Subtle Souls

y Saturday or Sunday she went to his house to help his wife with the house chores. Sometimes the driver came over to pick her up when daddy was back from work early and sometimes muhsin was

, let me go usher him in," she spoke as she quickly walked towards the door before she gets scold for leaving him outside. They came back together with the foodstuffs and other things they bought for them. Amrah helped Dalia to take in the stuffs to her mother's room. "Hey wait," Amrah whispered pulling dalia back when she was about to step out of the room. "What is it Amrah," she inquired knowing how Amrah could sometimes be a talkative. "This guy, is he alhaji's son? He's so handsome. He must be Fulani definitely," she commented as she slightly shook dalia's arm in excitement. Dalia laughed heartily. Only if she had met his wife, Amira. "You better stop daydreaming about this man, Amrah. He's married and his wife is not the kind of woman you'd want to joke with about her husband. And how did you even know he's Fulani? For how long have you been looking at him?" Amrah hissed, placing her hands on her waist as she peeped through the door from where she was standing. "I just said he's handsome not that I like him. And what's there if he marries me as his second wife, I will deal with her if she tries me. And the curly hair and fair skin says it all. Now come let's go before Aunty starts suspecting us." She dragged dalia by the wrist. "What took you so long? Please bring some refreshments for him right now," Amina instructed. Amrah quickly rushed to the kitchen to do it instead. Dalia settled down beside her mother as they conversed with Muhsin. She was so eager to tell her mother about her admission but would be awkward for her to speak about it in front of him. After a while, he stood to leave. He looked at dalia with a straight face, "I will come pick you up tomorrow evening in sha Allah." He bade her mother goodbye before leaving. Dalia looked at his retreating back and shrugged. "Mama guess what," she spoke excitedly. Her mother looked at her, waiting to hear what she has to say. "I was offered an admission into Nile university. That is one of the best universities, mama and I have never in my life thought I'd be one of their students till daddy came back into our lives." Amina smiled brightly and placed her arm around Dalia, "now you see why I wanted you to go there? I knew he wouldn't joke with your education and I knew he would take care of you there. Which course did they give you?" Her mother asked. Her shoulders slumped as she pouted, "they gave me Microbiology and you know I wanted medicine." Amina shook her head in disagreement. "May Allah choose what's best for you, Dalia. You should be happy with whatever they offered you, okay? Microbiology isn't a bad course after all, right?" Dalia smiled while she nodded, "you're right mama." Later that day, after she had prayed Isha, they spread the weaved mat outside the compound and settled down to eat while her mother was inside. "So, tell me about this Abuja. I always wanted to go but you know baba will never allow me to, I mean, who do we even know there? Lucky you, you stay there now." Dalia gave her a disbelief look, who talks that much in less than a minute. "Well... I won't say because I really don't go anywhere except weekends." "Where do you go during the weekends?" Amrah asked after she had swallowed her food. She stared at Dalia, waiting for a reply. "The man that brought me here, I go to his house and clean," she spoke nonchalantly as she continued to eat. "Why? You said he's married, what's his wife doing then? They don't have a maid? Or his wife is sick? Or..." "Amrah..." She interrupted, brows furrowed. "That is none of our business. I do what I was asked to do not stick my nose into what doesn't concern me and you should start doing that too." She advised at the end. Even when Amrah asked again, Dalia changed the topic instead. "I want to go see baba jibril tomorrow and also go to bintos house, I haven't gone there ever since she gave birth." Amrah shrugged her shoulders and continued ea