2

Salame raised her phone up above her head , hoping that the network would come back so she could at least text her friend that she would be coming over. With just an hour left until her closing time, she had managed to convince, or rather pay Vivian to cover her shift. She had also informed Mr. Kunle that Vivian would be taking over for her, he wasn't surprised since he didn't really expected she would stay till her closing time like she had said.

As she saw the network bars showing two lines, a smile crossed her face, thinking it would be enough for her to send a text.

But as she hurriedly tried to type, she collided with someone, causing her phone to slip from her hands. She glanced up, ready to reprimand the person responsible, only to find herself staring at the most handsome guy she had ever seen. For a few seconds, she was speechless, blinking rapidly, while she struggled to find her words. He was tall, tall enough for her, and had the athletic body she loved so much. Not bad.

"Mallan, are you blind?" she asked angrily, though deep down she knew it was her fault. "Haba, Dan Allah, watch where you're going, mana!" she spat at him, surprised when he didn't say anything in return.

Normally, guys like him would be rude and ignite a heated argument, but instead of sparking back at her, he calmly gathered her phone and handed it back to her, saying, "Sorry, madam." Damn he had the most masculine voice.

This unexpected response only angered her further. "Wallah, if my phone isn't working, you must pay me!" she yelled, snatching the phone away from him.

To her disappointment, the screen was perfectly fine. She wanted a reason to continue yelling at him, so she switched the phone on, secretly hoping it wouldn't turn on. However, to her fury, it did, making her even more furious. The guy just stood there, observing her frantic search for something small to hold against him, finding the situation somewhat amusing.

Salame knew the phone had a tiny scratch somewhere, but she couldn't find it. Frustrated, she looked up and whispered, "Allah ya soka wallah," before storming off. He couldn't help but wish she would stay and continue yelling, for he found the sound of her voice oddly captivating.

It took her a few minutes to find a keke. She had completely forgotten about texting her friend, as her mind was now preoccupied with thoughts about the mysterious guy.

"Zamu shiga cikin layin ne, mamana?." The keke man had to ask twice to get her attention, as she was lost in her own thoughts, dwelling on everything and nothing at the same time.

"No, just leave me here," she finally responded, rummaging through her bag in search of her last one thousand note. Once she found it, she handed it to the keke man and collected her change.

Putting the money in her bag, she headed to her friend's house, which was just a few steps away. As she entered, she found her friend's mother, whom they affectionately called Mama, sitting in the living room, engrossed in watching Sunnahtv.

"Mama Inayini," she greeted after saying her Salam. You would think she's a saint the way she's bending her head in respect, but Mama already knows she's only behaving because she's afraid of her.Mama is a kind and nice woman, but it's best not to get on her wrong side so Salame knows to behave in her presence."

"Ah, Salma, lafiya, lau ya su maman ki da yan uwanki," Mama responded with a warm smile. Salame loved Mama dearly because she was among the few people who called her Salma.

"Suna lafiya, mama," Salame's smile was contagious as she greeted Mama. "Is Ruma home?" she asked, making her way towards Ruma's room.

"She's inside," Mama responded, adjusting the TV volume.

Ruma is the complete opposite of Salame; while Salame loves trouble and is often difficult and impossible, Ruma is quiet, delicate, and has a simple nature.One might wonder how their friendship works, considering they have nothing in common. However, somehow, it simply just work .

She found Ruma lying on her bed, completely absorbed in a book, just as she had expected. Ruma hadn't even heard her come in, so Salame playfully jumped onto the bed and snatched the book away, startling her.

"Kai, Salame, wallahi I thought it was Mama," Ruma exclaimed, her hand pressed against her rapidly beating heart. "You scared the innocent out of me."

Salame rolled her eyes with pride. "Stop letting these romance novels consume you, toh," she advised playfully.

"At least I leave the fantasy in the books where I found them," Ruma retorted confidently. "But you, you're busy searching for a novel boyfriend all the time."

Salame fired back quickly, "Ai dai am looking din ko? ,Am I not allowed to look?, Do you even go out to meet people? Aside from me, all your friends are imaginary."

Ruma sighed, "Okay, naji jor, now tell me the reason why you showed up without calling, I know you must have a reason to break your rule ." Salame hardly show up without calling it's one of her many rules.

Salame chuckled, "True, but. I was going to text you but i completely forgot, I accidentally bumped into this annoying guy while I was trying to text. He completely ruined my already ruined mood,"She said it in a carefree way, one might wonder if her mood is truly ruined or if she's just saying it for effect.

"You and your guys, huh? Wallah, the way you're going from one to another, you should be married already," Ruma responded, ignoring the dirty glare she was receiving from Salama. "So, who is this new one?" she asked.

"He's not exactly my guy, per se. I just ran into him, you know, on my way out of work. He almost broke my phone," she explained, lying back on Ruma's bed. "But he almost made the list," she added, choosing to ignore the one guy to another comment for now.

Ruma raised her eyebrows questioningly, needing more light.

"Well, he's tall, like I like, and brutally handsome enough to make my enemies drop dead. Seriously, you just need to see him, I almost lost my voice for him," she dramatized. "The problem is, he's soft," she pouted dully.

"Are you sure you can determine all of this just from a chanceencounter?"

