FATEEMAH'S POV

9:57pm

“Oh ya Allah” I muttered to myself.

It was 9:55 ten minutes ago how comes it is still 9:57. You know how time slows downwhen you are waiting? Yes that. I have done all possible chores to kill time but seems it is not on my side.

This is it, my every day routine, waiting for 11pm every night. There were night where I watch dramas--Turkish drama to be precise-- to kill time, other night I go to the neighborhood by 7 and be back by 9

then use the remaining two hours to do the house chores. But then there where nights like today where I had nothing to do but to sit and watch the clock tiking and toking.

Arghh!! IT. IS. FRUSTRATING, I promise you

But then it dawned on me that

I haven’t prayed isha

Oh ya Allah forgive me

I dashed into the toilet like a thunderbolt, and believe me I was super-fast.

The water was welcoming that I ended up taking a bath forgetting what the main reason I was there in the first place. I took time in the bathroom, washing and scrubbing, I even did the honor of shaving just to kill time. I’m very sure I spent an hour in the bathroom and true to my thoughts, the time is 11pm on

the dot.

So quickly sprawled the praying mat and prayed isha, even though I kept it short but I made sure to pray

shafa’I and wutr.

Still sitting on the praying mat, I looked around my room, everywhere is disorganized, clothes

everywhere, my wardrobe is literally vomiting clothes then there is also this particular chair I keep my

clothes on, it was supposed to be a study chair but guess what, the clothes swallowed it, cups and plates

everywhere that you would think I have a kitchenette and let’s not forget the dustbin that is also vomiting sachet and bottles and my study table, hmmm, I won’t even go there.

Oh Allah, I know for sure if ammiey were to mistakenly step foot into my room I would get an earful. And maybe a smack. So I set to organize everything.

First I start off by taking the dishes out then the dustbin, after that I folded the clothes on the chair and arranged my wardrobe, then arranged the books on my table. I was done with everything in about forty

minutes. I it wasn’t a big room, just enough for a middleclass lady who has only a mother and a brother.

And maybe a little support from my uncles. Nothing fancy about the room, no special colors, nothing nothing.

Great. I patted myself because I know I did a huge work.

It is 12 already, so I removed my phone from charge and hopped on my bed, it made a “Ki Ki Ki” sound but I ignored it, I always do.

So now, to what I’ve been waiting for, I dialed the MTN code for purchasing data and purchased the MTN night plan 500mb for 50naira. Yes, that is what I can afford, at least 500 can take up to 10 days or

even more if I decided to go with 20naira for 250mb.

Allah knows that is what I can afford, I work a lot,  I crochet, sew, henna, makes turaren wuta, throw pillows, and bed sheet and lots more I always have things to do. You can say that I am the breadwinner

of the family even though Muhammad my elder brother works at the borno state university but that

wasn’t enough to pay for my school, his

masters

and the feeding us, the house belongs to my late dad so we don’t have a problem with paying rent, even ammiey works as a caterer from time to time mostly events or wedding. This is our little family where everyone works.

After subscribing to the bundle I waited for a minute for the messages to finish entering. I start off by logging into wattpad, it has more notification hence I started with it, I replied to all the comment that

were made on my current book and even dropped a double update, which has always been my motivation to continue writing.

The first time I joined wattpad, I thought I would made thousands of read in a day like all those inspiring books but boy I was wrong, I do not know where I went wrong but it took time before I was noticed, I have almost a million reads on my current book yet only 200 followers, it discourages me a times but I learnt to turn a blind eye to it.

After finishing with wattpad, I logged into whatsapp, replied to few messages, not that I was active there but for the sake of friendship, there are people out there that only the status is keeping us together

otherwise we would never acknowledge one another.

Next was instagram, there to I had a lot of messages from my readers, some were asking for updates while others where appreciating the current updates and let’s not forget the critiques, life thought me

to grow a thick skin to criticism, they will talk so I let them.

I had so many follow request so I went ahead to checking their profiles before accepting their follow request, this is me, and I do not like following useless pages, at least something that will benefit me. I

checked all their profiles and accepted some and left the rest.

A second after doing that, a message popped up from a user I am not really familiar with but it is a girl

faixatuu.__ it read so I checked her profile and turns out she is also an author on wattpad, one of my

favorite books to be precise collided pieces, so I replied to her

Faixatuu.__: hey

How are you

       Me: hello, I am fine Alhamdulillah, you?

Faixatuu.__: same Alhamdulillah

Me: Masha Allah

Me: I really liked your book “collided pieces” it is one of the best I’ve read so far

Even though I can’t find it again on wattpad.

Faixatuu.__: o my!! Thank you so much and yes I’ve taken it off wattpad for edition but I think I will

transfer it to okadabooks.

Me: o, that’s nice

Faixatuu.__: yeah, I liked the book trailer you have made, it’s really catching. I wish I can make it

though

Me: wow thank you so much, I can make ne for blurred stars

If you are okay with it of course.

Faixatuu.__: really! Thank you so much.

That is how I went on and on chatting with her and it was fun if I may add. She was a talkative which actually made it super fun. Right there and then, I knew I made a new friend, that too online.