#3

"You need to understand that as much as you want their happiness, they want yours too. You can't just deprive yourself the only thing that brings you solace just because you think they need it more than you. You can't just drop out of school, Fadwa." Nadia looked into her eyes and hope she could see a feeling that would let her know that Fadwa had really reasoned with what she had been telling her since when they started walking to the chemist, in the chemist and their way back home now. 

Fadwa heaved a sigh and looked up at Nadia, repositioning Sabeehah that was cradled on her back. She took another footstep and looked at her feet for long before she spoke. "You would never understand this, Nadia. Just because I'm dropping out of school doesn't mean I'm ending my life. There are a lot of things I could do than to study, my family need it more. And had it been Ammi have a way she could pay for my exams, she would've done that gladly. And you of all people know that Baffah is completely out of the question. So don't worry, I promise you I would be fine. Trust me."

Nadia palmed her face and squeezed her hand on Fadwa's shoulder. "You need to understand that, always telling your loved ones to trust you while you figure everything out doesn't mean we aren't seeing you crumbling within. It doesn't mean we don't see your begging eyes always, trust me Fadwa; we know you want for once to rely on someone too."

Fadwa smiled and stopped by their house door. She looked at a worried Nadia and flashed her a reassuring look. "When I tell you to trust me, I mean it; Nady. You need to trust me because I know everything is in the hands of Allah, and he surely doesn't forget about a certain Fadwa Mamman Jalo that lives in the street of Luggere within the city of Adamawa state. He knows, he sees, and he always hears; Nadia. We should only pray for the best."

Nadia turned to her back and scooted off a sleeping Sabeehah, "I know, Fadwa. And you would always be in my prayers. Let's get her in and lay her down." With that, they marched together into the house. It was a peaceful evening, because Baffah had left after vomiting out the gross within him, and he wouldn't be back till midnight. 

Fadwa gently lifted their curtain and made way for Nadia to pass. She salaamed and walked into the room before placing down Sabeehah on the bed, and it squeaked at the added weight. 

Nadia and Fadwa sat before Ammi and they greeted her. "I'm fine, Nadia. How have you been and your Umma? I hope everything is fine at home?" Ammi asked, flashing her a beautiful and loving smile-as if she isn't the woman that was breaking with each passing second within her heart. 

Nadia crossed her legs into a yoga position and smiled, "Yes Ammi, everyone is fine. Umma is extending her greetings to you."

"Let's eat, Nadia." Fadwa offered her food, it was placed on a plate but still in its black leather. 

"No, Alhamdulillah. I ate the food before you went to our house. You should eat and have some rest though." She flashed Fadwa a loving look and turned her attention back to Ammi that was affectionately staring at them. She loves their friendship because if not with Nadia by Fadwa's side, she would've been long crumbled. 

"Ammi, Fadwa told me something really disturbing and I think I should talk to you about it maybe you could make her change her mind," Nadia said, and Fadwa looked up at her-but she snubbed the look. She couldn't just leave everything in Fadwa's hands while she always uses her mantra to beguile people into believing that she could do it while she clearly couldn't.

"What is that Nadia is?" Ammi asked, looking curiously between Nadia and Fadwa. 

Nadia squirmed in her position and spoke. "She said she's dropping out of school because there isn't any way she could pay for her exams fees. But Ammi we know that's completely out of the question, Fadwa should never drop out of school. As much as she will try denying it, she needs to be in school."

It took Ammi some minutes before she spoke. "She told us that before she left, and I too know that's never the good option for Fadwa. But she's selfless as you know. What do you think is the better solution for this, Nadia?" Ammi asked and all her attempts of not letting her tears out proved futile. She briskly cleared them away. 

Nadia looked confused, she's pointless. "I don't know, Ammi. Maybe we get a loan and pay little by little?" She suggested it was the best idea.

"I don't think that would work, but how much are the exams fees?" Ammi asked, not that she was sure they would get the loan, she doesn't like loaning money. It's just not her thing.

"For WAEC; it's 19,950. For NECO; it's 9,850. For Jamb, it's 5000 but the period for jamb has passed so we can only focus on the two mean ones. That makes it 29,800." Nadia mentioned, hopefully looking at Ammi with beseeching eyes. 

Ammi gasped. Where in the whole world of Adamawa could they find a loan of 30000, because what's left of the two hundred nairas? The tears came back to her in a rush. She couldn't stop it this time around.

"That's a huge amount, Nadia. Nobody could lend us this amount and you know it. They would think that he's the one that sends us, you know our reputation here. I don't know what we can do again." She was silently crying now if there's a way she could do something about this she would. By Allah, she would. 

Fadwa moved to where Ammi was and placed her hand on her shoulder, "Stop crying, Ammi. I'm fine living my life as it is, please don't stress yourself over this. If it's destined to happen, it would. Don't bother yourself please, I'm fine. Trust me."

"Fadwa, they say education is the key to success. You were the one that told Majida this two weeks ago, aren't you? And why are you saying you're fine with you being off that lane? Never."

"Ammi, I told her that so she could be serious with her studies more, and it worked. But education is not the key to all successes. With education or without, your Fadwa would surely be successful. Trust me." And she leaned in and hugged Ammi, she felt tears rolling down her cheeks at the warmth that seeps from her mother, and she tried not stifling them back-they've been holding there for two weeks. 

Seeing the emotional turmoil they're in, Nadia wiped away her tears and silently hushed her goodbye to them, walking out of the room with a heavy heart. She prays Allah to see them through their affairs. For she hates seeing her friend in this crumbled situation.

•

She pulled down her legs onto the bare ground of Adamawa state. She inhaled the air and smiled, turning to look at her son that had his face tight since when their flight landed. Instantly, Mamitah fell in love with the state and its ambience. 

