SERENDIPITY OF LOVE ✅

#1

She walked out of their tattered mud bathroom, lifting the milk curtain that turned to brown and also serves as the door. She walked forward, wiping away the splatter of foam over her forehead. She smiled when her mother; whom they fondly call Ammi walked out of their room and ambled towards their mud kitchen, halting midway.

"Fadwa, you need to act fast please. Majida had already left for school; something about having an extra early test," Ammi said and disappeared into the kitchen, not waiting for Fadwa's reply because she knew she'd hardly get anything more than a nod and a smile.

Fadwa nodded and smile, and she heard Ammi's voice again. Whom peeked her head through the cloud of smoke forming from the piles of firewoods she stocked in between three big stones that serve as the stove.

"You might need to wash your forehead again, your left shoulder also. For Allah's sake, Fadwa; what a 19 years old still bathe like this?" Ammi inquired and a soft hiss escaped her lips. Fadwa had never had a clean and thoroughly bath in her life. It's either she has foam in her forehead, shoulder, or back.

"Ammi I'll get ready now." Fadwa smiled and threw the small plastic bucket into their water well that's just some feet to the bathroom. She fetched the water and washed away the splatter of foam on her forehead, left shoulder and proceeded in performing ablution.

She silently prowled to their room; which has only an iron bed that's probably with her Ammi since when she got married. One mattress that was rested on the left wall adjacent to their pile of clothes. Some clothes were thrown higgledy-piggledy on their iron boxes, while some were stacked carefully inside.

She sauntered to the right side of the room; which serves as their kitchen, living room, and also where they could call a mirror. Briskly, Fadwa applied vaseline on her body and dabbed its remnant on her face. She applied kohl to her eyes carefully and spritz the last air away from their perfume; throwing the can into the basket Ammi used to keep her finished cosmetics.

She walked to the bed and found her uniform already brought out by Majida. Smiling gratuitously; Fadwa slid into her faded undergarments and wore on her uniform. She put on her white hijab and adjusted it over her head before she sat down and slid on her socks on her slender and fragile-looking feet. She pulls out she trampled sandals under the bed and fixed them perfectly on her feet before she stood up and ambled towards the door.

She almost bumped into Ammi when she halted by the door. "I'm done, Ammi," she informed, fixing back her bag that slipped out of her shoulder.

Ammi walked inside the room before she dropped the container having Fadwa's breakfast in it. "You should eat before leaving, Fadwa. Take this 50 naira also, give Majida thirty and urge her to buy something and eat there, please. You should use the twenty nairas and buy something also." She began unravelling the knot tied at the edge of her wrapper, pulling out stacks of old naira notes before she handed Fadwa the fifty nairas.

"I'll eat this tuwo. Majida will use the thirty nairas and we'll bring back your change, Ammi. I have nothing to buy there." She ignored her Ammi's stare and sat down on their faded red carpet and began eating the hot sizzling dumamen tuwo.

She ate almost half of it and stood up; putting the fifty nairas into her bag. "I'm full Ammi; Sabeehah should eat the remaining when she wakes up. And I'll see if I can take her to a chemist when I'm back." She smiled fondly at her mother before lifting their maroon curtain and walked out of the room.

She stood midway and glanced at the other room of their small house. From where she stood; she could hear him snoring deeply, and she knew he was just back after she entered the room to get herself ready for school. Not wanting to witness one of his gross vomiting sessions, she pouted her lips and rushed out of the house.