The Story of us

29th May, 2016. It's a Sunday, it's her 20th birthday, it's the 29th of May. She sank into her plane seat and heaved a sign then fastened her seat belt just before they took off. She always liked the window seats, for although she had a great fear of heights, surprisingly not when she was traveling by air. She always liked to have a good view of the sight below, as they flew over countries, to her home Nigeria. They just did a transit at Istanbul, 6 more hours to Abuja. She zoned out while looking out and decided it wasn't a good idea after all. Not fond of sleeping while travelling, she brought out her phone and logged into w******p to view her friends profile pictures and statuses. She knew it must be flooding with her pictures by now. And she was right. their statuses were hilarious. Farha: Happy Birthday to our big baby, tell Yaya that his wife to be is saying hy? Maryam: Happy Birthday beautiful one. Halima: Happy Birthday child ? Rufaida: Happy Birthday dear, our teen is no more a term?. Abida: Happy Birthday adorable, the baby among us ? Aisha: Happy Birthday dimpled Khady our teen has finally come of age, we can now successfully marry her out without being charged for child abuse. Fatima: Willy Willy of life, get well soon. Adulthood is a disease. 29th May please bring our baby back, we don't want her to grow?? She burst out laughing which earned her some few stares, gathering herself together, she kept a very straight face like she wasn't the one laughing a few seconds ago. That's what her friends did to her, with them she's totally crazy, no dull moment with them, they could bring one out of every mood, they were wonderful like that. She did some other things before logging out. Going through her gallery, she smiled. They had insisted she stayed back so they could celebrate her birthday, but her father insisted she comes home, and so they threw a pre birthday party for her, they made her day. Manal graduated few weeks back, from Romanian American University, Romania. She majored in English Literature, backing a first class, she came back home knowing she did made her father proud, albeit reluctantly, she didn't want to come back. However, she couldn't run from reality forever, it's time to grow up and face it squarely. Ramadan is on the 6th of June Manal, exactly a week after your birthday. Please come back home my dear, we miss you. Those were the words he used to cajole her. Even her birthday didn't feel like hers again, she wasn't as excited as she used to be, she wasn't even excited at all. she wasn't used to celebrating alone, and for that, every birthday brought back memories, of good times and bad. Tears gathered in her eyes and she dabbed at her face with a wipe she brought out from her make up bag. In moments like this, she did what she knew how to do best, she wrote. She brought out a pink sheet of paper from her bag and scribbled some lines down, not satisfied, she brought out her huge black diary, settled more into her seat and began writing. Unknown to her the surprises destiny had in store for her exactly a year later. *** 29th May 2017 "...Happy Birthday to you" General Gana, Ramadan, Malik and Malika concluded their chorus in different horrible voices which made her laugh. They all handed her the bunches of flowers each was holding. Her father sat on the seat close to her hospital bed while the rest went out only to return with gifts and refreshments. "Honestly Abii, you really shouldn't have done all these" "Hush my baby, it's your birthday and like we do on all your birthdays, we celebrate it" he held her hand and gave it a calm squeeze. "But you know I can't celebrate it Abii, I never will be able to again, that is if I live to see the next" tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. "Say Astagfirrullah baby, don't talk like that. No one knows tomorrow, the healthy might die and leave the sick alive, sickness is not death. It breaks my heart when you talk like this. Promise me you won't say that again" "But Abii..." "Aunty Manal" little Malika ran to hug her "Please don't leave us Aunty Manal, who will take care of us if you do" she wailed, and as if that's what Manal was waiting for, she joined her while her father sat helplessly looking at them, with Malik coming to lean on him. They didn't understand, they would never understand the pain Manal is going through even if she vocalises it. They all thought her frequent cries and wishes to die were because of her illness, they thought it was because of the pains from the illness. Unknown to them, Manal even wished for the pains to be more, if at all it could reduce the pains she felt from within, because physical pains were much more easier to bear, they healed with time, but for emotional pains, the type she feels now, they never heal, they live with one forever. She wished all her pains were physical, so at least they could heal, or she leaves the surface of the earth as a whole and be free from its b*****e. "I will try my best to be strong for you Malika, I promise. I promise you too Abii." she said and called for a group hug. Ramadan smiled from a few steps away then moved closer and sat beside her on the bed, wiping her face with his hanky after their hug. "Oh my Allah, I'm late for the party, I'm I? I'm so sorry I was caught up in traffic along bank road, you know today being Monday" so typical of Amani to make a statement, ask a question and explain herself all at the same time. She was carrying a