Abuja, Nigeria.
"My baby is back! How did it go?" Hajiya Zainab asked with glee as Jalilah entered the parlor.
"What?" Jalilah looked at her grandmother as if she'd grown horns.
"The outing."
"Oh no, Hajiya! We just went to buy some school stuff, not a date." Jalilah chuckled.
"Whatever! It's still the same thing." Hajiya chuckled, pinching her granddaughter's cheeks.
"I'm going to sleep, Hajiya. Good night. I guess Mummy and Daddy are already asleep, huh?" she said, placing a kiss on her grandmother's cheek.
"Goodnight, darling." Hajiya smiled before also retiring to her room.
---
The next morning, Jalal came into the dining area with his usual demeanor. He greeted his parents and grandmother before settling into a chair.
"Good morning, Ya Jalal," the younger siblings greeted him.
"Morning," he replied curtly.
"Mummy! Can I ask you something, please?" Alaina broke the silence that followed.
"Sure, baby," Hajiya Khadijah said with a smile.
"Why doesn't Ya Jalal ever smile?" Alaina asked with a pout. A pin-drop silence fell over the dining room. Jalal remained calm, continuing to eat his food as if he wasn't the subject of discussion.
"Shush! It's not good to ask too many questions, okay?" Hajiya Khadijah said gently.
"But Mummy, my friend's brother always plays with her and buys her chocolates every day. But Ya Jalal never plays with me or buys chocolates for me," Alaina pouted. Jalal froze at her statement, though he didn't show it.
"Shush, my Chouchou. Ya Jalal is always busy with work, that's why. But whenever he's free, he will take you out, okay?" Hajiya said with a smile.
"Okay. But will he also start playing with me? Like Aisha's brother does with her?" Alaina asked.
"I will," Jalal stated calmly, shocking everyone.
"Yay! Thank you, Ya Jalal! I love you," Alaina giggled, placing a kiss on his cheek.
'I love you.' Those three words brought back memories he would rather forget. But how could he, when every single night they rushed back to him as he tried to sleep? He closed his eyes briefly before opening them again.
"You kids are getting late," Alhaji Abdurrahman reminded them.
"Yauwa, Jalal! I want to tell you something," Hajiya said, catching Jalal's attention.
"Okay."
"From today onward, I want you to be the one taking Jalilah to school every day and picking her up." Jalal, along with everyone else at the table, was stunned by her statement.
"What? But Hajiya, why must I be the one to take her? The drivers are there and all," Jalal said, looking at his grandmother in disbelief.
"Yes, I know. The driver can take the other kids to school. But I want you to be the one taking Jalilah to school. It is a command, not a request," Hajiya stated with a tone that dared him to challenge her.
Jalal stood up and calmly left the dining room, his heart threatening to explode with anger.
"But Hajiya...—Keep quiet and follow him, Jalilah."
Jalilah pouted, took her backpack, and followed him.
***
Written on: 24.10.20
Edited on: 12.6.22 🖤
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Affairs Of The Hearts |✅
RomanceCOMPLETED ~JALILAH~ Jalilah, a sweet, lively, and beautiful sixteen-year-old girl, knows no care in the world. An orphan since her parents passed away when she was just a year old, she has lived her enti...
