A STORY BY LATEEFAH ADEWUNMI JUMAH – LAJFINGERS
EPISODE TWENTY-FIVE
Maimunat could not sit still after Safeerah left. The room felt empty in a way that unsettled her. She sat on the edge of the bed, stood up again, paced for a while, then sat down once more. Her phone was in her hand, but she kept locking and unlocking it without doing anything with it. The silence in the room made her thoughts louder.
She replayed everything Safeerah said before leaving, her quiet voice, her swollen eyes, and the finality of her decision. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. Two people who genuinely loved each other could not just fall apart because of one person’s bitterness. It was not right. It did not make sense. And it should not end like that.
She rested her palms on her face and exhaled slowly.
“What can I do now?” she muttered to herself. “I can’t let this continue.”
Her mind went to Abidah. It had been a long time since they spoke, but she still had her number saved. She remembered their days in school, the four roommates in year one: herself, Abidah, Safeerah, and Sandra. Back then, things had been tense between Abidah and Safeerah, but she never imagined it would grow into something this damaging. She knew Abidah’s sharp tongue and pride, but she didn’t think she would carry the grudge for years and try to ruin someone’s future with it.
As she sat there thinking, the memory of how it all began started to rise in her mind, slow at first, then vivid. In her mind, the past resurfaced in detail, the real story that people never knew. The story only she and Safeerah carried.
It was their first year in the university. Everything was new then, the environment, the faces, the lifestyle. Safeerah came from a humble background and found herself surrounded by students from wealthy families. She was not confident at the time. Her self-esteem was shaky, and she constantly wished to blend in with those who had money, status, and influence.
Abidah, being the daughter of a billionaire, was someone Safeerah tried to attach herself to in the beginning. She would follow her around, ask unnecessary questions, and try to sit close to her whenever she could. She admired her clothes, her phones, her perfumes, and everything she represented. But Abidah detested that behaviour. She did not like people clinging to her, especially when it was obvious that they were doing so out of desperation. She saw Safeerah as someone trying to force her way into the company of the rich. The more Safeerah tried, the more Abidah pushed her away with cold expressions and sharp remarks.
After some time, Safeerah shifted her attention to another rich student named Kate. Kate was tall, light-skinned, fashionable, confident, and had her own car. She belonged to a circle of wealthy friends. Safeerah tried to get into that circle through her, always trying to be helpful, always showing interest in whatever plans Kate mentioned.
One day, Kate talked about a picnic that some rich students were organising outside campus. There would be food, music, games, and lots of influential people attending. The moment Safeerah heard about it, her excitement was obvious. She begged Kate to take her along. At first, Kate did not want to. She felt Safeerah would not fit in with the crowd they were expecting. But Safeerah kept pleading.
Eventually, Kate agreed. She told her the date and time, and said they would all meet in front of the campus gate where cars would be parked to convey them to the picnic location. Safeerah was thrilled. She spent the night before the outing choosing a befitting dress and best shoes she had. She was so eager to attend that she barely slept.
On the day of the picnic, several cars were parked outside the campus gate. Some belonged to the students attending the picnic, others were cars of random visitors, taxi drivers, or people coming to pick someone from campus. Kate was in a hurry. She didn’t properly check which car was which. She simply pointed at one of the cars and told Safeerah to enter it. She assumed it was among the cars going with them.
Trusting Kate completely, Safeerah got into the car without asking any questions. She sat in the back seat with a little smile on her face, thinking she would arrive at the picnic with the others. She did not know she had just stepped into the car of a man who was not connected to the picnic in any way.
The moment the door was shut and the car started moving, she felt a strange fear in her stomach. She tried to ask the driver if they were going to the picnic location, the man made a different turn from the other cars and that was when she realised she was in danger.
Meanwhile, on campus, people noticed she was missing. Kate was shocked when they realised Safeerah never arrived at the picnic. She felt guilty but didn’t say much. Abidah assumed Safeerah had followed a rich man to a hotel.
The only person she told the truth was Maimunat. She cried while telling her everything. She made her swear not to tell anybody. Maimunat kept her promise. Nobody else knew the real story. Maimunat hinted Kate a little just to make her accountable but Kate didn’t know the full gist.
