The next morning Adeelah did all she could, not to meet Abba so she would take the public transport. Allah knows she didn't like her new chauffeur, he looked like a hooligan to her eyes although she couldn't describe him properly. Adeelah just noticed the useless things about him as she did with other people. She's not mocking Allah's creation-everyone is beautiful in their own way, beauty in some is highlighted in their appearances, some have theirs engraved on their hearts and souls.

Granted, people around told her she had a nice face, she didn't care because what matters most is the beauty of the heart. Adeelah had marked the sudden change of atmosphere that occur whenever people of beautiful hearts come into a place. There's always some coolness that paints their aura in a calm galore. Adeelah wished to be among them, the best of people.

She hated the words some people call her with. Hot. She knew she's.

Now if Salisu's to be driving her to school, she would have to see him everyday.

She remembered when Malam Iro was brought. A middle aged man probably around forty. She kept nagging that he didn't drive fast and that he didn't like to leave the air con on because he's asthmatic. Abba didn't pay any attention to her until when the poor man decided to leave on his own. Now Adeelah felt bad.

The one before Malam Iro was Malam Idris who's a smoker. At first she didn't know he smoked until later and she couldn't stand it at all. He was fired the day she found out. She didn't pity him at all because he did one of the things she hated.

Preceding Malam Idris was Yusha'u who's smell alone could send one to Pluto and return them in a second. He didn't use to take his bath except on Fridays. Yes, he told Adeelah when she asked him if he bath regularly.

She was about stepping out when Salisu came out from the worker's room grinning.

"Dillaliya... An tahi lahiya? (Hope you slept well)?" Salisu greeted in his village Hausa accent. Adeelah ignored him.

"Oh bakya jin Hausa ko? (Oh you don't understand Hausa huh)? Oh, goodi moni," Adeelah almost laughed but she stopped herself from laughing.

Adeelah didn't look at him. She wasn't happy with the way he would make her laugh. She didn't want him to know that side of her, the bubbly side of her which only her siblings and Fatimah knew about.

"Adeelah!" She emphasized on correcting him. If not a dumb person, who couldn't say her name as simple as it was. A-dee-lah. What's so difficult? The man just wanted to be on her nerves and nothing else.

He looked at her, Adeelah turned away disgusted. She didn't like him a bit.

"Let's go." He said, but it fell on deaf ears as Adeelah had already left his sight. She entered the continue discussion car. She waited for him to come in.

He swerved inside the car and it surprised her to the core to learn that he didn't smell like most of her chauffeurs. A manly scented perfume was oozing out of him that she thought he wasn't the one that entered. She's a sucker for people that smell good- smelling good or at least not having an unpleasant odour was part of cleanliness and cleanliness's part of Imaan. But this man, Salisu, her chauffeur, she would never get the energy to praise him in her head. It would be too demeaning to her ego.

Adeelah didn't like the way she's getting her attention on most of the things with him. She didn't like how her habit of noticing small things' being appiled on him.

The ride to school was silent until when they pulled in a hold up. A disc seller came passing by. She heard the chauffeur clear his voice. If he thought that would make her talk then he's wrong

"Dillaliya help us with two hundred naira please..." She heard him say. She contemplated on what to do. She's sure that he wanted her to say no so that he would pester her. If that's so, plan terminated. She checked her bag for the two hundred naira and gathered fifty naira notes to two hundred in total then held it in her hand. A subconscious of hers didn't want to leave her in peace. So it whispered to her to talk.

"What?" She asked.

"Two hundred naira please."

"What do you want to do with it?" Another one chirped to her.

"Dillaliya wait and see now?" Adeelah stretched her hand put the money on the passenger's front seat. She looked until the chauffeur's hand picked the money.

He slid the window down and called a man. Adeelah pouted and diverted her attention to her phone. She was oblivious to all that was happening till she heard the famous Qur'anic recitation of Sudais blooming through the speakers. She raised her head up and made an attempt to look at him via the rear mirror. She remembered she didn't want to see his scary patchy face.

She raised her brow. "You don't know how to say thank you right?" She asked. She loved people who show their gratitude on things done to them no matter how little was it. Someway, anyhow it boost her energy to help them next time. Factually showing gratitude is a great thing, that, everyone's supposed to make it a norm.

"You're too hasty Dillaliya. I'm planning on paying you back when I work in the evening." He replied her with an unexplainable expression.

Adeelah then felt bad. The poor man was even thinking of paying her back. She may be fierce, loud and always saying mindjabbing words but truely, she feel bad whenever she sat alone and have everything she's done in retrospect or when someone brought back her attention on what she did.

"Dillaliya are you related with Sudais? Your nose looks like his by the way." Adeelah humped and set away her phone. She wanted to maintain patience but it seemed impossible.

"It's Adeelah. And please why do you like talking too much? See if I catch you looking at me, I will curse your generation up and down." She warned, feeling waves of anger agitating within her. Most of her chauffeur's after the first days had learnt not to talk to her ever again unless it's important.

He reduced the volume to zero. "Oh the question seems to agitate you but I don't mean to hurt you. Dillaliya can you help me get a finely used phone like yours? And that shoe you wore today looks classy, I would love to buy the second hand for my future wife when you're going to sell it. Please don't forget, I will pay a fair price."

