RIGHT AT the moment, Hajiya Asiya Al-Sayed walked down the stairs adorned in her red with embellishments of gold lafayya. Adorning her wrists, ears, neck and fingers were gold jewelries—which she never fails to adorn. Her face held minimal makeup—that was the most she could do for in her words, "I will not stress myself by baking my face up at this old age"

But that has always been her excuse to get away from Aisha's numerous makeup sessions. While the girl was learning to perfect her makeup skills, she used her mother as her model up until the old woman got tired of her eye brows being plucked and foundation baking up her face.

There was no denying that even with little makeup though, Hajiya Asiya was impeccably beautiful dark skinned woman. It wasn't just her looks that accentuated her in the eyes of people though. It also has to do with how she carries herself with grace and her attitude of treating people with kindness.

Perhaps, that was one of the reasons Alhaji Nasir Al-Sayed took her as a wife after divorcing his first wife. The two women's attitudes were start contrast, except for their one ability of keeping their calm even at the brink of losing all patience.

A couple of sighs, and eyes rolling were exchanged between the women in the living room as Hajiya Asiya walked towards them, her lips curled upwards into a warm smile. Her eyes first landed on her daughter, whom she offered a grin before she turned to her in-laws. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it's getting late, and I think it's time you all return home" Despite having her smile still masking her features, the direct way of putting her words is 'get the hell out of my house'.

It's not her fault though. She has had this with these women. They've been in the house for hours yet they can't seem to understand it's time to leave as it's late already. If they only wanted to stay in the living room, making noises to mock her like they've been doing, she can handle it.

But when they include her daughter, that's where her patience runs thin.

She had gone upstairs earlier for she no longer had the strength in her to deal with them or fake smiles. She saw her daughter come in, since she was sitting by the window. Hence, why she decided to return and end the rounds of insult and mockery the girl will undoubtedly get.

Hajiya was the first to scoff, as she spread her wrapper covered legs slightly. "Toh uwar marrasa kunya. Why don't you say it directly? Ask us to leave my son's house!"

Hajiya is not Alhaji Nasir Al-Sayed's mother, she is deceased father's younger sister who took care of him as a child of hers. He considers her a mother and vice versa. That is the only reason why Hajiya Asiya tends to thread carefully around the woman. But she has always made one thing clear, she will respect the old woman and his family so long as they don't disrespect her.

She has taken their disrespect for nearly twenty years. At least, she did up until the point she took Aisha into her home—until she adopted the girl and realized she now has a child to fight for.

Sure, Aisha is not related to either her, or her father by blood. But since Asiya has never given birth, both she and her husband considers Aisha a child of theirs and they both certainly loved her.

They gave her all the love you would give to a single child.

That's one of the reasons his family detest the girl. They detested the fact that he gave love to the girl his wife brought to his house. In their words, perhaps Aisha might just be a bastard child of Asiya's that she brought to their family so they would eat up their wealth.

Hajiya Asiya has been on the receiving end of all sort of insults, and she took them all in without complaints. They could insult her, and she will let them be. However, when they touch her daughter, that's when they have a big problem.

She let out a small, barely noticeable breath as she maintained her grin directed towards her mother-in-law. "I'm not sending you out, Hajiya. You're welcome to stay for the night if you want. I can have someone arrange one of the bedrooms for you" She stated, before moving her eyes to the others, "However, some of your companions here are married, so I'm sure their husbands wouldn't want them to stay out this late, am I right?"

"Why don't you just admit that your daughter here, is a gold digger like you?" It was the same woman that spoke earlier. She unfolded her sitting self, walking towards Hajiya Asiya to stand in front of her, "But don't you ever forget, Asiya. Whatever you do, will come back at you" She stated bitterly. She had always bad the most hatred towards Asiya. Why?

Because she was Alhaji Nasir Al-Sayed's first wife.

Hajiya Maryam.

Despite being his cousin, she ended up marrying him due to her mother's relation to him. Their marriage was arranged by her mother—even though neither of the two liked each other. He had always been friendly towards her—she's his family member after all. However, Maryam hated him to no ends.

She got married early—immediately she was done with secondary school. However, she only had one son with the man before he passed away shortly after she has given birth. Shortly after his death, and after she was done with her iddah, her mother got her married to Nasir.

Their marriage wasn't the best—considering she did not have any feelings for him. And besides, no matter how much effort he put, it made no difference to her. Every day came with another problem, another never-ending issue.

He treated both her and her son well. But the inevitable came only four years after their marriage, they got divorced.

He wasn't well off then, but he had enough to take care of his family. A year after his marriage with Maryam ended, he met Asiya, and they got married. They had two children that both passed away, and since then, haven't had any children again up until eight-years-ago when they adopted Aisha.

For some reason—mainly jealousy considering Alhaji Nasir is now well off—Maryam hated Asiya with every fiber of her being, and so did her mother along with some of her siblings.

