Aish house of data

JEWELS AND LOVERS

A STORY BY LATEEFAH ADEWUNMI JUMAH - LAJFINGERS

EPISODE SIX

SCENE TEN

THE BELLOS

Tameem Bello had a really long day so after his mother's narration, he developed a migraine. He'd left home since the morning only to be welcomed back with reports of a misunderstanding between his mother and wife. He was lost for what to do or say. He had to rest a little before addressing anything.

He walked inside his bedroom and without changing his clothes, lay on the bed to catch some rest.

His mother started sobbing after he said he would address the issue later. She felt he snubbed her.

Atiyah, realising things had gone out of hand with her mother-in-law's tears, began to apologise.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to be rude. I was just trying to protect my husband's belongings …."

"Keep quiet, will you?! You're trying to protect your husband's belongings from who? Pele o, Mrs Protector. How dare you insult me because I try to take what belongs to my son? We've been living fine before you joined us and my son has been sharing his things with us without withholding anything. Now you arrive suddenly and want to prove that you love him more than us? I promise you, you'll regret ever insulting me," Mama said angrily, carried the rice she packed and left.

As hurt as she was over Atiyah's insult, she didn't leave the rice - it was her son's property, definitely.

Atiyah heaved a troubled sigh and walked inside her bedroom. To her, she was only trying to protect her husband's property, but she wasn't diplomatic about it. Her husband was already asleep by the time she walked in. And he didn't wake up until Maghrib. In fact, it was the adhan for the Maghrib prayer that woke him up. He got up and went straight to the mosque.

He met his wife in the living room. The former tried to speak to him but he didn't respond. She shook her head.

A few minutes later, he returned from the mosque and his wife tried to tell him that dinner was ready but he didn't respond.

"Tameem, I'm talking to you," she said but he left her puzzled and walked inside the bedroom.

She hastily followed him.

"Tameem, I said, dinner is ready!" She repeated but he didn't respond.

He picked up his phone and dialled his mother's number.

"Mummy, have you got home?"

"Haaa, are you back to your senses? The scale of your wife's charm has come off your eyes, isn't it? I left your house over three hours ago and you're just calling to ask if I've got home. Good son like you! As if walking out on me in the presence of your wife and ignoring my complaints weren't enough, you still abandoned me to go home alone …"

"I'm sorry, mummy. Wallahi, I was having a serious migraine. I had to rest. It wasn't as if I ignored your complaint or walked out on you …."

"Why won't you have a migraine? Didn't you know that you're living with a migraine? Your wife is your migraine. See, I'll not come to your house again, never! Your wife had the guts to tell me not to take stuff from your house, how dare she?"

"Mummy, I'm sorry. I'm deeply sorry. I'll talk to her. Such will never repeat itself. You're very free to come to my house any time, any day. Please don't take Atiyah's behaviour to heart. I'll talk to her."

"Haaa, she really disrespected me. In fact, I haven't been that humiliated all my life. How dare she? She wants to separate us but my God will never make it possible for her. Instead of her succeeding in splitting this family, she'll be the one to leave my son's house and life with her two left legs. In fact, I have called her mother and reported her daughter's bad behaviour to her so that whenever we send her packing, she won't be surprised."

"You didn't have to call her mother!" Tameem said and Atiyah became frightened. The issue had really escalated.

"Why shouldn't I call her mother? She raised her so badly so she has to know the aftermath of her poor job."

"Hmmm! I'm sorry, mummy. I'll talk to her. Such will never repeat itself. I'm sorry on behalf of my wife."

"She doesn't have a mouth, right? Why are you apologising for her? Please, I'm hanging up. My soup is on the fire," the woman said and hung up.

Atiyah, who'd been listening to their conversation and could also hear her mother-in-law's voice from the other end, began to apologise profusely.

"I'm sorry, Tameem. I'm really sorry …"

"You should be sorry. You should really be sorry. How could you?! I mean, are you not an African woman? Who challenges a mother in her own son's house? Even if she's carrying this whole house away, shouldn't you have kept your peace and allowed me to get back? You acted so unclassy, no, I'm disappointed in you. Now you've succeeded in entering her bad book. And you know I don't like problems, especially when it involves my mum and my wife. I don't."

"I'm sorry," she apologised tearfully as the pang of regret hit her. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to protect your properties like a good wife should …."

"Who sent you? You should protect my property from outsiders and not my family. If my mum is taking anything from my house that you feel could hurt me financially or physically, you don't have to be confrontational. The least you'd do is give me a call and I'll take it up from there …." Tameem was speaking when Atiyah's phone rang.

