CHASING MARWA

1-THE CLASH

"That ain't gonna happen, Mama. Bye, I love you," Marwa waved and ran out of the house before her mother could start giving her an earful.

She and Hidayah went out of the house and got in the tricycle that was waiting for them. The driver is an old man with grey hair, he takes them to school, picks them up, and sometimes even takes them or their mother around town, they pay him weekly.

Their uncle, Omar Hassan, is the one who pays for their education after their father died. He buys their books and even buys them clothes and helps them with foodstuffs, but they pay the rent of the house they are living in which is why Marwa works as a part-time waitress in a classy restaurant that is a thirty-minute walk away from their house.

They dropped Hidayah in her place of study, Crescent International School, and zoomed off to Marwa's final destination that early morning, Bayero University Kano. Surprisingly, when they reached the junction that would lead them to the gate of the school, they got stuck in a hold-up.

"Malam Salisu, what's happening?" A worried Marwa asked the driver as she worriedly clung to her file. She'd be submitting it by eight but here she is, stuck in a hold-up at 7:50 in the morning.

"Today, Crown Prince Zafeer is coming back to Nigeria after fifteen years, we're waiting for him to pass," He answered with a smile.

Marwa fumed as she thought of possible ways to wipe that stupid smile off his face. She didn't know why the royals thought they were above everyone or what made them feel too important when they were not. And so, as she looked at her file and remembered her wicked lecturer's face, she made up her mind to cross that road and trek to school. She is Marwa Kabeer Hassan!

"See you later, Malam Salisu," And she hopped out of the tricycle before he could protest.

She squared her shoulders and walked with her head held high toward the police and military men who were surrounding the road. Before she reached there, Marwa made sure she burst into full-blown crocodile tears so that she could convince them, people who were watching gave her pitiful looks because the tears looked very sorrowful.

"Please help me, I just want to cross this road. I was on my way to school when someone called me that my brother got into an accident and he's presently inside the university, nobody was willing to rush him to the hospital which was why I decided to come over and save my brother's life," She wept, the officers looked at her with a puzzled expression before it turned into a sympathetic one, her innocent face and dreamy eyes always fool people.

"I don't want my brother to die, please," She cried.

"Alright, hurry up and cross before the convoy arrives, May your brother survive the accident," A young military man replied and they parted ways for her.

Marwa didn't even reply, she ran across the empty road but before she could depart the middle, she heard the unique sirens of the royals in full blast becoming louder with every passing second, she let out a hiss as the cars came in full speed, there was no time to stop, and the black Lexus in front clashed with her, making her fall with a thud.

*

The whole airport was on a survey with different kinds of law enforcement agencies because the Crown Prince of Kano state would finally be stepping foot in Nigeria after spending fifteen years of his life in Saudi Arabia with his maternal grandparents.