ENSHROUDED

Chapter Two

She wanted the ground she was on to open so it will swallow her whole and despite all that was happening around her, she couldn't even sit nor walked out of the hall. Jaafar was looking directly into her eyes, the kind of look that sent a shiver down her spine. The look he sent her was full of revenge and anger. What kind of an unforgiving person had she met in her life? If she knew he would be her lecturer she would've never made the mistake of talking back at him.

"Miss, kindly walk out of my class or else, I'll walk out myself." He assured, and Aisha found herself clearing her tears as she slowly walked towards the door. She knew he suggested he went out so as to show her how bad he wanted her out of his class. She wished she had never overslept.

She sat on the staircases and hugged her knees to her chest, as she cried bitterly. Not that because she knew the reason behind her tears. Yes ofcourse what Jaafar did to her back in the class was one of them, but she knew it was more than that. She can call this feeling as loneliness, or boredom or whatever it is the right word to describe her state of melancholy. All her life, she had never had a friend, not even an acquaintance. She believed she was afraid of people because all Mommy did was made sure she inflicted the fear of people in her mind. How untrustworthy people are, and they can easily betray you.

She was afraid of betrayal. She had never felt any pain inflicted in her by any human, Jaafar was the first. All her life, the kind of pain she knew had always came from Mommy, and it was always about three things. One, the first day she asked Mommy about who her father was, and  all Mommy could do was cried bitterly as she told her he was died a year after she was born. Second was when Mommy's staying out late began getting worse that she slept in the living someday waiting for her to come back. Ever since she confronted her with the question of what kind of business she did? Mommy had made it her priority to always come back home as early as she could. And that was always 11:30pm. The highest was 12pm. And the third, was the one she had never got the chance to ask Mommy about, her family.

Aisha believed that everyone in this world must have a family. They shouldn't necessarily be extended or in a large amount of number. But she knew one must have a family. And all her life, she had never seen Mommy with someone she called her and said "Humaira, this is my family." He's my brother, sister, uncle, aunty, or even a cousin. Mommy hated whatever linked her with families. 

One day she asked her, "Mommy, why do you call me Humaira but fill all my school forms with Aisha? Everyone knows me as Aisha, and only you are allowed to call me Humaira, why?"

Mommy smiled and brought Aisha to her chest as she fondled her head. "Because we're family, Humaira. And families are known to have a name for themselves. Don't ever let anyone call you Humaira, I'm the only one that can call you that." Aisha wanted to ask her if she had any family in the past but she couldn't. Because the kind of tears Mommy shed the day she asked her about her Father were immeasurable and she couldn't risk seeing those kind of tears ever again.

Apart from her name, Aisha Umar Faruk, Mommy had never disclosed anything of her father to her. And the day she cried to her that she wanted to see how her father looked like, Mommy said they had a fire outbreak when she was young, and that was where all his belongings got burnt. She didn't have anything of him to show her but his name.

She didn't know she had spent alot of time sitting their on the stairs until she heard the chaos coming from her coursemates as they began trooping out of the hall. She immediately stood up and gave way for them. She was standing there, unable to think of what to do when she felt someone tapped her shoulder. She turned and came in contact with a lady that was smiling at her.

"Hi," she said and waved. "Hello. My name is Safiyya. What of you?" Safiyya smiled at Aisha and extended her hand for a shake. Which Aisha gladly took.

"My name is Aisha Umar Faruk."

"Oh sorry, I'm Safiyya Abbas Hamza. Let's go and rest before it's time for the second lecture." Safiyya said and she held Aisha's hand as they descended down the staircases. 

They sat in a hut and all Aisha did was stared at how students were walking around. Some were laughing, some were smiling, while some had their faces neutral. She smiled at herself, she was finally a university student.

"Aisha, make sure you come early next week. Malam Jaafar said he's going to conduct a test, and it will serve as a qualification for exams sitting," Safiyya informed, smiling at Aisha.

"I don't get you, Safiyya. What qualification again? Are we in secondary school?" 

Safiyya laughed before she answered Aisha, "No we're not, but every lecturer has his ways, Aisha. What he means is that, if you write the test next week, that's the only way you can be let into the exams hall when it's time." Aisha only nodded her head, planning how she was going to spend her Sunday so as to be able to wake up early on Monday.

The time for the next lecture came and they walked in together. Aisha enjoyed the class before it was finally over and they all dispersed. She had collected the note from Safiyya and promised to return it back tomorrow insha Allah. She went back home and did all she was used to, before she cooked her lunch. Cooking lunch or even dinner with Mommy is totally a waste of foodstuffs. Because Mommy had never saw this house during daytime. She always went out in the morning and came back some minutes to midnight when she had already filled her stomach.

She ate her lunch, slept for some hours before she woke up and started copying her note. That day, Aisha cried to Mommy while telling her what happened at school and how humiliated she felt. All Mommy could do was to consoled her, because she had no words to say. University lecturers were known for that. She prayed her Aisha would be safe.

The week was stressful for Aisha, she was going to and fro between school and home. She had still not got used to the school and was only coping. Thanks for having Safiyya around. There was never a dull moment with her. Even though Aisha was afraid of any interaction with people, she got along with Safiyya. She was such a nice lady.

It was sunday night already, and Aisha had never felt as anxious as she did. She slept as early as 9:30pm and texted Mommy that she should use her own keys when she was back. Mommy wasn't back until after midnight, and she checked up on Aisha before she went to her room and did as she was used to; washed away her sins using her tears.

