#7 [B]

Fadwa could feel her heart jumping with joy the moment she sighted their house's metal door, she hopped down from the machine and paid the man before she walked towards the house, smiling as her hand brushed the stack of money he threw at her face when she was about to leave.

She fought back her tears when she remembered what he said as he threw the money at her face "I can pay thousands of people with this everyday without getting tired of it, make sure you do what is right if you don't want your family roaming in the streets. And also, you should take along with the left over food I ate, I can't have my house smelling of spoilt food."

She wanted to retaliate and tell him her family weren't roaming the streets, and his money would never put a roof over their heads even if they were. She wanted to tell him it wasn't because they have nothing to eat that she worked for him, she too had a life, she knew what love and compassion was. But she bite her lips and went back to the kitchen, a part of her heart was happy that her family would be able to be eating a well nourished food from today onwards. She can do this because of them.

She pushed the door forward and it creaked ajar, making a squeaking sound. Sabeehah was seated on the stone outside their kitchen while Ammi was inside, fanning the firewoods that weren't ready to fire up. The little girl ran to her and hugged her, she was happy to finally see her sister back.

"Addah Fadwa, I so much missed you. Where have you been?" Sabeebah inquired, as she guided them to the spread out mat on the small courtyard of their house. Fadwa sat down and place Sabeehah on her laps.

"I went to work, you want Addah Fadwa to always bring you sweet foods like this right? Let me show you what I brought." She began opening the leather that had the food in when Ammi emerged out of the kitchen, smiling fleetingly and inquiringly at Fadwa.

"I thought you would follow Abban Nadia back home, it's already 8pm, Fadwa." Ammi said and sat on the mat, looking at the food Fadwa had already started feeding Sabeehah from.

She smiled apologetically at her mother and answered. "I myself thought I would follow him back, but my boss said I should wait and cook dinner for him, he eat dinner by 8pm and he doesn't eat unless homemade foods. I'm sorry, Ammi. Here's the salary and I'll be bringing back food always." She handed Ammi the money and motioned the food with her hand, smiling tiredly.

Ammi counted the money and tears of joy cascaded down her cheeks. "Alhamdulillah, Fadwa. May Allah put his barkah in this money. I'll keep the 30k aside so on Monday you can take it to school for the payment, and the remaining we will go to the market tomorrow with Majida and buy us some foodstuffs and also the goods to start up a local business at home. What do you think?"

"That's the perfect idea, Ammi. Allah waddu sa'a. I haven't seen Majida around, or she isn't eager to see me back?" Fadwa asked, looking around to see where Majida would emerge from.

Ammi heaved a sigh and her expression changed from thrilled to glum. "They had a fight with your father in the morning, and he gave her the beating of her life." She was trying so hard not to let her tears cascade down her cheeks, but the pain was too much she couldn't hold them back, and so she cried under the gazes of her daughters.

"What did she do to him? And where's she now?" Fadwa asked, agitated.

"Just because she entered his room and met him having his luxurious breakfasts as usual and she insisted he give us even if it's 100 naira to buy pap and cake beans. You know how adamant they could all be, and she angered him because of her stubbornness. She's sleeping inside, headache."

"What does this mean, Ammi? You all didn't eat anything today? Subhanallah!" She had to cry, not because of Majida alone, her family in general. How would a six years old girl go on with her daily activities without taking anything as breakfast, lunch and dinner? Ya ilahi.

She thought about them, she thought about them when she was eating the indomie Maheer poured on her body, that too when she was too hungry to move a hand. She ate the indomie cold, but she still thought about her family and was relieved that it was a Saturday and she was sure Majida would collect something from Baffah for their upkeep. She was wrong, even Majida today got her own beating.

"I need to see her," Fadwa whispered and placed Sabeehah on Ammi's laps before she entered the room, tears rushing down her cheeks. What kind of life is this? She had met her worst nightmare in the body of Maheer Aliyu Shagari, and now her own father in the devil of her dreams.

She rushed towards Majida and helped her sat upright, ranting numerous sorry's to her. Upon seeing her, Majida burst into tears and hugged her, so tight she thought her life depended on her. "I hate him, Addah Fadwa. I hate him with every fibre of my being. Please be successful and take us away from this man, and we should watch him die like he watched..." before she could finish, Fadwa closed her lips with head shaking and her eyes emoting the pain in her heart through her tears.

"No matter how bad he is, he's your father and nothing can ever change that. Everything will be fine, trust me." She said, returning back the hug with so much intensity.