"Let's get down, Maheer. I need to catch my plane back to Abuja today." She speaks with a french accent and acts with all grace a french woman would. She is Mashel LaPointe, the exquisite french wife of Alhaji Aliyu Shagari. Mother to the famous heartbreaker; Maheer Aliyu Shagari. 

"Mamitah, would you stop being all giddy about this whole state, please? It seems that you can relocate back here with every chance you might get." He groaned and hopped out of the car in a swift movement. 

Mamitah looked at him and smiled before she walked behind him to match his steps. She begged Daddy to buy this apartment for him because he kept saying it was him staying off-campus that instigated his naughty behaviours at the three different countries he went for studies. But what would she do other than beg? Because Maheer swore not to come to Adamawa unless he is to live off-campus. 

"Let's get in, I know the gateman is here," she said and took his left arm in hers and they walked to the front door. 

They knocked at the front door and waited until the gateman opened the door and bowed down to greet his boss. "Good evening, Hajia. I wish you had a very good trip?" He asked, standing up, as he ran to the car and began taking the luggage the driver was unloading from the car. 

Maheer looked at Mamitah and let out a gruff, "You even got a gateman, so he could babysit me or what?" He knew she loved him even more than she loved herself, and that's why he got to do everything he wanted to do to her. Fully knowing his first time coming to this state wouldn't be good, he kept on begging until she made Daddy agreed that he wouldn't bring him here but her.

"It's just for security purpose, Maheer. Stop being a baby and man up, I'm leaving in the next thirty minutes. Malam Dayyabu! Can I have the keys to the house please?" She shouted to the gateman so he could hear her from where he stands at the gate, with Maheer's luggage in his hands. 

"Yes, Madam." And he ran towards her and handed her the keys before taking the bags and he followed them inside with them. 

Maheer looked around the living room and an unexpected breath escaped his lips. It was well furnished to his liking, and he knew it was the deed of Mamitah and Badra of course; because the bookshelf he saw at the right angle of the living room with all his favourite authors' new books he hadn't read-he knew Badra has a hand in this. 

"Like the place?" Mamitah asked and smiled, seeing how he was looking between the angles of the room. 

He walked over the bookshelf and pulled out a pair of the book "I love it, Mamitah! Ya Allah!" He was smiling widely, long forgetting that this was the Adamawa he hated coming to with every fibre of his being, but here he is; smiling widely as if he had been taken to a country where he could skydive to his fill. Or he was taken to a top of a hill when it's dark and stars are adorning the sky, so he could star see until his eyes ache. 

"Come, boy, you need to see your room! You're going to love it more!" Mamitah spoke excitedly, and he knew she wouldn't be excited about anything. 

He placed back the book into its place and followed her to where she walked into. It was a small corridor, leading to two rooms facing each other. Whoever comes out of a room would have to see himself in the dazzling contour mirror pinned beautifully on the wall. 

Maheer stopped at the mirror and flicked back his curly hair away from his eyes. He smirked, knowing that he has already loved this place more than anywhere he has been to in his life. 

"Let's enter, Maheer." And he followed her into the room she said was his. 

"Wow!" He awed, unable to move forward into the room. It was lavishly furnished, everything to his taste and colour; Black! It was only the curtains that were silver. Man, he could drool over this room, just like how girls drool over the sight of him!

The bed was at the centre, above it was a huge window with mind blogging curtains adorning it. At the right side of the bed was a small corner and then the bathroom. On your way to the bathroom, there were Beautifully framed pictures of him and his family. Him and Mamitah, him and Badra, the last vacation they went together. Him and Badya while she grimaced her face annoyed at how he hugged her. Him together with both of them as they smiled to the camera. Him and Mamitah when they last went to Paris. Him and Daddy at Makkah, his last umrah. 

"I love this, Mamitah!" He squealed and hugged her from where she stood, waiting for his reaction since he started staring at the pictures placed on his wall. 

She laughed and left him looking at the left side of the room, there were two wall-length pictures of him! One while he was skydiving, and the other; he was at the top of a hill in Mumbai, staring at a sky full of stars! He drooled over that!

Maheer went back to where Mamitah was looking at his reaction with a smile playing on her lips and hugged the living daylight out of her! "Mamitah I love this place! I want to live here forever!" He squealed and hugged her again. 

"Wait...where's the wardrobe?" And it hits him now, he hasn't seen the wardrobe. Because directly opposite his bed was his mirror filled with the things they knew he loves. 

"Push those two pictures, you might be surprised." And he was because there was a whole damn walk-in closet with half of it filled with Kaftans!

"I'm not wearing any of these!" He groaned but was still awed at the whole house. 

"Daddy's work, he said here they respect you more when you were them. So.." she let the words trailed off and shrugged her shoulders. 

Maheer guided her back to the room and sat down at the resting sofa at the angle. "How do you do all these, Mamitah? I couldn't remember you coming to Adamawa or anything." 

"There are interior designers you know? And there's nothing money buy in this damn world!" He chuckled and hugged her again, he loves the french in her!

"Let's go and see the kitchen, then I'll leave. You can explore the whole house." And they silently walked to the kitchen! It was huge and lavish. 

He smiled widely ad looked at her. "But you know that I don't even know how to cook right? What's the use of it? But I love it still." He was checking the counters and found them all filled with groceries. 

"I expect you to have friends who can cook. They shouldn't be bad friends please."

"I only eat homemade foods!" "You only eat homemade foods!"

They shouted at the same time and looked at each other. They haven't talked about it until now when there is never a way out. He could eat all sort of desserts, drinks, and whatever it is outside but never normal food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner should be homemade. 

"We can hire you a maid that could cook and even clean the house. Remember, there's nothing money can't do and buy. Case closed."