It was a sunny friday afternoon in Abuja, and the hospital was bustling with patients, visitors and doctors moving in and about. Muhammad had just finished consulting some patients and was finally done with the day work.

He came back to his office and sat down, then got up and began pacing around, one hand behind his back. Something was obviously bothering him.

He peered at his Rolex, then at the door, as of waiting for someone. He then strolled across to the dispenser in the office, fetched some water and went and sat down. "Bismillah." He said and gulped down the water with some pills and dropped the cup.

After about a minute or two, he got up, took his brief case and phone and left the office. He came across some patients and two nurses in the hallway.
"Leaving already doctor?" A woman in her early thirties asked smiling. He looked at her and also smiled saying, "yes, I've got some stuff to take care of, and doctor muazu is on his way as we speak."

She nodded and wished him farewell. He thanked her and walked pass them. Instead of heading outside to his car, he headed to doctor haisham's office. He asked a man seated there if he was in and he said yes, so he knocked and waited for permission to come in.

After a few shuffling from the inside, haisham gave him permission to come in. Muhammad pushed open the door and fixed haisham with an unimpressed glare. "Hey Muhammad ." A man also in a white coat; clearly a doctor greeted. Muhammad turned and looked at him. He didn't even notice him there.

His gaze softened as he answered and sat across him. If he knew dr Hanes was in here, he wouldn't have come in in this state. Dr hanes is a man that he respects a lot, he is his mentor and friend.

They spoke about hospital stuff and some arrangements the management was trying to make to the hospital.

"Well haisham, make sure you take care of her well —for me," Doctor Hanes said and haisham nodded and assured him that all would be fine. He got up and gave Muhammad his hand saying, "I would meet you later pal." He shook his hand and replied to him. He then left.

Muhammad face hardened, as he turned back to haisham. "I thought I told you not to tell anyone about my condition?" He set his jaw and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I had to, you didn't leave me with much options." He leaned back in his chair. "I didn't leave you with much options? I did leave you with an option which would have worked fine. You could have just minded your business."

"I was just worried about you, that's why." Muhammad cocked his head and said, "worried about me? What are you, my mother? Didn't you think that I for once knew what I was doing?"

Haisham chuckled trying to lighten up the mood, "no I'm not your mother, but a good friend. And you didn't know what you were doing, clearly if you did you would have known that you are slowly killing your self." Muhammad scowled at him saying, "don't joke with me haisham, of all the people you could have told this to, you decided to go straight to mummy and tell her?"

"Yeah, So? It was for your own good."
"Wallah if you don't stop saying that i would punch your mouth." Muhammad threatened. Haisham raised his arms in surrender and kept shut. Knowing that the moment he makes the wrong move, Muhammad won't hesitate to knock some sense into him. Muhammad is an easy person but once he gets angry, just sit back and don't try anything.

"Do you know how angry she was at me — do you even know why I didn't want to tell her?" He narrowed his eyes. Haisham shook his head. "She would be worried - so worried that she is now. You had to tell her that you have been telling me to see a doctor for over a week but I didn't want to."

Muhammad closed his eyes and breathed out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Seriously haisham, you could have told anyone, my boss or whoever but you went directly to mummy, the most important person."

Haisham for once didn't know what to say. Honestly he didn't even think of all that, he was just worried about him. That day after they separated with Muhammad, Muhammad went home and he was at the hospital because he had night duty, he couldn't shake the feeling off the feeling that he could do something to help and if he didn't something might happen, so he just called her.

"I'm sorry man, That...really drives your point home." He pinched his forehead. Muhammad rolled his eyes saying, "whatever."

"So.. what now?"
"I am taking a sick leave and going back home."
"Why? You can visit a doctor here."
"Well, someone happened to set me up with my parents that if I don't go and see a doctor over there it would be such a huge deal." He eyed haisham. "sorry Doctor Muhammad."

Muhammad got up saying, "I have to leave now to catch some sleep because I'm tired. And I'm leaving tomorrow." Haisham apologized once again and got up to escort him, but muhammad told him to just leave it.

He closed the door behind him, and was about to leave when he came across haisham's fiancé in the hallway. They greeted each other, and went their separate ways. Haisham's fiancé is a nurse at the hospital.

On his way to his car, he came across some of his patients who were out on a mini walk, they greeted each other, and he left for home.

                             ——————

Maryam was going out with some friends today, so she's all dressed up in a beige tulle dress, and a gray veil draped around her. She applied lipgloss and sprayed her favorite Victoria secret perfume, before she grabbed her black shoulder bag off the shelf and threw some few items she needed and slipped into a black clog shoe. Something that she doesn't wear everyday.

"So... how do I look?" She turned to rukayyah who was pressing her phone. "Rukky?" She called and rukayyah looked up. 

Maryam twirled, her dress lifting around her. "You look good - beautiful." She commented and fake-wiped an invisible on her cheek. Maryam laughed and shook her head saying, "you're impossible, thank you though." Rukky nod her head and Maryam waved and left the room to mama's room. She found her seated on the carpet writing something that seems like a list on a notepad.

"Mama I'm going now, how do I look?" She beamed standing by the door. Mama looked up at her and smiled warmly saying, "you look great my dear." She smiled back and blew mama a kiss.

"What is it?" She questioned when she saw the way mama was looking at her with a little tears in her eyes. "I'm just proud of you, Allah yayi albarka."

