Fa'iza Mubarak Hakimi.

Ruqayya is out of her mind, that much I can tell. Since BK came inside, she has been shamelessly gawking at him. Even Ummi noticed.

We were ushered to the table like five minutes ago when BK's brother came in. Their mum hasn't even bothered to introduce them, like we're meant to know them. BK is someone you should know without being introduced to, but the other brother, I don't even know about his existence, well not until few minutes ago.

When everyone was taking their seats around the table, Ruqayya hurried and took a seat apposite BK. That earned her looks from BK's mother, Ummi, BK's brother and BK himself. But if you know Ruqayya, you'll know that she is one of the most shameless girls to ever exist. So those looks didn't affect her at all. In fact she doesn't look like she noticed them.

I honestly think she needs smacking on the head, maybe that will right the position of her brain and even force those loose screws back shut.

Now here we are, sitting back as the two maids go around the table serving us food. I don't think I've ever seen a home where anything but swallow is eaten for dinner. But here I am, looking at the rice porridge or whatever it is I should call it in front of me.

My eyes catch Ummi's across the table and all I can see is rage that is definitely not directed at me. Ruqayya is going to have her ear fall off the moment we leave this house. I already pity the poor girl. Let's hope she doesn't do more damage.

"Bismillah, koh? Let's eat." Clanks of cutlery follow and then short inaudible prayers.

BK's mother has few spoons of the porridge before she turns to Ummi who is by her side.

"You didn't introduce the other girl to me. I don't know her. Is she your daughter too?" I expect Ummi to say no or something.

"Yes, she's my daughter," Ummi says through gritted teeth. Oh her poor mandibular bone.

"But she doesn't look like you or senator at all. Ai bansan juya tana haihuwa biyu bah." I snap my head to BK's mother, hearing BK choke on the piece of offa he was chewing while his brother mumbled something under his breath.

"I don't think I got you, could you repeat that for me?" Ummi calls my name in a warning tone and I turn to her asking her what the hell she's calling my name for with my eyes.

"I think we'll take our leave now, Salaha. Thank you for dinner," Ummi says with a tight-lipped smile. She rewraps her veil and stands up. I follow suit, not bothering to even say anything to Salaha or whatever Ummi called her.

Ruqayya stands up, confusion tainting her features. We all head out of the dining, Ummi already on the phone to Abba. I can literally hear the wobble in her voice and grit of her teeth as she tells Abba that she can't wait for him to finish so we'll just take one of cars and leave the other one for him.

"I will not spend the night here in the same vicinity with her fah nikam." I almost snatch the phone from Ummi'd hold to tell Abba what just happened.

"Toh shikenan. Sai ka dawo." Ummi drops her phone back into her bag as we step out to the warm evening air. People are trooping into the mosque, I think for Isha prayer.

I hear a presence coming from behind me and soon enough, BK is standing in front of Ummi.

"Hajiya, kiyi hakuri. I'm so sorry about Ummu. But don't leave like this. Let's at least finish dinner." At least the son is sensible, unlike his mother that has no ounce of sensitivity in her.

"Don't worry, Bello ne koh? We're already filled. We'll take our leave now." Ummi says with a tight-lipped smile.

"Let me take you to your accommodation then." Ummi shakes her head the same time her phone rings. She pulls it out and swipes the screen before putting it to her ear.

"Assalamu Alaikum." She keeps quiet listening attentively. She opens her mouth to speak when her gaze falls on BK so she changes her mind, I think.

"I'm not going to go back on my words Gaskiya. But if the other driver is not here then I suppose we can wait a little longer for you." She keeps quiet again before speaking.

"Why not driver din ya kaimu, then he'll come back for you?" Ummi talks some more with who I believe should be Abba before she ends the call.

"I'll have to decline your offer. Thank you." Ummi steps away and starts heading to the car. I follow behind her.

It is until Ummi is in the car that I realize Ruqayya hasn't been following us, I wonder what the brazen woman is doing now.

I turn around to find her taking her phone back from BK with a wide smile before walking towards me, a slight lilt in her steps.

To God who made me if Ruqayya did what I think she did, I'll officially announce her as shameless, crazy and stupid woman of the year.

We slip into the car together and together with two escort cars, we head to the hotel. The moment Ummi goes to hers and Abba's suite, I enter Ruqayya's. I find her sighing dreamily as she slowly peels her clothes of her body.

"Ruqayya," I say, snapping her out of her dream-like state.

"Amma lafiyanki koh?" Ruqayya turns to me with a smile.

"What?" She thinks she can fool me with that innocent voice.

"What was that?" She doesn't bother to cover her body as she takes off her blouse and drops it on the bed.

"What was what?" I narrows my eyes at her. She knows exactly what I mean.

"With BK, at the table, outside?" She opens her mouth to speak when her brows pinch in confusion.

"Who is BK?" I furrow my brows.

"The man who offered to bring us home. Daman baki sanshi bah?" Ruqayya narrows her eyes at me.

"How do you know him?"

