All For What! - Episode 12

 

"You are home early today," Nafisa voiced out her thought, as Maryam pulled into the driveway.

"I came back to take a file from my room. I forgot to take it in the morning," Maryam explained.

"Okay. Do you want me to prepare something for you before you go back to work?" Nafisa asked, praying inwardly she should say no. She was tired and needed to rest.

"No dear, but make sure to prepare lunch for Manal before she comes back," she paused to take a look at her wrist watch . "- this is 2:40pm and Manal will be back by 3:00pm. Please do it before she comes back," Maryam said and left the house.

Nafisa frowned at the thought of going into the kitchen to cook, instead of resting after school.

She threw her backpack on the cushion and sashayed to the kitchen.

"What am I going to cook now?" She asked herself. She wanted to cook something easy, something that wouldn't take too much of her time, so she decided to cook indomie noodles and scrambled eggs.

By the time Manal ran into the house, Nafisa had already finished cooking lunch.

Manal was about to go to her room and do her homework—yes, she always did them immediately she gets back from school, when Nafisa called her back.

"Where do you think you are going? Didn't you see me when you came in?" Nafisa asked. She found it rude for a kid like Manal to walk into the house without greeting her.

"I did," Manal answered, nonchalantly.

"You did? And what are you suppose to do when you see someone older than you?" She asked, pointing to herself.

"Greet," she answered.

"So you know! Why didn't you do that when you came in?"

"Because I didn't want to," Manal pulled out her tongue mockingly and ran upstairs to her room.

"Come here, you silly girl," Nafisa yelled and ran after her

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

. This little girl was becoming something else.

"Open the door Manal," Nafisa ordered, banging her fists on the door.

"No, go away, I don't like you," Manal shouted from inside her room.

Nafisa rolled her eyes.

"The feeling is mutual," she muttered under her breath, then shouted. "-I don't like you either, just open the door and let me enter, otherwise I  will call your mother and tell on you," Nafisa threatened. She knew it would work, because Manal was kind of afraid of her mom.

"Please don't," Manal begged. She didn't want her mother to reprimand her.

"Then be a good girl and come out on the count of five," Nafisa smirked. She had gotten something to use against Manal to always make her do what she wanted anytime, any day.

"5"

"4"

"3"

"2"

Before she could say the last number, Manal opened the door.

"Come here, you brat," Nafisa held her by the ear and dragged her downstairs.

"LEAVE ME ALONEEE," Manal screamed and bit her hand. She took the opportunity to run away again.

"I'm going to beat this girl to her senses today," Nafisa mumbled to herself. Manal was too stubborn for her liking, she would have to do something to keep her under control and fast.

She looked around the house for her and finally found her in the kitchen.

"Why did you bite me, you spoiled brat?" Nafisa asked.

Manal was getting scared with the way she was yelling at her, her parents rarely yelled at her, so she apologized.

"I'm sorry, Nafisa—"

"Not Nafisa, aunty Nafisa," she corrected. "- your food is ready downstairs, let's go."

On getting downstairs, Nafisa served her the noodles. Just Manal was about to Start eating, the doorbell rang.

Before Nafisa could go and open the door, Manal ran to the door to answer it, but was too short to do so. She always did that, whenever she heard the doorbell ringing, she always attempted to get the door.

Nafisa open the door with the expectation to see either Saeed or Maryam, but was surprise on seeing Zeenat. Her eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets.

Flashback

"Good afternoon aunty," Nafisa greeted when Maryam finally reached where they were standing.

Why was she calling her sister aunty?- Zeenat wondered. She made it a mission to ask Nafisa tomorrow. It was weird.

"Good afternoon ma," Zeenat greeted politely.

"How are you?" Maryam asked.

"I'm fine, ma' Zeenat answered, smiling. She found Nafisa's sister kind and very beautiful.

"I'm on my way home and I decided to come pick you up for today since it's your first day," Maryam said to Nafisa.

Oh no! What was she doing? What if Zeenat decides to follow them?- Nafisa began to panic inwardly, but tried her best not to make her nervousness visible. She faked a smile.

"Thank you," she quickly went around and opened the passenger's door and got in, praying Maryam should zoom off.

"Which road is your friend headed?" Maryam asked.

"I...don't know," Nafisa lied.

"I will just ask her-" Maryam looked out from the window and asked Zeenat which way she was heading to. Zeenat told her it was the same way as hers, so Maryam offered her a ride in her car and she obliged.

To Nafisa's anguish, Zeenat's house was just a couple of walk away from the house she lived in. It'd be hard for Nafisa to keep her little secret now.

"What are you doing here?" Nafisa blurted.

Zeenat looked at her questionably. "I think I'm not welcome here. Sorry for—"

"No no, please don't say that. I was just very surprise to see you, that's all. Please come in," Nafisa ushered her into the living room.

"Who are you? Why are you in our house?" Manal asked and Zeenat's attention diverted to her.

"Hi dear, I'm a friend of Nafisa. How are you?" Zeenat asked, admiring the little girl. She took an instant like on her immediately her eyes landed on her. She was adorable.

"I'm fine," Manal smiled. Zeenat seemed to be a nice person in her eyes, unlike Nafisa.

Zeenat cares-ed her chubby cheek before sitting down on one of the cushions in the living room.

"Your niece is adorable," Zeenat complimented.

Nafiaa rolled her eyes at that.

"She can be quite an handful at times," Nafisa said. She didn't find anything adorable about Manal, on the contrary, she's annoying and stubborn.

"She doesn't look stubborn," Zeenat defended and earned herself a glare from Nafisa.

"Looks can be very deceitful," Nafisa breathed "- go to your room and do your homework before your ummi comes back."

Manal nodded and ran to her room. She didn't want her mother to come back and meet her all homework undone. 

"I came here to give you these," Zeenat handed her some notebooks. "- you can start coming them today. You've missed quite a lot."

Nafisa thanked her and collected the notes quickly. She wanted Zeenat to leave before Maryam or worse Saeed comes back and meet her in their house, otherwise she might be exposed for who she really was in the house- an ordinary maid, but Zeenat refused to get up and leave.

They spent hours talking about random stuff happening in school and the environment, with Nafisa looking at the wall clock continuously. It was 6:25pm already and Saeed would be back at any minute.

Nafisa's fear came to reality, when she heard the doorbell ringing.

"That's my cue to leave. See you in school tomorrow," Zeenat got up to leave. Nafisa opened the door and Saeed came in view. Oh no!

~~~~
Asalaam'alaykum/ hi

How are you all doing?

What will Saeed do?

Is Manal really stubborn?