If it wasn't that Maryam was the one that asked for a divorce, Hajiya would've never allowed Nasir to marry Asiya.

Yet somehow, after nearly three decades of separation, the woman still thinks there's hope he might marry her again. At least, even if he doesn't, she uses the excuse of being Hajiya's daughter to go to his house so she can make Asiya and Aishatu's life a living hell.

There's only so much he can do, considering he doesn't want to upset her mother.

Hajiya Asiya only offered Maryam a small smile, one that did not reach her eyes and instead choose to ignore the woman. Paying heed to her won't get them anywhere. They've been on the same thing for more than twenty-years, it's about time they stop.

But, it's obvious Maryam won't stop, and that's one of the reasons Asiya would advise everyone to never agree to having a Bauchi woman as a co-wife. Nasir's father hails from Kano, while Maryam's father is from Bauchi. Her mother, she, along with her siblings grew up there until the man passed away and they moved back to Kano.

They simply visit Abuja every once in a while. That it, until Alhaji Nasir bought a house for Hajiya, and Maryam along with her son moved there to stay with the old woman since the house is big enough for them lot to live there.

Asiya was never one to judge a person based on tribe, or state. However, Maryam's case is different, and from the stories she heard of Bauchi women, she understood why.

Hajiya cut in, knowing the two women's bickering won't get them anywhere. "Asiya, you've let this girl live in this house for years. Yanxu shekarun ta nawa; how old is she now? She's twenty-five and still unmarried! See this..." The old woman gestured to the boxes filling up the living room. "...Humaira is only twenty-two and she's getting married into an influential family. Dan gidan Lt. Gen. Abd Al-Rashed zata aura; she's getting married to the son of Lt. Gen. Abd Al-Rashed. Babban danshi for that matter" She stated proudly, a wide grin etched on her wrinkling face.

Humaira is one of Hajiya's grandchildren, and probably one of Aishatu's cousins who she doesn't and will never get along with. The girl is a makeup artist, and a social media influencer. Because of the fame she has, she deems herself to be above everyone else—a habit that never settled with Aishatu who has never been the one to take such stupidity.

The bridal gifts were brought earlier to Alhaji Nasir's house considering he's the eldest child in the family. Normally, it would've been brought to her father's house, but for trouble sakes, Hajiya insisted on it being delivered to Nasir's house instead.

Hajiya's grin then turned into a scowl when her gaze landed on Aisha, "What about this so called doctor, what is she doing?" Her glare moved to Asiya who was holding onto the last string of patience she has.

"What else?" Maryam snickered, "She's off chasing men. Dazu akace mun anga wani namiji yaje wajen ta a asibiti"

Aisha who had looked down fought the urge to snicker when the woman said that. She managed to hold a straight face though as she looked up to rest her eyes on her aunt. "It was Abdallah" She waited for the facial expression that came instantly.

Maryam's eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting that. Her intel didn't tell her who the man is, considering the woman just told her she saw a man go into Aisha's office. He could be a patient for all she knows, but she claims he look too debonair to be a patient, and she was right.

He's Abdallah Sudais. Maryam's only child and the one person that actually treats Aisha right.

His mother hates the relationship he has with the girl, and how he is always so quick to defend her whenever she says something against the girl. However, he never listens because as much as he loves his mother, he never fails to remind her that the way she treats Aisha and Asiya is wrong.

He was the one that visited Aisha earlier to bring her and Jannah lunch. He said he was passing by when he thought of bring them food knowing Aisha certainly can go on without eating. Jannah on the other hand has one motto that she abides by no matter what, and that is 'Food comes first, ku mutuwa akayi you must eat rice'

That's probably one of the reasons she gets along with Abdallah, since he brings them food every once in a while.

Maryam swallowed thickly, looking away as she made a mental note to call and scold the woman that gave her the information. Now, she looks stupid because of the wrong information.

Even Hajiya looked stunned for a moment, because she was hoping to use the information to throw shade at the two women. But now, there really is nothing to yap about.

"Well, since that's settled" Asiya clasped her hands in front of her, offering the women wide grins. "I'll call the driver for you all" She then turned to Hajiya, "Hajiya will you spending the night here?" She asked politely.

The woman threw her a glare, before she hissed lightly as she stood up. Not bothering to answer, she looked at the women that sat there, watching them. "Pack up the boxes. Idan direban yazo load them up let's go tunda koran mu akeyi"

They nodded, quick to do as she said. Before they were done, the driver whom Asiya had already summoned came in with two guards to help them load the boxes in his car and the ones the women used to go to the house.

Once they were done, they all left after throwing snickers and glares at the two women in Alhaji Nasir's life. The minute they were all out, Aisha released a sigh of relief as she stood up to stand beside her mother, "When will they stop acting that way?" She asked, lines forming on her forehead.