It was her mum. Her heart raced. She knew the woman was calling her because of the issue on ground. She heard it when her mother-in-law told her son that she'd informed her mother.

"My mum is calling, can I pick it?"

"Go ahead and answer your mum's call. You're not in a prison …"

"I asked because I didn't want to cut you short since you were speaking …"

"Don't worry, answer your mum's call. We'll talk later," he said and walked out of the bedroom.

By this time, her phone had stopped ringing. Atiyah buried her head in her palm. She actually thought she was protecting her husband's property. Now even her husband didn't appreciate what she did. The other day, he seemed to be feeling suffocated about the heavy burden his mum had placed on his head. She told him she'd help him and he didn't object. And now that she had tried to help him, he threw her under the bus. He would do anything to please his mother. She wished she'd known this earlier. Her tears poured torrentially.

A few minutes later, her mother called back. She hesitated before picking and immediately after she picked up, her eardrum nearly damaged with her mother's deafening noise.

"Your mother-in-law called me. In fact, she called me different unprintable names. She said I didn't raise you well. She said 'like mother like daughter. She said she'll send you packing because you're nothing but a homewrecker. She said she's been living fine with her son before you entered with your two left legs. She said I must be the one teaching you against her. Haaaa, Atiyah! Why did you humiliate me this much? What's your concern with your mother-in-law packing your husband's foodstuff to her daughter's house? If she likes, let her sell your husband, he's her son. Why do you have to interfere? Don't you know any behaviour you put up in your husband's house speaks volumes of your background and upbringing? Your in-laws will easily send insults to your parents, your mother especially and that's what is happening now. What's your business with how she chooses to treat her son? If they like, let them ask him to lie down flat while they walk over him, it's none of your business. Will you love him more than his family? See what your irrational behaviour has caused. You didn't only embarrass yourself, you embarrassed your mother and your entire family."

"Mummy, I'm so sorry. I'm really very sorry. I won't do that again. I was only trying to protect his properties .."

"Next time, do it with sense. You don't have to be confrontational. It's very rude. Sometimes, a wife needs to protect her husband even from his family but the way you go about it matters a lot. After ending the call with me, call her and apologise to her and don't ever allow such to repeat itself."

"Yes, ma. I'll do that, ma. I'm sorry for the humiliation and embarrassment that I caused you. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. It's one's yam that dips one's hand inside the palm oil." (Read that in Yoruba)

Author's commentary!

Sometimes really, a wife needs to protect her husband even from his family but being confrontational can be dangerous. In fact, it will cause more harm than good. In Islam, a woman is encouraged to protect her husband's properties in his absence but how do you do this when it concerns his family like the scenario above? Wisdom, clearly, has to be applied. Like Tameem told his wife, she could have just sent him a message or tried to call him if what his family were taking from his house could cause him financial or physical strains.
Diplomacy, carefulness, tactfulness, discretion and wisdom are tools used for fighting sensitive wars.

To be continued.

LATEEFAH ADEWUNMI JUMAH - LAJFINGERS

MY CRUSH 4

A STORY BY LATEEFAH ADEWUNMI JUMAH - LAJFINGERS

EPISODE TWENTY

It was 10:15 p.m already, quite late to go out. Jamil told the woman that he would come the next day for her to take him to the woman's house.

He relayed the message of the woman to his family. They were all happy. A ray of hope was beginning to shine upon them. Their joy knew no bounds. Their sleep that night was different from the ones they'd been having since the sad incident. It was peaceful but not deep. Anxiety could not allow them to sleep soundly. They got up early to pray tahajjud as usual.

Very early the next day, Jamil called the woman and they fixed a meeting for 8:00 a.m. Jamil and Hassan set out at 7:30 a.m. Their dad wanted to follow them but they told him to stay behind.

They set out and got to the woman's fruit stand before eight o'clock.

Barirah was cleaning the kitchen after cooking when her mum entered the kitchen. The woman was no longer shouting or yelling at her. She was no longer angry with her but she remained cold towards her so Barirah was very careful around her.

Immediately after her mother entered the kitchen, she dropped the kitchen napkin in her hand and was walking out hastily but her mother called her back.

"Where are you going?" She asked her and Barirah paused.

"I'm done with cooking and cleaning. I'm going back to my room, ma!"

"You're not going back to your room, you're simply avoiding me. Why? Did you do something wrong?"

Barirah was quiet.

