Sworn Sisters

CHAPTER-TWENTY NINE

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Aunty Suwayba went into the kitchen to check if her indomie was done. She felt so tired that she decided to just prepare indomie that night. She poured it into a plastic plate, took a sachet of pure water from the fridge, and went back to the living room to enjoy her food.

She sighed loudly as she remembered her girls. It's sad to say that she misses them so much. She rubbed her eyes to clean the moisture there. She misses her baby, her kalthum. Lately, she has been having this feeling of regret in her. She knew she had wrong Kalthum a lot.

Aunty Suwayba was glad to have met this particular Mallam who was a God sent to her. She was surprised on that particular day, she was touched when she heard a particular story the mallam told them at the mosque. The story was similar to her life story and she didn't want to end up like the woman in that story. She could remember how she cried her eyes out that day. Since then she has made it her habit to always go for wa'azi every Friday.

She knew she had wronged her daughters, she regretted preferring one over the other. No mother should ever do that to her child. No mother should ever be like her. She dropped her plate of indomie on the center table. Her shoulders shook as she burst out in hot tears. She knew she needed to apologize to her baby. She knew her husband wasn't happy with all she had done.

She has turned her daughters against each other. she remember talking to Basma a few weeks ago, she felt the hatred Basma had for Kalthum and she knew it was all her fault. Aunty Suwayba knew she ought to be punished for all she had done, which is what is happening to her right now.

Since the day she stopped working in the government secondary school, it has been so hard for her to get another job. She regretted resigning that she understood why people always say 'one should be happy with the little you have '. If she had known she wouldn't have resigned. The worst heartbreak is that the government is now paying their staff twice the amount they were paying before. If she had known she wouldn't be in haste to leave the job.

Her tears flew down without control.

Knock! Knock!

Aunty Suwayba quickly wiped her tears when she heard a knock. She looked at the door questioning, she wasn't expecting any visitors. As if the door heard her thoughts, the person knocked again.

" I'm coming," she said then stood up to get the door. She pulls the door open thinking it might be the neighbor. She was speechless when she saw who was standing by the door.

" Kalthum " she whispered in shock as she saw the state she was in. Kalthum's eyes were bloodshot and swollen. Her baby was in pain.

She realized they'd been standing for Long. She opened the door wider " Come in "

Kalthum dragged her box and then went inside. She was about to make her way to her room.

" Wait Kalthum! " Kalthum paused

" What happened to you dear? Why do you look so... So unhappy"

Kalthum broke down once again. Her chest raised and fell repeatedly " Please let me be! I know you must have heard what has happened! Your darling daughter must have told you! Isn't that right?

Aunty Suwayba was shocked with what she had caused " I swear I don't know what happened. Talk to me dear, please "

Kalthum snorted "Are you also trying to play the innocent look too? What did I expect, after all, you're both the same. Like mother like daughter " With that being said she dragged her box to her room.

Kalthum banged it with the amount of anger she had in her. She was shocked she talked back at her mother. She doesn't want to become like them. She knew she needed to control her anger. Anger will only lead to more problems.