It's valentine day.

I look at myself in the mirror. I smooth out my plain red instrument skirt and retuck in my black satin blouse. Satisfied with my outfit, I proceed to lay my edges and put on my turban cap.

The result has me grinning. I add final touches to my outfit — rose gold hoop earrings, gold knuckle rings, a rose gold wristwatch, black shades and gold stilettos.

After taking few pictures to send to my boyfriend, I take my school bag and some cash from my weekly allowance.

I hear a familiar honk and when I look out the window, it's the school bus, right on time. I decide against my stilettos last minute and wear strap on heels before rushing out.

I know that Mama has already gone to work, and Kawu is wherever he is. The maids are around, so I don't have to worry about the house being empty or something of that sort.

"Mina, Hajiya said you should have breakfast before you leave." One of the maids says from behind me and turn to her with a smile.

"And you'll tell her I did, thank you. Bye." I throw her a kiss and rush out at the sound of the second honk of the school bus. I know that if Paul honks for the third time, he'll drive away and leave me and I'll have to find a driver to take me.

When I step out, he's already restarting the bus. So I hurry inside and head to my usual seat.

For some reason, there's someone on my seat. And although, normally, no one has permanent seats in the school bus, my case and that of my friend is different. We're two, and we take up a seat in the corner of the bus.

But today, the seat that's supposed to be empty —mine — has been occupied by someone else.

"Sayyad, did you get me anything for valentine?" I'd recognize that thick Edo accent anywhere.

"Winifred Elewa." She turns to me, her pig-like nose turned up in a frown.

"You're in my seat." She looks around, as though she's looking for who I'm speaking to. I adjust my stance and fold my hands over my bosom.

"Your name isn't written here? Is it?" My eyebrows fly up in surprise and my folded hands slacken around each other a little.

The audacity this girl has is unnerving. Since when does she talk to me like that? Wow.

"Is jumia having another black Friday now?"

Winifred looks at me like I'm crazy. She's probably wondering why I would be asking her that.

"I don't think so..." She still looks confused.

"Then where did you buy this reeking audacity from! I don't want to talk too much. I'm happy today, fortunately for you. So quietly get up and find somewhere else to put your Igbo ass."

Her gasp is pretentious, as though I said something scandalous. "You can't talk about my body like that. That's verbal assault."

I roll my eyes, already tired of her stupid rubbish. The bus conductor would soon come in and I'm not in the mood to argue with her over where I should sit this morning.

"Winifred Elewa, I don't have your energy. Get up, or to God who made me I'm going to drag you up and push you to the ground. Don't force me."

I don't know if what she did was a harrumph or a scoff, but she stands up so I just ignore her.

Sayyad smiles that dimpled smile at me and we bump our fists.

"Mina, you wasted time today." I sigh as he takes my bag and drops it beside his.

"I had a long bath today and kind of lost track of time while sitting in the tub."

He shakes his head at me, "Always with the excuses, Allah ya shirya."

I laugh and adjust my sitting position at the same moment the bus conductor comes in. She greets us all, evidently sad and sits in her place.

The drive to school is anything but quiet. Sayyad and I catch up on watch we did yesterday, he wasn't in school and I wasn't able to reach him via his phone.

When we arrive at the school, it's a party of red and white everywhere. We get off the bus and after an agreement to meet after the assembly, Sayyad leaves to find his brother while I head for the class where without doubt my clique would be awaiting my arrival.

I look at my watch and note the time before entering the cream painted class.

As usual, all four of my friends are seated in a sort of circle. They are dressed impeccably — to kill, I note. And suddenly, I kind of feel underdressed in my skirt and blouse.

I take a deep breath and walk towards them with a large smile on my face.

"Mina! You're finally here." Eleanor shouts waving me over as though I am not already heading towards them.

Eleanor is the newest in our clique, joined us when she came newly in JSS three. She's a beautiful Edo girl with a killer body and excellent waist dancing skills. Her dad is the minister of oil and gas here in Nigeria.

"Damn, that skirt is doing something to you, va va voom!" Tanisha exclaims and I can't help the laugh that escapes my lips.

"Oh please, it's doing nothing." I take a seat beside Jasmine who kisses my cheek as a form of greeting. I catch a whiff of her perfume as she moves away, which is the reason we call her Jasmine.

She's absolutely obsessed with anything Jasmine. Her real name is actually Yasmin. She's my second childhood friend that I'm still with. Our parents, together with Tanisha's are close friends. While Dada and Tanisha's dad — Major Fareed Lamaran — are in the army, Yasmin's dad is in the navy. Our mothers met through our dads.