"You're definitely guilt-ridden by your actions, and that's why you've not been cheerful around me. My husband said I should stop scolding you or being angry with you but Barirah, I can't help it. I can't help being angry with you. Every time I see you, I get irritated and my blood boils. And that's because you're the cause of all this problem that we're facing. If it weren't for your shamelessness of falling in love with your step brother, we wouldn't be where we are today. If it weren't for your brazenness of confessing that abominable love, I wouldn't have taken the steps I took. So you see, you're the cause of this problem. And how do you feel now that your step sister is missing because of your stupidity? Will you be able to marry Jamil now? Will Jamil marry you now that his sister is missing?" The woman asked her spitefully but she didn't respond.

"You can't answer me? I said, will you be able to marry Jamil now? Oh my God! How can you do this to us, Barirah? How can you put a whole family into melancholy because of your selfish desire? Don't you have sense? Don't you have shame? How can you even think of marrying your own step brother? What kind of stupid love clouded your senses? How did you even develop the courage to tell us about it? Barirah, you're the cause of all this. You caused this calamity that has befallen us," the woman continued to guilt-trip her and by now, she had started crying.

"Stop your crocodile tears, please! Shameless girl! I can't believe I gave birth to a senseless girl like you," she reprimanded her and hissed.

Barirah continued to cry. Her mother stared at her with disgust.

"Tell me, is it Jamil that manipulated you into this?"

She shook her head.

"Were you the one that manipulated him?"

She shook her head again.

"Stop shaking your head like an agama lizard and open your mouth. I asked you a question. Who manipulated who between the two of you?"

"None of us. Our love is mutual …."

"Keep quiet! Nonsense! It will not be better for mutual love ….. Listen to me," the woman's voice was calm now. "I know this must be Jamil's handwork. He thinks he's some kind of Islamic scholar so he has to practise everything Islam says. He has been like that since I married his father - overzealous and highly exuberant about the practice of Islam. But you see, my dear, do not allow a man to deceive you. Jamil is only trying to use you to experiment a strange Islamic law. He doesn't love you. He doesn't love you at all. I can read through his lies. He doesn't love you. He's only trying to use you to prove a point. A point that step siblings who don't share a blood can get married. But my dear, it's very bizzare. Don't fall for it. Don't fall for the antics of men in general. A man will lead you to the edge of a cliff then leave you there and run away. A man will promise you forever but leave you after 24 hours. A man will promise you heaven and earth but won't even be able to give you a plate of rice. Don't trust men. Men are deceitful. Don't trust Jamil. Jamil doesn't love you. He'll only use you for his experiment and if he sees that it doesn't work, he would dump you, heartbroken. Please my daughter. I don't hate you. Why would I hate the first fruit of my loins? Why would I hate the child that set my foot upon motherhood and the one that first called me a mother? In fact, I love you so very much, and I don't want you to stray. I'm only after your happiness. Please my darling, leave Jamil. Forget everything about Jamil. Now, and forever. Please my darling," the woman pleaded and slowly went on her knees.

Barirah quickly pulled her up.

"Please, mummy! Don't kneel down for me," Barirah replied and ran to her room.

She shut the door and leaned her body on the wall, then slowly went down and sat on the floor. She rested her back on the door and sobbed while soliloquizing.

'Jamil is not deceiving me. Jamil loves me. He's not using me to do experiment, no. He's a good man. He's not deceiving me. He's not going to dump me. He loves me, yes, Jamil loves me. I know for sure. And no, not all men are deceitful. There are good men. There are good men for sure. And Jamil is one of them. He loves me and he truly wants to marry me. Mum is just trying to poison my mind against him. She'll do anything to separate us. She'll go to any length to destroy our love. She tried it when she came up with the pregnancy plot. That pregnancy plot was what got us into this problem. It wasn't the love that me and Jamil shared. It wasn't our confession of love that caused all this problem. It was mummy and her husband's evil plot that caused it. She's trying to hypnotise me. She's trying to guilt trip me. I'll not fall for it. I'll definitely not fall for it. The love I share with Jamil will definitely thrive. We'll find Haneefah and everything will be fine …. ' she was still soliloquizing when her phone beeped.

It was a WhatsApp message. She checked it and it was a photo from a strange number. Upon downloading the photo, she realised it was Yazeed's photo. She quickly dried her tears and smiled. One of the things that helped her whenever she was feeling down was putting smiles on people's faces. She decided to put a smile on Rayhanah, her friend's face.

Without wasting time, she sent the photo to Rayhanah. A few minutes later, Rayhanah responded and the following conversation ensued between them.

"Who's this fine Bobo?" Rayhanah asked her.

"Do you like him?" Barirah asked.

"Well, he's cool. His face is every woman's dream but I hope his character is as beautiful as his face."