"Amin." She answered smiling. But she knew that was not the only thing that mama was thinking about. Perhaps she saw baba in her again, because this would not be the first time. A lot of people have said that she is Baba's carbon copy.

She managed to plant a smile on her face despite all the thoughts that were running through her head. "Bye, mama." She waved and quickly walked out of the room.

"Don't cry." Ya mubarak instructed.

"When did you get here?" She asked trying to push back her tears. "Just now." She gave a short nod, and looked down. "Don't make yourself look even uglier than you already do." He joked. She chuckled and saluted jokingly saying, "aye, aye captain."

He smiled and waved her off. She smiled and went off to look for Adda amma who will be dropping her off because as strange as it kinda sounds, she doesn't know how to drive. She found adda amma in the kitchen still in her pyjamas.

"Adda!!" She panicked. "Relax maamah, I just need to put on my abaya and that's all." She chuckled putting on her abaya. "Let's go." She added.

She finished what she was doing, and grabbed mama's car keys. Maryam's phone started ringing the moment she got in the car.

She quickly fastened her seatbelt, and picked up the call. It was mahnur; one of her friends that they would be meeting today.

"Hello mahnur."
"Hey maryam, how are you?"
"I'm fine, you?"
"Same, so you're coming right?"

"So where to?" Adda amma asked as soon as she turned to the car. "Siddiqa's house." She whispered and turned back to her phone.

"Yeah, of course. Wouldn't wanna miss our mini reunion." She joked. Mahnur laughed and said, "it's still 'The teahouse' right?"

"Yeah, call me when you reach there."
"Alright, bye."
"Bye." She disconnected the call.

"So who and who are coming to this reunion?" Adda amma asked. "Siddiqa, mahnur, uhmmm...Lola, and Hamid said he would stop by for a minute." Adda amma nodded her head.

They stayed quiet the whole drive, Adda amma humming to the song that was playing in background, and Maryam reading, and occasionally taking selfies and videos.

Adda amma dropped her off, and told her to find someone to come take her home which she laughed off and went inside.

She followed through the back door, which leads to the kitchen and found siddiqa's mother washing some dishes. "Assalam alaikum." She greeted with a smile on her face. Siddiqa's mother; Aunty umaimah turned and her face also lit up when she saw maryam.

"Aunty Ina wuni." She greeted. (P.s: Siddiqa calls her mom aunty.) "Maryam, Ina gajiya. How are you?"

"I'm fine, how is work?"
"Fine." She said and hugged her. "How is Aisha(Maryam's mom)?"
"She is fine, tana gaida ki." Maryam answered. "Ina amsawa, I wanted to stop by your house yesterday, but things got hectic so I couldn't."

"Ohh, mama was actually expecting you, since you told her you were coming."

"Yeah. I would go today insha Allah." She promised and Maryam smiled and asked her where siddiqa was. "She is in her room." She thanked her and went to her room.

"Knock knock." She said as she pushed open the door. She found siddiqa standing by the mirrors wearing ear rings. She was clad in a maroon maxi dress. "Wow you look good." Siddiqa said looking her over.

"And you look even better." She smiled as she pushed the clothes on her bed and sat down. "Let me guess, had trouble finding the right clothe to wear." She nodded at the clothes.

"Yeah actually, Aunty even shouted at me for bringing all of my clothes down just to get a single dress." "Gaskiya, I would too." She chuckled.

"She said I wouldn't leave this house if I don't put them all back in the wardrobe," she turned to Maryam with a small pout and said, "help me please."

"No."
"Please.."
"No." She said making a face, but regardless got up and started arranging the clothes. "That's my best friend, that's best friend, thousand kisses to my best friend." She sang holding her hair brush as a mic.

Maryam laughed and chucked a pillow at her which she caught neatly. "You remember that our favorite song of the day."

"What was the name again?"
"Love story." They said together and laughed. "Taylor Swift was a real deal." Siddiqa said and Maryam nodded in agreement. "I love you bestie." She said and without warning, she fling her arms round her in a messy hug. "I love you more."

"Hey bishes!!" A voice shouted, before a young lady probably in her mid twenties appeared by the door. "Lola!!" They shouted and ran to her. They pulled her into a hug.

"Longest time." She flashed them a smile. "Wow, you look amazing." Maryam said as stepped back to look properly at Lola. "And you look better." She squealed and looked at siddiqa. "Our prom queen, the queen of fashion. You look awesome."

Siddiqa laughed and hit Lola playfully. "I missed you so much, why didn't we do this sooner?"

"Probably because y'all didn't think about it. This girl with beauty and brains is the only intelligent one." Maryam joked twirling around. "You shut up?!!" Lola smacked her and laughed. They all laughed and reminisced some of their past moments.

"We were both young when I first saw you.." siddiqa began and raised her eyebrows at Lola and Maryam who picked up from there. "I closed my eyes and the flashback starts, I'm standin' there
On a balcony in summer air."

Lola went and picked up Siddiqa's hairbrush, "See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns.." she stopped and Maryam picked up from there.
"See you make your way through the crowd and say 'Hello' Little did I know..That you were Romeo, you were throwin' pebbles."

"And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"
And I was cryin' on the staircase
Beggin' you, "Please don't go.......

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How was it???
I got excited while writing this chapter because we used to sing that song every time in high school.
It was amazing.
Love you💙💙