"Ha'an. He's a news reporter ai. If you watch news on Wednesdays and Fridays, you'll see him on TV." Ruqayya frowns, pulling her lips in between her teeth.

"Wait, what's the time?" Ruqayya looks at her iWatch strapped around her wrist.

"8.47."

"Around 10, tune to Tenths network. You'll see him there." Ruqayya nods.

"Kay kay." I turn to leave when I remember exactly why I followed her.

"Woman, I'm not done talking to you." Ruqayya gives me a bored look as she wraps a towel around her body, taking off her bra at the same time.

"You didn't answer my question? What was that?" Ruqayya shrugged, bending down to take off her skirt.

"I saw a yummy man and I made my move. It's a matter of few weeks before Ummi starts talking about marriage anyways." My lips slacken. See what I said? Ruqayya is shameless!

"Amma baki da hankali." Ruqayya scoffs, taking her clothes and dropping them in a basket by the corner of the room before she rings up room service.

"Fa'iza, I'm not you. We talked about this. I can't stand by and watch someone, an asset walk by without trying my luck. Nana Khadija radiyallu anha did it, why can't I?" Have I mentioned that Ruqayya is never wrong?

"That doesn't mean that you should hit on some random man and even ask for his number. That's not feminine in any way. You need to learn to look away sometimes."

"And watch my soulmate walk right past me? Honey, I'm not Fa'iza Mubarak Hakimi that can stand by and watch destiny throw her life around the way it wishes. Allah gave us the ability to choose for a reason. And if I decide to take the gear and rule my life the way I deem it fit, fine. That's my life." Her words hit home, and she knows. So I simply fold my lips in and nod.

"You're right. It's your life, I'm sorry for interfering." I take two steps back.

"Exactly. Now, I'll need to take a bath, I'm tired and I need to finish up chapter three of my project today. Do you want something? I'm going to order room service later." I shake my head and turn to walk away.

I know Ruqayya more than anyone else. I don't know why it shocks me when she does things like this. I'm supposed to be used to all this. I walk out of the suite and start heading towards mine when I hear Abba's voice.

"What happened in that house ne kam?" I tell him everything, not even bothering to sugarcoat Hajiya Salaha's actions.

"Ya Allah! Ita Salaha bazata canza bah?" Abba shakes his head and heads for his and Ummi's suite. I walk to mind and take a quick shower, pray Isha and then decide to walk around the pool I saw downstairs. My suite overlooks the pool and it looks empty now, probably because night is starting to set in.

I slip a large hijab over my night gown and take my phone. I walk to the pool, the surrounding a little breezy. I think that's because of the trees around.

I spend a little time there and when I feel light, I head back to the reception, order some food and then head back to my suite. My food arrives minutes later and I eat then go to sleep.

Abuja feels way better than Kaduna ever will. But right now, I don't even know which is better.

Abba has called for us in his sitting room, the one we only enter when he wants to have serious conversations with us. Like when I reported a teacher to him and he called the school in my presence to repeat my exact words to them. The teacher ended up getting fired.

Ruqayya and I are seated on the carpeted floor of Abba's parlor. While I am nervous, Ruqayya doesn't look the least bit worried. That girl has some sort of audacious attitude and I don't want to know where that will take her. Right now, it's doing her a lot of good though.

Abba finishes his tea and drops the mug with a loud clank on the tray and wipes his lips with a napkin.

"A day before yesterday, we went to Alhaji Kabir's house. I believe you met his sons, Abdallah and Bello." Both Ruqayya and I nod. Abba nods, picking a grape and plopping it into his mouth. I will never understand that man's relationship with grapes.

"You both are graduates, and we all know that a woman's life is not on track, it's not complete without a man in it. And I know for one, you both don't have suitors." That's partially true. While Ruqayya has rejected every single guy that has attempted to court her for one reason or the other, I don't even have it in me to entertain any man.

I don't think I'm ready for marriage. I know I'm of age, but I'm not mentally prepared for those hassles. So I use my words to repulse any man Ummi forces me to at least give a listening ear, and they never come back.

"So I decided to do a little looking for you both, myself. Now, I want you to know that you're not going to be forced to any of these men. I'm just guiding you to them. The rest will be up to you In Shaa Allah. If you think them worthy of you, then I'll take it from there. And if you feel you don't like them, fine. No one is forcing you here." I almost breath a sigh of relief. That means I don't have to entertain them.

"Bello is a newscaster, Abdallah is an engineer. The two of them will be here next week In Shaa Allah to see you both. And then you each can make a pick. You don't have to make yourself want them. If you do, fine. And if you don't, still fine." Ruqayya's voice comes and all I can hope is that she's not going to say something stupid.

"Actually, Abba. We exchanged contacts, Bello and I. We've been keeping in touch since then. We were on the phone this morning too." I watch Abba open his mouth and close it back then open it again. He's as shocked as I am.

When I say Ruqayya is shameless, I mean she's confidently shameless, with every pore of her being. Who tells their father that they've been talking to a guy they just met two days ago? Right, Ruqayya Ibrahim Tahir.