"Well, to the best of my knowledge, he has a beautiful character. Do you like him?"

"Stop asking me if I like him. Why did you send his photo to me? What's his name?"

"Hmmm! His name is Yazeed. He's single and ready to mingle," Barirah replied.

"Really?" Rayhanah replied with a dance emoji.

"Yes."

"Who's he?"

"He's a resident in my dad's neighbourhood."

"Really? How well do you know him?"

"Well, not much but from the little I know, he's a good person and he's equally from a good family."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. You can have my words. But you can still do a personal investigation about him."

"Okay. I like his photo. I hope I like his character as well."

"I hope so. Should I send your photo to him?"

"Hmmmm, well … ermm …."

"Which one is hmmm … well …. ermmm …. Make a decision, should I send your photo to him or not?"

"Okay. You can send it to him."

"Good girl! I'll send your photo to him. Then after, your number."

"Are you sure he's a good person?"

"Yes. You'll also make your findings. It's not as if you'll jump on him immediately."

"Okay. Thank you so much. You're a rare gem."

"You're welcome."

"So, how far about you and Jamil?"

"Complicated. Hmmmm!" She sighed.

"What do you mean by that?" Rayhanah asked and Barirah explained everything to her.

"Subhanallah! All this happened and you didn't tell me?" Rayhanah exclaimed.

"I was too sad and confused to even think straight," she replied amidst tears.

"Subhanallah! So, any news about Haneefah?"

"Not yet, o. Jamil and Hassan went to a place that is suspected to be that of the woman that carried her from the accident scene. They're not yet back."

"Please keep me updated. May Allah keep Haneefah safe wherever she is."

"Aamin. I'll keep you updated. Thanks for your concern."

"Please stop crying. Everything will be fine, okay. Haneefah would be found and you and Jamil would be fine," her friend comforted her.

"Thank you so much, Rayhanah. I'll send your photo to Yazeed and he'll reach out to you."

"All right. Thank you so much. Ain't you lonely over there? Should I come over?"

"Don't worry. I'll cope."

"You shouldn't be alone at this time. What about Radiyya?"

"Her school is on session. In fact, we didn't tell her anything. She saw it online. She wanted to come home but mum said she should stay in school."

"Eyaaa! I can imagine how terrified she must have been, seeing the broadcast that her step-sister is missing."

"It's really heartbreaking."

"What about Hussein?"

"He's in boarding school, you know. School is not on break so he's still in school."

"I see. I hope he didn't know anything. He'll really be devastated and lose concentration on his studies."

"I don't think he knows. My step dad told his school not to tell him. May Allah bring Haneefah safely to us soon before our hearts start getting weary."

"Allah will answer your prayers. Now that I know, I'll also include you in my prayers. Please don't despair of Allah's mercy. In this case, I think I understand your mum's anger. Please be patient with her and don't ever be tempted to respond to her, okay!"

"Thank you so much. I'll be patient with her."

"That's beautiful. I'll call you back in the evening."

"All right. Thanks," Barirah replied and the call ended.

Immediately after the call ended, she sent Rayhana's photo to Yazeed but he wasn't online at that time to see it.
***
The fruit seller had not arrived when Jamil and Hassan got to her stand but they waited patiently for her. She didn't arrive until 8:30 a.m and apologised for delaying them.

They set out and it happened to be a long journey. Jamil sat at the wheel, the fruit seller sat at the front seat with him to guide the way while Hassan sat at the back. They completely left Osogbo and were heading towards another town.

"Are we still on track?" Jamil asked her.

"Yes. We are still on track. The Okada followed the car to its destination yesterday and that's where we're heading to," the woman explained.

"All right," Jamil replied and continued driving.

After driving for a few more minutes, they entered a kind of deserted area. The houses were scanty and the bushes were tall.

"I'm scared," Hassan said, frightened.

It seemed Jamil too was scared but he didn't show it. His hands were sweaty as he continued driving.

"Don't be scared," the woman said to Hassan. "We're almost there," she said but they didn't get there even after a few minutes of driving.

They continued to drive through the thick and tall bushes.

Hassan became nervous and apprehensive. He decided to communicate with Jamil in a language that the woman would not understand. He started first in English.

"Bro Jamil, let's not make this journey boring. I want to revise my arrabiyyah assignment, please listen and correct me where necessary," Hassan said but Jamil was confused.

He didn't remember giving him any arrabiyyah assignment. But before Jamil could express his surprise that might disrupt his brother's plan, Hassan started conversing in Arabic.

"Bro Jamil, my instinct is telling me that this woman is evil," Hassan said to his brother in Arabic.

