When Stars Collide

Kiwi Popsicles

For  AishahAyilara3. Thank you darling 💋❤️

Hibba stopped the whirring two litre mixer and adjusted the top before carrying off the mixer bowl and scooping it's contents unto a popsicle mould. She finished quite quickly and put the two dozen popsicles made from blended kiwi fruit, bananas and strawberries. The scent and sweetness of the combined work of the three fruits was an endless supply of lip smacking goodness. It was an order for a mother of four who wanted healthy snacks for her children.

"Nana?" Hibba called out since she didn't hear anything from the teenager who watched her child. Nana answered back and Hibba calmed down.

Ever since the acid incident, Hibba had become a paranoid person that even she didn't recognize. Every time she didn't feel right or her scalp tinged,  she would call Nana, she would tell the neighbors to help her watch Nana and Ummi before leaving the house each morning.

"Do you want some noodles as lunch?" Hibba asked once she reached the leaving room. Nana nodded, fanning Ummi who had fallen asleep slowly. Their faces had finally healed after over a month of scabbing, re-injuring since Nana's mother decided that the best way to welcome her daughter back from the hospital was to beat her mercilessly. Ummi's injury had healed only leaving some lighter than normal skin on her face and shoulder.

Ummi had not gotten a single scare from the incident, because asides scratching the itching scabs, she played and danced as usual, testament to the fact that Nana took on the most part of the acid on one half of her face.

"Please add more pepper. Doctor Amaka said I can eat more pepper now." Hibba chuckled and retuned to the Kitchenette. Nana had suffered a month of very bland food, as doctor's orders dictated no spice or pepper. Just bland food with plenty of milk so her body could repair itself.

Just as Hibba set the pot on the cooker, Chichi who was going with her to clean the new apartment arrived. The two bedroom boy's quarters that Chichi had found needed to be cleaned in and out since it had never been used and the family in main house were moving Abroad the next week.

"Madam Hibba!" Chichi called the moment Nana opened the door for her. Chichi hugged Nana and carried Ummi with her on the way to the Kitchenette, leaving her bag on the sofa in a show of familiarity that only her could do.

"Welcome. You're ready to sweep your life out?" Hibba asked as she broke noodles into the pot. The little water she'd set on the cooker had come to boil in the time she cleaned the mixer and juice squeezer she used.

"Na you go sweep you life out. Yeye. The brooms and mops are in the car. You'll meet the two profs today." Hibba nodded, knowing she had taken out a nice outfit to wear, only a pity that it would be dirty once they returned.

Hibba put Chichi in charge of the noodles and left to take her bath and dress up, knowing ChiChi would feed Ummi while Nana ate.

Hibba came out about fifteen minutes later in a knee length light blue checkered shirt over blue jeans and a chiffon hijab wrapped and pinned on her head. She looked herself in the mirror as Chichi packed her bag, ready to leave and nodded. After leaving instructions for Nana, they left the house.

"Your mom let you use her car?" Hibba asked, making a mental note to make guava pop sticks for ChiChi's mom who was going through a stifling battle with diabetes.

"She said the car is getting rusty sitting in the car park so I should take it to work and just use it to run my errands." Chichi set her bag in the backseat and pulled on her seatbelt, Hibba did the same and asked her if her mom had 'dashed' or borrowed her the car.

"You should have seen the way she held her ears in that typical Igbo mom manner of forewarning. She said no scratch must come unto her car nor must I crash it. Right now, I even treat the car better than a child." Hibba doubled over as far as the seatbelt would allow and laughed very hard. ChiChi's mother was an enigma, she never let her illness get to her too much. She still dressed up and went to parties even though her friends knew she would not eat a single thing.

"She has even started nagging me about either going back to school or getting married." Hibba's mouth dropped open, ChiChi's mother knew her stand about marriage. As a feminist, Chichi held a veiled disinterest to every man and their advances to her. She had one thing or the other to complain about her suitors and was very content being on her own.

"She didn't disturb you before now, did she?" Hibba asked quietly. Chichi shook her head and said her mother was joking around and she was not taking her words seriously.

"But for people like you, we need to take her words seriously." Hibba sent her a fierce glare, making Chichi chuckle knowing that her words had reached her.

"I don't want to get married right now abeg, not even next year, I need to focus solely on this business I'm about to begin." Chichi raised her hands from the steering wheel and mockingly praised her friend, making the both of them laugh.

"Ah, Did Nafeesah gist you what happened to Salman and his mom?" Hibba's heart thundered close to her mouth as though her heart had plucked itself out of her chest and set itself in her mouth. Contrary to her thoughts of hating Salman and steeling herself not to have any emotions about him.

"What happened? Is his mom okay?" Chichi laughed, pointing at her friend who the on her face was priceless at that moment. She stopped laughing and seriously told her what Nafeesah had gleaned from eavesdropping on a phonecall Ayman had with Salman.

"Naf Naf said that he took a year's leave from work, packed his bags and relocated to the United Arab Emirates." Hibba didn't know when she shouted, 'what'.

"Yes, his mom even relocated with him. I heard that she wants to divorce from Salman's father, their family is going through a lot at the moment." Hibba leaned back into her seat and wondered what could have transpired so bad that could make Salman's mother set her mind and move away with her son.

"Things are going to get better. Just focus on yourself like you said, build yourself and raise your child. If everything turns out right, be thankful to God and just live your life. A man is not everything. It's just that Salman is such a good fit for you." Hibba only processed the last sentence and hissed, it was true that Cinnamon eyes and ringlet hair was everything she asked for, it just wasn't meant to be.

******

Heyo special people 💃🏽

Happy New Year 🎉May your new year be filled with joy, happiness and prosperity. God bless you all.

It's a double update thingy.

See you in the next chapter.

TheOmoope 💙💛🙃