Afraid To Fall In Love

Final Year

I struggled to open my eyes as the alarm kept buzzing, I turned and stuck my head in my pillow and began to scream out of annoyance.

"Amma... Ammaaaa, put that thing off please".

As I opened my eyes Amma was already awake with a face towel on her shoulder and her tooth brush already in her mouth, she giggled as she went back into the toilet.

I sat on my bed so angry I could feel my head pound "what was that for?" I yelled, she came out of the bathroom "wake up sleepy head I don't want to be late today, you know its a big day for us" I hissed as she walked to the wardrobe to pull out something for us to wear.
We were writing our final exams today and I had barely gotten any sleep as I was trying to prepare for my last paper and Amma my best friend who is equally my flat mate had to just disturb my beauty sleep. The paper was by 10:00am and it was barely 7am, I dragged myself to the bathroom, where Amma had already drawn a hot bath for me I just smiled. Amma can be annoying but I know she means well, she has been like a mother to me for the past four years of college even though she is of the same age as I am.

I got ready within a short time and we headed out as Amma had already gotten a taxi waiting.......

After our final paper I went out and sat down in the small cafe in school sipping my latte and thinking of how it all seemed like yesterday was my first year in college and how I cried as Ammi and papi were going back home leaving me in what seemed to..

"Minal Minal... Ohhh you are here she pulled me into a tight hug, Amma I said loudly as I was almost out of breath "I am soo happy, Minal we made it" "it seems you are not happy, why?" I bent my head to the side and raised an eyebrow into a perfect arch " of course I am happy just that we have different ways of expressing it as you should know by now, besides this is not the end for me inshaa Allah I would like to come back for more" giving her an evil smile.

As I turned to my latte my phone began to ring, I pulled it out of my bag and the name flashed on my screen "Ammi" I murmured ansewring the call.

"how are you feeling Ammi, the last time we spoke you had a fever" "Oh I am fine my baby how was the final paper" "Alhamdulillah, so you will all be coming over for my graduation right? "

There was a long silence from the other side of the phone" Ammi" I called " well dear you know your father and his busy schedules he would be in china by July and Amrah and I will be traveling to dubai for her wedding preparations" my smile faded and I took a deep breath, "fine Ammi what about ya fu'ad and Na'eem" " sorry my dear Na'eem will still be in school and Fu'ad has to stay back and take care of the company while your father is away" I was quite for a while thinking of how I was the least important person in my family and not even a single person would fly out here to see me graduate, I held on to the tears that filled my eyes, "are you Okay babie" Ammi managed to break the silence "Oh yes I am fine, I guess I will just see you when I get back,I am sorry dear." "Don't bother I will call you later, byee" " bye"

Minal is a simple and well mannered brat, she is the daughter of Alhaji Abubakar Mansur and his wife Hajiya Fatima ( Ammi). She has two brothers Fu'ad,who is the first born of the house and Na'eem the last born, she has an elder sister Amrah. They stay in Abuja but her father is from Maiduguri and her mother from Gombe.
Minal has a boyfriend called Nazeer, they have been together for 3 years now.
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As soon as she ended the call, she picked her hand bag and stood up to leave when Amma held her by the arm,

"what's wrong with you? "
" I thought you were speaking to Ammi on the phone, is everything Okay? Minal talk to me "

She sighed and sat down on the maroon chair opposite Amma, putting her bag next to where she was sitting and placed her elbow on the table.

" Everything is fine, its just that nobody thinks I am important enough to come for my graduation."
"Come on, don't say that. Why are you even bringing this up? We have almost three months to our graduation and there is plenty of time for them to change their minds"

She scoffed "you talk as if you don't know my family and their busy plans."

She rolled her eyes as she spoke and raised her hands in the air and quoted the word "plans"

"Well we have plenty of time to have fun before then and please don't spend too much time worrying "

Amma stood up and extended her arm to minal " let me take you out for ice cream mi lady" smiling and waiting for an answer. "Is that suppose to cheer me up?" she spoke as she tried to fake a frowning face but then gave in to the sound of ice cream and smiled.

Amma laughed as they walked out of the cafe "We all know our Minal never says no to ice cream."

" Ahhh universal fact " she spoke as she held Amma's arm in hers.