"My instinct is telling me all is not well too. I am the one driving so I can sense that this road we're heading to leads to nowhere. It's obviously a deserted place. One can easily get killed here without any trace. But why would this woman want to harm us?" Jamil asked his brother in Arabic.

"I don't know. But let's turn back, please. Let's turn back. You can quickly make a turn from here, bro Jamil," Hassan reiterated.

"Yes, I will. I should …." Jamil was responding in Arabic when the woman spoke.

"We're almost there. Yes, that house over there is the house described by the Okada man …."

"You seem to be very familiar with this place. Did you follow the Okada man yesterday?" Hassan asked her, having sensed her mischief.

"No," the woman replied sharply. "He's so good at description. So I got his description perfectly," the woman replied.

"You didn't get the description because the Okada man is good at description," Jamil replied. "This place is too far from residential areas not to miss a single turn, but you didn't miss a single turn. You're definitely accustomed to this place. You've definitely been here a good number of times…" Jamil was speaking when he saw two scary men in front of the only house in the area.

"Bro Jamil, turn back!" Hassan screamed.

"Don't let us turn back, Haneefah could be in their captivity, you know!" Jamil said.

"I don't think so. This woman doesn't know where Haneefah is. She just wants to use our plight to trick us into danger," Hassan replied and the woman laughed.

"Are you sure? Let's save Haneefah!" Jamil said.

"Haneefah is not here. This woman just tricked us here. Please turn back! We're in danger. Please turn back," Hassan pleaded nervously.

Jamil quickly made a turn and pressed hard on the throttle.

The two men, seeing that he had turned back, hopped into the jalopy car that was parked in front of the house and started the engine. They started following them.

"Bro Jamil, please speed!" Hassan screamed and Jamil pressed hard on the accelerator again.

"Why did you turn back?" The woman asked. "Don't you want to see the woman that carried your sister away? Are you a coward?" The woman asked and laughed.

"Bro Jamil, please don't mind her. They're following us. Please drive fast!" Hassan screamed again and Jamil increased the speed.

The woman tried to drag the steering wheel with him to make him stop but Hassan got up from his seat and held the woman tightly with his man power.

"Leave me alone. Why are you holding me?" The woman struggled to free herself from Hassan but Hassan gripped her more tightly while Jamil continued driving at the highest speed.

Fortunately for them, the jalopy that was following them couldn't catch up with them - it couldn't go fast because it was old.

Jamil didn't stop speeding until they adjoined the highway. When it dawned on the woman that they'd escaped, she became sober and started pleading for freedom.

"I'm sorry. Please allow me to go. I was manipulated by those men because I needed money," the woman said but the brothers hissed.

After they'd left the danger zone, Jamil turned to the woman.

"I'm taking you to the police station, you evil woman! I can't believe you want to make use of our vulnerability to harm us. Hassan, please hold her tightly. When she gets to the police station, she'll tell them where they kept my sister …"

"Please forgive me. I don't know anything about your sister's whereabouts. I don't know the woman that carried her away. In fact, I didn't see any car that looked like her car. I needed money. And those men said I should get them people in exchange for money. Knowing your situation, I knew you would follow me anywhere. That was why I tricked you. I don't know anything about your sister's disappearance. Please forgive me. Don't take me to the police station …"

"Keep quiet, you devil! When you get to the station, you'd explain yourself," Jamil said and took her to the nearest police station.

To be continued.

LATEEFAH ADEWUNMI JUMAH - LAJFINGERS

MY CRUSH 4

A STORY BY LATEEFAH ADEWUNMI JUMAH - LAJFINGERS

EPISODE TWENTY-ONE

Jamil drove the woman to the nearest police station while Hassan held tightly unto her.

The car was pulled to a stop then Jamil got out and went to the passenger's seat to pull out the woman. She continued begging for mercy but they didn't listen to her. Both brothers dragged her into the police station.

The police asked what the matter was and they explained. They were also asked to write a statement, which they did.

"You should be careful next time," one of the policemen told Jamil and Hassan. "Kidnappers are very much on this route. This is how they lure their victims to their den. Next time, you should inform the police before following her. I understand that you were desperate to save your sister but if you're not careful, in a bid to save your sister, you'd also put yourself in danger," the policeman advised the brothers.

"Thank you," they chorused.

Right in their presence, the woman was interrogated and she continued to deny knowing anything about Haneefah's disappearance. She told them that the men were her neighbours from her former neighbourhood. She needed money and contacted them for help. And they told her to bring people to their den in exchange for money. That was her explanation all through the interrogation. The police decided to lead her to the kidnappers' den to arrest the men and also interrogate them to get the truth.

