Chapter 1: Fatimah

After putting on some powder on my face and gloss on my lips, I couldn't help but to look at myself in the mirror. Today would be my first day in school. Yes, I had gotten admission into a renown private university in Minna known as Zulu College. It was owned by a South African businessman, a godfather to my father. The school wasn't that far from our house hence there was no need for me to stay in the hostel. I could convey my self to and fro, you know? After all I had my personal car. 

"Mum, dad, I am going" I announced while gently walking towards my parents in the sitting room with my bag's straps hanged on my shoulder and my car key dangling in my hand.

"Okay Fatimah, drive carefully" My mother said but my father? He only glared at me, that's all!

"Alright, mum!" I uttered leaving, not minding my father. I was already used to his cold and aloof treatment towards me. I could count the times he had ever smiled at me, he literally didn't like me because I wasn't what he was expecting. When my mother was pregnant with me, he had expected a male child, someone that could assist him in the affairs of his company, someone that could take over the company after him and not someone that would end up being someone else's wife elsewhere (i.e me). 

"Open the gate, Sagir!" I ordered our gateman as soon as I was out of the mansion. Thus, I headed to the parking lot, got myself into my Camry and happily drove out of the house.

The Toyota Camry was bought to me as a gift on my 17th birthday two years back by my mother. And what would my father say about it? Congratulations for buying a perfect tool to eradicate your mess. And what would my mother say to him? Our mess, both of us! 

Immediately I arrived at school and was about parking my car in the one and only available space in the parking lot, a Bugatti from nowhere overtook me and parked there instead. I was very angry, hence I stormed out of my car. "Madness or sickness?" I yelled hoping that the driver could hear me. Actually, I could hear a song booming in the car so I doubted if the person had even heard me. 

And just as the song went off together with the engine, the person alighted from the car. It was a very fair guy, looked handsome but his bushy hair made me to feel like throwing up. His lips were dark like he was a smoker and his eyes were so red, he was hypothetically high!

I thought he would apologise for what he did to me but guess what? He remotely locked his car and walked away without saying a word to me. Damn, how I let the matter slide was a mystery to me. I returned into my car, reversed back, and drove to a corner in the parking lot and parked there. 

As new as I was, I had to ask people around to guide me to my department. It was a Business Department, I didn't know anyone but as soon as I was in the department a very chubby girl walked up to me with her books embraced on her chest. "Peace be upon you, are you also new here?" She said looking at me in the eyes. 

"Yes, how about you?" I lifted a brow. 

"Me too" She smiled. And just then, a voice suddenly bellowed announcing it was already time for lecture. "Let's follow them" The chubby girl said gesturing towards the crowd as they began heading towards a direction. Thence we followed them into a hall and sat in the forefront. 

The hall had a stage, a projector, and the air conditioner was working perfectly fine. While some of the students wander around, an old man bounced into the hall, walked up to the stage and clapped his hands twice – making the wanderers to settle down. 

"Good morning to you all, and welcome to our department!" He said aloud. "I am Dr. Marwan Musa" He continued. "Also known as Doctor M.M" 

With that, nearly everyone in the hall bursted into laughter. Me included, it was really funny! 

"Yes, but... don't call me that" He cautioned us. "Just call me Dr. Marwan, and by the way I am a PhD holder. Can you all tell me your names?" 

"Yes!" The class chorused, we were about 20 to 25 according to my scrutiny. 

"Okay, let's start from you" The man pointed at me. 

"Me?" I was astounded. 

"Yes, you" He nodded his head. 

"okay sir" I gulped gently standing up to my feet. I was the type that didn't like standing in public or facing the crowd, I could easily start trembling or tears might just embarrass me. "My name is Fatimah Bulama" I said and quickly sat down. I could feel some moist in my eyes already, thus I lowered my face down. 

"How about you?" I heard him queried the chubby girl sitting close to me. 

"Qudrah Adam" The girl said. 

"And you?" He asked the next person, and kept asking until all of a sudden he paused. "Yusuf, is this the right time for you to come to lecture?" He said making us to look around. Behold, he was talking to the person that just came in through the back entrance and that same person was the boy that overtook me in the parking lot earlier. Perhaps he knew the idiot boy, I thought.

"Don't blame me, blame the dean" The boy said walking like he would fall any damn moment. 

"What happened between you and the dean? You hit him or something?" The man asked. 

"It's personal" The boy said about sitting down. 

"No, come over here!" The man said. 

"Ahh, I hate front seats" The boy protested. 

"Right? Just come over here!" The man said. 

Thus, the boy walked to where we were and Qudrah was asked to stand up from where she was sitting. "Please go to the back my dear, let this unserious student sit here" The man said. 

"okay sir" Qudrah muttered and left. 

The boy was asked to sit close to me and that really annoyed me. The smell of the cigarette he might have taken kept disturbing me. I didn't complain because that may sound rude and I didn't want to be blacklisted on my first day at school. I kept turning my face away from him until the introductory class was over. 

"Here, Yusuf!" The man handed an A4 paper to the boy. "Write your name and make sure they all write their names before returning it back to me in my office. It is my first attendance" 

"Okay!" The boy said, hence the man left. "Can I have your pen?" The boy asked me. 

That moment, I felt like slapping him. How could someone with a Bugatti come to school without a pen of less than N50? I really didn't want to borrow him the pen but for some unknown reason I ended up handing over the pen to him. "Here" I said, and watched him as he gently wrote his name and matric – Yusuf Abba Dolari, BS/3/15. 

"What is your name and matric?" He asked me. 

"Actually, I expect to write my name by my own self" I replied turning my face away from him, I hated how he smelled. 

"Just tell me or forget about it" He said. 

"Fine!" I stood up to my feet. "Fatimah Bulama, BS/4/09" I said in anger and left him without collecting my pen.