Please do read with the with the Chapter's song; Lifetime by ryan destiny.

6 months later.

"At this time, I'd like to welcome to the podium; Halimat Sadiya Amin Sunusi, Daughter of the emir of Gombe, who is one of our guests of honors today to offer the closing remark."

Over the pods in her left ear, Laila heard the screams, the applause, and the cheers as her sweaty palm left the comfort of Sudais'. She took a deep breath, then took another one then dropped her glass award on Sudais' lap before lifting herself and heading towards the podium.

Once on stage, with the microphone in her hand as she waved it in the air and whooshing sounds came from it, she dropped the microphone.

When Laila was a kid, she had been fed too many insults to ever be confident. She had dropped the microphone squarely on the floor the first time she heard her voice come through from the speaker.

Not now, she wasn't that kid anymore.

Despite the nostalgia, the happy, chaotic voices in her head and over her ears, she smiled, her gaze swiping across the hall. Her dad, alongside her Mum, her step mum; and her entire family with the absence of her older brother Khalil, Maya along with Sudais holding Sultan, Tahir, and Mima sat on the front row seats. She flashed each of them a smile.

Her arm rose to bring the microphone up, her legs moving side to side behind the podium's desk. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and looked up. She took leveled breaths and chewed the gum in her mouth harder.

When she felt calm enough, she stopped chewing and the first thing she screamed into the microphone was; "Mama i finally made it!" The hall scattered with laughter while Mami immediately let the tears gathered in her eyes pour, dropping her head and using her veil to cover her face.

Laila quickly turned away, Mami's tears were not going to stop her from giving her speech. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the class of 2020, I'd like to thank Family, friends, mentors, staff, Alumni, and faculty for being here to celebrate our hard work," Her gaze landed on the juniors at the far end of the hall. She smiled, motioning at them, "And, of course, my fellow medical students-mind you, I'm not a student anymore. So, put some respek on my name," The hall went up in a chorus of laughter and so did she. "Everyone here is responsible for shaping us into what we are today. Please, look around you, and let's all give ourselves a round of applause..." she placed the microphone in its holster and applauded along with the audience.

Laila took a deep breath, placing her palm on the edges of the wood table. "The first word that came to my mind when i was brainstorming ideas for this conclusion remark was one word. That word..." her eyes landed on Sudais who gave her a thumbs up, she grinned at him, knowing her next words were also about him. "That word is; time. Time... i would be remised to mention how much...time it took for us to get here." She sighed, dropping her tired eyes to her rough speech paper.

Laila raised 6 fingers. "6 long...painful years. Time." she raised her hand. "What do we do with it? How do we make the most out of it? I'll let you answer this question for yourself. My name is Halimatu's Sadiya Amin Sunusi and i know that this was not how we envisioned our final year. But, for the next thing, I'd love to say before i go, i hope you take it...we take it to the next chapter of our lives," She dropped her hands only to raise a single finger from the next hand.

"Priorities...always know your priorities. Too often, we find ourselves only learning what our priorities are after something life-altering occurs," Her gaze lingered on Sudais for a few seconds, recalling his body on the hospital bed before she turned away, "So...I don't want to be amongst those people...To my dad..." she motioned to her dad who had never looked so proud of her, nodded as the man waved an excited hand at her. "For all the sacrifices you made for me, my siblings, our entire family, May Allah reward you with Jannatul firdaus," She turned slightly to her mothers, "To my mothers, Jannatul Firdaus is my only prayer to you..." she then turned with another smile to Sudais, "To my husband, who had to endure all my mood swings, my late night shifts, my early mornings, my long days at the clinic, missing family gatherings, or some quality time, I know you think I'm going to say something cheesy but I'm not." Sudais and the audience burst into howls of laughter. She lightly laughed along and sniffled, willing for the tears that had gathered in her eyes not to fall.

"It doesn't get easier, we just adapt. Because well, we chose this. Thank you...I didn't forget," she turned to the rest of her family. "To my siblings, my best friend, my friends-" she turned to her faculty, "To the people who i will forever be indebted to, my lecturers, the doctors, the professors, the nurses, every staff, the Alumni, my seniors, my juniors and of course, my ride or die mates, thank you so much, our hard work has finally paid off."

Laila turned out of breath to her inducing colleagues, she sniffled, wiping the tears that had started to grace her lightly touched face. With a cracked voice, she croaked. "T-to my-my classmates..." she stopped to take a breath, the hall going pin drop silent at her tears and cracked voice. "I have one re-request. Give light," she wiped the tears off her face, her genuine smile intact as she tasted the salty liquid in her mouth. "And um-by this. I mean love one another. And be positive, because you never know when one kind word or smile can turn someone's day around and light them up." In a whisper, she added, "For better For worse."