Jamil and Hassan left the police station with the promise to get back the next day. On their way home, Jamil told his brother not to breathe a word of what happened to their family, lest they would be worried. Hassan nodded his head. He also agreed that it wasn't necessary to tell the family about it.

The tension that followed Haneefah's disappearance was enough headache for the family. It would add to their headache, knowing that the two of them also had a near kidnap experience.

The brother's got home at past 7:00 p.m and their family inquired about their outing.

"The car that the fruit seller saw has nothing to do with the person that carried Haneefah away," Jamil replied with a dull face.

"Really?" Their family chorused.

"But you should have followed her to the house of the car owner," Mr Ariyo added.

"We followed her and that's how we knew there isn't any connection with the woman that carried Haneefah away," Jamil replied and his father started lamenting again.

"Oh my goodness! Where could the woman have taken my daughter to? Where is Haneefah, ooo. Where's my precious daughter? A dead child is better than a missing one …."

"Please calm down," his wife comforted him. "Haneefah will not die. She'll be found. Allah will answer our prayers and bring her back to us safely," Mrs Ariyo held her husband and dried his tears.

Jamil heaved a deep sigh, got up and was heading to his room when Barirah stopped him.

"Should I serve your food?" She asked and he gave her a stern look that made her look stupid.

She rubbed her body as if rubbing in the invisible insult. Her mouth became heavy for a moment but not too heavy to ask Hassan if she should serve his food.

"Let me go in and pray Maghrib. I'll come back to eat, thanks," Hassan thanked her and left for his room.

Barirah got up and walked sluggishly to the kitchen. She couldn't get over the harsh look Jamil gave her. She heaved deeply again and sat on the stool in the kitchen.

'Have I done anything wrong by telling him to eat? Why does he have to look at me with so much disdain? Why's everyone treating me with so much contempt? It was my mother in the morning and now Jamil. I understand that everyone is sad but why should I be at the receiving end of everyone's anger?' Barirah soliloquized as tears welled up in her eyes.

Suddenly, she got up and went to her room. At this point, she would give up on trying to make everyone eat. If they like, they should go hungry, she would not care again.

At this time, it was already time for Ishai. She prayed and went straight to bed afterwards. But she couldn't fall asleep. Her mind was heavy. Since Haneefah's disappearance, sleeping had been a nightmare for all of them. But it was worse for Barirah because everyone seemed to vent their frustration on her. Meanwhile, she was only trying to help. Why wouldn't they see her kindness?

It was her mother that firstly accused her of being shameless because she dared to cook and even call others to eat while her step sister was missing. Then she went ahead, trying to hypnotise and poison her mind against Jamil. To what end? She thought and heaved deeply. Even Jamil wasn't treating her any better. His silence and coldness towards her was loud. What could be going through his mind? She wished she knew.

Barirah was still in this thought when her phone rang. It was Rayhanah, her friend. She hissed lightly and hesitated before picking up.

"Asalam Alaykum Warahmatullah Wabarakatuh," Rayhanah greeted her.

"Walaykum salam warahmatullah wabarakatuh," her response was dull.

"What's wrong? You don't sound good!" Rayhanah was concerned.

"There's no problem," she replied.

"Well, if you say so, but I'm not convinced. Are your brothers' back. Is there any news?" Rayhanah asked.

"No. There's no news at all."

"Eyaaaa! I'm so sorry about that. Little wonder why your voice is dull. Please don't lose hope. We beg Allah to keep her safe wherever she is."

"Aamin. We're hopeful in the mercy of Allah."

"That's the spirit. We won't lose hope in the mercy of Allah, no matter what," Rayhanah encouraged her.

"Thanks so much. Has Yazeed reached out to you? I sent him your photo this morning but he hasn't responded."

"Hmmmm! Yes. He reached out …."

"Really? So fast! What did you discuss?"

"Ha-gha!" Rayhanah chuckled. "What a funny soul he is …"

"What makes him funny?"

"Well, immediately he called, he said, "I have seen your photo and I liked it. But pictures can be deceptive, you know. Why don't you let us have a video call ….."

"Really?" Barirah exclaimed.

"Yes. He's so confident."

"Wow! So what did he say after seeing you?" Barirah was eager to know.

"He said, "Wow, you're a beauty to behold, Maa Shaa Allah! If I say Barirah is beautiful, you're the real definition of stunning!"

"He said that?" Barirah was surprised.

"Yes, he did."

"Nonsense! Is he marrying for beauty? How dare he try to compare two friends' beauty?"

