Adeelah was in her long hijab when the napep parked before a house. She heaved a sigh for the ninth time before she made a salam at the entrance. The house was just a plastered bungalow with a giant tree in front of it.

When she heard an answer from inside, she managed to look normal. She walked in, inspecting the house. It was very neat and tidier than she imagined. It belonged to a man-a gifted scholar, she had once heard advertising his service on the radio. She didn't know how she was able to memorise the described location, perhaps because she found his name to be funny.

A lady about Adeelah's age came out and welcomed Adeelah with a smile. She sprayed a mat for Adeelah and brought water for her.

"Malam yana nan kuwa?" The lady stared, she thought Adeelah couldn't understand Hausa but here's she was, asking if Malam was around.

The lady smiled.

"He's bathing."

Adeelah sat there in silence waiting for him to come. Even though the lady had tried to make Adeelah feel like her worries have come to an end, Adeelah was still edgy. What if the man wasn't as good as he claimed?

She discarded the thought and sat in silence, in suspense.

******

"We had been trying to reach people but we saw only three contacts in her phone. We called Hidaya and she's already on her way." A nurse explained to Ameer.

Ameer grew impatient. "I am Ameer, her son. Where is she?"

"Follow me." The nurse instructed and like a tail, Ameer followed her. She lead him to a room where Beebo was laying lifelessly.

Ameer rushed to see Beebo's burnt body but it was a terrible sight to behold. His world came crashing at the instant. Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un.

"She's dead." The moment the nurse blurt it out, she noticed something. Beebo's hand was trying to move. At first she thought she was hallucinating but it was real. Ameer, with eyes bored into Beebo's body noticed it too.

"She's alive!" He fired at the nurse. The nurse quickly rushed out to call the doctors on call as Ameer walked out to call Hidaya.

He managed to convince someone around who gave him his phone. The moment Hidaya picked the call, Ameer hushed in an almost unclear voice.

"Get my ATM card from the drawer!"

"Ameer?"

"Hidaya get that card and show your face in Triumph hospital. Within fifteen minutes!" He shouted. There's no time for explanations or whatsoever. This wasn't time for nostalgic conversations or so. He needed to save Beebo at all cost!

Beebo had nurtured him right from infancy. She's saved him from having the feeling of being an orphan. She managed to fulfill the wish of his dead mother. His real mother besought Beebo to take care of him in that letter. And Beebo even sent her own flesh, Ammar to a village just to give Ameer a beautiful life. Even that, was enough for him to forgive her. All she did was based on the whims of her heart and based on lack of adequate islamic knowledge. All she did wasn't in link with Ameer. She gave him a beautiful upbringing. Even though she had hurt him in many ways, with the will of Allah, she had kept him alive.

Wallah, he would use his last penny on her. He didn't care how angry Adeelah or Abba would be with him. Abba didn't even know about his existence due to his negligence. So even if Beebo's survival was a threat to Abba's life, Ameer Muhammad would try all he could to see her back on her feet.

Ameer kept pacing within the hospital till he lost the track of time. Like a dream, Hidaya appeared before him.

He went ahead to pay but the nurse said the hospital couldn't operate her. They issued a transfer immediately. Because Hidaya came in Ameer's car, they drove to the next big private hospital nearby.

Within few minutes, the theater light went red and Beebo was on a train of either death or life!

Ameer could see the way Hidaya was looking at him with so many questions in her eyes but without a word, she wrapped her arms around him.

"She will be fine." She assured him. And for the first time, Ameer was able to produce half smile.

******

Adeelah looked at the man carefully as he tell her a story.

"You see, when i was a baby, my mum was carrying me on her back when she went to fetch water from the famous pond in our village. While she was fetching the water, the wrapper loosened and fell inside the water. She started screaming when i drowned in the water and couldn't hold me. Unknown to her it was the princess jinn of that water that saw me and liked me. I was drowned for a year but one day i was brought back. My mother found me on her bed. Years later i was missing for ten years. As i am telling you, time to time the princess still comes and fetch me and she taught me alot of things. That's why people call me Naziru dan baiwa."

Adeelah only listened to the tale. All she needed was a solution.

"Great. I wonder if you have once dealt with people in the mafia." She stated as a question.

"I once did. The jinn required a black donkey blood and a virgin mosquito's saliva for sacrifice so that the person would be out of it. I worked on it for one Alhaji. He had to give all his wealth though."

Adeelah hummed. This man was no good news. He's a magician in disguise. So she smiled.

"I actually heard about you so i came to see for my eyes. Good day!" With that, she rose, her legs trembling. She's so eager to leave the house and she's so scared that she didn't know she had been repeatedly reciting her adhkar in her mind.

Adeelah left the house, her breathe still unsteady. Her state of mind, in grits.