Slightly pink eyes rose again, with happiness and contentment that had never shown-that she had never had- before, she went on. "I know that this class can do anything that we set our minds to. And that we can use our ideas and inner light to brighten all the dark places, the patients, the families, and diseases in this world, especially in these hard times after this worldwide pandemic...So please, do not be afraid to love, give light and power. Again, thank you for coming, and have a good day," She added, chuckling. "Let the lights go down, pop some champagne and let me hear some music please!" The sounds of applause came along with bangs before glitters were bursting down the hall as the song, 'Stand up for the champions' started to blast through the speakers.

She stood there, taking a 1080p picture with her eyes of the happiness spread across each person's face in that hall.

Stand up, stand up

For the champions, for the Champions

Stand up.

Stand up did everyone do, Laila picked her paper just in time to see Sudais handing Mima Sultan and her award as he maneuvered through the crowd of people towards the podium. She set the paper and microphone in her colleague's hand, "I'll be back." and stepped down the four stairs as she walked with determined steps and a delighted face towards her husband.

She met him a few steps away with equal excitement. He squatted to grab her thighs and she jumped to wrap her arms around his neck as he hoisted her up and crashed his lips onto hers.

A few seconds into it, she pulled her face away from his, motioning with her eyes to her family. "My dad."

Sudais craned his head to their family and chuckled, turning his face to hers. "You're 5 months pregnant, kiddo. Come on, your dad must already know I've already seen you naked."

She gasped, and so did he, in mock, then they burst out laughing as he tightened his arms around her and twirled them in circles.

"I am finally a doctor!"

"Yes, you are. Say your name." He continuously nodded as he dropped her.

"Halima Amin."

"What? Halima what?"

She straightened her shoulders and stood erect, the tears in her eyes stopping and the ones on her cheeks drying up. "Doctor Halima Amin."

He nodded, clasping his palm in front of him as he bent his knees and aligned with her height. "Say it again."

She dropped her voice to a robotic one and said, "Doctor Halima the motherfucking Amin."

He raised a palm for a high five and she didn't hesitate to meet his palm hard and tight. "Damn right you are. Let's go, i have something for you."

She tilted her head to the side, then glanced at the busy hall with families hugging each other, music playing faintly in the background over the sound of noises, the glitters still falling from the popping balloons before she twisted back to him, pouting. "Can it wait?"

He shook his head, stood up straight, and hung what could be seen as a nonchalant arm over her shoulder but it really wasn't, it was tight as if he was scared she wouldn't come with him and he'd have to force her. "It....can't."

The hall was too crowded to pass through with his 5 months old pregnant wife. So, he walked them back to the steps she came down from and used the other step across the hall to get them out with no one having the chance to touch him or his wife.

Or so he thought. Now, with his reputation being cleared and all, a couple of people and inductees politely asked to take a picture with him and he replied, "Only if you'll take it with me and my wife." And well, they did.

Laila complained about her thighs and back throughout the journey but Sudais ignored her until they were at their destination.

"Stay put," He said, releasing her to dip his hand into the pocket of his thigh-length Kaftan. She heard squishy sounds as she followed his action with her suspicious eyes. "Turn around."

This time, she didn't follow his order as she rose her head to frown at him, lips pursed.

"Please."

She didn't move.

"Please. Don't fight me today, Boddo."

She took a deep breath and turned around.

"Okay." He also took a deep breath, wrapped his arm around her from behind, and brought a dangling key from above her, down her face.

Her eyes followed the dangling key before she took a step back, only to come flush against his body. She twisted to him as much as she could which was little, meeting his full smile.

"What's this..."

He shook his head, placing firm hands on her shoulder to turn her around, and stretched an arm over her shoulder towards a spot in the parking lot. He handed her a paper after she took hold of the key.

Her view trailed his arm until it landed on a white truck car. Even with her glasses, she couldn't read the brand name and as such, turned to him with wide eyes, mouth agape, and a frantically shaking head.

He nodded as she continued to shake her head. No way!

"You...you-g-got-"

He nodded as she trailed off. Then screamed and jumped, hitting his arm in the process and quickly catching hold of it with her heavy breath. "So-sorry! Sorry." She grabbed the same arm and dragged him as she ran to the car over the sounds of his protest;

"Hakkilo! (Careful!)"

Which went through her right ear and left through the next as she neither listened nor slowed down until they were standing in front of the car.

As if something has hit her, she froze in front of it, reading the brand name; Ford.

She slowly brought the paper in her hand along with the key that was in the confines of her middle finger and whispered as she read a receipt. "Halima Amin...Sunusi...Address;  Mamman quarters...Date... 17th December 2020...description o-of Goods; one unit of a Ford F-150 truck..." she raised wide eyes at him and he gestured for her to keep going.