"Calm down. I'm sure he didn't mean it that way …."

"Really? You're defending him already?" Barirah was amazed. "Anyway, it's obvious that the attraction is mutual. Please don't jump on him like a hungry spinster. Make sure you do your istikharah. And I can help you with investigating him more."

"Thank you, Barirah. You're a darling! I love your selflessness. You're the real definition of being big-hearted. I appreciate this kind gesture of yours. And yes, I like him. But I won't allow that to cloud my senses. I'll pray about him," Rayhanah said happily.

"I'm glad to hear that. May Allah aid you and guide you right."

"Aamin. Thank you so much. I pray that Haneefah returns safely so that the love between you and Jamil can come to pass …."

"Hmmmm!" Barirah sighed deeply.

"What's on your mind?" Her friend was worried.

"Nothing. I don't seem to understand the whole thing again .."

"What exactly happened?"

"I think Jamil is acting cold towards me."

"Are you sure? What happened, please tell me."

"I mean, he won't even talk to me. This evening when he got back, I asked if I should serve his food but if you see how he looked at me with so much contempt, I wished the ground would open and swallow me."

"Eyaaaa! I'm sorry about that. But you see, I don't think Jamil is cold towards you. It's your wrong perception, trust me. Please cut him some slack. His sister is missing for God's sake. He's stressed out, physically, emotionally and psychologically. He's perplexed. He's melancholic. Please understand."

"Yes, I understand all this. And I'm not really asking for his whole attention. In fact, I'd be fine if he's not speaking to me at all but that coldness and look of contempt, I can't stand it."

"I understand how you feel. But please, try to have a positive view of it. He might not mean it. Trust me, he's tired. He's going through a lot. Try and bear with him, uhn!" Her friend's voice was persuasive.

"Thank you. I'll try."

"Please do. May Allah comfort all of you."

"Aamin."

"Let me go now. Do have a beautiful night's rest."

"And you too," Barirah replied and the call ended.

After the call, she tried to reason along with her friend. She should have been more understanding instead of whining. It was true that Jamil was stressed. He'd been running helter-skelter since his sister got missing. He was probably not in the mood to eat this evening and that look he gave her must be a tired look rather than the disdainful one she thought it was. The excuses kept creeping through her mind till she slept off.

The following morning, she was up by 4 a.m. She got up and went straight to the bathroom to perform ablution. Then she stood up in prayers and begged Allah to return Haneefah safely to them. After the voluntary prayers, she prayed the obligatory morning prayer after which she mounted on the chores.

After getting done with cooking that morning, she was scared to call anyone to table for the fear of being insulted. So she returned to her room and started cleaning her room.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It was Hassan. She opened the door for him and he walked in.

"Asalam Alaykum Warahmatullah Wabarakatuh," Hassan greeted her.

"Walaykum salam warahmatullah wabarakatuh. How was your night?" She asked him.

"Alhamdilillah Rabil'Alamin. It wasn't fine but we still thank Allah," Hassan replied, feeling suffocated.

Barirah pulled him to her embrace.

"I understand what you're going through. We are in this together. We won't lose hope. We'll continue to beg Allah to bring her safely to us," Barirah said, comforting her brother.

"My heart is heavy, wallahi," Hassan lamented.

"I know. I understand. But please don't think too much of it."

"Did you know we were almost kidnapped yesterday?"

"Subhanallah! How? Where?" Barirah exclaimed.

"Hmmmm! It happened that the fruit seller lured us to the den of kidnappers. I was really terrified …"

"Subhanallah! Oh my goodness!!" Barirah exclaimed once again.

"Please don't shout! Brother Jamil warned me not to tell anyone but my heart is just heavy. I need to share the experience to have a lighter chest."

Barirah hugged him once again and patted him on the back.

"It's good that you shared it. It's good that you let it out to free your mind. We thank God for saving you. We thank Him for not letting us have any reason to cry again. Haaa! Alhamdilillah Rabil'Alamin. Thank you Allah for saving Jamil and Hassan. Now I understand why Jamil was so cold yesterday. This was it. Oh Allah, we thank you. Please help us protect Haneefah wherever she is."

"Aamin. The whole thing is making me go crazy. For how long are we going to look for her? For how long are we going to be hopeful? I'm beginning to despair. WHERE IS SHE?" Hassan asked, frustrated. He burst into tears.

"Oh my little crying brother! Please do not cry. I understand that you're way too small for this experience. But the experience is going to give you more insight about life. Please do not cry again. Don't lose hope. Don't despair. We'll continue to be hopeful. We'll continue to pray. We'll continue to ….." Barirah was talking when they heard Jamil's voice.