"Hey girls, happy valentines day! I love you all." We exchange I love yous over each other's voices before we all pull out the gifts we got each other.

I hand them each a tiny box and a larger one. My gifts are never small, so they are all shocked. They keep them, Tanisha leaning in to ask me what's in it but I simply smile at her.

Slowly, everyone hand out her gifts, Kiara's being the largest in Chanel bags. Her gifts are always the largest, she's the one with the richest parents among us anyway. Her dad is an Indian, the ambassador of India here in Nigeria. Her mum got real lucky.

We all start with Kiara's, and no one is shocked to see Chanel bags. We all smile and thank her. We put them away and pull out Kameela's, which are the second largest. Her gifts are always thoughtful and beautiful wrapped.

"Let me take a picture, please." That's Jasmine. We all nod in agreement and put them on the table in a picturesque pose and let her take several shots.

"You guys know I need an unboxing video, right?" Kiara's teeny voice reminds us and we watch her set up her phone on her charger head as a make shift tripod. And then on the count of five, we all slowly pull at the bow holding the wrapping paper in place and the red piece of ribbon falls on either side.

I tear off the seal tape on mine, careful not to rip the wrapping paper as I'll need to do an unboxing video for my Tiktok too. A gasp escaped my lips at the sight of the thing inside the box. There's a hard covered book, the cover is made of something that resembles a printed version of some stupid booktok challenge we did — the million kisses challenge. We'd painted our lips with paint and kissed a large piece of cardboard paper over and over again until we each had kissed it two hundred times, making for thousand kisses. Then we replicated the kisses by folding over the cardboard, approximately, we'd have a million kisses on it.

When I open the book, I regret opening it in the class and not in front of my camera. It's a scrapbook with pages of our junior school slum boom pages in some places, pictures we've taken over the years and some stickers we've collected from this chewing gum we were obsessed with throughout JSS two and three.

"This is...it's absolutely beautiful Kameela. I love it so much. Ya Allah." Jasmine hugs Kameela with tears in her eyes. We all hug her together and when we disengage, she's dabbing at her eyes.

Kiara turns off her camera and we open Jasmine's gifts next. A little chocolate Bouquet is seated in the box, beneath it is a small customized binder with KAKiJEl which basically stands for our names. It's a stupid abbreviation, but we love it. We came up with it in Jss three.

There's also a pen and a key holder in the same design with the binder. Another thoughtful gift.

We open Eleanor's gift next, it's a simple rose, some chocolates and a ring with our initials each on it.

Mine is next, and I watch with baited breath as they all open my gifts, I didn't even bother to wrap them. They are just in simple little jewelry boxes, similar to engagement ring boxes.

Their gasps are collective as everyone pulls out their nameplate necklaces. Each has their names on it, and then I pull out mine from underneath my blouse and let it rest on my bosom.

"Guys, is my brain tweaking or is this gold?" Kiara is looking deeply into her name written on the necklace like an answer would emerge from there.

"It is, oh my God! Mina!"

They all turn to me and I laugh.

"I sold that old electric car Dada bought when I was small. That thing costs almost a million naira as a new one, and the leather on mine hadn't even been peeled off. Together with my allowance from the three previous months and some pitching from my namesake, I made it work."

Jasmine is the first to react. She places the necklace in it's box and pushes it towards me."I'm sorry Mina, but I can't take this. It's too expensive."

I raise a single brow — something I learned from being around Sayyad too much. "And Kiara's gift isn't?"

Eleanor speaks next, taking my hand in hers and placing the box. "It's kind of general knowledge that Kiara's dad buys her gifts for her, and we all know he's stinking rich. But we all know your mum doesn't give you a penny for Valentines day, so no, I can't take this either."

I don't know if that's the speech they all needed, but everyone returns my gift to me. As I open my mouth to speak, the bell rings to announce it's time for assembly and they all offer me a semblance of apology, mostly brief awkward hugs since I'm seated, before leaving.

I am seated there until a voice comes and a hand touches my upper back.

"I just met Yas, said she left you here. I've been looking for you to tell you about one of the craziest things that's happened to me since I was born. I'll tell you on the way to assembly."

I don't reply him, just sit there stupidly, wondering what the hell just happened. My friends just returned my gifts, my first ever expensive gift to them.

"Mina? What's wrong?" Sayyad takes my hand and I force myself to snap out of it and stand up.

"Oh it's nothing." I pack up my gifts and leave the gifts they all gave my there. If they won't accept my gifts to them, why should I accept theirs?

"You haven't given them their gift?"

"They didn't accept them." I zip my bag close and put it in my seat before turning to him.

