The Cost Of Retribution( Not your usual Hausa love story)

Chapter 6 - To Meet Ones Pa

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🎶Where did I go wrong,
I lost a friend,
Somewhere along in the bitterness and I would have stayed up with you all night,
Had I know how to save a life.
    How to save a life -The fray.

*Amani*

Losing a patient was never easy, as doctors we do everything we can to save a life. When a person dies on your watch it breaks you, but you have to somehow build yourself up again to save other lives.
I hadn't known Ali for a long time, but I could tell losing Yasmin was hard on him, hence why he insisted on bringing me to their house for the gaisuwa(condolences) when I told him how I knew her.

He had drove me and Layla to Yasmin's house today and we were seated in the parlour with other people who were paying their respects.
Layla zoned out, her face blank and devoid of any emotion. Of course I didn't tell her that the same thing that happened to her had happened to Yasmin as well, only that her friend didn't make it. I only kept this to myself after Abdul had told me.

I had made up my mind the second that Abdul told me that his sisters body was found a few miles outside school campus, her clothes torn and her body badly injured. I was going to try to seek help, I had to do it because I couldn't sit there and watch.

Yasmin's mother was sitting in a dark blue hijab holding a charbi(rosary) and gently pulling at its beads, her eyes were bloodshot and she looked exhausted, today was the third sitting for the sadaqah and I could imagine it only getting harder for her.

When Abdul and I were a thing, his mother was the nicest to me. She would send me gifts often, invite me to lunch and the minute we got engaged she had started planning my kayan lefe. She loved me like a daughter and would always joke about how we made the cutest couple, that was before he messed up everything.

The minute we arrived I went over to her and sat facing her holding her hands tightly in mine as we both cried  silently grieving, although things didn't work out, they were like family to me.

I excused myself from the room to go outside to receive some fresh air, I needed it at that moment when people were all but saying stories about Yasmin and how cultured and beautiful and brilliant she was.

Stepping into their beautiful backyard where there were only a few people I found a spot by garden chairs and sat down inhaling deeply and trying to relax.

"Kin fito ki Dan ji shuru neh? ( did you come out for some peace)" I heard Abdul's voice approach from behind me with soft footsteps.

I turned to him just smiling as I saw him in a cream silk jallabiya fitting his features perfectly as his clothes always did. I didn't say anything as he sat at the other chair facing me.

"Ya hakuri?" I said breaking the gaze off. He smiled looking down at his fingers and if I didn't know any better I'd say he was nervous being here.

"Da Godiya" he responded and I proceeded to say a series of prayers for her departed soul to which we both said amin.

"The police came to speak with me earlier about what happened to Yasmin" he said this time his eyes turning dark. "The school security team was also here and they assured us that they are doing everything they possibly can"

"I hope they find those people who did that to her" I said the sadness coming through in my voice.

There was a silence as neither of us spoke, probably because we didn't know what to say or how to sat it. There was a subtle breeze that I was very thankful for as it hit my face.

"I'm sorry" Abdul said suddenly."Amani --"

I closed my eyes I really did not need to talk about this right now. "Abdul Dan Allah, this is not about us"