All For What! - Episode 11

 

Few days after Aisha had left, Maryam talked to Saeed regarding Nafisa's schooling. She wanted to enroll her in a private school that was not very far from where they were living. The school was approximately twenty minutes drive from their house. Saeed gave her the permission to do what she wanted, but on one condition; she was never to neglect  their daughter in any way, because that was the main reason she was hired and Maryam thanked him. She was happy he agreed so easily and gave him her word she wouldn't.

"Get ready, we are going to enroll you in a school today," Maryam announced the good news to Nafisa when she was set to go to work in the morning.

"What!" Nafisa squealed . She couldn't believe she would finally be able to further her studies.

"Yes Nafisa, it's true. Now get ready quickly, I still have to go to the hospital," Maryam said.

Nafisa apologized for wasting her time. She quickly went to the bathroom and took her bath. She still couldn't believe she was finally going back to school-a private school. Her old school was a public one which was miles away from her village. She always had to trek for at least an hour or more before she got to the school. It was a huge relief for her that she didn't need to trek that much to get to school anymore.

Twenty minutes later, Nafisa was ready to go

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/all-for-what

. She went to the living room and met Maryam seated on the couch waiting impatiently for Nafisa.

"What took you so long?" Maryam questioned. She was getting very late for work and Nafisa only made her later.

"I'm sorry ma," Nafisa apologized, but the apology was not in any way sincere. She took only twenty minutes to prepare, just twenty minutes and she was fussing about it.

She rolled her eyes at her, but behind her back. She wouldn't dare do it when she was looking because she was afraid of what the consequence would be. She wasn't ready for it, so she maintained herself.

Maryam got into the car and Nafisa did the same. She wanted to sit at the backseat of the car, but Maryam told her to sit in passenger's seat
Instead and she obliged. Not that she had a choice.

"Where did you stop?" Maryam suddenly asked.

Nafisa cocked a brow. What did she mean by where did she stop-she wondered.

"What—"

"I mean the class you were in before you dropped out," she clarified.

Nafisa sighed. Now she understood what she meant, but why in earth did she have to ask so indirectly? This woman was really annoying-she concluded.

"J.S.S 3," she answered. (Junior secondary school 3)

"So you weren't able to write the WAEC?" Maryam inquired.

"Yes," Nafisa replied, lowly.

She suddenly remembered how she had to drop out of school two weeks before her junior Waec. She cried so much on that day, because she was someone who was very passionate about education. She also wanted to be as successful as all the successful people she knew. If they were able to do it, then she would be able to do it-that was what she always told herself.

"Don't worry, I'll have you enrolled in the class you stopped. Okay?" Maryam smiled.

"Thank you so much aunty," Nafisa appreciated and unlike other times, this time, she was sincere. The appreciation emerged straight from her heart.

~~~

Maryam parked the car in the school's driveway and together with Nafisa, they strolled to the principal's office for Nafisa's enrollment.

After all the necessary formalities were done and school fees paid, Maryam left for work and Nafisa was taken to her new classroom.

"Hi," came a voice of an unknown girl during recess.

Nafisa looked up from the book she was reading and saw one of her classmate beside her, smiling sheepishly.

"Hi," Nafisa greeted back, hesitantly. She knew the girl wanted to be friends with her, but she wasn't a tad bit interested. She had her eyes focused on a clique of three friends. Just the mere sight of them, one could tell they were from the upper class and the way they carried themselves. That was exactly the kind of people Nafisa wanted to mingle with.

"Welcome to our school! Nafisa right?" She asked.

Nafisa almost rolled her eyes at her dumbness.

Had the teacher not introduced her to the class? This girl was definitely a dullard and she didn't make friends with dullards because she wasn't one. She made friends only with the intelligent and rich. Of what benefit would it be for her to be friends with someone she wouldn't gain from? No benefit and anything she did, she always benefitted from it and this time, it wouldn't be an exception. She simply was not interested in even conversing with dullard.

"Yeah du—" she had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from blurting out the word 'dullard' not that she cared about her feelings, she only stopped herself in time not to make any trouble on the first day she started the school. It would seem inappropriate, so she restrained herself.

"I'm Zeenat by the way. Nice meeting you," Zeenat extended her hand for a handshake.

Not to seem too rude, Nafisa shook her hand and pulled away almost immediately their hands touched as if it burnt.

"Likewise," Nafisa faked a smile and went back to reading the book she was previously reading and totally ignoring the presence of Nafisa.

"Im glad then. So friends?" She asked, smiling.

"Yeah. Friends," Nafisa answered nonchalantly.

~~~
Throughout the remaining hours of school, Zeenat clung to Nafisa and they slowly began to know little about each other. Nafisa couldn't help it-the girl was already acting clingy towards her.

"Where do you live?" Zeenat asked when the school was finally dismissed for the day. Nafisa showed her the way leading to her house, but was careful not to blurt the address out. She knew the address of the house, but didn't want to tell Zeenat. She feared she might find out she was just an ordinary maid.

Zeenat gasped in surprise. "Really?-" she asked. "-that's the same way to my house also. Let's walk together," she proposed.

Nafisa's eyes widened. Walk together? Absolutely not. Knowing Zeenat for just few hours, she already knew she would want to come into the house to her room and that would surely give her a hint on who she was in the house. Zeenat was very inquisitive. Her status in the house would be revealed. She couldn't take the risk. She had to come up with an excuse and quick.

"No Zeenat...I...I," she couldn't even form a coherent excuse to make. It had never happened to her before. What was happening to her?

Immediately, Nafisa sighted Maryam's car approaching the school gate. Oh no! What was she going to do! She couldn't afford to get busted.

Think of something. Thing of something. You can't afford to be busted this way. Think of something. Nafisa chanted in her mind and the words flew out.

"My sister is coming to pick me up. Oh there she is—" she pointed at a red car that was now inching closer to them. "-with that red car," she lied. The sentence flew out on it own accord.

She had not planned it, but now, she would have to deal with how to keep up with that lie of hers.

~~~
Hello

How are you all doing?

Let me know if the story is worth continuing.

What do you think about the new character 'Zeenat'?