Her hand had started to shake along with the paper, so he placed a palm on one of hers and one on her shoulder to steady her while she continued to whisper. "Limited 4WD super crew..." her eyes then traveled to the right end of the paper where it read; "Total in naira..." if possible, her eyes popped out of her sockets as she glanced between him and the paper, the tears she had managed to chase away coming back and she turned from him, reading the last ink on the paper. "29 million...3 hundred..."

As dramatically as she could, considering he was standing an inch behind her, Laila went limp and back.

He cautioned, "Don't! Don't be so dramatic, Sadiya! Sadiya! My legs are aching from picking you up. Ni bafulatani ne bama son abun kunya, karki fadi inzo ban riqe ki da kyau ba!"

Laila's energy came back as she detached his arm from her waist only to turn around, squealing, jumping, feeling like a bitch high as a kite as she threw her arms over his shoulders, in the process knocking her glasses off but never bothering to pick it up.

Now in a teary and croaky voice that went up and down and even strangled at a point, she cried. "Y-you got...you got f-for me...my favorite c-"

He nodded, rubbing his palms on her back and trying to put a safe distance between them as she was squeezing her baby bump into him. "Yes, i did, Boddo. I did."

Now that she wasn't a Lamido's wife and Sudais had taught her to drive without actually choking her to death-which he was very much tempted to do by the way- she was fit to drive.

"Wh-why?"

His palms stopped and he pulled her away from him a bit, "Because you deserve it and because all my accounts were unfrozen."

Her eyes widened, then the corners of her mouth quirked up. "They unfroze them? All of them?"

He nodded.

Her shoulders started to move rhythmically as she bumped his chest, her hands clapping in celebration.

"They did. 2 days back."

She frowned, tears stopping, she rose the paper and key, then stretched an arm to touch the car. "So...you get your account un-frozen and...the first thing you do is buy me a 30million car?"

"Yes, i did. And that's cause you deserve it and you got them to unfree-" Realization dawned into him, his smile faltering into a frown as he found and gripped her ears, then dragged her painfully flush to him.

"Ow!" She screamed, catching his arm with her hands. "What?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. When she met his glare, she quickly averted from it and continued to claw at his arm. "You went ahead and saw your ex didn't you?"

"It wasn't my ex."

"Who was it then?"

"It was his grandmum. Wallahi I didn't even see him." See the thing was one of Nurain's uncles was the head of EFCC and Sudais' accounts hadn't been unfrozen even after his innocence had been proven. And Laila just happened to be loved by Nurain's family.

He hummed, then released her sore ears. "Better," His voice softened. "But...thank you. I owe you, forever." He turned her around, then patted her shoulder as he pushed her to the car. "Take a ride."

And take a ride she did.

Laila hastily clicked the unlock button of the car and squealed louder at the sound it made. She climbed on and into the hulky car before taking a minute to appreciate the sleek black interior, the total opposite of the exterior which was white.

She had all the time in the world to kiss every inch of the interior, and...she was dying to drive this beauty. So, she kicked on the latest version of the car as she rolled the windows down and waved at Sudais, surging her voice up as she said, "You're going to get me that siren like yours!"

He chuckled, clasping his hands on his waist as he motioned at her side. "It's right there, Boddo."

Laila's lips pursed forward and upwards as she glanced at the interior, her left hand still on the steering, she clicked the green button and sirens started to blare.

"YASS!" She turned to wink at him, then stepped harshly on the gas. The car jerked and Sudais instinctively jumped, his hands flying to her in rescue but she stopped, laughed, and was speeding out of the parking lot, this time, not stopping.

Laila drove around the less crowded parts of Nile university with her windows down, one hand out the window as she sang 'Lifetime' by Ryan destiny and her tears rolled freely down her cheeks while her eyes and mouth maintained a smile.

Yeah, she was a psycho on the loose.

To prevent the madman she called a husband from creating a search party for her then and there, she found herself back where she left him, making sure to park with a reckless screech sound as she drove fast and decided to turn her handbrakes off and compose herself.

By her left stood a worried man, who despite wanting to be angry at her smiled a little, palming his face as he shook his head.

Laila dipped a hand between her graduation gown and strap to take hold of her black shades.

She shaded up-okay, wore her shades, brought a firm dominant hand to grip the steering, and twisted her head at him. Despite her heavy breath, she managed a composed voice. "WADDUP DOCTOR HALIMA'S HUSBAND, YOU WANT A RIDE?"

He threw his head back and laughed out until he clutched his stomach. Hands akimbo, he nodded, 32 teeth showcasing. "OF COURSE, CAPTAIN SUDAIS' WIFE, I WANT A RIDE."

An epilogue and then we say bye bye oo😭😭
Wallahi I don't want to finish, i am not ready to let go!😭😭