Labiba

Chapter 3

"Inside?" I answer her incredulously.

"Abba is not around, I'm all alone. Laila is not here, so there's basically no reason for you to be here."

I think about what she's saying and look at her while she wears that mean smirk. You can tell Labiba is up to no good by the mere look in her large eyes.

"You're right." I tell her. "I'm bringing Laila over In Shaa Allah."

"Good." She says and slams the door without waiting for me to say more. This is the nicest she could get and I can take it.

Days turn into weeks in their lives, grieving Falila becomes easier with time and Laila is getting smarter as the day goes by. At first I thought Laila was going to start picking words fast but after a while and her birthday coming up, I knew I was wrong. I know Labiba hates crowds and Zahra is already planning a birthday party for Laila. I'd hate to be the one to add fuel to the already roaring fire between Labiba and Zahra.

The day before Laila's birthday, I met Labiba at home watching Food Network though her attention is on her phone as I enter, so I clear my throat.

"I know you're here, Salim, don't be dramatic." She says as she continues typing on her phone.

"You look busy." I tell her.

"That's because I am." She says in annoyance as she turns to look at me and I wonder what has gotten her so riled up. "Can I help you?"

"Yes please." I say curtly and she looks taken aback. Two can play this game. "I'm here for Laila."

"She's not coming with you, tomorrow is her birthday and we're going out." Shit. Now how do I approach this matter?

"But they've already planned a birthday party for her back at Wuse, I'd hate to-"

"Don't worry, our plans are in the morning." She waves her hand in dismissal as she stands up. She's wearing a flare gown and she looks absolutely stunning. Sometimes I forget just how good looking Labiba is because she's always utilising her time by being mean to people, that overshadows her beauty. "We are just going out shopping and taking pictures. She'll be free before 1pm." Labiba speaks so highly of Laila like she's a celebrity and that makes me happy. I really couldn't have done half of all this without her.

"That's great then." I sigh in relief. The last thing I need is Zahra whining about how I always respect Labiba's feelings above hers. "You can just come over for the party after you're done. You can stop for a few pictures, because I know you're not staying for the whole thing."

"Zan baka mamaki." She smiles genuinely and for some reason, that warms me up because it's something I rarely see.

"You couldn't stay the whole night for your twin sister's wedding dinner. Excuse me if I say I know your tactics down to a science." I shrug at her and she narrows her eyes down at me.

"Should we bet on this?"

"No, because you're going to lose and I don't want you to." I say in a playful manner as I round the living room and sit on the loveseat far away from her. "You look riled when I came in."

"Yeah, shipping issues." She says as she sits back down and picks up her phone from where she kept it beside her. "I ordered something more than 3 weeks ago and it was supposed to be here since last week, I was trying to get to the bottom of it.

"Which platform?"

"Amazon."

"Huh. Unlikely." I tell her and she nods. "It might not be a big deal though." Her attention is on her phone again so I continue talking. "Hajiya fa?"