It’s break time, student were busy playing while few of them were together chattering, among those not playing is Ummi and her only friend, Ahmad, sitting quietly in a shady spot beneath mango tree in the school compound in front of their classroom.

The two of them are busy looking at the student playing without saying anything to each other, Ummi turned to Ahmad and say, “they seem so Happy.” Ahmad smirky, “Yeh they are happy kids and pretend just like us.”

“Yeh we can’t pretend, Yesterday Dad beat me for the first time, and it’s all because of her (She mean Sa’ada).” Ummi said in a tearful voice.

“What! Did you said beat,” he shouted, he quickly hold his lips with his palm looking at the kids whose his loud voice brought their attention to them, “Well I know this will happen, didn’t I told you? She will make him hate you with time, that’s how stepmoms are, they are wicked,” he added.

Ummi quivered her lips, “Back then I never believe in what you said but now I do, seeing how Dad beat me yesterday and I hate them both.”

He smirked “You need to thank God at least your mum still loves you, and you have Amira. As for me I have nobody my stepmom is wicked, my parents treated me indifferently as if am not their son. Nobody cares about me.” He looks at Ummi, “Ok maybe you.” Ahmad said his eyes filled up.

Ahmad is Ummi’s classmate and her only friend thought he’s 2 years older than she is, his parents broke up when he was 6, his stepmom was wicked and his dad is such a carefree man.

His stepfather hate him so his mother never welcome him when he visited her, all in her attempt to protect her new marriage…

Abu is so curious, while happy in the other hand,
She’s awake throughout the night preparing her thing she only fall a sleep few minutes to 4pm, and she woke up early in the morning when it’s still dark before anyone in the house, Today will be her first day at camp, she is very happy that she will at least be away from home for sometime.

She first do the dishes although the morning is colder than usual, she swept the house and then concocted breakfast and finished everything before 6am.

After she’s done with the house activities, later Zainab fetched water from their well with which she will have a birth with, and took the water to the toilets before going back to her room to bring her clothe.

Her younger brother Mahfux come out running from his room and shoved her away when she is about to enter the toilet.

She only nod her head and stay by the side waiting for him to come out, she only thought he will just excuse himself and come out, but to her surprise he is bathing with her water after all he do not fetched it no does he carried the bucket inside, she was exasperated to the extremes ” I just can’t take this any more” she speaks to herself.

He come out drying his head, she look at him angrily feeling like beating him.

She gasped, before saying, “Mahfux how can you pushed me and then use my water to washed yourself, after knowing that am in hurry” she said coldly shaking her fist.

He looked at her and smile then matched some step away from her.

This too much her anger already exceeded the level she can control, to extend that she doesn’t know the time she dragged him back, “what is this nonsense, you used up my water and am complaining instead of admitting to your mistake you then smiled at me am I mad or what?” She said in an awful voice.

He looks at her with an Ignorant look   “What is this all about?” Mahfux suddenly flared out, “I just can’t see what you are pestering me for, please leave me alone I have other things to do” he said and plushed her back violently.

She shake her head, she had been tolerating their nonsense since forever but she can’t take it any more, it is too much, a boy she raised is this rude to her, she rushed to him and stopped him.

He looks at her disgracefully “Malama you are on my way step aside.” Zainaba narrowed her eyes towards him, “Am older than you and just because I never complain doesn’t mean I can’t do,” she said frostily.

“So what if you can?” Mahfux said raising his eyebrows.

Zainaba felt about to burst that she can’t help slapping him.

He hold his chin angrily and in shock “what did you just slapped me? he shake his head and slapped her back…

There Father rushed out from his room and intervened ” So you end your marriage just to come here and course trouble..

“But I did nothing wrong, he is the one in fault” she replied her eyes filled up.

“Then why do you slapped him, even when he’s younger than you he isn’t your son, he is an adult,” Baba replied.

“Sincerely speaking this is not fair… “

“What, are you now insulting me?” Baba cut her.

He gave her several slapped on her face and pushed her back violently. Abu fall on her back.

“And for your information your wedding will be in the next 2 weeks and wallahi  if you ever asked Malam Musa for divorce i won’t forgive you and you would have to look for another parent.” He said vigorously

Zainab ran to her room crying, she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, today is the most disgraceful moment of her life  in spite of the fact that she’s in pain but she can’t cry, she now agreed with people saying you only cry if your problems are minor.

She believed it today that crying help to relief your pain and at the same time comfort you. Today that she can’t cry she felt like dying, her chest pains as if her heart will burst out.

All she did is turning over what happened over and over again in her mind  but not quite see her fault.

Her unhappiness was heightened by the fact that  her father beat her without her fault and put all the blame on her.

To relieve her pain and overburdened mind she picked Usman picture and watched, without knowing tears  trickled down her face , she love him so much she does’t know how things turned out this way for them.

She forget about the service and going to camp she is totally depressed, she stayed indoor the whole day doing nothing she only pray. He situation wouldn’t allow her to eat, all she remembers is how her father beat her and that her wedding with that old man is in 2 weeks.

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