*****

Hajiya Sadiya and Adeelah's uncles were still thinking of how to go about transferring Abba to a more equipped hospital when it dawned on Hajiya Sadiya that she hadn't hear anything from Adeelah regarding the marriage. Nor did she catch Ameer's silhouette anywhere around.

"I wonder where Ameer is..." hajiya Sadiya didn't even know when the words escaped her mouth. She had been thinking too much. Not even his mother called or something. Not to think of conveying Adeelah to her matrimonial home.

She looked at one of Adeelah's uncles who looked at her, his mouth itching to reply her but waiting for instructions from the older one.

"Ameer called to cancel the wedding."

"And i am behind it." They heard Adeelah's voice from behind. They all turned to look at her with weird stares that could slash skin but Adeelah didn't care.

Somehow, the moment she opened her mouth, a lie was formed.

"Uncle do you know Rahama?"

Uncle Shafi'u knew she was referring to him.

"She... no..." he stammered.

Adeelah smiled. "She was Abba's late wife Umma. And Ameer is her son. That's why we call off the wedding. And to seal people's mouth, Abba married me off to Muhammad who was Yaya Fadil's friend. See, so easy? No qualms here. But Abba was overwhelmed thinking I won't accept it."

Adeelah knew she was lying. Her husband didn't know her brother. But her lie came out perfectly knitted.

"You see, Habibah whom we thought was Ameer's mother took him just to take care of him. As an amanah left by her friend. Umma I can't believe it!" Adeelah exclaimed as she marched towards Hajiya Sadiya.

Hajiya Sadiya rushed to Adeelah and gave her a motherly hug.

"Adeelah..." she trailed off and hugged her tighter.

"This stays between the five of us here please. Promise?" Adeelah besought.

"Promise." The men along with Hajiya Sadiya chorused but Hafsatu who had been hiding, heard it all.

With mouth agape, she scurried away from where she had been eavesdropping.

******

Ten days passed like a lightning, the family going to and fro within the ICU hoping that Abba would wake up soon. They had come to know that Beebo had been operated too and was receiving treatment at the same hospital they transferred to.

They all had went to see her, including shocked Adeelah who found out she didn't die.

Adeelah was thankful that she didn't get to tell Ameer that she was dead. It would have created something ugly. Ameer would think negative, she's sure.

Being in the same hospital with Abba, as they searched for a new hospital to take Abba in India, Adeelah made it a habit to visit Beebo in her ward.

As she walked out, she met Hidaya. With a smile, Adeelah looked at Hidaya.

"Salam alaikum aunt Hidaya."

Hidaya looked at Adeelah straight. Seeing on smile plastered on her face, she managed to smile too. However, she was raging in jealousy. This lady before her was her co wife. Adeelah could read from the way Hidaya remained still, that the news hadn't reach her yet.

She remembered the one time she was jealous of Hidaya too. So she offered to collect the baskets from her hand.

"I am Adeelah, your husband's half sister." Adeelah whispered. She watched as Hidaya's stare camouflaged to a curious one.

Adeelah smiled again. "We didn't get married. I guess he's in the right place to tell you more. Once more, i must say, hold him tight, he loves you. I don't know what mistake you made but i can say, you made a mistake and that's how i came in the picture. Be a queen in your home. Listen to no one regarding how you manage the affairs of your kingdom."

Hidaya felt some tears gathering in her eyes. She's very sure that Adeelah was just offering her a simple advice.

"Your husband didn't tell me anything. I have a bad habit of noticing small things hence i knew you're the one at fault. And him too, at some point. Sadly I didn't notice he was my half brother. Though that's a huge thing. Happy anniversary in advance!" Before Hidaya could muster a word, Adeelah was out of her sight.

Adeelah felt light. Free in some part of her heart. She had two remaining things ahead of her. Abba's health and her second marriage. At just twenty one.

She felt some tears in her eyes. She did all she could to force them back but they were so stubborn so she made her way to the hospital's rest room. There, she cried her eyes out.

She missed her mother. She missed Salisu. So bad. She had been wishing she could see him once more but it didn't happen. Now she's married to someome.

She cried for ten minutes and washed her face. She needed to stop crying lest her head would ache. She needed things to fall into place as soon as possible.

She would start her final examinations soon.

She didn't want to drop out of school the same way her best friend Fatimah dropped out because of her husband. Fatimah didn't even attend her wedding due to how strict her sorry of a husband was. Adeelah felt another tears, this time for Fatimah. She let them flow.

For the second batch, she cried for her family, for Fatimah, for Salisu and the life she would face ahead of her.

Adeelah washed her eyes again and faltered out.

She was walking with eyes half closed, when she missed her stride. She had surrendered to fall on the hospital's terrace when she felt herself in strong arms. Her eyes closed, she felt the hold, so strong. Then she perceived the scent of a perfume that almost made her forget all her worries at the minute.

Before she could register anything, she felt herself lifted in the air, her eyes still tightly closed.