C3 Fatimah

"The guy is handsome, I like him" Qudrah said as soon as we headed to my car in the parking lot. "But too bad I wasn't the one he sat with"

"Hey," I glanced at her. "I will not dissuade you from falling in love on your first day at school but will certainly warn you to stay away from that guy, he's not a good guy you know?" I said.

"I don't know, he looks good to me" She said.

"Good, right? Okay then!" I said unlocking my car.

"Wow, a brand new Camry!" She squealed.

"No, it is two years old! I've been maintaining it" I said and gestured to her to hop in. "Let me drive you to your destination" I hopped into the car.

"Awwn!" She hopped inside too. "Thanks dear, I live just few kilometers away from here" She said fastening her seatbelt.

"Alright" I said starting the car. Thus, I reversed out of the parking lot and drove us out of the school while we gist. "...my father owns the Bulama Cooperation" I apprised her.

"Wow, that's great" She beamed at me. "My own father is a very crook politician, currently he's the chief of staff of the Kogi State governor. Many people hate him"

"Kogi State? But why then are you guys living here?" I wrinkled a brow at her.

"Actually," She cleared her throat and continued. "He divorced my mother"

"What?!" I squealed.

"Yeah, but he used to take care of us" She said.

"He ought to!" I growled.

"Yeah" She said.

And after that, we both exercised silence until we reached her destination, there she told me to pull over. It was quite a big house. "Thanks for the ride, can you say your number please?" She said, hence I gave her my number and she alighted from the car. "See you tomorrow!"

"Alright, bye!" I smiled and watched as she gently walked into the gate of their house.

Cant believe I've got myself a friend on my first day at school, I thought as I drove away – straight back home.

"Mum, I am back!" I screamed walking upstairs to her room. "Mum, hello!" I opened the door but couldn't find her. "Mum, where are you?" I said heading downstairs – thinking she was in the kitchen...

"She's not around, same as your dad!" Nanny Luba appeared, she had been my nanny since infancy.

"Ohh, okay..." I said walking over to her. "Are you by any means cognizant of where they went to?"

"Barely, your mother mentioned Dropflex..."

"Dropflex?" I wrinkled my brows. "Wow, that means they ain't coming back anytime soon!"

"Yes, I think so" She said and continued. "Let me quickly go and finish cooking lunch, dear"

"What? Lunch isn't ready yet?" I squeaked.

"Yes, I am sorry..." She said as I cut in.

"It's okey, I can wait" I said with a wink.

"Hmm, alright my dear" She turned and left.

I headed back upstairs to my room and got myself changed into a black polo top and a blue jeans trousers. After that I hopped onto my soft bed, switched on my mobile data and logged into my WhatsApp account. Just then, a message from an unknown contact bounced in... together with many messages from my saved contacts.

"Hey Fatimah, t's me – Qudrah. Kindly save my contact"

I smiled and replied her message with, "Alright, I will 😉"

And while saving her contact, my door was pushed open and I had to glare at the person. It was my cousin brother, a four-year-ahead punk who had been living with us ever since he finished his NYSC program. He had started working in my father's company not long ago.

"When will you ever learn?" He said with his arms folded across his chest. "Huh, Fatimah?"

"About what? Screaming my mother's name whenever I am back from wherever I might have been? Well, this is our house!" I uttered with a hiss. "I can do whatever I want to do"

"And it's my uncle's house," He hesitated and continued. "The next time you try that, I will make sure I... You don't wanna know, Fatimah!" He said and then stormed out.

Nonsense. I rolled my eyes and returned back to my WhatsApp. Sadly, Qudrah had already went offline leaving a message for me which reads; "Thank you, let me go and eat lunch!"

That moment, my belly rumbled reminding me that I was hungry as well but considering the fact that our food wasn't ready yet, I just had to exercise patience. Thus, I chatted with some of my online friends before nanny Luba summoned me. "Lunch is ready!" She uttered.

"Alright" I withdrew from the bed and headed downstairs to the dining island. My cousin was already there, and since we weren't friends I decided to fetch my food and go upstairs to my room. We stopped being friends long ago.

"You still hate me, don't you?" He said making me to halt. "I know you still hate me, Fatimah"

"Hate you?" I turned and scoffed. "To say I hate you is an understatement. You shouldn't have even come, Munir. Seeing you makes me to remember what you did to me in the past. You are like the Habib in 'From The Eyes Of A Spinster', only that your case is less worst!"

"Stop comparing me with that rapist!" He said.

"As if you're also not a rapist?" I glared at him.

"Lower your goddamn voice, I only molested you and I was just a teen" He said gritting his teeth. "What do you expect from a teenager?"

"I expect self control!" I squealed. And before I knew it, he had already withdrew from the dining table and swiftly walked over to me.

"You want the whole world to know I molested you five years ago, huh? Fine, but if that ends up ruining my wedding with Khadijah I... I will make sure I rape you this time around" He said and I could tell through his eyes that he meant his words. I was tall but he was taller than me.

I didn't say anything more to him, I just turned and walked upstairs to my room. I was literally fourteen when he molested me and since then, I hadn't set my foot in their house again talk more of spending a night there. I was cautious!