From that day, Safeerah changed. The fear, humiliation, and regret humbled her. She stopped trying to force friendships with the rich. She stopped begging to follow people. She became more reserved and began to respect herself. That kidnapping broke something in her but also rebuilt her in a quiet way. She buried the past and grew from it.
But the wrong version of the story survived. Abidah held onto the belief that Safeerah had gone to spend a night with a rich man in a hotel. That rumour solidified her dislike for her. She never knew the real truth.
When the flashback faded in Maimunat’s mind, she felt a fresh wave of sadness. She shook her head slowly.
“All this because of dislike,” she whispered to herself.
She stood up from the bed and went to the window, looking out without really seeing anything. She wondered how different things would be if the truth had been known back then. Maybe Abidah would not have carried her hatred for so long. Maybe Safeerah would not be in tears today. Maybe Haseeb and Safeerah would not be hurting.
She turned back and picked up her phone. She hesitated a little, then scrolled through her contacts and found Abidah’s number. Her thumb hovered over the call button for a moment. She knew Abidah could be defensive, stubborn, and proud. But she also knew that silence would make things worse.
“I’ll try,” she said softly. “Even if she doesn’t listen, I’ll still try.”
She clicked on the call button and raised the phone to her ear.
The phone rang.
The call connected at the fourth ring.
“Hello?” Abidah’s voice came through, sharp and guarded.
“Asalamu Alaykum, Abidah. It’s me … Maimunat.”
There was a brief pause on the other end, then Abidah replied flatly.
“Walaykum Salam. What do you want?”
Maimunat took a slow breath.
“I called because of what happened today. I heard everything. I know you’re upset, but this matter is getting out of hand.”
Abidah gave a short, sarcastic laugh.
“Out of hand? It wasn’t out of hand when that girl was throwing herself at rich people back then, right? Now that I’m protecting my brother, everyone is suddenly uncomfortable.”
“You’re not protecting him,” Maimunat said gently. “You’re hurting him. And you’re hurting an innocent person.”
“Innocent?” Abidah scoffed. “Don’t annoy me, Maimunat. That girl is not what you think. She followed a rich man to a hotel back in school and stayed overnight. Don’t come here defending rubbish.”
“That’s not what happened,” Maimunat said firmly.
“Oh, please,” Abidah cut in. “I lived with her. Don’t try to twist the truth because you feel pity for her. She was cheap and desperate. She embarrassed herself then, and she will embarrass my brother now if I keep quiet.”
Maimunat closed her eyes briefly.
“I’m telling you now, Abidah, she never followed any man to a hotel. She was kidnapped that day.”
There was another pause.
Then Abidah chuckled lightly, a mocking tone in her voice.
“Kidnapped? Is that the new story she’s forming now?”
“It’s not a story,” Maimunat insisted. “I was the only one she told. She begged me not to tell anybody back then. She entered the wrong car because Kate pointed at it without knowing. The kidnapper took her away. He kept her for almost a day before dropping her somewhere outside town.”
“And you expect me to believe that?” Abidah asked. “So all of us on campus were stupid for years? All of us were blind and you were the only wise one who knew the truth?”
“I didn’t say that,” Maimunat said quietly. “I kept the secret because she was scared and ashamed. I respected her silence. But now the lie is destroying her life.”
“That’s her problem,” Abidah said harshly. “She created the image people saw. If she wasn’t busy chasing rich people up and down, she wouldn’t have entered the wrong car.”
“You’re still blaming her for being kidnapped?” Maimunat asked.
“I don’t believe the kidnap story,” Abidah said coldly. “And even if it was true, it doesn’t change the fact that she was desperate and shameless back then.”
“She changed after that incident,” Maimunat replied. “She became more reserved. She stopped forcing herself around people. She let go of that fantasy a long time ago.”
“I don’t care,” Abidah snapped. “My brother will not marry her. End of discussion.”
“You’re making a mistake,” Maimunat said sadly.
“The mistake would be allowing that girl into my family,” Abidah replied. “You can talk from now till next week, I won’t change my mind. Goodbye.”
Before Maimunat could say anything else, Abidah ended the call.
