MAIDEN ✔️

Chapter Ten

I woke up as early as possible. Today would be my first day being tutored by Farooq. I've been looking forward to today for so long. I prepared breakfast, washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Saratu cleaned the main house with my help. At exactly 11am, I had bathed already. I used the oil perfume Hajiya Asiya bought for me. Wore a baggy pink t-shirt which stopped mid thigh, paired with a black leggings. Covered my hair with a head tie then jogged to the gazebo where the lesson is supposed to take place.

I sat down confidently waiting for him to come. Didn't hear when he came but his voice startled me. I stood up quickly beaming like some idiot.
I saw him look at me for a moment, then groaned irritatingly.

"Where's you book and pen?"

I blinked multiple of times realizing I look stupid, then I swallowed with a small smile.

"You have the time to bath and use perfume but you forgot you're going to read and write. From which part of the country did they ship a dummy like you from?" He glared at me. I felt the little hope I had for under him wash away from my heart. Tears brimmed my eyes but I didn't let it pour. I bit my lips so hard, I thought I drew blood.

"Go to Hajiya and tell her to give you a book and a pencil" Farooq gritted while typing away on his phone. I nodded with the little strength I had and slowly dragged my feet to the house. I heard him hiss and mumbled incoherent words as he dragged his chair.

Farooq left home the next day after we had our talk with Hajiya, I haven't laid my eyes on him, not until yesterday. His siblings came back a week before he finally agreed to come back. Alhaji baqi was also grumpy for a whole week. I made sure to stay clear. I didn't want him to shout at me the way he did to the security guard.

Hajiya Asiya was so happy he came back home. She even had his favorite dish prepared, which ended up untouched because of the yelling fit he had with his father. Alhaji had demanded he tell him why he didn't come back home with his siblings. Farooq stood his ground that he had things to attend to in school. We all stayed clear of both of them after their fight.

When I got back with the book and pen. He rolled his eyes seeing I stood.
"Sit down now! Will you?"

I did as instructed. After two good hours, I could only read alphabets A to G. I was finding it hard to identify them. They somewhat sounded alike to me. Farooq started getting irritated. He started yelling at me. I ended up having a crying fit.

"This things are like alif and Baa(alphabets in Arabic)" he yelled angrily.
"Shouting at her won't make her know it" Abdulhafiz came to my rescue.

"W..why don't y..you teach her y..yourself!" he said standing up angrily. I started crying harder. He stormed away leaving I and Ya Abdulhafiz.

"Don't cry yasmin. I'll teach you" Abdulhafiz said settling down. Before the end of the day i could identify A to D and that's because Abdulhafiz used Arabic alphabets to put me through.

"I wonder how Farooq talks to you without stammering. He can read a whole novel and not stutter once if he's reading it to you" Abdulhafiz said to me.
"Probably because, he hates me so much that he wants me to be intimidated by him" I replied snorting.

"Or maybe he likes you" Abdulhafiz said smiling. I actually started laughing hard. He watched me laugh with humour in his eyes.
"I don't know much about love. I've watched alot of movies and trust me, that's not how like works"

Ya Abdulhafiz smiled softly. "It would surprise you that everyone has a way of showing their feelings"
"And I am sure this is not the case" I replied smiling.

After that day with Ya Abdulhafiz, our lessons with Farooq always ended up with me crying and him angry.
But I did learn a little faster, because I wanted to impress Farooq so much. It's just that the alphabets don't feel like my thing. I did try but it's as if they travel to Antarctica after each lesson. I would not be able to recall most the things we've studied. Maybe because I could not comprehend English. It felt foreign.