Embraced (#2 Natives series) #ProjectNigeria

Chapter Seven

"You know I know why you're here, right?" Basmah exposed. "It's Faisal, isn't it?"

Just hearing his name made Fatiha's heart skip a beat. Whether it was from the love she harbored for him or it was from the fear of what Munir had said coming to pass, she had no idea. But one thing she knew was that she was close to teetering off the edge and yet, she didn't know if Faisal was the cause or if Munir Adam was.

"You know I give terrible advice when it comes to men, right? So, I'm not the right person to come to for such advice."

"It's not." Fatiha lied, then stuttered, "It's not because of him. I'm not here because of Faisal." But could denying part of the truth really be called a lie? Sure, Faisal was involved but it was Munir's involvement in all of it that scared Fatiha the most.

Basmah was already dialing Aabidah's number but she glanced briefly at her friend before disconnecting the call with an, "Okay." She scratched her head through the soft fabric of the veil she'd fashioned into a hijab as she watched the kids moving about the school grounds.

"Why are you seating here?" Basmah suddenly asked in a quiet voice after just yelling at a group of senior boys who were cornering two junior female students. The contrast startling Fatiha.

She was going to lie again, Fatiha knew it even before she responded. It seemed to be all that she had been doing since coming back from Abuja. About Faisal. About their relationship. About that day with Munir. About how she was feeling. And about why she was currently where she was.

"You could have stayed in the teachers room and waited for me. Why are you, instead, seating here under this blistering sun?" Basmah pondered aloud.

"Of course, because there's more air here." Fatiha lied. She was just uncomfortable around the other teachers. During her school days, she had been a reserved student who made sure she didn't stand out too much in front of her teachers, because gaining the favour of her teachers brought on more liabilities her way.

"The teacher's room is very hot and besides, I'm wearing a khimar." She told Basmah, "I'm not ready to die from heatstroke, okay?"

"Hmm," Basmah looked her intently down at her companion, but dropped the subject and they once again elapsed into silence.

The teacher called a few students, either to warn or inform them about something, then she turned to her friend to ask, "It is not because you're running from something or worried about something, is it?"

Fatiha laughed nervously and shifted under her friend's pinning gaze. "What do you mean?"

"Ugly fact?" Basmah asked and Fatiha hesitantly nodded. "We schooled here, Tia. I'm not dumb and heartless enough to not care about knowing what this place is to my friend. It's your alone spot. Which is somehow ironical because everyone passes here."

Fatiha didn't say anything. She didn't have anything to say to be honest. Basmah's ugly facts and truths most times left people at a loss for words. So,  instead of arguing that her friend had gotten it all wrong, she sat there and watched as Basmah grumbled but informed her that she was calling the only married woman among their group of friends.

"If you ask for my advice, it'll be ugly.  I'll tell you to break up with Faisal, you know that. But maybe there's something else you want to hear. Something I might not be able to tell you. So, I'm calling the love expert. Luckily, I have a date with her."

Fatiha had decided not to call her newlywedded friend so that she could have enough time with her new husband before they returned back home and resumed work. It took a moment for the Skype call to connect but when it did, Fatiha couldn't be more glad to have a chance to talk to the sweetest person she knew.