KANO STATE, NIGERIA.
"Arwa ask you to flash her as soon as you come out." Afaf passed the phone to Amirah who stared at it like some alien, she hardly use the device, well, except when Arwa calls to tell them some improvement with her husband or when she wants to ask about Najla's wellbeing or how they are coping.
Seeing the smile on Afaf's face, Amirah knew it is only good news that await her so she didn't even bother waiting to apply her makeup before she dialed the number letting it ring for a few seconds then hung up. If she calls her from there, her credit will vanish before she finishes saying hello so they always flash Arwa and expect her to call back. She did that as soon as Amirah dropped the phone, she picked up the call and they exchanged pleasantries.
"Amimi, how are you and my baby Naji?" Was her first question eliciting a smile from Amirah's face, she misses her sister a lot.
"We are all fine and doing just great. What about you and Ya Aminu?" She asked right back, putting the phone on speaker to start applying her makeup or she gets late.
"You've got a job, girl! Tomorrow around eight in the morning, you should go to the Kilishi Enterprises and ask for Mallam Murtala, he will help you with the procedure. You are just going there to replace Aminu before we come back. You also need to dress well, please try to impress them enough to give you the job. The pay will help you guys a lot." Arwa's voice dropped an octave when she said the last, life hasn't been good to them for a long time.
Maybe this is the bright light they have been waiting for to illuminate their lives.
"Really?! Alhamdulillah, oh my God! I need to get some clothes that is. But how can I work there while working in the palace." Amirah feels trapped in web of trouble. On one hand, there is something big waiting for her and on the other, she has a signed contract with her signature.
"You will work there from seven in the morning to twelve then you can leave to the Palace. Can you make it work?" This time her brother in-law, Aminu was the one who talked.
"I will try. Thank you so much." She sighed, everything looks to be falling into place for her now. Or is it?!
She has a job now? She can even work hard and score herself a position there after her brother in-law comes back. She is going to impress them enough to get her own place in the company before he comes back, at least she should be permanent.
Well, it is worth the while since she knows about the Kilishis, they are good in business and it will be a great honour for her to work there first. She can't even wait for the next day to come, she should just borrow some clothes from Husna. She doesn't have enough money to buy some work clothes, she is ass broke. Thinking about buying clothes seems to be in the bottom of her list.
....
It has been a long day in the palace but Amirah could never be more happier that Imad is not home. He left as soon as she stepped her foot into the Palace making the whole day easier for her. She first went to Uzair to have her usual breakfast before she moved to the Chamber where she met the other girls massaging Usayma as she watch the television with no care of the world. She makes Amirah jealous of her for some reason before she composed herself.
The woman didn't look for trouble and rather was just quite. She only asked them to cook for her, do this and do that for her and that is it. Amirah couldn't be more grateful when it was time for her to leave already and Imad still isn't back. She made her way to the main Palace to talk to Uzair about their matter the day before, she is curious about what Imad will say about her. Will he insult her too like every other person?
Well, if he does, she will understand his own part but those people that don't know a thing and only know how to judge, she wish she can publicly ask them to stop judging what they don't know. Granted, it is her fault that they are not together but other people don't know about that, why are they quick to judge?!
"So about our gist yesterday. What did he tell you?" She grinned when he gave her an exasperated smile as to why she didn't forget. She is not one to forget things easily, he knows that so he succumb in and said.
"He didn't want to talk about it at all. The guy looks hurt as soon as I brought the matter so I dropped it." Uzair shrugged, not seeing the way Amirah's eyes and face contort into that of disappointment. She wanted to hear what her ex husband thinks of her after their divorce. Does he still loathe her?
She doesn't even want to find out anymore, the guy will definitely want her dead by now. If he knew she works in his Chamber and gets to eat from what she gets in the home, get money right underneath his nose, he would've chased her out long time ago and render her homeless. She's done a lot to the man that she won't even be mad if he does that, she knew she could only stare if he is to do that to her. She has no right to complain when she is the root of all her problems, she alone can make things right but deep down, she knows that won't ever happen.
"Well, bye. I need to be home early today." She moved and started making her way out of the main palace.
