Bound ✅

Back Story 1

She slid on a lightweight jilbab and pulled the cover over her head. She had no time to waste so she only picked up her bag and put some loose change in it and ran outside to the Keke her mother had stopped for her.

When she reached the main road, she flagged down an empty taxi that was driven by an old man. Still she flagged him down.

"How much for Asokoro extension?" The old man shook his head and she begged him with her hands joined together.

"Oya enter. Seven hundred. I go carry passenger till we reach the Asokoro." Halima readily agreed and she jumped into the backseat. Once seated, she opened her small Android phone to check for any new messages. All she got were innumerable messages popping in from the various group chats she'd joined or been added to.

One caught her eye and she tapped on it. It was a hairstyling group chat for stylists in Abuja, and they were advertising a space for sale somewhere on the upscale part of town but she shook her head and mouthed a dua for her many desires to turn to reality.

Those spaces cost an arm and a leg if you looked at it. So she could only fantasize.

Soon, Halima was driven into the estate and for the first time in her life, she was conscious of the taxi she'd passed the gate with. The old man as though conscious too whistled at the cars parked outside top dollar houses that looked identical.

Once they passed that street, they moved onto the street where the Abubakars lived and when he parked outside the house, his mouth was open. She quickly paid him ans went to knock the gate. The door was opened by one of the security men, she barely greeted him and rushed into the main compound.

Seconds later, she was ringing the doorbell. As she tried to look through the stained glass door, all she saw was a silhouette of someone coming her way with noisy slippers. The door swung open.

"He will be fine Farida. I don't want you worrying and doing badly in your finals. He is an old man, they get sick and In Sha Allah, your Baba will be fine. Okay? Now go pray Zuhr and please pray for his safety."  He listened a little more and Halimah heard sobs and words. He motioned her in.

"Ameen Summa Ameen Didi. I'll update you soon. I'll leave for the hospital soon." He removed the phone from his ear and exhaled loudly.

"Assalamualaikum." She replied his greeting and walked behind him into the beautiful house. But she could not help but marvel. The house was built Italian style. With high arches, gold luxury sofas and couches and a beautiful black rug adorned the ornate marble floor.

Her slippers beat the floor softly echoing in the room around them. She couldn't pull her jaw up. Rich people sure knew how to use their money. The house was beautiful.

They walked in to a large room Halima guessed to be the family room and when they did walk in, she confirmed. It was the family room.

"I have no idea why Mummy said-" He stopped, rubbed his hands over his face and cleared his throat. "Thank you for coming. As you must have heard from my call. My father got a heart attack early this morning and he is on a flight right now to the United Kingdom. I need you here till I can sort things out with their school. And I'll fly them there myself."

Halima cocked her head, what was Mummy playing at. She was too old not to see the signs of matchmaking when she saw one. "When are you returning?" She asked him instead of calling his attention to his mother's attitude.

He but his lips and checked his phone before replying. "On Thursday. Since today is Monday. You'll stay in the guest room next door to their room and the two housekeeping ladies will stay here with you." Halima nodded. She'd have to ask someone to bring something from home for her.

"Okay." That was all she could reply. His mother had paid fifty thousand into her account. She was sure he didn't know about that. But she watched him nod and run up the stairs.

Gingerly, she sat on one of the chairs and smoothed her hand down of the arms. It was so smooth and easy on the hands. She wondered again how it would be like not to have money issues and she came up with a load of things she'd do if she had money.

"I'm done." She turned to watch him skip down the stairs again in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that hugged his upper body. Instead of looking, she averted her eyes.

"Lemme introduce you the ladies." She nodded and watched him again after raising her head. "Na Umaimah?" A side door opened and out came a woman just at his side in terms of height.

Another woman walked into the room and finally Halima could look at them properly. They were both wearing a navy blue floor length material that Halima guessed was their uniform.

"Na Umaimah, Fati. This is Halima. She's going to be here till we return on Thursday. Please help her in every way possible." She stood and greeted them and they greeted her too in return.

"We'll be here anytime. Please call us." She nodded and replied them in Hausa too. Noting their facial features.

"Alright. See you later." Her phone rang and she rushed to the sofa where it was ringing in her bag. She brought it out and put it to her ear without looking at it.

"Assalamualaikum?" No one replied. She pulled it off her ear and looked, it was a private phone number. She just hissed and turned it off. Must be children playing with their phones.

"Do you have my phone number?" He asked and she shook her head. He walked to her and stretched out his hand and took her phone. After allowing him to type it in.

"I can't reach you on your Nigerian number can I?" He beat his forehead. "Sorry. Let me add my other number. I forgot this is twenty-fifteen." She nodded and sat far away from him. His nearness was disconcerting her.

"Here. I'm done." And with that he walked out. Halima went to the window and watched him get into a car in the back and sit down in the back seat, his hand on his chin.

He was a Nigerian man and they were taught from childhood to hide their pain. He could only show it to the closest of humans. Not even his wife.

So, she shook her head and walked away from the window. Upstairs where he had said Jariyah and Lubna were.

*****
Hi guys,

For those who are confused, it is still year 2015. 💃🏿💃🏿💃🏿So, we're still reading all backstories taking us to 2020. Y'all's girl is getting better at this thing.

So, in other news, we clocked 2k reads💃🏿💃🏿💃🏿💃🏿💃🏿😃😃😃😃I'm excited toooo. And for that there will be a giveaway 💆🏽‍♀️💆🏽‍♀️💆🏽‍♀️

😂😂😂What giveaway do people do on wattpad again? Anyways, y'all have fun. Thank you all so much.

TheOmoope. ♥️