A Bad Start - A Story By Farida

Chapter 4 - The Flashback

'I see! Nice to meet you'.. He said. 'Sorry for your loss, may Allah SWT admit him into paradise'.

'Aamiin. Thank you'. Mariya replied, wiping her tears.

Hajiya Naima explained all her chores to her and Alhaji El-Muneer told her the salary, she was so shocked she couldn't help sobbing.

'Thank you. Thank you. May God reward you. I can't thank you enough'. She kept repeating. She knew such a huge amount of money wasn't just for the job, it was to help her and her kids.

'It's okay'. Hajiya Naima assured her, patting her on the back. Shazia who was sitting beside her father watched in silence as she was too young to understand what was happening; she didn't understand what it meant for someone to be dead. But one thing she was certain was that the scared  Laura needed a friend!

Little Shazia walked up to Laura smiling. 'Will you be my friend?'. She asked in her melodious voice as she stretched her right hand towards Laura. Laura hid behind her mother without a word.

Shazia stood still for a while, evidently sad. 'Sorry dear, she's just shy'. Hajiya Naima comforted her. 'Why don't we let her rest and then we can try again later? What do you say?. Shazia nodded in agreement.

'Come! I'll show you your room'. Hajiya Naima gestured to Mariya to stand up.

Laura wiped the tears off her face as she remembered how Shazia wholeheartedly accepted her. 'We can never repay you for all you've done for us in life. My prayer is that the Almighty grants you the best of this world and the Hereafter'. She hugged Shazia sobbing.

'Ohh please Laura! This is why I sometimes do not like reminiscing our childhood memories. You keep hurting me!' Shazia pouted. 'Your tears are too precious please, stop wasting them'.

It was two months after Laura and her mother came to live with the El-Muneers' and Shazia had grown deeply attached to them. She was always in the servants' quarters with them whenever she was home; she ate, prayed and played together with Laura and also taught her whatever she learnt in school. Shazia only went back into the main house when it was her bedtime or when she had homework. Laura wasn't free with her at first, but with time, she understood the kind of girl Shazia was and she also accepted her. The beginning of a beautiful friendship.. They became inseparable!

'Hajiya, I think it's time we enrol Laura in school too'. Alhaji suggested one lovely weekend.

'Yes Alhaji, I feel so too. But which school?' Hajiya Naima asked.

'Shazia's school. The session just started some weeks back and you know Shazia has been teaching her all she learns at school, I don't think catching up will be a problem for her'.

'Won't that be too expensive?'. Not that Hajiya wasn't happy, but she wanted to be sure he knew what he was saying. Elite International School was the most expensive school in Kaduna back then.

'Yes, as long as my daughter will be happy'.

'Alhamdu lilLah. Thank you so much Alhaji. Thank you'. She hugged him. She was genuinely happy about the news, she wanted to suggest that weeks back when she noticed how attached Shazia was to Laura.

Shazia was so happy when her parents informed her of their decision and she immediately ran to the servants' quarters and informed Laura and her mother. Mariya shed tears of joy, educating the children meant a lot to her late husband.

Laura was enrolled the next day and she was taken to Shazia's class. Shazia introduced Laura to her classmates as her best friend and that was it!