Tales of the Heart✅

Chapter 10|challenge accepted.

Hello Assalamu Alaikum.

This is the last free chapter as promised😊.

...
Imaan (17 years old)

2014.

Lina stared at Amaani and I with tears on her face, her full lips were swollen and the tip of her nose was a fiery shade of red, not to talk of her eyes, those were like molten lava.

"I don't know why Daddy's agreeing with people's demands this way. I don't know why he lets everyone control him." She sniffed, unbothered by the tears that were streaming down her face.

It's been long since I saw her looking so distraught and caring not a whit about her appearance. But then the two of us were the only audience around.

"It's his mother we're talking about Lina." I pressed my hand gently over her arm.

She shook her head violently, "It's not about Hajiya Babba, this isn't about her, it's about that conniving witch who tells him heaps and heaps of lies about us. The hell she thinks she is?"

Amaani and I have always been waiting for the moment when Hajiya Babba was going to decide that we should return to Nigeria and live our lives like what she believes is supposed to be how average Nigerian hausa/fulani children are brought up. We knew that was coming.

But no one saw the decision to move with Lina coming because she was already based here. She has a life here, she's in her third year of school just on the brink of graduating and Mommy wants her to return with us, her words were;

"There are good schools in Nigeria that you could transfer to, if you're not able to get that you could start afresh. You're still young, just 21. You have all the time for education, we can't let a young lady like you live all alone in a different country. We'll worry too much."

That was lousy. Lousy with a capital L.

I don't even know who she wants to draw back from their happiness the most, herself? Her daughter? Or us. Because the opportunities Lina will miss by returning with us are the same opportunities we all lose including Munee. But then, who was I kidding? Munee started school in Nigeria this year at a private university in Abuja, she stays with Uncle Ahmad's family at his wife's insistence.

Amaani sneered, "she has nothing to lose. Lina trust me on this no one's going to make you go anywhere. I promise you this."

"You don't understand. It's not about me alone, it's about all of us." She cleared her throat noisily. "I don't even know where to begin from, I won't say I agree or understand Hajiya Babba's point but keep that aside, why would Daddy drop such a huge stepping stone for him to the side as though it meant nothing and go back to the place that's filled with hurtful memories?" None of us answered her because we saw our return coming when we visited Nigeria last year. She didn't.

We consoled her the best way we could by going out, we went to the mall and got new heels for she and I, Amaani got new handbags and sunglasses.

By dusk you wouldn't believe it was the same Lina who was bawling her eyes out earlier. This Lina had a grin on her face and a sister on each side holding her hand and laughing with so much abandon on the streets of London.

...

I had no idea Ya A was on his way. My jaw dropped to the ground when I found him in the kitchen, casually helping himself to breakfast while Lina chattered on and on beside him.

"Oh my God!" I squealed, fighting the urge to jump up and down. "Ya A you didn't say you were coming, I can't believe it!" I flew to him and we high-fived.