Asokoro, Abuja, Nigeria.
Sunday, 25th February, 2018.

Eesh stretched her hair, wrapped a peach veil she had specifically for this event simply and fixed her contact lenses. She fixed the extra lashes and used the contour to make her lips look wider. She fixed the birth mark on her nose and hid the very prominent one that was on her right temple.

Wearing her usual black Jalabiyya, she slipped into the only shoe she didn't wear for outings, a cute black furry wedge. She attached the voice converter to her neck and looked at the time, exactly 6.30am. She'd leave then and arrive at her destination by 7am as usual.

She walked to the backyard, left the house and trekked to the end of the junction before ordering an Uber. It came a few minutes later as it was close. She entered and told the driver the location. They stopped at Asokoro shopping mall and bought somethings. Almost an hour later, they arrived at her destination.

She got down, paid him his money and walked away. She looked up at the sign and it read, JKS home for children with special needs. She walked inside smiling.

"Aunty, Aunty." The children chanted as she entered the dining.

"Kids, come back here and eat first. Aunty will be here all day, just like every other year." A woman who looked to be in her early fifties said making the children jump in happiness.

"And not only that, I'm also going to sing to you all just like every year." Eesh said making the kids shout in happiness. The voice converter was really doing its work. It changed her voice from the normal bossy voice to a calm squeaky one.

She sat in a corner looking at the kids, she prayed to have a kid one day. She brought out her phone and checked the toys, drawing books and food stuffs she ordered for them the previous day, this was where she asked for it to be delivered.

Few minutes later, a guy with a customized Jumia t-shirt and a black face cap knocked on the widely opened door of the orphanage. Eesh knew it was him as a message was sent to her.

"Are you Aisha Muhammad?" the guy asked.

"Yes."

"Sign here and here, can the things be brought in?" The guys asked after showing Eesh where to sign.

"Yeah sure." Eesh signed and the things were brought inside. She smiled. She happy. This was the only thing that could make her happy, this and cooking. Even sitting in the presence of her dad didn't make her happy, it just gave her a feeling of comfort and belonging.

"Aunty thank you, Aunty thank you." The kids kept chanting while jumping all around Eesh.

"It's okay. Instead of thanking me, say may Grandma Asma'u's soul rest in peace, May Jannah be her final abode." Eesh said and the kids repeated after her. She smiled, she was happy and content.

"Aunty, Sadiq said you never told them your name, and you never told them who Grandma Asma'u was, you just asked us to pray for her when you came. And you only come once a year. Is it true? And why is that?" One curious girl said, it seemed she was new.

"What's your name?" Eesh bent down to the girl's level.

"Aunty, bad uncle said its not good to answer questions with questions." The girl blinked.

"Who's bad uncle? " Eesh voiced out her thoughts, wondering why a little girl would call an uncle bad.

"He's big like this..." the girl said fearfully showing his height with her hands while standing on her tippy toes, "...and fat like this..." she showed a little distance with her two cute hands, "...and he always used to beat me then make me lick something inside his trouser." The girl's eyes prickled with tears.

"The thing was big..." Eesh used her palm to cover the girl's mouth.

"You'll tell me all about bad uncle in the drawing room okay? Otherwise, don't tell anyone about it." The girl nodded and Eesh let go of her mouth.

The little girl went back to her breakfast, all the while Eesh's eyes were on her as she pondered over her words. What kind of life was the poor girl made to live?

After breakfast, Eesh and the girl stayed back while the other kids went for their morning exercise, the girl could skip it. She looked skinny anyways.

"So who's bad uncle?" Eesh asked the girl.

"His name is uncle Fahad, but he said I can't call his name because my mouth is only a filthy hole where they belonged. He was Uncle Abul's friend. So when uncle Abul was leaving the house forever last week, he brought me here and said this was my only safe haven." The girl concluded.

"What's your name?"

"Asma'u." The girl said making Eesh smile, the girl had she same name with her mother. Twelve years after losing her mother and she'd met a mini version of her. Allahu Akbar {God is great}.

"Mashaa Allah. Asma'u how old are you?"

"I'm going to be nine tonight." Asma'u grinned, the matron said they always celebrated birthdays of children so for the first time since her parents died, she'd be celebrating her birthday.

"Mashaa Allah, remind me to give you a birthday gift before I leave." The girl squealed in response, she had never received a gift for her birthday given that her parents were poor and barely had enough money to pay for her school fees, so they sent her to live with her mum's stepsister, the so called bad uncle's mother.

"Who is uncle Fahad to you? Are you related?"

"Yes, mama said Uncle Fahad is my step cousin and that he's a good man so I should obey him."

"So where's Mama now?"

"Uncle Fahad said she and Baba are never coming back because they died. He told me on my fifth birthday." Eesh closed her eyes. Which kind of world was this? Where a girl would be forced to suffer as such?

"Go and exercise okay. I'm on my way." Eesh shooed little Asma'u away quietly and the girl complied.