"Oh." Ruqayya nods at Abba's under-reaction.

"I love him Abba. I don't know if he loves me back yet. But I think he'll learn to, with time." I whip my head to look at the wawiya beside me. Abba is looking at her like I'm looking at her too; like she's not sane.

"Ruqayya, you said what? Kaman ban jiki bah." Without batting an eyelash, Ruqayya repeats exactly what she said, keeping her gaze steady on Abba's.

"Amma..." Abba trails off before sucking his teeth in, the sound making me want to gag.

"Toh shikenan. Allah ya zaba muku mafi Alkhairi." Ruqayya smiles and says an Ameen to Abba's prayer. Then he turns to me.

"Ke fah?" I lower my head. Surely, he doesn't expect me to have the crazy audacity Ruqayya has. If he does then I'm not even sorry that he's going to be drenched in disappointment the moment I open my mouth.

"Is it Abdallah?" I want to shake my head, but I just keep quiet. I don't even know what the said Abdallah looks like. I didn't spare him a glance. Okay, I did, a little. But I can't remember what he looks like, to God who made me.

"I don't know yet, Abba. I have to meet him first." I glance up and I don't know if I imagined it, but I think relief washes over his features before he nods.

"Toh, shikenan."

"But Abba, I have been wanting to talk to you about something." Abba stops his hand midway from dropping a grape in his mouth.

"What is it?" I hope he doesn't think I'm trying to escape the whole marriage thing.

"I want to further my studies." Abba chokes on his grape and I quickly hand him a bottle of water.

"Wani studies kuma zakiyi furthering Fa'iza?" I gulp.

"Abba Msc nikeso inyi." Abba keeps quiet, his fingers going around each other.

"Amma saidai kiyi a gidan mijinki gaskiya. You can't be twenty three, turning twenty four, with a degree in psychology, a second class upper at that, and expect me to allow you further your studies. Psychology is a good course, you can start working with EFCC, ICPC or even in a hospital." I want to so badly remind him that I am not interested in doing any criminology related jobs, I want to work towards the clinical part of psychology. That's why I need this MSc.

"Abba it's just a year. When I come back, I'll get married In Shaa Allah." Abba shakes his head, throwing another grape into his mouth.

"Saidai you'll get married and do whatever you want after that." I expected that, but I have one more bargain up my sleeve.

"Abba, zan iya samun tsayayye, a saka mana rana then I leave for the MSc, when I come back we get married immediately." Abba turns to me with a deep frown.

"Fa'iza, no! I will not be bargaining with you. You will get married if you want to further your studies. Otherwise, mu cigaba da zama a gidannan muna kallon juna." I want to frown but I know I'll get scolded at for it. So I lower my head.

"Kayi hakuri Abba. I'll meet with Abdallah next week In Shaa Allah and give you a feedback." Abba simply sucks his teeth.

"You can go." We both stand up and set to leave. I walk straight to my room hoping Ruqayya doesn't follow me. The woman uses every opportunity to annoy the living daylight out of me.

I climb up the stairs and change my mind last minute about going to my room and instead head in the opposite direction, to Ummi's room.

I find her sitting on the rocking chair by the glass window that overlooks the shade under which the cars are parked. She's slowly rocking herself as she reads one of her self-help books, a cup of steaming hot tea in her hand.

"Ummi, ina wuni." I enter the room and sit on the carpet, instinctively laying my head on her legs. She drops the tea, then folds the top of the book she's reading before dropping it next. I have told her countless times that she should use a bookmark. I've bought her hundreds of them but she just keeps them in her drawer, not ever using them.

"Mamana." I smile. My mother named me after she and Ummi's mother before she died. And she handed me to Ummi immediately after she felt me, held me as medically required of a new mother.

But I never felt her warmth because she died immediately after. That's what Ummi and their oldest sister, Hassana always tell me. I don't know my father either, they never talk about him. I grew up knowing Abba as my father, despite the fact that Ruqayya's cousins always make it their top priorities to remind me that I'm an orphan, and that I don't belong in that house.

But all my life, Abba and Ummi have made me feel so loved, that you wouldn't know I'm not their daughter until you hear my surname. And it doesn't help that I look like Ummi.

"Ya dai?" Ummi says when she notices I'm quiet.

"Babu, I just miss laying on your leg like this." I look up to catch her smile before laying back down. She pats my head, picking her book back up. We stay like that till I start to doze off, a certain voice making me smile.

30-4-2023
Unedited.
How are we enjoying the story so far? Is it a yay or a nay?

And now we have met Fa'iza. So who is your favorite character?

I have taken off my recently completed book, Classical Muslimah to take it to okadabooks. Hopefully, it will be up by tomorrow.

I have another book on Okadabooks too, Love, Bells and Heartbreaks. Do check it out.

I will be holding a question and answer session regarding my books this evening In Shaa Allah. And it will be on Instagram. My handle is @meemxy. _

Okay, bye!