Maimunat lowered the phone slowly and stared at it. She expected resistance, but not this level of stubbornness. She sat down on the edge of the bed again and pressed a hand to her forehead. Abidah was determined to destroy the relationship, and no amount of explanation was sinking in.
She stayed silent for a few minutes, thinking. Then she picked up her phone again. If Abidah refused to listen, there was still someone who needed to hear the truth and that was Haseeb.
She dialed his number.
He answered almost immediately.
“Maimunat?”
“Yes, it’s me,” she said.
He had Maimunat’s number because Safeerah gave it to him when he said he needed to talk to her friend.
His voice sounded tired.
“Have you spoken to Safeerah? She’s not answering her phone.”
“She switched it off,” Maimunat said quietly. “She’s on her way to Oyo.”
There was a long silence from his end. When he finally spoke, his voice was low but tense.
“What do you mean she’s on her way to Oyo?”
“She packed her things this evening and left,” Maimunat explained. “She said she doesn’t want to continue with the marriage if it will come with so much hatred from your sister. She said she wants peace.”
Haseeb exhaled heavily, as though someone had punched him.
“I’ve called and called… I even left her a voice note. She didn’t reply.”
“I know,” Maimunat said softly. “She turned everything off. She said she might even break her SIM card so you won’t reach her.”
“What?” Haseeb said sharply. “Why would she do that?”
“Her heart is broken,” Maimunat replied. “She feels unwanted. She believes your sister will make her life miserable if she pushes forward with the marriage.”
Haseeb was silent for a moment before speaking again.
“I understand her perfectly. I understand why she thought running away was the best. But I wished she knew how special she is …”
“There’s something you need to know,” Maimunat interjected. “About what Abidah has been saying.”
“Yes, she mentioned something in front of us,” he said. “She claimed that Safeerah once followed a man to a hotel when they were in school.”
“It’s not true,” Maimunat said firmly. “There was no hotel, no rich man, nothing like that.”
Haseeb didn’t say anything, but she could tell he was listening closely.
“She was kidnapped,” Maimunat continued. “I’m the only person she told. She begged me not to say anything. Kate was the one who told her to enter the car, thinking it was for the picnic. It was the wrong car. They took her away and returned her the next day. When she came back, she lied and said she visited her grandmother because she didn’t want people mocking her. But the rumour spread that she went with a man. In fact, Abidah started the rumour. And that’s what she is holding onto.”
Haseeb was quiet for a few seconds. Then he spoke slowly.
“I never believed Abidah. So this is the real story. ”
“Yes,” Maimunat replied. “She was desperate back then to belong among the rich, but the kidnapping changed her. She stopped chasing that lifestyle. She became a different person afterwards. Meeting you wasn’t part of any plan. It was fate. She didn’t target you.”
“I believe you,” Haseeb said calmly.
Maimunat let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
“Thank you.”
“She’s been through so much,” he said quietly. “And now this is happening again because of a lie.”
“Yes,” Maimunat said. “And she’s running away because she thinks she’ll never be accepted. But I know you love her.”
“I do,” he said firmly.
“She thinks you might give up,” Maimunat added gently.
“I won’t,” he said. “I can’t let her go like this.”
Maimunat felt relief in her chest.
“What will you do now?”
“I don’t have to think of what to do. I’ll definitely take the first flight to Ibadan tomorrow morning,” Haseeb said without hesitation. “From there, I’ll go to Oyo and find her. I won’t allow her to run away from me.”
A bright smile touched Maimunat’s face.
“I’m glad you’re not being deterred. Go and claim your love back.”
“I will,” he said quietly. “Thank you for telling me the truth. It means a lot.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. “Safeerah deserves peace, not pain. If you find her, hold her tight. She’s already breaking inside.”
“I understand,” he said. “In Shaa Allah, I will bring her back as my wife.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“I should be the one thanking you.”
They ended the call afterwards.
Maimunat dropped the phone beside her and closed her eyes with a quiet sigh. For the first time since Safeerah walked out, she felt a small light of hope.
Haseeb was determined to go after the woman he loved. And Maimunat prayed silently that destiny would not be scattered by lies and hatred.
One word for Maimunat 
One word for Haseeb 
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