ENSHROUDED

01

"Okay you can, but please take care of yourself and be safe, Humaira. I'll be back soon." With that, they hung up the call and Humaira waited as she warmed up the food Mommy cooked for her. She was bothered, so much bothered about this business of Mommy that she didn't know of. What is the business that will keep her late at night? That too, every blessed day? What she was thankful for was, she had never slept outside.

She ate her food while she watched the rerun of a program in Arewa24. She loved the program so much that she didn't notice it was only minutes before they proclaimed the maghrib adhan. She rushed to her room and took her long knee-length hijab from her wardrobe. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled, she looked cute and beautiful.

"Assalamu Alaikum, Bilya," she called as she placed her hands on the counter, yet again. Bilya turned and smiled at her.

"Hajia Aisha. You're back already? I thought I'll bring you the change myself. Here it is." He handed her seven hundred naira notes, smiling.

"Wait, hold it Bilya. Let me surf through this mall, I'm craving for some chocolate." She said and walked away without even looking at him. Bilya smiled at himself, he had always liked Aisha ever since they came to live in the area. The supermarket was only a street away from their house. She was a very nice and humble girl.

She was walking around the mall, she picked up the chocolates she wanted and walked back the counter. "Here it is, Bilya. How much is it then?"

"It's 600." He said and printed our her receipt. Aisha collected her receipt together with the nylon he put her chocolates in and asked him to keep the change for himself. He thanked her and off she went.

While crossing the road, Aisha's attention wasn't on the road, she was so deep in thought that she didn't know she was about to be hit by a car. The driver honked at her before he made an abrupt halt in the road. She screamed and went to her knees, not that he had touched even a hair on her body.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you blind or deaf?" The driver came out, shouting at the pitch of his lungs. She looked at him and tears successfully made their ways out of her eye locks.

"I was lost, sorry please." She managed to apologize between her tears, she was so terrified at the moment. She wished she had waited for Mommy to come back and escorted or even waited until tomorrow before she came to the mall for her change.

"Sorry, my foot! If I was driving recklessly, what do you think would have happened?" Before she could get a hold of her words, the other man sitting on the passenger's seat hopped out and held his shoulders.

"Calm down, Jaafar. Can't you see she's just a girl? And she has apologised for her mistake. Be careful next time, young lady."

"Some of these girls are senseless, Nasir. How can you walk on a road and be lost in thoughts?"

What he said had angered Aisha. She was never the one to get angry, not that she interfered with so many people. It was always Mommy and Mommy again. And even at school, she had no friends. "Haven't I apologised to you? Then why will you say I'm senseless? I guess you're the one being senseless here." She rolled her eyes at them and walked away. She heaved a sigh when she was sure she had locked the door. Because she practically raced back home.

"You see what I'm telling you? You have to be careful with these girls, Jaafar. Your anger will only cause you more humiliation." Nasir laughed as they hopped into the car and drove away.

"I pray we meet again with this girl, she will surely regret this." Jaafar avowed, Nasir could only shake his head. He knew his friend so well to know that he will never let this slide. He prayed they never met.