"Hassan, where are you? Please let's go!" Jamil called out to him.

"Where are you both going?" Barirah asked.

"We were able to take that woman to the police station yesterday. She confessed that she lured us to the kidnappers' den truly but she denied having any involvement in Haneefah's disappearance. Do you think she's lying?"

"Well, I believe Haneefah is safe. So I don't think the fruit seller knows the woman that carried her away. I think she's just using our plight to her own mischievous advantage. I don't want to believe that Haneefah was kidnapped by the woman that carried her away. I believe she's safe. Yes, Haneefah is safe. She'll return to us safely, by the mercy of Allah," Barirah was optimistic.

"May Allah answer our prayers. I also believe she doesn't know anything about Haneefah's disappearance. Nonetheless, she still needs to be punished for what she did. And she has to confess her partners in crime so that they would be arrested."

"That's true. Please eat something before you leave. I have prepared breakfast," Barirah said and rushed out ahead of Hassan.

She dashed to the kitchen and made two servings. She brought them to the living room and placed them on the table. Jamil came out of his room, right about that time. Barirah's mum also walked into the living room about the same time.

Hassan carried a plate and started to eat.

"The second plate is for you," Barirah told Jamil, who shrugged.

"Hassan, I'll be waiting in the car. Join me when you're done eating," he told Hassan and walked out of the house.

Barirah felt bad but took it calmly. She returned to the kitchen to do the dishes. Her mother joined her in the kitchen.

"Barirah!" She called out her name.

"Ma," she replied and turned to her mother, ready to listen to her.

"Don't you have any pride as a woman?"

"Ma!" She was amazed.

"Sir!" Her mother was sarcastic. "Didn't you see how Jamil is acting towards you? And you continued to shamelessly force yourself on him. I told you yesterday that he only used you for an experiment. Now that the experiment has failed, he has dumped you like a piece of used paper. Didn't you see that he has dumped you? The handwriting is boldly written on the wall. Or is it until he tells you verbally that you'll get the drift? His sister is missing, yes. And we're all affected but why is he being cold towards you?" She asked and Barirah was quiet.

"My dear, the reason is not far-fetched. He thinks you're the cause of his sister's disappearance. He doesn't want anything to do with you again. And you're too dumb to understand all his unspoken words. Are you that stupid? If I were you, I would also start treating him as coldly as he's treating me. Barirah, get a grip on yourself. You're beautiful. In fact, your charm can get any man intoxicated. In other words, you're every man's dream. Stop forcing yourself on Jamil. He doesn't want you anymore. In fact, he has never loved you. He's just using you for an experiment and your usefulness has expired since the experiment has failed woefully. My darling daughter, respect yourself and tell him to go to hell. My daughter is beautiful. She's worth more than Gold and Silver. She doesn't deserve to be treated like a nobody by a man. She's endowed with an outstanding beauty that can make any man drool. So, why should she settle for less?" Barirah's mum continued to deliberately poison her mind towards Jamil.

Hassan finished eating and went to join Jamil outside.

He had already started the engine when Hassan got out. Hassan opened the gate for him to drive out.

On their way, Hassan decided to talk about what happened earlier.

"Why didn't you eat?"

"I'm not hungry," Jamil replied.

"You should have replied to sis Barirah when she called you to the table instead of ignoring her.

"Did I ignore her?"

"Yes, you did. You didn't respond to her. You just shrugged and said, "Hassan, I'll be waiting in the car. Join me when you're done eating." That wasn't cool at all. In fact, it was insulting!" Hassan made him realise.

"Honestly, I didn't know I ignored her. That was really not intentional. I have a lot on my mind."

"So is everyone of us. We all have a lot on our minds because we are all grieving. But we shouldn't hurt ourselves in the process."

"Thanks. I'll adjust," Jamil replied.

Back in the kitchen, Barirah's mum continued to lambast her.

"As if it's not enough that you put us all into trouble with your nonsense confession of love, you still had the guts to continue even after your step-sister is missing. Shame on you!"

"Mummy, I didn't do anything. I just asked him to eat ….." she tried to defend herself but was cut short.

"Shut up! Why do you care if he eats or not? Are you his custodian? Shameless girl! You're only trying to be noticed by him and he doesn't want you anymore. Stop trying to force yourself on him. He isn't worth it. He doesn't love you. The need he had for you expired when he realised it could not work," Barirah's mum would stop at nothing.

She would do anything to separate them.

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To be continued.

LATEEFAH ADEWUNMI JUMAH - LAJFINGERS