Humming while walking down the long pathway that leads to the main gates of the palace, it was one heck of a long ride from the main Palace. She didn't see a car rushing through the gates in full speed till it was too late and she has already lost her footing due to fright. Her heart plummeted to her stomach when she saw the near death experience right in front of her eyes. The car jolted right next to her face, just few more inches and she will need face surgery. Who would even do that expensive thing for her?
She would've been ruined forever!
She heard the car opening, seeing two other guards car behind him and they also came out to see what happened and why this person stopped the car. Seeing the silhouette of a man looming over her figure in the dark, she squinted her eyes, not wanting the lights of the car to blind her and someone might mistakenly know who she is. She closed her face with her hand and gaze up, she knows that person even if her eyes were closed.
It is none other than Imad standing all high and mighty in front of her.
"Are you hurt?" He asked, not bothering to squat down and see whether he's dislocated her legs or not, he just stood atop her in dismissal.
Though she knew he doesn't know who she is, it still hurts seeing how he is dismissing her disguised Ameena Aminu, she don't like that. She feels like he is even giving the disguise attention and if he is to know who she is, he'd definitely go back to that car and hit her purposely. That only made her eyes water in self disgust, loathe and guilt. She wouldn't have been sitting there on the rough pavement with bruised toe, she would've been waiting for him in their Chamber in his favorite spruce coloured lingerie.
She caused everything, she has no right to grieve.
"I'm asking you a question, or are you deaf?" She heard the detached voice that always held tenderness for her bellowed making her flinch then nodded.
"I'm not hurt, just bruised." She thinned her voice, making sure she added some more ingredients to the voice that will totally off him about them even having same voice, he should not hear a tinge of it.
"You can go home then." He dismissed, she heard his shoes clicking down the rough pavement as he made his way to his car looking impatient.
'Why wouldn't he be? He has a wife back waiting for him in his Chamber. Maybe she is even wearing some flimsy wear to welcome him.' Her subconscious mocked making her wince even though she knew it is right.
Her head was making all those sort of words but it still hurts to think he is in a rush to go to his wife, it hurts so damn much. And she hates her subconscious, it only comes when she is too guilty just like that moment. She hates feeling down whenever she is in Imad's presence, he doesn't even know her, disguise self.
"Move!" He called out from the car and that was when she observed that she is sitting right in front of his car with blaring light hanging on her hand.
She hastily stood up keeping her hand beside her not wanting him to see the same ring he gifted her some years ago on her graduation. The ring was so beautiful, she don't even remove it when she takes bath in case it falls down the sink some day. The ring is also expensive, it is gold but selling it never occurred to her, even with their financial failure. She moved out of his way and walk run to the gates so he won't even be able to stop her. That is if he even notice the ring hanging on her ring finger, she doesn't want to see him.
'Yes, he will kill you.' Her subconscious mocked yet again making her grit her teeth but continue to make her way home in that dead night. It was only eight in the night but the sky is as dark as her heart at that moment, maybe even brighter seeing she's got no light in her for a long time.
"You didn't tell me about Imad coming back to the country." Afaf chose her words wisely as she sat in front of her sister who is trying to put Najla to sleep on her stomach, she sleeps faster thinking she's on someone's back.
"It is not important." Amirah's answer was curt and Afaf knew that but she is not ready to give up just yet. Her sister became more closed off after coming back a day after disappearing on her honeymoon. It was wonders she told their mother what happened at that time, she got the beatings of her life before she opened her mouth to talk.
"It is important seeing you work in his home. There might be chances of you guys bumping one day and I don't think when that time comes, your disguise make-up will help. You've got any plan up your sleeves now smart girl?" Afaf said the last part in mockery knowing her sister will say those lines about having a back up plan when she doesn't. She forms everything instantaneously which worries Afaf sometimes.
"This is not your business and for your information, I am one of his Chambermaids." She haughtily said to her sister feeling lightheaded knowing her sister is right.
Seeing Afaf's shocked face, she recoiled and look back at Najla who is soundly sleeping now after eating to her heart's content. There is nothing that makes her happy like seeing her sister and niece full with food. But she has hurt her sister now in process of letting out her pent up anger and frustration at her sister, she feels bad about that after the words are out.
