The other woman's DAUGHTER

Chapter 3

Three Months Later

"Maryam!" Mama had yelled at the top of her voice, fuming angrily. Maryam's mother was seated on the sofa in the living room minding her business when Mama came out from her part of the house screaming Maryam's name. The children were all seated on the dining table eating their breakfast, whereas Maryam was outside with Baba Musa who her mother wanted to send on an errand after he drops them off in school. Maryam's mother could have easily explained that she had sent her own daughter on an errand but since she wasn't on speaking terms with her co-wife she had ignored her.

"Maryam!" Mama had yelled louder than the first time. But she got no answer because Maryam obviously wasn't close. Meanwhile Maryam had relayed the message and had headed back into the main house. She skipped happily knowing today is the last day of school and tomorrow she would be going to Zaria to spend time with her Father's family. Her holidays always go that way, and those weeks she spends there proved to be the best days of her life. She had followed through the kitchen door, thereby entering the living room through the dining area. Whereas Mama was almost close to the main door waiting patiently for Maryam to come in so she teaches her a lesson. Maryam passed Mama walking towards her mother to relay what she was sent when Mama dragged her back and gave her a slap. The whole house became quiet, as quiet as a graveyard.

"Did you not hear me call you?" Mama yelled as loudly as she could making Maryam cower in fear. Tears cascaded down bee cheeks as she palmed where it stings. She hadn't heard her, and if she had she would have ran to her knowing the kind of woman she is.

"I.... Didn't hear" Maryam stammered before bursting into sobs. Her body shook as she cried. Mama was unbothered by Maryam's cry, she hissed loudly before going to her room. Only then did Maryam's mother acknowledged her. She beckon on her and the children went ahead chattering with no single ounce of pity for Maryam.

"I told you to always answer when you hear her call" her mother quarrelled much to Maryam's dismay. Maryam snatched her hand from her mother's grip and ran outside as cries left her mouth. There wasn't a day that went by without her getting beaten in the house. Why did her father's family give her to her mother? Why did they abandon her with her mother? She wondered as she found a corner in the house and sat dejectedly. She cried and cried until she heard Baba Musa's car horn. She dusted her uniform before tiredly going to the parking lot. Ya Tahir was seated in the front as usual. He eyed her wearily before looking away. None of the children seemed bothered by her swollen cheeks and her swollen blood shot eyes. She sat quietly in the car as the others chattered all through the journey to the school. Each child got down from the car, a d headed to their various classes. She dragged herself to the deserted building in her school where students rumour it's haunted by Jinns. They claimed it was not put to use because of the Jinns warned the builders to stop building. It was actually an absurd story but that did not stop it from being rumoured. She sat on the veranda with no care in the world. If anything wanted to possess her then it should get on with it, she doesn't care at all at this point. She had no intention of crying but all of a sudden, all the unfair treatments, the beatings and the insults started creeping up to her brain. She felt a surge of anger and powerlessness run through her body and Maryam did what she did best, Maryam cried.
She tried muffling her cries by closing her mouth but she couldn't. She let it out and soon she was heaving and shaking.

At the other end of the deserted hallway Iman sat down there with a heavy heart. He had just spoken to his mother. He didn't realize how lonely he'd been the past few days, until he heard her voice. Living with his best friend Bash was not as bad as he had anticipated. Turns out Bash's mother is as much as a drama queen as his own mother. Her little nagging here and there reminded him of his mother. He heard a muffled sob, making him go still. He waited for some seconds and it came again. Iman blinked multiple times, he turned around taking in the environment but he saw no soul in sight. He swallowed hard, starting to think if at all those rumours were true. Maybe there weren't rumours after all. It took everything in him not to bolt out of the place. He had turned to leave the place when he heard the sob turn into cries, painful cries. Iman dragged his feet towards the cries. He walked slowly thinking of different ways to tackle the problem if at all it was a prank. As he drew closer to the crier he noticed it wasn't a prank at all. It was a little girl. He wondered what had gone so wrong to make her cry this way. If she was ill then the clinic is available for every student. If it was some jerk then he would be beating up jerks.