UNCOUTHLY ATTACHED

UNCOUTHLY ATTACHED: 95.

Matan Fada, Katsina State.
2019.

Upon setting her foot in Marawiyyah's home, Falak felt this rush of nostalgia running through her, she felt homesick all over again. She's missed that house because they always run there after getting into a fight with someone more than their age. Her eyes misted and she continue to trudge into the very familiar room where she and Marawiyyah bunk their days for tsaro, looking after the cows. They will shun away Marawiyyah's stepbrother and hide in the room, he never was able to find them inside.

"Mari." She called into house, feeling as confident as ever this time around. She knew her friend is definitely inside that house, just like when they were younger. Maybe her stepmother, Baaba is alone in the house and Marawiyyah is still not back from the city. Who knows but she hopes not.

"Yes, who is it?" Falak's heart dropped to her chest hearing her best friend's voice call out to her. Her feet move before she could stop herself. She find her feet right inside the room, there are no changes made except for the pieces of new clothing that there wasn't before. There are few more stones decorated by the edge of the wall, like old days.

"It's me." Falak's voice whispered standing atop her friend's lying figure.

Marawiyyah's eyes shot up to the intruder knowing that no one has bother coming into her room for a long time. Everyone is afraid of being in her presence so seeing her friend standing on top of her only makes her laugh bitterly at herself then lie her head back on piles of old clothes she uses as pillow. This is one of her every time daydream to see her long lost friend. She knew she is the only one that will stand by her at those moments, she's always been there through thick and thin. Now that she is more in need of her, she gets those daydreams more often and she learnt not to pay heed to them anymore.

Comfortably closing her eyes, she sighed again and let herself wander off to those messiness dreams that haunt her life every time. She hates closing her eyes even for a second but in that way, she finds tranquility one way or the other. In those isolated dreams, she finds herself letting them punish her whole all the time. Those dreams makes her feel as though she deserves each punishment coming her way. She can't deal with it alone, she needs someone, however, there isn't any.

"Marawiyyah, get up, it's me Falak." She desperately say to her friend who looks like she's lost it and kept smiling miserably in her supposed sleep.

Marawiyyah stood up again and watch Falak feeling like those many dreams she's had of meeting her best friend again. So just like in all the dreams, she stood up in a hurry almost slipping to the floor and gave her a bone crushing hug. This time, it feels real and the hug has being reciprocated not like the dream where Falak will slowly move away and disappear into the thin air. She held her back equally as enthusiastic as she did her so she moved back to confirm her dream.

By Allah those dreams have been messing with her head for a long time. She needs to go find her friend if this one is also a dream. No one is talking to her in the village so she could ask nobody about Falak's whereabout. She wished to hear some of the girls talking about Falak or where she is but as soon as they sight her, everyone will keep quite some will even go to extent of mocking her as if she was the one who planned everything that has happened to her. She needs her friend to help her insult those girls so they will back off, just like they always do when they mock Falak of being single.

There stood her childhood friend and human diary. The woman knows her from head to toe, in and out. They were like twins together with Fikriyah, triplets. They have the best kind of relationship anyone could ask for. Even with the society turned against them, they still have each others back no matter what. Their friendship started even before they know what friendship means. They just knew that they don't like playing with anyone except for them trio. Any other person in their circle is labelled an outsider forever.