Unraveling Fatimah (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER 04- When He Panics.

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Fatimah clenched her eyes shut thinking of why she's not dead already.

The t*****e is unbearable.

The pain agonizing.

The words soul breaking.

She even hates her own self, questioning the reason of her existence at one point. But whenever that thought crosses her mind she remembers Afiya's last words to her.

"One day. All will be okay. Just never turn your back on your lord" and that seems to calm her down so much and let her have hope that one day things would really be better.

If only Afiya was here with us. Fatimah thought.

She let out a moan of pain at hearing the thundering sounds her stomach was making. The last time she ate was yesterday afternoon and it was two handfuls of rice and beans without soup but oil and maggi.

She struggled to get up but couldn't due to the dizziness she was feeling. After mustering enough strength and supplicating a lot of Duas her body cooperated and drew itself to her room.

She has been abused for three days straight.

The words Bastard rang in her ear like a bell and Fatimah collapsed on the heap of her clothes at remembering that Uwale has taken Bashir's long kept N360 along with his handkerchief.

And he's coming to collect it tomorrow. With that she fell asleep without having the strength to pray at the moment.

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Bashir couldn't take his mind off of her at all. He knew soon that he would know all about her. He felt it.

Right now he was walking out of the bathroom feeling restless and without knowing the cause of it. He had no appetite but Mama forced him to eat the Potato pies she made. He ate without vigor, prayed Maghrib and left to watch football with Ya Ayshah's husband, Kabir.

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The next day, Bashir came as supposed and early. Fatimah was so nervous that she couldn't come up with an explanation as to the reason why she does not have his money with her. She washed yesterday's hanky already this morning at a creek not so far from their place.

Her eyes were swollen as a result of the hit she received on it yesterday.

Fatimah's heart skipped a beat at noticing his car parking by the side. Her heart thundered loudly and before you know it tears were welling up in her eyes.

She blinked them back but one still managed to roll. Bashir's form came into view as he got out of the car and walked towards her.

He always dresses smart. She noted. Today he was wearing a Sky blue half jumper with long sleeves.

She wiped the tear off and smiled at him before they exchanged greetings. He sat next to her and began speaking.

"This time around I did not fail to do as you said. No disappointment" he gently spoke.

Fatimah was dripping with sweat unable to answer, so she just nodded. She handed him the handkerchief first which he held with his left hand. He waited for the other one which he initially planned to let her keep.

She smiled sheepishly at him completely forgetting to draw her hijab so as to cover her swollen eye which ofcourse caught his attention as soon as he sat with her.

"I kind of lost it. I swear I had it even yesterday but it fell with the money on my way to the creek where I washed this one (She pointed at the hanky in his grasp)"

He knew for sure what she said is just a cover-up for what really happened and he had a feeling that this girl is hiding something. He knew she would never let a long kept money to disappear easily from the way she was dead set on paying him.

With a nod and shrug they both fell into silence.

"Don't worry I would pay you. In the next two weeks Insha Allah"

"Don't bother" he waved her off.

"Nooo I promise I would pay. Inshaa Allah I would" she nodded to herself.

"What happened to you?" he asked pertaining to her eye unable to stop himself.

"Me? Nothing happened to me" she replied drawing her hijab out front.

"Your left eye" he replied with a grim, stoic look.

"Oh I bumped into the wall and fell unfortunately on my face"

Three lies Fatimah. He felt like voicing out to her, but let her be.

But he knew that one way or the other Insha Allah he would untangle the mystery that Fatimah is and soon at that.

"Oh sounds like a nasty fall" He meant to sound sarcastic but she didn't even notice.

"It was" she replied looking at the side and catering to the girl who came to buy nuts.

He watched the exchange and remembered the man from yesterday who asked for something like 'Juya'? He asked himself.

He wracked his brain trying to remember what exactly the word was but nonetheless typed 'Juya' in the Remember App of his phone and saved it.

"You should get back to work or home" she suggested, feeling the pain that hunger caused for her. It was like a lump formed on her upper stomach, she has been feeling weak and a sudden, sharp pain that doesn't go away has taken refuge in her abdomen. She felt the need to vomit hence why she tried to shoo him away.

She managed to buy N5 pure water from the shop beside Jamilu's because he was still reeling from the effect of her betrayal.

Everything was just so ironic in her life.

She felt her head spinning and within seconds she blanked out on Bashir calling out her name.

He frantically shook her but all he received was silence.

With haste, he moved to his car and grabbed a bottle containing water, sprinkled some on her face but was rewarded with dead silence.

A disoriented Bashir carried her little light form to his car in a hurry and grabbed the tray too, kept it in the front seat and drove like a mad man out of the area and to the nearest hospital his GPS could locate.

Her mouth by then had already began oozing with foam which only made the rate of his panic increase. The care takers of the hospital rushed to them and took her straight to the ER.

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