Asma'u ran out of the dining room and went to the drawing room leaving Eesh with her thoughts. She walked out and made a call, soon enough a package arrived and was taken inside then hidden in a corner of the dining hall. She walked to the drawing room with a smile etched on her face, she'd found a mini mummy.

"Aunty see what I drew, aunty see what I drew." The children chanted surrounding Eesh. She complimented each and every drawing of all the children there.

"Okay now I'm going to sing for you all, I heard someone's birthday's today." Eesh winked at Asma'u who grinned.

"Today we're going to do something different than every other year, we're going to sing to the birthday girl, do we all know how to sing the happy birthday song?"

"Yes." most of the kids shouted while a few others just looked around sadly.

"Okay, let's go. Asma'u come and stand here." Eesh said and Asma'u did as told. She brought out her camera and got it ready to film. After whispering something in the available matron's ear, Eesh counted down from three to one and they started singing for Asma'u all together while she filmed it.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you. How old are you now?" The matron came in with a beautiful five layered cake with happy birthday on it, and a big wrapped box.

They were dropped on the floor and Eesh urged Asma'u to cut the cake. She cut it and fed all remaining ninety nine of the children in the house. They did some tilawa till it was time for Zuhr and that was when Asma'u was asked to open the gift. It was a kitchenette and some kitchen utensils, an apron and a cap. It was a kitchen play set.

Asma'u squealed and jumped on Eesh, making Eesh laugh loudly, she had made little Asma'u happy and she was very content. Her heart was at peace. She bid them goodbye and ordered an Uber which would take her back to where the first one picked her up from.

She walked back home and got rid of all the makeup. She washed the jalabiyya and veil, dried and ironed them. She had maids but they hardly ever did any work for her.

She wore an A-lined gown and wrapped a turban around her head before taking her tripod, ring light, camera, iPad, laptop and other necessities. She locked her room, took the key with her then entered her vlogging room.

She entered and set everything up. Setting the timer, she sat in front of the camera.

"Sometimes, people look like they are happy with everything and are perfectly okay, they look like they have no problem in the world. But most of the times, these people are the most hurt people, they always keep things bottled in." Eesh continued to blabber, letting out her feelings while keeping a poker face. If one didn't look closely, they'd think she was just talking about random things, but in the real sense, she was letting out all her bottled feelings.

After almost two hours of vlogging, she edited her vlog and wrote a caption 'to all those who are hurt but keep it in, kudos' before posting a snippet on Instagram and Twitter then posting the whole thing on YouTube.

She returned everything to their various places then went to pray Asr. After praying, she went to meet her dad. She hadn't talked to him since she woke up, which was unusual but also very usual. Every year, she'd not talk to her dad till after Asr. It was like a routine.

She walked to his side of the mansion, another unusual thing.

"Assalamu Alaikum Daddyn Baddo." Eesh greeted smiling at her dad who had just concluded his Asr prayers.

"Ameen Wa Alaikis-Salam. Aishatu have you prayed for your mother?"

"Yes Daddyn Baddo."

"Okay." Alhaji Muhammad continued praying for his wife. After about ten minutes, he was done so he turned to his daughter.

"Baddo am, what are your plans? You're already twenty eight years fah. " Alhaji Muhammad brought up the topic Eesh had been avoiding since she clocked twenty two, six years ago.

"Daddyyyy, I've told you, I'm only going to stay in this house, shop, blog and do make up all day." Eesh pouted.

"Haba Baddo, no university, no marriage, no job, no nothing. Not in this house. You have to atleast get married mana." Eesh wanted to say something but changed her mind. She would've exposed herself.

"Haba daddy, marriage isn't by force fah."

"Who told you so? It completes half of your Deen fah." Eesh groaned making Alhaji Muhammad smile, he knew exactly what to do. She wouldn't know what would hit her. But for now he'd let it go without a fight.

"Toh Shikenan." Alhaji Muhammad rose his hands up in surrender making Eesh widen her eyes, he never gave up before so what changed? Most of the time, Eesh would have to pretend to be angry at him so that he'd let it slide. Maybe he'd finally come to understand that Eesh would just never get married. If only she knew.

They discussed about random things until it was time for Maghrib. Eesh left to her side of the mansion. After praying Maghrib, she whipped up a quick meal to take together with the fruits she'd use to break her fast. Yes, she was fasting.

Almost immediately after Eesh finished washing the used dishes, the call for Isha was made so she walked straight to her room, performed ablution and prayed. After praying Isha, she started praying Nafilahs, praying profusely that Allah had mercy on her mother, and grant her Jannah.

She prayed for almost eight hours without rest before the first call of the next morning was made. She laid her head down to rest a bit before the Adhaan for Subh would be made. Once it was made she prayed and asked Allah to accept her previous prayers and forgive her mother all her shortcomings.

The previous day was her mother's death anniversary, twelve years without her. That was how she always spent her mother's death anniversary annually. It was a routine she created for herself since she turned eighteen and started driving.

Eesh wasn't just The Classical Muslimah, she's also an orphaned beauty who spent a whole day sending prayers to her mother's grave.