Truth was he didn't look at her twice yesterday. He just marked her face to know her and recognize her out of thousands of people in the varsity. Two, even if a knife was to be placed on his neck, he couldn't pinpoint the type of shoe she wore.

"Salisu!" Adeelah barked as if she's going to slap him. He had angered her to the core that rendered her speechless. This man, urgh. She's going to have a hard time with him. Maybe she should start putting earpiece all day long and listen to anything other than his voice.

"Dillaliya it's Thalith not Salisu. You know I was born on Tuesday that's why I was named Salisu. What of you? Did your mother thought you would be a good Dillaliya so she named you that?" Adeelah sealed her lips by sucking them in between her teeth. She thought if she kept quiet he wouldn't talk again.

But no.

"Dillaliya see that hawker, does she looks like you? I want to marry your lookalike." He said, stealing a glance at her via the mirror.

Adeelah kept mum. The ringing tone of her phone came to her rescue, she thanked Allah for that numerous times before she picked Fatimah's call.

"Hello Fatimah, how're you? Yes I am on my way already. Okay I will sign the attendance for you, no worries." The call was terminated due to exhaustion of Fatimah's credit.

"Dillaliya what did Fatimah said?" Adeelah kept quiet.

"When you're done with your nonsense you can play the Qur'an for us to listen before we reach school." She remarked wishing he won't talk.

Her wish got granted because he just increased the volume and rewinded suratul baqara to the beginning. They listened to it throughout the drive.

_________

"What do you want Hidaya?" Ameer asked, putting his wristwatch. He looked at the mirror in front of him and adjusted his collar. He picked his links and attached them to his clothes. He's all set for work but there was Hidaya few inches away from him on top of the bed whining like a baby.

"I want to visit Maama today." She said.

"Is that all?" He asked, spraying perfume on his body. Hidaya got up from the bed. She walked to where he was standing and pinned him with her gaze. She didn't know what to do. Because Maama will definitely ask her for money and she didn't save a lot.

That night last week, she noticed how mad he was when she asked him for the golden necklace. Since then, she's been careful so that he won't be angry again.

"Yes," Ameer looked at her and smiled. He turned around, gently placed both his hand on her shoulder and moved her back until they were sitting on the periphery of their bed.

"What's it?" Hidaya thought to tell him everything but paused. She didn't want to paint her mother black, she didn't want him to think bad of her mother. Her mother would forever be her mother.

"Nothing," she answered, her eyes down. Ameer took her palm and squeezed it. He didn't want to go out without knowing what's wring with her. It's not his habit. He's very caring towards Hidaya.

"Wish me safe drive." He kissed her forehead and stood up.

"Check the trouser I wore yesterday there's some change in it. Maybe five thousand naira or so. Buy something for Maama." Hidaya didn't know when she hugged him. That's why she loved her Ameer so much. He understood her more than everyone else and he's always trying to pull her out of any plight she found her self in.

She would be forever thankful.

"Thank you so much, may Allah reward you abundantly my husband." Ameer shook his head over the change of her demeanor in a flip. He didn't know when money started making Hidaya happy. Checking his time, he meandered out of the room adding up thoughts in his head.

They needed to talk once he's back.

________________

Adeelah told Salisu to come by two o clock and unfortunately a lecturer fixed a lecture and she couldn't leave until four. She called to tell him that he shouldn't come but his phone was off. She gave up and trudged out of the lecture hall to spot Salisu in the parking space.

She saw the car and walked to it.

"Dillaliya good evening."

"Adeelah." She corrected for the ninth time. Maybe if he's hearing the name constantly, he would be able to catch up.

"I am closing by four instead." She said and went back to the lecture hall. Salisu watched her went inside, he locked the car and followed her back.

Adeelah was checking her book when he came in. He went to the extreme end of the class and sat down idle.

He watched as everyone did their business around. Then minutes later the lecturer came in. Some of the students greeted him and some didn't.

Salisu was sure Adeelah didn't see him. The lecturer turned around and wrote GSP Logic and philosophy on the board.

He began to explain, rounding about the class until he reached Salisu's seat.

"Hey I don't know your face." Everyone turned to look. Adeelah didn't because most of the times she didn't care about what's going on in the class as long as it had nothing to do with her.

"Iy ni baqo ne. Yayan Dillaliya. (Yes I am stranger. Dillaliya's brother). He grinned because he understood what the lecturer mean from the way he looked at him.

Adeelah turned to see Salisu sitting in all his resplendence. On the sarcastic note.

"Yes, there she is. She's my sister." Salisu said in Hausa and pointed at Adeelah. The class erupted in laughter. Adeelah was neat and here this man disheveled from head to toe was saying he's her brother. And she's not even denying it.

"Miss Adeelah Danbatta," she stood up before the lecturer finished talking.

"He is my chauffeur!" She said, and sat back feeling as if to run and rip off Salisu's fish brain. That guy was messing and playing with volcano. He didn't know her yet, he didn't know what she could do.

"Well," the lecturer shrugged care freely and continued delivering his lecture. He was an easy man and very funny in his lecture. He didn't mind about Salisu's presence.

Adeelah kept fuming throughout the lecture. She was thinking of what to do to Salisu after class. Something that will make him regret. Something that will make his retarded brain to change to normal in a spur.

She couldn't wait for four.

________

Okayy Salisu is here to pester our Dillaliya😂😂😂😂

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