Ruma said, still perplexed

How can you know he's 'soft' and what's wrong with someone being soft anyway?"

" Ke bazaki gane bane ,I confronted him even though I was at fault, and instead of getting defensive, he simply apologized and smiled," she explained with a frustrated tone. " Harda wani hada min wayana ya miko min ,he is too passive and not assertive enough. I can't help but feel sorry for his wife or girlfriend, their life is going to be dullllllllllll with someone like that." She sighed and added with a sing-song tone, "That's just my observation, though!" She added ignoring the disapproving look Ruma was giving her.

Gaskiya salame kina buk'atan rukiya na bulal , Ruma cut her " wallah katti ya kamata Baba ya samo kaman guda goma suyi maki Dan banzan duka har sai haukan naki ya fita"

She pouted in response, feeling frustrated and misunderstood. She wondered why everyone thought she was crazy or possessed. Was it a crime to want the best for her unborn children and herself? After all, five of her friends had found the impossible partner everyone is saying she can't find.

"Gaskiya, if you're going to spoil my mood, wallahi, I will just go home," she threatened, her anger growing genuine. "Dama, I came here to avoid facing Iya," she informed, sitting up.

"What did you do again, Salame?" Ruma asked, now genuinely curious about the situation.

I rejected Abbas," she answered, but Ruma knew there was more to the story. Because, Iya, should be accustomed to her rejecting suitors by now, so Ruma gave her a knowing look, silently urging her to share the full truth.

"Okay, okay. I told him that I'm not their daughter, that they found me in a box in front of their house when I was a baby," she revealed, letting the truth spill out. Ruma's jaw dropped, surprised beyond words. She had known Salame since nursery, but moments like this made her feel like she didn't know her friend at all.

"So you basically told him you are a bastard," Ruma blurted out, her words finding their mark. Salame's eyes widened in shock, and she quickly responded, "No, God, why would you even think that?"

"That might not be what you meant, my crazy friend, but that is exactly what he will think," Ruma replied honestly.

Ruma empathized with her friend not because she didn't find the guy she's looking for in who ever she's talking about , but because she felt sorry for her impossible dream. "I'm sorry, but what exactly is this one lacking ?" She asked only because she wants to hear her friend's funny reason .

She scrunched her face and waved her hand dismissively. "His wahala is too much," she muttered. "And he's short, plus there's no drama with him. He just agrees with everything I say. It's cute in a way, but there's no emotional rollercoaster with him." She paused, realizing her words might sound stupid. "I mean, I appreciate stability and harmony, but sometimes it's nice to have a little excitement and challenge in a relationship, you know?" she explained sheepishly.

"Okay, it's official, you're crazy," Ruma concluded, standing up."Let me go get you something before you finish with your fairy tale," she said. Walking out.

~°~

I Anty Hindu has been venting her anger towards her sister, Iya, throughout the day. She felt doing it over the phone wasn't sufficient, so she decided to leave whatever she was doing and come to their house Kawai , so hudu kenan salame na mata irin wannan tsiyar, if she's counting right , and despite promising herself that she had learned from her mistakes, she finds herself repeating them. Now, she is curious about what Salame might have told the last guy before Abbas , dan, he left without saying a word, no explanation kawai. Serves her right for playing matchmaker to the craziest person on Earth. She should be grateful that Salame didn't attempt to tarnish her reputation in the process. saying "no" kawai is not an option ? Not in Salame's vocabulary, nop. She had to concoct the most ridiculous story imaginable to manipulate the situation. Sai kace dole ake mata

"Wallah, Yaya Amina laifin kune ke da baban ta." These were Anty Hindu's words. causing salame to pause in her tracks. Salame knew Anty Hindu very well, perhaps even better than Iya did, and she was aware of how difficult she could be, crazy knows crazy after all. She was not ready to confront Anty Hindu just yet, so she slowly started to retreat. However, her elder brother, Yayah, caught her before she could escape.

"Salame, inazuwa kuma?" he asked, causing her to freeze. As Salame's name was mentioned, Anty Hindu emerged from the sitting room, if it's possible smoke could be coming out of her ears the way she looked angry.

"Eh, ba shakka, wato da guduwa zakiyi ko? Ga yan iska," Anty Hindu exclaimed, clapping her hands in a dramatic manner. "Oya, inside," she added, pointing at the door.

Salame, knowing better than to cross Anty Hindu, she just let out a sigh and walked inside with Anty Hindu following closely behind. Yayah, who was curious as to what had happened, he didn't know the details as he had already left for work when Anty Hindu called this morning. Desided to join them, which means more trouble for salame.

"What is happening, ne?" Yayah asked as soon as they were in

the sitting room, visibly confused but deep down knowing that Salame had likely caused some trouble again. Salame had earned a reputation for being a troublemaker among the family.

"Ask your sister," Anty Hindu glared at Salame, "She told Abbas that she's an orphan... wait, no, that she's a bastard," Anty Hindu dropped the bombshell, her mouth was fuming.

Ko zama ta kasa.

Yayah was left speechless as he process what Anty Hindu had just said. He tried to put a face on Abbas and understand what Anty Hindu meant by her statement. If he was understanding correctly, Abbas is the new guy his sister is dating . But why would Salame say something like that to him? Yayah's mind was filled with questions and confusion as he struggled to make sense of the situation.