Hajiya Asiya sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly as she placed an arm over the girl's shoulder. "Never, baa chanza hali ai" She tsked, "Enough about them though, let's go to the dining room. I made your favorite food, nasan you're hungry"

That instantly had a grin forming on Aisha's face as she leaned closer to her mother, hugging her tightly, "This is why I love you Mommy"

Hajiya Asiya laughed lightly, hugging the girl back. "And I love you too, always"

~*~

She jolted up with a gasp, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead. She heaved, her shoulders raising, then falling due to the action. She rose a hand to wipe her face off the remaining sleep that will undoubtedly disappear by itself in a couple of minutes.

Heaving again, this time not as loud as earlier, she hung her head low as she brought her knees to her chest, burying her face in between. Her hands rose to her hair which she had covered before going to sleep, yet somehow, the scarf has disappeared off her head and is now lying on the other side of the bed.

She could hear the sound of cricket filling the otherwise quiet room. The AC had been tune down, leaving only a soft hum in its awake along with the cold breeze it let out. But even with that, she still felt hot.

Her fingers dug in her unbraided hair, her scalp aching due to the action. However, for the few minutes she tried to get herself out of the sleep induced trance, she was numb to the pain.

When she could no longer feel her heart beating wildly against her ribcage, and her ears were no longer dulled to other sounds, she found herself raising her head up slowly. Turning her head to the side, she reached her hand out to tap the screen of her phone that laid on the bedside cabinet, taking note of how the time read 3:17am.

She then pushed the comforter away from her body, throwing her legs off the bed before she got out. Making her way to where the bathroom is, she stopped and turned on the lights, making sure to keep it dim.

Getting into the bathroom, she washed her face repeatedly to get rid of the remnant of sleep. It doesn't matter if she still feels like dozing off, she can't even if she wanted to. As much as she hates to admit it, she is insomniac—or at least, was. Over the years, she had learnt to get little sleep with the help of her sleeping pills. But, even that only helps for a couple of hours.

That was one of the reasons she was able to get through medical school. While others were trying to get some sleep, she was up studying. She couldn't sleep even when she wants to—except for the times when exhaustion wears her down and she has no choice but to cave in.

There are only a few people that knew of her problem, and that includes her parents, Jannah and Abdallah. Her parents obviously knew since she had been like that even before they adopted her. As for Jannah, she attended the same medical school with Aisha so she was bound to know. Abdallah found out because his mom somehow did, and used it to mock the girl. He didn't act the way his mom does, and instead, sometimes stays up late so he could call her at that moment to keep her company.

She used to try and talk him out of it, but he wasn't willing to budge so she instead enjoyed his company. There's no denying that the two are close, despite not being blood related but they were more like siblings to each other.

Shaking those thoughts off, she made her way out of the bathroom and then sat back on her bed. Just as she was about to get her Macbook so she could study, she heard the door being opened. So, she looked up to see who it was even though she had an inkling.

Her lips instantly curled upwards into a smile as she spotted her mother holding something Aisha would recognize anywhere. She bit her lip to hold back her laugh, but when she saw the grin Hajiya Asiya offered her along with what she likes to say is wiggling her brows, she couldn't hold back the grin—the woman joined in as she slipped into the bed with her.

"Thought you'd be awake by now" Said the woman, placing the tubs on bed. Her lips were curled upwards into a grin—one that made the corner of her eyes crinkle slightly. She is now donned in her night dress, which she had covered with a matching silk blue robe. Judging from how her eyes were slightly puffy, she hadn't been awake for long. Her fingers tapped the tubs, gaining Aisha's attention. "Taking ice-cream at this hour is not healthy, right?"

Aisha chuckled, shaking her head. "Nope. It's not"

Hajiya Asiya hummed, pretending to think. After a couple of seconds, her eyes met Aisha's again. "So...we should take it?"

"Definitely" Aisha nodded in agreement, picking up her tub of vanilla and chocolate while her mother picked up hers that was strawberry flavored.

The two made a motion of clanking their spoons together, before they both dug in.

"Oh, put some Korean drama for us on Netflix, it goes well with the ice-cream"

Aisha chuckled lightly, before she did as her mother said. "Should I play Ghost doctor?" She asked, raising her head slightly to look at the woman.

She nodded, "We stopped in episode five yesterday bah; right?"

"Yes, inajin kaman anan muka tsaya; I think that's where we stopped" Between the two of them, her mother is the Kdrama fan not her. With school and work, she didn't have time to watch shows and whatnot. However, she does it with her mother since it's a way they bond.

"Muci gaba kawai; let's just continue"

And that was what they did, they binge watched Korean drama until the time for subh came. Even after that, they continued till the sun rose and they decided to get some rest since Aisha has another shift by twelve again—though she has to stop by work by ten since the VIP has arrived the night before after she had left work.

She could already tell the day will be long.

~*~

Friday update as promised!

Should you expect an update next week? I'm not really sure. Someone said I can't go for long without writing and I want to prove otherwise🌚

Anyways, our VIP don arrive!!!

No long surutu.

Love, Jannah Mia ❤️