UNDER 168 HOURS [BOOK 1, 168 HOURS SERIES]

Chapter 25: Rejected

Finally, it was sunrise. Zainab sat up from the mat where she slept. She curled her body in a “S” shape for a while and then sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees. Then she pulled her slim body up again, lost in thought.

Zainab stared at her palms. She couldn’t believe such an ingrate plundered her. And for a while, she felt so lost and empty and suddenly burst into tears. The gut-wrenching sobs tore through her chest, but she tried hard to keep it low.

‘It’s all my fault now. Doctor Azeezah is dead. Maybe we were cursed or something. Maybe Humaira is right… We’re so unfortunate.’ She walked to the doorstep and watched the compound. What came was memories. She remembered when she was very much younger, when her mum was still alive. When they first came to the town, they wanted to start afresh. To begin a new life, away from the evil family members that wanted to destroy their mother-daughter relationship. Her late mother, Hajia Binta, started renting the room self-contain before she bought it (the land and house) from the landlord.
Although the building was a small one; it felt like heaven to her, but not now. Not anymore.

Just today, she has lost another family. A woman that stood in place of her mother…
‘Who knows what would happen tomorrow?’ Zainab thought of everything. Everything that remained her of being happy. She sighed a passenger and retired her attention to where she wanted to go.. Doctor Azeezah’s place. She walked out of her compound doing the 5 minutes walk. Getting there, she met the gate wide open.

Zainab entered the wide compound through the gate. She could sense the crowd of people inside the living room.

‘It’s just hours after I left here. Maybe it’s our neighbors.’ She thought and entered.

When she got in, she was surprised to see Zayd and Zaytoon, Doctor Azeezah’s children.

‘How come? How did they know about this?’ Zainab pondered, hoping she’d come earlier.
She greeted everyone, including Mr. Aremu, whom was sitting between Zayd and Zaytoon. Zaytoon rolled her eyes at Zainab as she entered. She couldn’t help but to wonder why her mother agreed to bring Zainab along, taking Zainab as her own but see what happens. Zainab looked away from Zaytoon’s grave glare, that was still lingering in her clouded mind. She looked away, wondering what her offence might be, even though it was their first meeting.

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