Juhanah

chapter six

CHAPTER SIX

Months later, Every Morning, Juhanah searched for online advertisements, submitted different applications, and waited patiently for responses that never came.

Seconds turned into minutes.

Minutes into hours.

Hours into days.

Days into weeks.

And, weeks into months.

One evening, Juhanah sat on the edge of her bed, with her hands locked together.

“Why is life so difficult……”

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door..

“Come in….” She muttered.

The door opened gently, her mum walked in.

“Is everything okay?You've been quiet these days….”

Juhanah sighed.

“Mummy, why is life so unfair?”

“Unfair?, Towards who?”

“Me of course, Everyday is the same, I apply for jobs, receive rejected emails, or no responses at all, I feel like I'm losing myself, I don't want to wait anymore”.

Her mother held her hand tightly.

“You don't have to rush the process, give it time”

“For how long?”

“What do you want to do?”

“I want to leave…”

“Leave?”

Her mum looked at her surprisedly.

“Yes mum, I want to be independent, I want to build my own life, I want to discover who I am truly…..”

“You really want to leave?” Her mum asked again, her eyes already pricked with tears.

“Mum, I'll call you everyday, I'll visit you as much as I can, it's for my own good, I don't wanna be a burden to you, not now, not ever”.

The thought of her being alone at home frightened her, no one to talk to.

That night, she couldn't sleep, she wondered why her daughter wanted to leave, she wondered if she didn't provide enough, she is financially stable, “what does she still want” she questioned herself.

The next day, she called Juhanah to her room.

“You'll promise me one thing, reach out to me in times of need, please don't hesitate to, secondly, I couldn't sleep throughout the night, but one thing is sure, you're always safe, I wish you all the best, that's all I can say…….”

“Thank you mum, I won't disappoint you, I want the best for myself, I won't hesitate to reach out to you always….”

Her mother picked up an envelope, then handed it to her daughter.

“I've been saving this for some years….this is your new begining…..”

“Mummy, this is too much, I can't take this…”

“Please, I beg you, you're all I have, I don't want to watch you suffer.”

“Thank you mum….. believe me, I'll make you proud…”

******

The journey lasted for hours.

As the bus entered the bustling city, everything hit differently.

It was exciting.

The first few weeks were difficult, different interviews, different companies.

But all seemed difficult, each rejection felt like another door closed in her face.

As the months went by, it became heavier, her savings steadily reduced, she wasn't ready to call her mother to ask for money.

Countlessly, she skipped breakfast and lunch to afford transportation.

Life became difficult, the emotional burden was so heavy.

Everyday, her mother reached out to her, she did break down, telling her mum how frustrated she was, her mother would encourage her, and pray for her as well.

One hot afternoon, exhausted after another unsuccessful job hunt, Juhanah walked home lost in thought.

Without realizing it, she stepped onto a busy road.

A speeding SUV suddenly appeared.

The driver slammed on the brakes, but the vehicle lightly knocked her down.

Terrified, the driver rushed out.

As the lady bent down to help, she froze.

"Juhanah?"

Slowly opening her eyes, Juhanah stared at the familiar face.

"Rita..."

Both ladies burst into tears.

After years apart, destiny had reunited them in the most unexpected way.

They spoke for hours.

It was a memorable moment together again.

“Everything changed, when you left my school, I felt left alone, because of that, I couldn't reach out to you anymore, after some weeks, we relocated, I couldn't tell you before that, I heard about your father's death, I was heartbroken, I wept, I couldn't reach out to you anymore After six years, my parents divorced.”

“Divorced?” Juhanah asked, her voice conveying surprise.

“Yes, my mum caught by dad cheating, hmmmm, not just that, it got resolved, he impregnated our maid, he hid it from us for some months, my mother noticed this, when our maid grew wings, she spoke back at my mother, insulted her, with that, my mum investigated, and she realized that, our maid was pregnant…..” she paused, Juhanah,she continued, “ it didn't just end there, my mum forgave him, not too long, my mum caught him with another woman, she couldn't bear it anymore, she filed for a divorce, it was unbearable, with the money my mum had, she relocated, and till today, we're doing fine.”

“Ohhhh, sorry about that, it's painful.”

“ Yes, it is, but I'm strong now and I believe everything will be fine.”

“That's true, how's your mum?”

She took a deep breath, “My mum is doing good, but she's emphasizing on having a grandchild soon….”

On hearing that, Juhanah burst into laughter.

“A grandchild?"

“Yes of course, a grandchild, me wey no get man…..” she said laughing.

“This is serious, so what are you gonna do now?”

“I don't know, I don't give a f**k as well, my friend, at this point, I've given up on love, all the time, it was one-sided.” Rita said sadly.

“I understand, but you don't have to give up, love will find you some day, just give it time.”

“Time?? I can't give it time anymore, maybe my mum will go find a grandchild somewhere else” she muttered.

Juhanah threw a friendly punch.

“Go find man jooor…..” she said jokingly.

“That aside, a company……she paused, they're recruiting new staff, and the management specifically asked me to recommend qualified candidates….”

On hearing that, she paid attention.

“I know, you're intelligent and hardworking, believe me, anyone who deserves this opportunity is you….. I want you to send your CV to my email address immediately.”

Juhanah couldn't utter a word for some seconds.

“Do you really mean this?”

“Of course”

“What if they don't choose me?” She asked sadly.

“Leave that for me, just make sure your CV is updated and professional, one more thing, the salary is good, believe me.”

“I'm speechless….”

“You don't have to be my darling, trust me, it's the kind of job you've been praying for…..”,

Juhanah's eyes misted with happy tears.

She started sniffing.

“Juhanah?You haven't stopped being emotional…..” Rita said jokingly.

Juhanah bursted into laughter.

Deep into her heart, she was grateful to God, for not leaving her for a minute, brightened her future when it was dark, remembering everything she went through, she broke down in tears.