"What do you mean they didn't accept them?"

I shrug and we walk out to the assembly quietly. I know Sayyad's head is reeling with different thoughts since I didn't offer him an explanation, I know he wants one. And he knows better than to demand one from me.

I stand in line with my remaining classmates, not bothering to find my clique. We'll find each other duly.

My breath is caught in my throat when he goes up the podium and stands in that stance. The entire assembly ground goes quiet as the school's sweetheart takes the microphone from one of the assembly prefects.

"Good morning Noble Child Group of Schools," His voice is loud, strong and holds so much that I can't even put to words.

"Today is a classes free day, as it is the red day, Valentines day. Each class will be hosting their small party sort of thing, and the senior classes, SS one to three will be the ones overseeing each class' activities. And for that reason, the assembly will be short today, and so will the school day itself. We will be closing by 1pm today." He takes a deep breath, as if letting everything sink in before standing taller — as if that's even possible.

"I'll need two volunteers, both female, to come and give us a prayer. One Muslim and one Christian please." He makes a show of looking around and I immediately raise my hand, wanting to be on that podium alongside him, and not some girl.

Other girls also raise their hands, and then he picks Kiara, then some random christain girl from JSS two. I am shocked as I drop my hand. Has he forgotten? We had an agreement, he'd never talk to Kiara apart from the little acknowledgement nods when they meet while we're together.

Kiara is my friend, but she's a class one boyfriend snatcher. She snatches people's boyfriends and then claims to get bored of them after that, hence, discarding them like some used piece of wipes.

I can't trust that she won't do the same to me, since she's done it to Tanisha before.

I am in a trance with plethora of thoughts abusing my brain all the while until the assembly is over. I don't know how I do it, but I eventually reach the class. It is not until a hand grabs mine that I snap out of it.

"Mina! What's wrong with you ne? I've been calling your name since we were on the assembly ground. Are you okay?" His voice softens at the end and I just shake my head.

"I'm fine, I just need to find Sayyid." I can't get my eyes to focus on anything. He nods and does a double take of me.

"He's in SS one art. The class is empty so I guess he's waiting for you ne."

I nod and start walking when Sayyad's voice reaches me again.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

I nod.

"You're going the wrong way. Did he do something, do you need me to come with you?"

I shake my head, "I'm fine." I turn back to the right direction and walk to the said art class.

I feel dizzy at the sight I meet. Kiara has her tongue deep in my boyfriend's throat. It could be the other way round, but I don't know. And despite the acid I feel burning through my thoracic cage, I can't get myself to look away.

"Sayyid." My voice sounds firmer than I feel.

"Oh, you're here." He places another kiss on her lips before turning to me.

"I thought to you know, check if you both use the same lip gloss before you would come." He chuckles and Kiara does that laugh that's too feminine to be real. But I know more than anyone how real it is.

"Kiara, we're friends, how could you do this to me?"

Kiara shrugs, "I mean, you can't expect to have all this hotness to yourself, do you? And he made the first move this time, I didn't. He's your ex even, so why does it bother you?"

I am drenched in disbelief at her words. Ex? Sayyid is anything but my ex.

"You know very well he's not my ex. Sayyid has been my crush right from grade five. And we finally got together in JSS two. Since when did he become my ex? Sayyid? What's this nonsense?"

"I got bored, Amina. You're beautiful and hot and all, but the farthest we've gone is a kiss. And I can't keep doing that. That's not how I roll, baby."

I can't help the disbelieving scoff that escaped my lips. I take in their position, him leaning on the wall, one of his feet against it, Kiara leaning on him by the side, his hand lazily around her waist while his fingers near dangerous zones.

"You know what? Fuck you!" I rush out before I allow myself to cry.

I have never even thought I'd use an expletive ever in my life. Yet here I am, rushing out of the class I just loud the worst of expletive to my boyfriend and my friend, now ex boyfriend and someone I used to know.

When I enter our class, Jasmine, Tanisha, Kameela and Eleanor are laughing at something. I don't think they know of my presence.

"I feel really bad honestly, we shouldn't have come that. Amina is the best person among us. She's overall nice and wants the best for us all."

What is Kameela saying? She feels bad for not collecting my gift? Did they plan it?

"We had to, it was necessary. What if she stole again this time around to get us the gifts?" Eleanor's shoulders go up in a shrug motion at what she just said.

I can't believe these girls. It was one time that I took Mama's credit card as an act of rebellion when she beat me for something I didn't do. And I didn't even use it because she realized it was missing, and I didn't know her pin.

