RUWAIDA ✔️

CHAPTER NINE

After finally setting all the clothes she had washed on the long ropes so they could dry, she sighed out of tiredness, especially because Barra's clothings were extremely dirty. She's able to run around the house this days so she even sits herself on the ground and play with the mud.

Barira coming out from the kitchen dropped down the palm leaves broom beside the stove and smiled at her daughter, sprawled on the mat outside the corridor. She retied her wrapper more properly, before sauntering out to join her, until the food is ready.

"Don't you have class today," She asked, sitting herself on the end part of the mat.

Hearing Mama's voice, she abruptly sat up and gave her a brief smile. "Yes Mama, but I don't feel like going. And besides it's just a single class and we're done for the day," she explained but Mama didn't like the idea of her missing classes.

"I won't allow this, Tashi! Yi maza, go and get ready please, if your father comes to here of this, then even I will be in trouble for letting you stay," Barira argued with a stern face.

Ruwaida ducked down her head, not knowing how she'll complain about how she is feeling. She regretted washing those clothes early in the morning; along with very cold water. "Mama, please, I'll ask Asma from my class to help me with her notes later,"

Barira shook her head in disagreement. "Sam! Ban yarda da hakan ba, go and get ready, I'll even give you extra money to buy awara if that will make you happy,"

Yes indeed she loved awara, very very much. But today, she couldn't quite find her appetite for anything eatable. She just wanted to see herself laid on her bed along with the blue blanket of hers, down to lala land. "Mamaaaa!," she dragged, setting her lips into a pout, but who is she to change Barira's decision? "Please let me stay and help you out, and besides, Baba said he'll be coming home early today, please Mama,"

Barira looked up directly at her daughter in amusement, watching her intently because she felt there is something she's not telling her. "Ruwaida, wai why are you being adamant about this? I can handle the house perfectly, now go take down the water I've placed to boil, use it to take a bath, iy maxa,"

Feeling significantly defeated, she made an attempt to stand up but failed woefully. She felt her limbs sore and she could swear to have piled loads on them, if her eyes were closed. A glimpse of sweat prickled down her forehead, hoping Mama didn't notice the horrified look in her eyes.

And when she tried again, she felt a sharp pain through her body, making her to fall back on her back with a wince. Mama who had been oblivious, yawed her gaze to Ruwaida, and soon enough, Mama was on her feet, trying to help Ruwaida up, but she kept wincing and bowling herself on the mat.

"From Allah we are and to him is absolute return," Mama cried, her mind suddenly blank and deprived of what to do. She felt meek and without a second thought, rushed into the house and dragged Abdul out, ordering him to get them a cab, fast. She took her large veil from her bed, wrapping Barra gently on her back while repeating and murmuring all the tasbehs that succumb to her mind.

"Mamaaa! kafa na!," Ruwaida cried, not able to resist the pain a minute longer. She just wanted it to leave, it is unbearable. "Mamaaaa,"

"Sannu Waida, yanzu zamu tafi asibiti, (sorry Waida, we will leave for the hospital right away) Hasbunallah,"Mama helped her sit up, saying a lot of duas to her ear in whispers for her to be calm, and it did help. By the moment Abdul returned, they both held onto Ruwaida as they went to sit in the cab.

"Ibrahim Yamma hospital," Mama said, earning a nod from the driver as he roared the car to life.

With them in the car and worried sick, someone in there destination had focused his mind on the work he is doing on his laptop, occasionally taking breaks to sip his coffee.

"Oh yes! I should have known, the workaholic jikan sarki, isn't that you," Turaad laughed, even tho he didn't raise his head up to take a glimpse at the intruder, only one person could tease him as such without a care in the world.

"Well yes! What about you? commissioner of lazy people of Arewa," Turaad sassed back, twirling on his office chair. The so called commissioner made himself comfortable on one of the two available sits, paying no regard to Turaad's words.

"I couldn't stay in that lab for a minute longer, the girls in there are just so intolerable," he huffed loudly, ducking himself more into the chair as if that could help him feel more relaxed. He can't wait to change an administrative, working around 4 women or precisely girls had turned out to be his worst nightmare.

"What had the poor girls done now," Turaad asked, a note of ridicule as he spoke. He can't imagine what Abdullah always nags about, he literally does whenever they met, so Muhammad made sure he only pretend to listen to him at times.

Abdullah sighed and massaged his forehead, finally feeling the need to eat something, since his so called wife had made him starve for a day. "Let's forget about those gossip engines, have you finally contacted the girl's family, regarding the immediate treatments,"

Turaad furrowed his brows in utter confusion. Which girl is he talking about? "Erm, what? Which girl,"

Abdullah made sure his voice sounded obvious.  "The one you had taken her file away from me...Without telling me the reason, poor girl, I can't imagine what will happen after this, do you think her parents will agree to start the chemotherapy,"

Turaad will be lying if he disapproved of the fact that he could breathe for the few seconds he had taken to think about the words carefully. "What? Wait who are you talking about Dr A, I don't understand,"

"Don't tell me you haven't checked the results I left here four days ago,"

Muhammad rushed through the small letter holder on his desk, removing every single envelope in it and checking the labels. "Calm down man! What is all this,"

Muhammad had already disrupted the table, with no sign of the envelope. "Where did you keep the results Abdullah,"

Abdullah scanned the table and on seeing it, he graciously smiled. "Here it is! Right in front of you but you didn't see it, what this new over caring side of you, I don't understand," Abdullah joked, not knowing Muhammad is far from the joking self of his.

He seized it with so much worry that he didn't mind to show, taking Abdullah totally off guard. "This can't be true, who conducted this tests," he asked after finally going through it. He remembered Abdullah bringing him the results, but he was so busy to have totally forgotten about it.

"I did, I was also surprised seeing that much traces of white blood cells in her blood tissues, and she needs the urgent and quickest therapy session she could get. It's  almost exceeding the second stage, spreading quite faster than normal. That was why the test even took longer than necessary, I had to see three more doctors for confirmation because of how confused I was," Abdullah explained, wondering why Muhammad looked under the weather about this very patient. Is she by any chance a relative of his?!

Muhammad placed down the paper and sighed blaringly. "I can't believe this, you mean Ruwaida has cancer,"

Abdullah gave a disappointed nod. "I will sadly say yes, she's being diagnosed with Leukemia, late second stage,"

I was very heartbroken writing this sad and heart wrenching chapter! I hope this doesn't mark the beginning of an end :(

Çok teşekkürle my lovely reasürans, I'm most pleased by you giving this book a chance...thank you :)

Love_
Silentwriter ☕️