"You are one of his chambermaids? How are you coping with that, Amirah? Don't you feel sad seeing him with a new wife while you refuse to move on?" Afaf knew she is walking on a thin ice that is about to melt into a colossal puddle of wrath.
"Like I said, it is none of your business, drop it." Amirah's voice was quite but the warning is there so Afaf sighed and let her do her thing. The girl has been strong headed right from birth.
.....
"What is that?" Amirah asked Husna who came in and dumped so many pieces of blacks and other colours she don't even want to name and some shoes on the floor.
"Afaf asked me to get some work clothes for you from the clothes Ya Mukhtar brought yesterday." She shrugged, flopping down on the bed like she didn't just walk into their room around six in the morning. Amirah could see the half braided hair closed in black veil, she felt guilty.
They didn't get to finish braiding the hair the day before and now she is bringing her brother's hand down clothes that he sells, probably giving them to her for free.
"Can't I wear some sort of ankara or something?" She turned her attention to Afaf who is now rubbing some lotion on Najla's well bathed tan skin.
"Absolutely not. Ya Arwa said you need some skirts or pants that will match the company's outfit or you will be thrown out without being tested." Afaf explained, looking up to see her sister stomping her feet on the cold cemented floor like a child.
If it is all to her, Amirah would be sleeping soundly in the bed without the care of the world but she had to get ready and go to work to help feed her family. She has already given the girls, the other chambermaids her excuse of not coming early till twelve. She told them about the new job she is searching for so they wished her luck and say they will close up for her no matter what. She is grateful for those girls even though Mansura and Lubabatu won't stop sighing whenever Imad comes out.
She looked around the clothes as Husna takes each piece and showed it to Afaf so she could choose the best one. Mukhtar sells hand down clothes in the market in cheap amount but she doesn't even have the money to buy those cheap clothes of hundreds, she don't have enough to pay for that. And knowing Mukhtar, he will not accept and say it is his gift for her because she's finally gotten a job, she hates looking like she is some charity case.
"She should wear those." Afaf's beamed at the sight of what Husna is holding, that is when Amirah's senses got back to her body.
"Let me go and iron them for her. Ya Amirah, go and take bath. I will be done by then." And Husna fled from the room before she could even see the set of outfits removed for her to wear.
They didn't even ask if she likes what they choose!
She took her bath in the outside bathroom and went back to their room just when Husna came back with the well ironed clothes. They always ask Husna to iron for them or borrow them the iron when they want to press their clothes which doesn't happen often. They've got the local one, if they are not in a hurry, they stay back and make it with coal. It takes a lot of time and effort though, but it's better than being burdens.
She went behind the wrapper they hand in the room for changing clothes and wore the said outfit removed for her. It is a pitch sailor pants that looks more like skirt to her petite form but it fitted her waist perfectly and closed her whole feet. For the shirt, they gave her a parchment coloured button up shirt that looks a little bigger than her but will do when she buttoned them up. She feels weird in those clothes, they don't look like hand downs but definitely don't look like some designers.
She is good like that.
"What do you think?" She twirled in front of the girls, coming out from behind the wrapper. The sailor pants flared with her making her laugh, she liked them.
"You look so hot, babes. It's like those clothes were meant for you." Husna complimented with a grin perched on her face because she has never seen Amirah looking so beautiful. She doesn't have nice clothes so with that change, she looks totally different in those clothes.
She made a vow, she will help this woman and friend of hers through thick and thin. She knows nothing of what happened but she doesn't care, she doesn't even have time for that when it happened before they even know each other. All she cares about is the pain she sees in Amirah's eyes all the time, but seeing her laugh for what feels like the first time makes her possessive over her. The women in that family are going through a lot, it makes her have countless of sleepless nights thinking they even have shelter while there are countless other that don't have anything to eat.
Sup?!
Long chapter eh? Yeah, I feel like being so generous today and the fact that I am excited about my new cover. Let's all thank Jannah Firdaus for that, yup, our famous 99dmp author. She is amazing with covers, just pay up and get yours done in minutes!
RQ; What's the first thing you'd do if you woke up the next day as the opposite sex? A lot!!!!!!! You?
Aishatu💀