CHAPTER 07- When She Stands For Herself.
1109 Words
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Loud bangs and shouts at her door awoke her from her blissful slumber.
Fatimah squinted her eyes trying to comprehend what was happening. With a fright she jumped out of her makeshift bed.
They scared her.
"Fatimah wallah ki hito kahin na karya qohar taki (You better come out before I break your door)"
Uwale!
With her new possessed amount of strength, Fatimah felt like not letting this go easily. She's tired of being beaten.
She has not more than once tried to play knight in shining armor for herself but afterwards always gets herself thoroughly lashed. Like one time when Uwale commanded Basira to beat her, Fatimah snatched the cane out of Basira's grasp and lashed her with it feeling like she has been possessed, Fatimah beat Basira until the girl fainted.
That was when Fatimah regained her senses.
Instead of her to feel bad. She felt proud of herself. She threw the cane at Uwale and ran out of the house straight to the market where at-least she could be defended incase one of them came looking for her. And immediately, Musa did come running into the market after her like an enraged monster.
A grocery seller known as Baba Bakari me tumatur (Baba Bakar the tomato seller) was the one who saved her life that day. He let her stay under his roof until Isha prayers when she sneaked to her room since it wasn't inside what they refer to the house as 'main building'.
Clearing the images of how she got beaten that day Fatimah muttered profanities under her breath before opening the door. Uwale came crashing down as she was caught unexpected, she was eavesdropping on Fatimah, her ears were plastered to the door so when it opened she followed after.
With no shame she stood up, dusted her already dirty clothes and pointed a finger at Fatimah.
"I heard you talking. Were you on the phone? Give me that phone right now you despicable cretin" She snarled at Fatimah while her minion- Basira glared at Fatimah in envy.
"I was talking to myself" Fatimah muttered.
"Oh hoo. You're mad now abi? Toh (okay). Basira go and bring me her rags" Uwale ordered and Basira immediately obliged biting her lip in anger.
Fatimah glared back at Basira, a warning to her not to dare touch her property. Basira knows better than to do so. She's Uwale's shadow. Eversince that one time incident Basira has never dared to get in Fatimah's way unless in Uwale or Musa's presence.
Basira snickered as she drew Fatimah's bag out of the room and straight to where her mother was standing.
My medicines. Fatimah thought. There was no way she could let them destroy what someone else got for her with his own money.
With mustered courage Fatimah snatched her bag and threw it into her room glaring at the both of them.
"Oh hooo. Saurayin naki alwaqarin aure ya miki hine kike qoqarin yimun jan wuya. Toh sekinci qwal ubanki (Has your boyfriend promised you marriage? Is that the reason why you're trying to disobey me? I would deal with you then" Uwale angrily verbalised.
Fatimah avoided meeting Uwale's gaze as she prayed to God make Musa no show himself.
"Basira deal with the imbecile that dared to disobey your mother"
Basira whose hands were shaking with fear grabbed the cane in order to please Uwale and lashed Fatimah with it.
One. Two. Three. Enough.
Fatimah grabbed the cane using all the strength she could summon and began hitting Basira with it, like a barbaric cavewoman.
Amidst screams and shouts Uwale who tried to defend her daughter got rewarded with wonderful lashes on various parts of her body.
Then everything went quiet.
"How dare you? How dare you Hit my Mother you useless bastard" Basira bellowed.
"I dared to, do whatever you can about it and see if I would let you be" Fatimah replied, heaving.
Then another fight began, hand combat though. This time around Uwale was wailing like a fool as she ran outside to call for help.
Meanwhile, Basira was getting the beat of her life sprawled on the floor while she received blows on her face, stomach, gut, etc etc. Her mouth was oozing with blood as Fatimah repeatedly slammed her elbow on it feeling frustrated at being called a Bastard. She's tired of it all.
Musa came running in but that did nothing to stop Fatimah from doing her business.
Basira's breathing became shallow, that was when Fatimah felt that it was enough. Basira was unconscious, Fatimah felt wild.
Meeting Musa's gaze she pointed a finger at him then began shouting her frustrations, letting it out. "Don't you dare touch me with your filthy hands you r****t. The son of a mad woman, the brother of a p********e. By Allah if you try hitting me today you wouldn't sleep well in this house. None of you would. Am I not human? Don't I have feelings? Do you think you can control my life? Believe me none of you can, I would never allow that. I swear if any of you tries hurting me today I would show them what a Bastard, a p********e, a liar, a thief, a mad woman I can be. Try me and see" with that she walked to her room ignoring the stares of all the gossip mongers that were already filling the house with their unwanted presence.
Uwale was still shouting "Na shiga uku (I am in trouble)"
Fatimah felt her heart beating rapidly at the exercise. Raw satisfaction pumped through her veins making all exhaustion extinct. She was waiting for one of them to truly make a move so that she could show them how bent she was on proving her words.
Enough is enough.
The noise from outside her door began subsiding as the gossip mongers started leaving. Feeling pity for Uwale at being left with the witch that Fatimah is.
Fatimah clicked her tongue as she mused to herself, feeling stupid for letting them control her 17 years of life.
Who is her mother? Where are her parents? Who is the relative she has? Was has she done to receive this harsh treatment?
As far as she's concerned, she has no relation with anyone near whenever she compares herself to the ones around her.
Her skin is fair- Uwale's family are dark skinned.
She has long b*a-strap length curly black hair- Uwale and her daughter have neck-length brown hair.
She knows she has beautiful features, for instance her eyes, eye lashes, lips. Never has she ever seen anyone that looks a bit like her. Never.
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- Writer