huge food flask, with her phone and digital camera balanced on it. She was fully prepared for the party also, black gown, red shiny lipstick, it made Ramadan frown in disapproval. He got up and help her with the food flask. The food was for Manal and the kids as it was the month of Ramadan, the third day and all other the adults were fasting. "Hello dear" she winked at him and he smiled. She proceeded to Manal's bed, her high heeled shoes coming in contact with the tiled hospital floor and making a clack clack sound. "Good afternoon Abii. Malik, Malika, come and give Aunty a hug" Amani was cheerful like that "Manal darling, how are you today. Happy Birthday, happy being 21" she hugged her "Thank you Amani, you look stunning, you smell of strawberry too" Manal beamed genuinely. "Awwwn thank you darling, you're so sweet. I got the type...Ramadan close that food flask please, I don't want the food to get cold" she spoke to Ramadan, as aroma of jolof rice and chicken hit their nostrils, turning back to Manal, she continued "I got the type of my strawberry perfume for you too" she brought it out and started spraying it on everybody including Abii. Malika was still crying. "If I tell you say I love you my money my body na your own oh baby Thirty billion for your account e e Versace and Gucci for your body oh baby Ramadan sang into her ears, dancing in a funny way which made her laugh. He again whispered something to her and Malik. "Can we start the party now pleaseeee" they said together "Yes yes" that was Amani "I don't even have a dress, I'm I supposed to celebrate my birthday wearing a hospital gown? I told you all that it's not a good idea, I don't want to celebrate it" she burst into tears once again and they used almost an hour to console and convince her. The nurses momentarily came in to warn them about their agreement of keeping the celebration low and quiet, and not stressing the patient as the reason why it was granted in the first place was because they were told it's her birthday, and because of the General too, it was against hospital rules. "Please pick a pink gown for her to match mine" Malika pleaded "You know I don't like pink" she crunched her nose "Aunty Manal please" she pleaded innocently and Manal couldn't say no to her, she was too adorable to say no to. "Let's just go with the pink baby" their father chipped in "Abii I'm 21 but you still call me baby" she chuckled "To me you will always be a baby Manal" It was settled that Ramadan will go home and pick a dress from Manal's closet, for the party, that's when Malika suggested pink. "Please don't follow bank road Ramadan dear, the traffic there is heavy. Go through Aliyu Mustafa Academy, so you can just get to fire service roundabout from there. Be fast please" she blew him a kiss. Ramadan collected the keys to the house from General Gana and left, following the route Amani advised him to follow, and he was lucky enough to avoid the heavy traffic. The reason for the traffic being that, Aisha Buhari, the first lady came to town two days back. He got home and unlocked the doors, one after the other. He got to Manal's room and went in after unlocking it. It wasn't your typical girly room, full of colours. No. Everything in the room was either coffee or cream, or one with the touch of the other. Starting from the tiled floor to the center rug, the sofa and reading table with a chair. The magnificent bed and drawers, the closet and a huge bookshelf by the bedside, then the dresser, close to the toilet door. He moved to the closet, opened it and scanned through her clothes, try to spot something pink. After much difficulties he found a pink gown and signed in relief. He saw a paper bag on the dresser and put the cloth inside. He closed the closet and was about to leave when he remembered something. Manal loved books. Her hobbies were reading and writing. She read whenever she was happy and wrote when sad. He knew she did like to write now, so getting a book and pen for her will be just a perfect idea. He kept the bag on the bed which was covered with white bed sheets and duvet, with red flowers at the edges. He ran his hands through the books on her shelf, looking for an exercise book or jotter. He didn't see any, then he checked the books piled on the reading table, still he couldn't find a book. Finally, he saw a hug black diary peeping from under one of the duvet's throw pillows on the bed. He raised the pillow and picked it up, the diary had the inscription Manal Gana written in white ink with her almost perfect cursive writing. He picked the bag and was about to leave when a pink paper fell from the diary. He picked it from the floor and was about to put it back in the diary when something caught his eyes. His name. Curiosity took over him and he started reading it. Life doesn't always end with a happily ever after. Life is an epitome of sweet and sour. Life is an epitome of bitter and sweet. Life is not a bed of roses. Life offers you honey today, and decides to hand you lime the next. Surrounding occurrences in my life and that of the people around me, shaped me into who I am today, my life's never how I planned it to be. Today. I am going to write the story of my life, of Ramadan, Amani, our parents and how destiny entangled us in its web. My name is Khadijah Manal Yusuf Gana and this is, THE STORY OF US... Ramadan's legs began to shake as he didn't know when he threw the bag on the floor, retraced his steps to the bed and started reading it.