I can't help the disbelieving laugh that escapes me. They all turn to me Jasmine rushes to where I am.

"Mina, are you okay?" Her hands take mine and I shove her away.

"You don't get to ask me that, none of you do." I wish I was crying. I really wish I could cry right now. But my eyes are as dry as a sahara.

"Mina I had nothing to do with all this, the only thing I wanted was for you and Sayyid to not be together anymore. He isn't deserving of you. He's a cheat and a sorry excuse for a man." Jasmine is taking my hand again and it's taking everything in me not to let my hand slap her right across the face.

"You knew all this, and you never told me. We've been friends right from diapers, we went to the the schools, we had the same Tahfiz Mu'allims. We did everything together, and this is all you have to say for yourself?" I shake my head and disbelief and grab my bag.

"I don't want anything to do with any of you as from now on. Henceforth, you don't know anyone who goes by the name Amina Muhammad Baba. I don't know any of you. Thanks for ruining my life." I rush out and bump into someone.

"Mina, are you okay?"

I have never hugged a male in my life that's not my dad. But at this moment, I don't even care anymore. I throw my hands over his shoulders and he wraps his hands around me, sucking in a breath.

He doesn't ask me anything and I don't tell him anything. We just stay like that for a few more seconds before he pulls me back a little.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Home, take me home Sayyad."

"Done." He leads me to the reception and sits me down. I don't know what he tells the receptionist but after ten minutes, he's pulling me up.

"Ammi's driver is here. He'll take us to your house or mine, whichever you chose. We can go somewhere else too if you want to."

I shake my head.

"Just take me home, please. My house."

"Noted, Mina ta." He holds me by the waist and leads me to the car. We sit in the back together and he tells the driver to take us to my parents house. All through the drive, he doesn't ask me anything.

When we arrive, he takes my hands in his. "If you need anything at all, just give me a call or text me. I'll be around the area too. So don't worry about anything. I'm always here for you. You know that right?"

"Thank you." I nod at him and enter the house.

I know no one will be at home, so the first thing I do is scream. I scream at the top of my lungs and finally, finally the tears come. I can't even see what I am doing or where I am going.

I sit by the sitting room entrance and scream my heart out and cry until my throat starts to hurt. But I feel a little better. So I stand up and start heading towards my room, my mind blank.

That is until I pass by Mama's room and hear voices. I freeze in the spot and lean my ear on the door. I hope it's not Laura trying on Mama's clothes again. I caught her doing that once.

"Oh my God, yes! Just like that." I don't recognize the voice that says that. But then a moan follows and I have to put a hand over my lips to stifle my gasp.

Is Laura having sex in Mama's room.

"Oh my God, yes! Yes yes yes yes yes! Deeper, harder, faster." I turn the knob and I'm surprised to find it open. I open the door and my heart falls to my feet at the sight on Mama's bed.

Before I can run away and go lock myself in the room or leave the house, Mama's eyes meet mine.

"Amina." Mama doesn't even flinch. Yasmin's mother's eyes follows Mama's and she gasps, pulling some piece of clothing to cover her nakedness.

"Go and wait for me in your room." Mama gives me a stern look and I wordlessly walk to my room. Only when I'm seated on my bed does everything come back to me.

I just caught my mother, and my best friend's mother, having sex in the bed my mother and father share. Innalillahi wa inna ilaihir-rajiun. Hasbunallahu wa ni'imal wakeel. Lahaula Wala kuwatta illa billah.

These Du'as are a mantra in my head as I rock myself back and forth, my heart palpitating. I can slowly see everything fall into place. It all makes sense now. Like a puzzle, I can see it all fit.

The weird touches, the mouth-to-mouth kisses, the crucial investigation of my genitals in the name of sex education. Everything now makes sense.

"Wallahil azeem I won't be responsible for whatever I do in your absence. Just know it's all your fault." Those words, now they make sense to me.

No wonder everyone looks at me weirdly when I say I kiss my mum on her lips. Especially when I make it clear that it's not just a peck, but an actual kiss.

No wonder Yasmin said I should step telling people about my childhood, they'll think ill of my mum. Did she also know? That our mothers are lesbians? Or are they even bisexual?

I can't even think straight. My head feels like it has been detached from my body. Why did I even come back home? I shouldn't have come back now. Maybe I wouldn't have seen what I saw.

Ya Allah!

I place a palm over my mouth as hidrosis covers my forehead.

10-12-2023
Unedited

Can we all collectively pretend I didn't update this ten days late? Thank you.

Updates won't be fast, punctual frequent or anything. It's just going to be anyhow.

Long chapters or short?

Okay, bye!