As early as 6:30am, Aisha woke up. She had her bathe and got ready before it was even 7am. She made a quick breakfast and left a note for Mommy in the kitchen as she walked out of the house. She rushed to the roadside, praying she will see a tricycle or even a machine to take her to school. She knew how finding any public transport in their area was hard, so she kept trekking down the road. With the hope of seeing anyone on her way. 

She nearly cried at 7:34am, and she had already trekked to the high way. She found a tricycle there and was so glad. She begged him to drive fast, that she had a class to attend by 8am on the dot. They met traffic on their way, and Aisha felt the urge to cry her eyes out. Of all the efforts she made, they were trying to prove futile. She got to the hall at 8:01am.

Smiling at herself, she pushed the door and found him already writing on the board. Is this man even human? Nonetheless, she walked inside but before she passed the first roll, he called her. 

"Hey! Miss I'm sensible. Get out of my class." She opened her mouth to speak when he thundered, "Now!" Pointing at the door for her.

She looked at the board and read what he wrote 'Test' was boldly written by him. Aisha let her tears flow freely, she tried begging him but it was to no avail. She silently had to walk out of the hall. But today, instead of her to get lost in her own pool of thoughts, she cried to her satisfaction before she picked up her phone and dialled Mommy's number.

"Mommy! I'm late for the class!" She cried even harder, feeling as the pain was slowly ripping her lungs and languishing her heart.

Mommy was sitting on a sofa but she had to stood up, "What happened, Humaira? But you went out early." There's nothing in this world that got to her apart from Aisha's tears. She was already up the creek.

"Mommy I had to trek to the high way on foot because I couldn't find any tricycle or even a bike around our viccinity. And we got hooked in a traffic. I arrived in front of the hall at 8:01, but he couldn't let me in. I'm going to fail this course I know." She was crying so hard that her tears were threatening to choke her. It was too painful for her heart.

"Listen, Humaira. I'll have to teach you how to drive starting from this week Insha Allah. I was waiting for your 18th birthday but I think it's more important now. Stop crying, you have to go and beg him, we won't fail that course at all cost." She felt for her, and no matter how busy her schedule was, she will find time and squeeze their driving lessons Insha Allah.

She took sometime before she finally consoled Aisha and she stopped crying, but it still tasted bitter in her throat. After they were out, Safiyya was all over the place consoling her, "You know, I heard the level 300 students said he's a no nonsense man with a bad anger control and he's very hard to deal with. We just have to go and beg him later, insha Allah he will do something for you."

And that was what happened, they stayed at school together with Safiyya until it was 4:30pm. They just went to pray and were back when they saw him trying to swerve his steering wheel out of the faculty of physical sciences. Aisha rushed to the car and Jaafar had to halt abruptly, again.

From the time she saw him angrily coming out of his car, she knew it was dying time for her. She was a soup. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you blind or deaf?! Can't you see I'm driving?" He shouted at the pitch of his voice and that caught the attention of the people around them.

With her head hung down, she was fiddling with her fingers as she spoke with a halting voice. "I'm so sorry sir. But I'm here because of the test, sir please..." and he cut her off.

"Will you shut up miss I'm not senseless? Get out of my sight before I lose it on you. Idiot." He tried getting back to his car but Aisha was so persistent that she walked behind him begging him.

And the next thing she felt was a sounding slap on her right cheek. "What do you think you're doing? Wait, let me tell you something, you missed my class and missed my test, there's no makeup for you and whatsoever you're wishing for. Even if I were to do makeup test for anyone, it wouldn't be you." He hissed loudly and entered his car before he drove off, leaving Aisha drenched in tears.

Safiyya rushed over to her and hugged her, "I'm so sorry, Aisha. I didn't know he was going to the extent of slapping you, I wouldn't have asked you to come and see him."

"I'm going to fail this course, Safiyya. What am I to do?" She asked, breaking into a series of tears, as people around them kept murmuring aboyt what happened. Aisha wanted the ground to swallow her up.

She was so heartbroken. She cried all her way back to her home and the moment she placed her head on her bed, sleep overtook her soul. She woke up after Maghrib salah. After she prayed and started cooking dinner, a call from Mommy came through. She called to ask her how it went but all Aisha was cried as she told her how he slapped her and uttered all those words to her.

The next morning they went out together with Mommy, she dropped her off at school and came back to pick her up. She was so happy that she finally got to spend sometime with Mommy when it was clearly daytime. She started teaching her how to drive, and because Aisha had always wanted to drive, she was so fast in learning.

On a saturday, they went to a park with Mommy and were walking out of the park when Aisha saw Jaafar and two of his friends walking inside. She held Mommy's hand and pointed towards them, "Mommy, he's the one in the black shirt. Please Mommy we should go and beg him together. Please Mommy." 

"Humaira, he's together with his friends. Do you think it's okay?" Mommy asked as Aisha dragged her to where they were already seated. He looked up and his eyes met Aisha's, she ducked her head down.

"Assalamu Alaikum. Malam Jaafar, can I have a word with you?" Mommy asked, smiling politely at the guys.

"You can say whatever you want to say here. If it's about your daughter, please don't bother wasting your time." Jaafar replied and took his eyes off from them. Aisha got her eyes misty with her tears. What is she going to do with this man?

"Haba Malam, please she told me how you met the first time, it was so thoughtless of her. I'm here apologising on her behalf, please forgive her. And also, about the test..." she was cut off by Jaafar.

"Look Hajia, I respect you as an older woman but I beg you in the name of Allah to find your way out of this place. I can't stand you nor your daughter beside me. She came late to the class, and there's nothing I can do to change that fact.  Please, you can leave." Tears had already washed down Aisha's cheeks and she watched as Mommy straightened her jaw.

"Let's go, Humaira." And off they went, with Aisha looking back at him.

"I know that woman." One of his friends uttered.