 

“Sorry o, I left you hanging, I’m trying to finish hanging these clothes.” Kauthar said.

“No problem, how are my girls na?”

“They are fine, their mid-term is coming up soon sef.”

“That’s true o. Yawwa, they’ll be coming here for the break abi, even Aunty mamy wants Dawud and Sakina to come. In fact, Hajja demanded that she let them.”

Kauthar laughed. “I don’t know o, you know Barakah is preparing for a debate competition coming right after the break, so I don’t know if her dad will allow her, gaskiya.

“ Toh convince him na.” Walida moaned, lightly stamping her feet on the floor.” Kauthar laughed again.

“When last did we all stay in one place together? since after Hoor’s naming fa.”

“I know.” Kauthar said.

“Toh, better do something about it.”

“Tam, na ji, and how are my little soldiers? especially Alhaji Abdul.”

She smiled widely, “they are fine, they should be on their way home from the mosque,” she glanced at clock hanging on the off-white wall across her: 01:00 p.m.

“Oh hakane, I keep forgetting that Jumu’ah prayers are done earlier over there. Nan kam sai 02:00 p.m. Okay o, send my greetings. but before that, send me their latest selfies.”

Walida laughed and rose from her seat, “ke ma kin san Uthman ba ya son daukan hoto.”

“Toh, convince him. Else I wont send you the latest pics of the girls.”

“Haba!” she went into the bedroom, dropped the phone on the bed, picked her thick white veil, and stood before the full length mirror to wrap it around her body. Once done, she waited for Kauthar to finish talking to whoever she was talking to.

“Why are you disturbing us like this?” She heard Kauthar say.

Picking her phone, she turned off the speaker and placed it on her ear. “Yaya, lafiya?”