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Thirty Two
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Misfortunate Thirty Three
The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was that everywhere was blurry. I blink, feeling tears rush down my eyes due to the pain of trying to clear my eyes.I blink again and the ceiling comes into focus, it's a hammered glass that houses several florescent bulbs. The hammered glass is surrounded by a white pop ceiling that hurts my eyes. I shut my eyes and try to think of where I could be.I open my eyes again and find out that I cannot look around the room unless I move my body, and just as I try to move my body, the door opens. It feels like I'm thirteen again and trying to let Ma know I'm annoyed so I quickly shut my eyes again, but the person comes close and leans over me, her breathing lingering with incense reaches me and I am forced to open my eyes."Upstairs neighbor." I croak, when I see who is standing over me. My throat is dry, feels like brittle paper. So I try to produce saliva to whet my mouth.She laughs, then tears roll down her eyes. "You don't even know my n
Misfortunate Thirty Four
Four Months Later"Amina of Zazzau is out on Netflix." I wheeled myself to the living room to meet Huda turning on the television and getting ready to connect the laptop to the television. She made a pillow fort near the huge one hundred and thirty inch television and just as the first opening sequence came on, she leapt up, paused the movie and helped me out of the wheel chair."I wonder why you didn't let us go watch it at the cinema. It was so successful at the cinemas. It stayed in the box office for six weeks. Six weeks!" She lamented as she helped me to the floor and put the largest pillow behind my back.I held her just as she got up to get the remote. I swallowed before saying; "Huda." She turned to me with soft eyes and pushed the pillow a little more. I smiled, she's been so caring. I really didn't know anyone could be so genuine, so pure at heart and so beautifully made."Thank you for these past few months. You've put more light in my life than I've had in my twenty four y
Misfortunate Thirty Five
I lift my head to look at the wall around me, now filled with affirmative words and actions phrases. Words like 'You can do it!' 'You're enough!' 'You're going to win!' made me sigh and lean back in the wheel chair I was sitting in.My therapist, Ms Williams, a beautiful mix of Nigerian and British sat right there in front of me clasping a bound notebook. I wanted to face the wall like I was used to but she had told Kaka, my grandmother, and Kaka asked that the wall be plastered with affirmative words to make me talk.But today, I was willing to talk. I had seen a video on YouTube on Huda's phone and I could not stop thinking about it. I saw how beaten a woman was and it triggered the pain I felt when I woke. It reminded me of the time I could not even move my neck and how I had so many loved ones around me.Ma, Kawu, Rabiah, Zainab, now Huda, Kaka, my many cousins, even the head maid, Iyamé. They reminded me everyday that my body fought the battle against death and won with plenty of
Misfortunate Thirty six
"Wear that boubou." Huda carefully handed me a navy blue silk adire that had been made into a plain boubou and a white turban to wear it with."You're just hell bent on making me go to this party aren't you? Who's going to push me around ehn?" I asked with mock exasperation in hopes of letting her leave me at home. She turned to me as she was already leaving my room with anger on her face and her hands on her hips."Muhammad, Imran, Hussein, Oladayo. They've all offered to push you around. The Dambazzau-Sambo's understand familial relations, we stand up for our own, we keep our own safe so get it out of your head that you're not going to be liked, worry about being smothered in love from women who look exactly like your mother!" She exclaimed at the end and walked out of the room. I sighed and let Iyamé who had been waiting help me to the bathroom.I'm still not allowed to do my own bathing so she's here to help me bathe and dress. In the beginning, it was very disconcerting and I cal
Misfortunate Thirty Seven
"Try getting up again."I sigh and moved to get up, disregarding the gargantuan pain in my back and sweat dripping from my face and hair, infact everywhere. I was trying to take my first steps for the first time in nearly five months.Apparently, the physiotherapist was waiting for my bones go become stronger before forcing me into starting to get more feeling in my legs. For about two weeks, my only exercise was letting an expensive bike like physiotherapy machine turn my legs continuously. It hurt so much and I do not ever want to go back to it."Jibike, I'm trying. I'm trying but it's so hard. My back hurts like a bitch." She nodded knowingly and reached out to pat my shoulder. Tears sprung to my sweaty eyes and I blinked to keep them back."You can do it Beebah. You can do it so let out your tears, screams and get walking. Do it for those of us who cheer you on, but, do it for yourself the most. You can do it." The very tears I was trying to hold back spilled down and I said a dua
Misfortunate Thirty Eight
"Ten."Jibike cheered very hard and helped me back into my wheel chair happily. I smiled up at her and she smiled back, echoing my happy sentiment. Huda who was sitting in the corner was making a video of me."How do you feel today Ms Labeebah?" I smiled at the camera, the small hand held camera that looked nothing like a camera but the film that came from it was clear as day."Excited. Grateful. Alhamdulillah." I replied with all my teeth out in a wide smile. Jibike patted me and pushed me to a corner before taking out the clipboard to note down some things.Huda turned off the camera and hugged me, sweaty body and all and I leaned in on her in comfort. She ruffled my scarf and after I finished my formalities with Jibike, she pushed me out of the room. I got to know a two weeks back that my father, I still haven't gotten used to saying and giving him that title, bought those machines and each one cost at least thirty million. They're supposed to be in hospitals and are going to be so
Misfortunate Thirty Nine
Cardi B- Be careful"Let's get this photoshoot out of the way first."I shook my head and walked back to the arranged set to sit in a swing, while dressed in a black, long sleeved turtle neck top, a cream rain pleated skirt, heels and a full turban, my second outfit. The first was a mustard sleeveless suit that I wore a long sleeve white turtle necked top with white heels.The photographer calling my attention took me out of the reverie I was in.Bashir Bakura wants to meet me? I need a break first to think."Smile please." I automatically widened my lips into a beautiful spread. She gave me a thumbs up and snapped away. Huda went to the stereo in the corner and fiddled with it, Brown skin girl by Beyoncé flowed out of the speakers prompting me into a smile, my skin is one of those things I'm grateful to Allah for the most, beautiful, dark as chocolate, supple skin.I blushed, letting an even wider smile frame my face as I heard Beyoncé croon on and on about how beautiful my skin is a
Misfortunate Forty
"He's here!"Huda hissed at me as two cars pulled into the wide courtyard of the house I've occupied for the past few months. My heart beat erratically as I watched a man step out of the back seat, saluted by a mobile police officer, in a blue brocade textile peculiar to northern men. I watched him sigh and adjust his Hula hat with shaky hands, his hands shook as they bid as he ordered them, to adjust his hat.I blinked. He's probably on the edge too just like me but I didn't take another step, I stood rooted where I was standing under the eaves of the decorative thatch roof that covered me from the sun."You should go to him." I faced Huda with a glare and she made a motion of zipping her lips. I'm very scared, so I'd rather he came here than me going there. I am simply put, being a coward.Ma and Kaka are over at the family house in Ikoyi, waiting for my father to come over after seeing me, so I shut my eyes and wait. I hear footsteps and then it stops a few meters from me and I qui
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